Naturalis historia 6.72

6.72

ipse per |XIII|.CL passuum, parcissimis auctoribus, navigatur et quodam solis comitatu in occasum versus oceano infunditur. mensuram orae ad eum ponam, ut invenio, generatim, quamquam inter se nullae congruunt. ab ostio Gangis ad promunturium Calingon et oppidum DandagudaDCXXV, ad Tropina |XII|.XXV, ad Perimulae promunturium, ubi est celeberrimum Indiae emporium, DCCL, ad oppidum in insula quam supra diximus PatalamDCXX.

CHAP. 23. (20.)—THE INDUS. The Indus, called Sindis by the natives, rises in that branch of the Caucasian range which bears the name of Paropanisus, and runs in an easterly direction, receiving in its course the waters of nineteen rivers. The most famous of these are the Hydaspes, into which four other rivers have already discharged themselves, the Cantaba, which receives three other rivers, the Acesinus, and the Hypasis, which last two are navigable themselves. Still however, so moderate, as it were, do the waters of this river show themselves in their course, that it is never more than fifty stadia in width, nor does it ever exceed fifteen paces in depth. Of two islands, which it forms in its course, the one, which is known as Prasiane, is of very considerable size; the other, which is smaller, is called Patale. According to the accounts given by the most moderate writers, this river is navigable for a distance of twelve hundred and fifty miles, and after following the sun's course to the west, in some degree, discharges itself into the ocean. I will here give the distances of various places situate on the coast to the mouth of this river, in a general way, just as I find them stated, although they none of them tally with each other.

From the mouth of the Ganges to the Promontory of the Calingi and the town of Dandaguda, is six hundred and twenty-five miles; from thence to Tropina twelve hundred and twenty-five; from thence to the promontory of Perimula, where is held the most celebrated mart in all India, seven hundred and fifty, and from thence to the city of Patala, in the island just mentioned, six hundred and twenty miles. The mountain races between the Indus and the Jomanes are the Cesi, the Cetriboni, who dwell in the woods, and after them the Megallæ, whose king possesses five hundred elephants, and an army of horse and foot, the numbers of which are unknown; then the Chrysei, the Parasangæ, and the Asmagi, whose territory is infested by wild tigers; these people keep in arms thirty thousand foot, three hundred elephants, and eight hundred horse. They are bounded by the river Indus, and encircled by a range of mountains and deserts for a distance of six hundred and twenty-five miles. Below these deserts are the Dari and the Surve, and then deserts again for one hundred and eighty-seven miles, sands in general encircling these spots just as islands are surrounded by the sea. Below these deserts, again, are the Maltecoræ, the Singæ, the Marohæ, the Rarungæ, and the Morontes. These last peoples, who possess the mountains throughout the whole range of country as far as the shores of the ocean, are free, and independent of all kings, and hold numerous cities upon the declivities of the mountains.