Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/215

 DIFFICULTIES OF THE SIEGE. 183 derstood a mountain-pass, or rather a road of many hours' march, including several ditficult passes stretching eastward along the southern side of the great range of Taurus towards Parthia. He marched with his Companion-cavalry, the light-horse, the Agri- anians, and the bowmen — the greater part of the phalanx keep- ing up as well as it could — to Rhagae, about fifty miles north oi the Caspian Gates ; which town he reached in eleven days, by exertions so severe that many men as well as horses were dis- abled on the road. But in spite of all speed, he learnt that Da- rius had already passed through the Caspian Gates. After five days of halt at Rhagae, indispensable for his army, Alexander passed them also. A day's march on the other side of them, he was joined by two eminent Persians, Bagistanes and Antibelus, who informed him that Darius was already dethroned and in im- minent danger of losing his life.^ The conspirators by whom this had been done, were Bessus, Batrap of Baktria — Barsaentes, satrap of Drangiana and Ara- chosia — and Nabarzanes, general of the regal guards. The small force of Darius having been tliinned by daily desertion, most of those who remained were the contingents of the still un- conquered territories, Baktria, Arachosia, and Drangiana, under the orders of their respective satraps. The Grecian mercena- ries, 1500 in number, and Artabazus, with a band under his spe- cial command, adhered inflexibly to Darius, but the soldiers of Eastern Asia followed their own satraps. Bessus and his col- leagues intended to make their peace with Alexander by surren- dering Darius, should Alexander pursue so vigorously as to leave them no hope of escape ; but if they could obtain time to reach Baktria and Sogdiana, they resolved to organize an ener- getic resistance, under their own joint command, for the defence of those eastern provinces — the most warlike population of the Mardi, Tapyri, etc. The mountain range, now called Elburz, includes among other lofty eminences the very high peak of Demavend. The road from Ekbatana to Baktra, along which both tiie flight of Darius and the pursuit of Alexander lay, passed along the broken ground skirting the southern flank of the mountain range Elburz. Of this broken ground the Caspian Gates formed the worst and most difficult portion. • Arrian, iii. 20, 21.