Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/258

 226 HISTORY OF GREECE. can be more exactly identified. These tribes were generally bravo, and seconded by towns of strong position as well as by a ruo-o-cd country, in many parts utterly without roads.^ Eut their defence was conducted with little union, no military skill, and miserable weapons ; so that they were no Avay qualified to op- 341). The Mahabunn " is a mountain table, scarped on the east by tremen- dous precipices, from which descends one large spur down upon the Indus between Sitana and Umb " (p. 340). To this similarity in so many local features, is to be added the remarka- ble coincidence of name, between the town Embolima, where Arrian states that Alexander established his camp for the purpose of attacking Aornos — and the modern names limb and Balimali (between the Mahabunn and the Indus) — " the one in the river valley, the other on the mountain imme- diately above it " (p. 344). Mount Mahabunn is the natural refuge for the people of tl'.e neighborhood from a conqueror, and was among the place* taken by Nadir Shah (p. 338). A strong case of identity is thus made out between tliis mountain and l!ie Aornos described by Arrian. But undoubtedly it docs not coincide with the Aornos described by Curiius, who compares Aornos to a Mcta (the coni- cal goal of the stadium), and says that the Indus washed its base, — that at the first assault several Macedonian soldiers were hurled down into the river. This close juxtaposition of the Indus has been the principal feature looked for by travellers who have sought for Aornos : but no place has yet been found answering the conditions required. We have here to make our election between Arrian and Curtius. Now there is a general presumption in Arrian's favor, in the description of military operations, where he makes a positive statement ; but in this case, the presumption is peculiarly strong, because Ptolemy was in the most conspicuous and difficult command for the capture of Aornos, and was therefore likely to be particular in the description of a scene where he had reaped much glory. 1 Arrian, iv. 30, 13. i] arpaTLu, avTU) ^■^ottouIto TTpiJrrcj lohau, uiropa ukXur ovra rh. ravTri ;^;w/3tc, etc. The countries here traversed by Alexander include parts of Kafiristan, Swart, Bajore, Chitral, the neighborhood of the Kameh and other afliuents of the river Kabul before it falls into the Indus near Attock. Most of this is Terra Incognita even at present; especially Kafiristan, a territory inhab- ited by a population said to be rude and barbarous, but which has never been conquered — nor indeed ever visited by strangers. It is remarkable, that among the inhabitants of Kafiristan, — as well as among those of Badakshan, on the other or northern side of the Hindoo-Koosh — there exist traditions -espeeting Alexander, together with a sort of belief that incy themselves are descended from his soldiers. See Hitter's Erdkunde, part vii. book iii. p. 200 seq. : Burnes's Travels, vol. iii. ch. 4. p. 180, 2nd ed.; Wilson, Ariaiia Antiqua. p. 194 seq