Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/259

 CONQUESTS NORTH OF KABOOL. 227 pose the excellent combination and rapid movements of Alexan- der, together with the confident attack and very superior arm?, ofiensive, as well as defensive, of his soldiers. All those who attempted resistance were successively attacked, overpowered and slain. Even those who did not resist, but fled to the moun- tains, were pursued, and either slaughtered or sold for slaves. The only way of escaping the sword was to remain, submit, and await the fiat of the invader. Such a series of uninterrupted successes, all achieved with little loss, it is rare in military his- tory to read. The capture of the rock of Aornos was peculiarly gratifying to Alexander, because it enjoyed the legendary repu- tation of having been assailed in vain by Herakles — and indeed he himself had deemed it, at first sight, unassailable. After having thus subdued the upper regions (above Attock or the confluence of the Kabul river) on the right bank of the Indus, he availed himself of some forests alongside to fell timber and build boats. These boats were sent down the stream, to the point where Hephoestion and Perdikkas were preparing the bridge.^ Such fatiguing operations of Alexander, accomplished amidst all the hardships of winter, were followed by a halt of thirty «iays, to refresh the soldiers before he crossed the Indus, in the early spring of 326 B. c.^ It is presumed, probably enough, that he crossed at or near Attock, the passage now frequented. He first marched to Taxila, where the prince Taxilus at once sub- mitted, and reinforced the army with a strong contingent of Indian soldiers. His alliance and information was found ex- tremely valuable. The whole neighboring territory submitted, and was placed under Philippus as satrap, with a garrison and depot at Taxila. He experienced no resistance until he reached the river Hydaspes (Jelum), on the other side of which the Indian prince Porus stood prepared to dispute the passage ; a brave man, with a formidable force, better armed than Indians generally were, and with many trained elephants ; which ani- mals the Macedonians had never yet encountered in battle. By ' Arrian, iv. 30, 16 v. 7, 2. " The halt of thirty days is mentioned by Diodorus, xvii. 86. For the proof that these operations took place in winter, sec the valuable citatiou from Aristobulus given in Strabo (xv. p. 691).