Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/275

 I^EW ASIATIC LEVIES. 243 ing them with the short Macedonian thrusting-pike in phice of the missile Persian javelin. They were found such apt soldiers, and the genius of Alexander for military organization was so consummate, that he saw himself soon released from his depend ence on the Macedonian veterans ; a change evident enough to them as well as to him.^ The novelty and success of Nearchus in his exploring voyage had excited in Alexander an eager appetite for naval operations. Going on boai'd his fleet in the Pasitigris (the Karun, the rivei on the east side of Susa), he sailed in person down to the Per- sian Gulf, surveyed the coast as far as the mouth of the Tigris, and then sailed up the latter river as far as Opis. Hephaestion meanwhile, commanding the army, marched by land in concert with this voyage, and came back to Opis, where Alexander dis- embarked.^ Sufficient experiment had now been made with the Asiatic levies, to enable Alexander to dispense with many of his Mace- donian veterans. Calling together the army, he intimated hia intention of sending home those who were unfit for service eithei from age or wounds, but of allotting to them presents at depart- ure sutficient to place them in an enviable condition, and attract fresh Macedonian substitutes. On hearing this intimation, all the long-standing discontent of the soldiers at once broke out. They felt themselves set aside as worn out and useless, — and set aside, not to make room for younger men of their own coun- try, but in favor of those Asiatics into whose arms their king had now passed. They demanded with a loud voice that he should dismiss them all — advising him by way of taunt to make his fu- ture conquests along with his father Ammon. These manifesta- tions so incensed Alexander, that he leaped down from the ele- vated platform on which he had stood to speak, rushed with a lew of his guards among the crowd of soldiers, and seized or caused to be seized thirteen of those apparently most forward, ordering them immediately to be put to death. The multitude were thoroughly overawed and reduced to silence, upon which Alexander remounted the platform and addressed them in a ' Arrian, vii. 6. - Arrian, vii 7.