alexander reaches the river cabul, and receives the homage of taxiles.

after performing this exploit, alexander himself went to bactra; but sent craterus with 600 of the cavalry companions and his own brigade of infantry as well those of polysperchon, attalus, and alcetas, against catanes and austanes, who were the only rebels still remaining in the land of the paraetacenians.594 a sharp battle was fought 247with them, in which craterus was victorious; catanes being killed there while fighting, and austanes being captured and brought to alexander. of the barbarians with them 120 horsemen and about 1,500 foot soldiers were killed. when craterus had done this, he also went to bactra, where the tragedy in reference to callisthenes and the pages befell alexander. as the spring was now over, he took the army and advanced from bactra towards india,595 leaving amyntas in the land of the bactrians with 3,500 horse, and 10,000 foot. he crossed the caucasus596 in ten days and arrived at the city of alexandria, which had been founded in the land of the parapamisadae when he made his first expedition to bactra. he dismissed from office the governor whom he had then placed over the city, because be thought he was not ruling well. he also settled in alexandria others from the neighbouring tribes and the soldiers who were now unfit for service in addition to the first settlers, and commanded nicanor, one of the companions, to regulate the affairs of the city itself. moreover he appointed tyriaspes viceroy of the land of the parapamisadae and of the rest of the country as far as the river cophen.597 arriving at the city of nicaea, he offered sacrifice to athena and then advanced towards the cophen, sending a herald forward to taxiles598 248and the other chiefs on this side the river indus, to bid them come and meet him as each might find it convenient. taxiles and the other chiefs accordingly did come to meet him, bringing the gifts which are reckoned of most value among the indians. they said that they would also present to him the elephants which they had with them, twenty-five in number. there he divided his army, and sent hephaestion and perdiccas away into the land of peucelaotis,599 towards the river indus, with the brigades of gorgias, clitus,600 and meleager, half of the companion cavalry, and all the cavalry of the grecian mercenaries. he gave them instructions either to capture the places on their route by force, or to bring them over on terms of capitulation; and when they reached the river indus, to make the necessary preparations for the passage of the army. with them taxiles and the other chiefs also marched. when they reached the river indus they carried out all alexander’s orders. but astes, the ruler of the land of peucelaotis, effected a revolt, which both ruined himself and brought ruin also upon the city into which he had fled for refuge. for hephaestion captured it after a siege of thirty days, and astes himself was killed. sangaeus, who had some time before fled from astes and deserted to taxiles, was appointed to take charge of the city. this desertion was a pledge to alexander of his fidelity.