defeat of the aspasians.—the assacenians and guraeans attacked.

when the enemy who were occupying the commanding heights perceived the macedonians approaching, they descended into the plain, being emboldened by their superiority in number and despising the macedonians, because they were seen to be few. a sharp contest ensued; but alexander won the victory with ease. ptolemy’s men did not range themselves on the level ground, for the barbarians were occupying a hill. wherefore ptolemy, forming his battalions into column, led them to the point where the hill seemed most easily assailable, not surrounding it entirely, but leaving room for the barbarians to flee if they were inclined to do so. a sharp contest also ensued with these men, both from the difficult nature of the ground, and because the indians are not like the other barbarians of this district,253 but are far stronger than their neighbours. these men also were driven away from the mountain by the macedonians. in the same way did leonnatus with the third division of the army; for his men also defeated those opposed to them. ptolemy indeed says that all the men were captured, to a number exceeding 40,000, and that 230,000 oxen were also taken, of which alexander picked out the finest, because they seemed to him to excel both in beauty and size, wishing to send them into macedonia to till the soil. thence he marched towards the land of the assacenians; for he received news that these people had made preparations to fight him, having 20,000 cavalry, more than 30,000 infantry, and 30 elephants. when craterus had thoroughly fortified the city, for the founding of which he had been left behind, he brought the heavier armed men of his army for alexander as well as the military engines, in case it might be necessary to lay siege to any place. alexander then marched against the assacenians at the head of the companion cavalry, the horse-archers, the brigades of coenus and polysperchon, the agrianians, the light-armed troops,604 and the archers. passing through the land of the guraeans, he crossed the river guraeus,605 which gives its name to the land, with difficulty, both on account of its depth, and because its current is swift, and the stones in the river being round caused those who stepped upon them to stumble.606 when the barbarians perceived alexander approaching, they durst not take their stand for a battle in close array, but dispersed one by one to their various cities with the determination of preserving these by resolute fighting.