Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

TOWARDS CILICIA. 289he had fulfilled the requirements of the omen, and that hewould be the conqueror of the East. It makes, perhaps,small odds how Alexander managed to impose upon the credulousby his actual deeds of wonder, or by his plausible wayof putting things. It is none the less true that his supportlargely came from a popidar belief that he was more thanhuman.From Gordium, Alexander marched along the southerlyslope of the boundary range to Ancyra, where he receivedthe submission of the Paphlagonians, but granted their requestthat no Macedonian army should be quartered upontheir country.But he probably placed them under the supervisionof Galas, satrap of Phrygia. Hence marching intoGappadocia, he crossed the Halys and subdued the entireregion west of this river, which had been the boundary betweenPersia and Lydia before the days of Gyrus, and thatportion beyond the Halys as far as the Iris ; and appointedSabictas viceroy. Here, too, he returned to the Greek citiestheir ancient laws and customs ;but not desiring to withdrawtoo much time from his greater task of seeking Darius andcoming to a decisive encounter with him, he left the democraticparty in each city with power sufficient to control theoligarchical faction, without attempting entirely tothe latter party.extirpateAlexander was now master of all Asia Minor west of theTaurus, and could choose to remain on the defensive or crossthe rantje in offense. The latter course was the one whichwas always the more consistent with his character.He, therefore,took up his march toward the chief pass in the Taurusmountains, known as the Gates of Gilicia, Pylae Giliciae(themodern Golek Boghaz), a defile tliirty-six hundred feet abovethe sea, and well-nigh inexpugnable if held by a determinedparty.AVhen Gyrus the Younger had passed this defile, he