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

'*THE KING FLEES!" 315King- was soon surrounded by wounds and slaughter.Hishorses became unmanageable ; only by a charge, under hisbrother Oxathres, could he be extricated from a positionwhere he must quickly have fallen a victim.For Darius hadceased to be a hero ; and it was the godlike fury of Herculesand Achilles which swept like a whirlwind about Jiim.When Darius saw that the left of his army had beenbroken, that Alexander was getting between the AmanicGates and his army, and that he himself was in danger ofcapture or death, he lost all sense of self-control, and summarilytook to flight in a fresh and lighter chariot which hadbeen brought up for him. But a chariot could not conveyhim far.The ground was rough, and the mass of fugitivesquickly became enormous. Darius had had in readiness, asif contemplating flight, a high-bred mare whose foal had beenleft behind on the road through the Amanic Gates. He soonleft his chariot, mounted this mare and galloped from thefield. The flight of the king was followed by the immediatedissolution of all discipline in the Persian ranks at the leftand centre, where his movements were within the ken ofThe reserve troops in the rear, who might have now comeforward, at once melted away and followed in the footstepsof Darius.and the two ile ofall.The Pseonians, archers, Agrianians, mercenaries,cavalry pushed in on the extreme Macedonianright, and cut down all who could not escape with speed.The victorious cavalry on the Persian right became aware ofthe rout of the left, and soon heard the cry, "The kingflees ! " They also lost courage and began to waver ; then,seeing that no efforts could now avail, they turned and fled.They were pursued by the Thessalians, who not only slewgreat numbers of them, but so hampered their movementsthat they trampled each other down in flight.Alexander could not begin his pursuit until he was sm'e of