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

A HUGE MOUND. 345When the battering was about to begin, and Alexanderwas, according to custom, sacrificing to the gods, a bird ofprey flew above him, and let fall a pebble which smote Alexanderon the head. But the bird then alighted on one of themachines, and was caught in some of its ropes. The soothsayerAristander, from this event, prophesied that Alexandershould indeed capture the town, but must in the assault havea care of himself. Alexander, therefore, kept somewhatmore than usual in shelter, taking up post near the batteriesinstead of near the walls. But one day, when a sortie wasmade by the garrison, the works erected with so much toilwere near to being fired, and the Macedonians from theirlower position were in danger of being driven from the towersand engines, Alexander, seeing the imminent danger of defeatand unable longer to contain himself, seized his arms, andheading his shield-bearing guards, came quicldy to the rescue.The sortie was repulsed, though the Macedonians had lostsome ground ; but Alexander was wounded by a shaft from acatapult which pierced through the shield and corselet, andentered the shoulder. The wound was a serious one, andcame close to being worse. According to Curtius, the kingreceived two wounds in this siege.The engines from Tyre which had been sent for now arrivedby way of Majormas, a neighboring small harbor, and themound was completed all around the city, though possibly theexpression " all around " may mean concentric with the wall.Part of it—Arrian leads one to infer that all of it — wastwelve hundred feet wide, and two hundred and fifty feet high(that is, near the wall) ; and as the sand from this plain couldnot be used, materials were brought from a distance. If suchfigures as these were not abundantly vouched for, they wouldbe incredible ; but we know from Ethiopia and Egypt, andNineveh and Babylon, what gigantic works can be erected by