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

492 DEATH OF SPITAMENES.down by poverty, were always ready for raidsin which therewas a prospect of profit. With this force, Spitamenes advancedto Bagae, near the boundary of the Massagetans andof Sogdiana. Ccenus, always ready for duty, marched out tomeet him, and in a sharp combat defeated him with eighthundred killed to his own thirty-seven. The Bactrians andSogdianians with Spitamenes, recognizing the helplessness oftheir cause, and out of patience with this luckless leader, surrenderedin a body. The Scythians, after plundering theirbaggage, fled with Spitamenes toward the desert.But manyreturned to Coenus, and gave themselves up. Learning shortlyafter that Alexander was on the march toward them, thesesame Scythians slew Spitamenes, and sent his head to theking as a matter of conciliation. Quintus Curtius says thathis wife murdered Spitamenes, and brought his head to Alexander.The death of this persistent, treacherous and wilyfoe gave final promise of peace to this territory. Only Datapherneswas left of all the conspirators, and him the Daanssurrendered. Alexander was able to undertake substantialmeasures towards replanting a country which has been calledthe Garden of the Orient, but which had been absolutely desolatedby the war.Alexander.(From a Coin in the British Museum.)