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

526 ORA AND BAZIRA.places. Alexander saw that he must undertake the task inperson. He had intended to march first ou Bazira, but fromthe reports he deemed it wise to make his earlier move onOra, where Aleestas had with difficulty defeated a sortie ofthe garrison. He meanwhile instructed Coenus to fortify astrong position near by to use in besieging the town of Bazira,and to cut off its supplies ; then to leave a garrison in theworks sufficient to keep the Bazirans within waUs, and joinhim at Ora. For Abisares, king of Cashmir, northwest ofthis locality, was said to have sent large reinforcements toOra.All these orders were duly executed, but when the Baziranssaw Coenus marching off with the bulk of his force, they imaginedthat they would now have matters their own way, and,emerging from their city, they attacked the garrison of thenewly-built fort from the plain.they were worsted, with five hundred killed.In a sharp battle, however,This defeat hadthe effect to narrow the lines about Bazira, and all the moresecurely to coop up the inhabitants in the city. Ora provedan easy prey to Alexander, who took it on the first assaultand there captured a number of elephants. And when themen of Bazira learned this, they evacuated their city in thenight, and retreated to the rock of Aornus. All the barbarianswere deserting their cities for this last refuge.HephaBstion and Perdiccas had fully secured the south bankof the Cophen ; had pacified all the tribes in the mountainswhich hug this bank all along its course ; and had insuredthe land against revoltOrobatis.by garrisoning the forts of Astes andThis duty had occupied but a fraction of the timeconsumed by the king's larger task.ofAlexander, on the norththe river, with everlasting snows always in sight, had successivelyreduced the valleys of the Choaspes, Guraeus andSuastos ; had subdued the territory of the tribes living ou