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

XL.PORUS. MARCH TO MAY, B. C. 326.It was the rainy season when Alexander advanced to the Hydaspes.Reachingthe river, he found it half a mile wide, swollen and rapid. He could seePorus with his splendid army and many elephants on the farther side. Hecould not force a passage in his teeth ; he must steal one. He went into campand by ostensible preparations, rumors and other means, induced Porus to believethat he would not try to cross till the dry season.To further confuse andtire out Porus, he made constant feints at partial crossings by night and day.Porus began to meet these feints by keeping his troops under arms, but whenthey got exhausted from overmuch toil, and Alexander never actually attempteda passage, Porus grew careless and paid less heed to what the Macedonianswere doing. Then came Alexander's time. He selected a point somemiles up stream and made all his preparations for a real crossing, leaving Craterusin camp and posting many other parties at convenient stations along thebank. Finally, at night and with great care and skill, he put over fourteenthousand men to the south side. Porus was quite deceived. He could see Craterusand the other troops on the right bank, and did not know what this forceof Alexander's was. He sent his son with a small body to oppose it. This Alexanderdefeated, and then advanced towards Poms' main army. Tlie lattercame to meet him. This passage of the Hydaspes is the pattern of all that isbest in the crossing of rivers in the face of the enemy.The rainy season had just set in. To-day it is said tobegin in July. Unless the ancient chronology is at fault, itbegan earlier two thousand years ago.Thunder-storms andhurricanes were frequent.The men suffered much from theweather.Marching was hard and progress was slow on accountof the roads, often cut by swollenstreams, and everywheredeep and heavy. As the army passed the southernboundary of Taxila and neared the Hydaspes, it was obligedto march through a narrow pass in the kingdom ofSi)itakes,a relative and ally of Porus. This pass was held in force.