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

542 PORUS' ARMY.The hills on either side were occupied and much delay wasthreatened. But Alexander, by a brilliant cavalry manoeuvreunder his own leadership, the details of which we do notpossess, surprised and di'ove Spitakes out of his position,crowded him back into the recesses of the defile where he hadhard work to find an exit, and obliged him after considerableloss to fly to Porus for safety. The army thence moved intwo marches to the river and camped.In summer the Hydasj)es is nowhere fordable, though it isso at many places during the dry season of winter, when thefrosts seal up the ice and snow in the mountain ranges. Onthe other side of the stream, now over half a mile wide, owingto the rains, though in the dry season relatively small andclear, could be seen Porus with his superbly accoutred armydra^\^l up in battle array before his camp and with his threehundred elephants ranged in front, ready to disj^ute the passage.According to Diodorus, Porus had more than fiftythousand infantry, three thousand cavalry, one thousand chariotsand one hundred and thirty elephants ; according to Curtius,he had thirty thousand foot, three hundred chariots andeighty-five elephants. The Indianswere tall, athletic and agile. Theinfantry were armed with bows fivefeet long, shot arrows of three feet,and bore a long two-handed sword.Their shields were raw hide. Thehorsemen had two javelins and ashield, presumably also a sword.War Elephant. Porus, like other Eastern leaders,relied mainly on his elephants ; thenon his chariots ; next on camels when he had them ; last oncavalry. Such was the value placed on these several arms.Porus' infantry did not accomplish much in the coming battle.