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

570 "COWARDLY PORUS:*here by the Thracian cavalry which had been with Phrataphernes,viceroy of Parthia aud Hyrcania. He did not deemit ^vise to be without a sufficiency o£ cavah-y from home,which might leaven the huge limip of Oriental horse nowserving under his colors.He next moved southerly towards the Acesines, a riverflowing with the rapidity of a mountain torrent, and overtwo miles wide. Alexander selected the widest part of theriver for his passage, because here the current was less strong.The bed was full of rocks, and the stream was a successionof eddies and rapids. There was much difficulty and loss inputting the troops over. Those who crossed with skins forfloats or used them for the rafts did weU enough, but theboats and some of the rafts were not so fortunate ; many ofthem were dashed to pieces on the rocks, and a considerablenumber of men perished.From beyond this river, Alexander sent Porus home to collectthe most warlike of his troops, and all his elephants, andrejoin him. He left Coenus with that part of the phalanx henow commanded — just how large a division is not stated—on the left bank ofthe Acesines Kiver, to see to putting overthe details which had been sent out on foraging expeditions,when they should return, and to hold, as it were, a bridgeheadon the road along which the Macedonians were operating.There was another Porus, a cousin, says Strabo, of theHydaspes king (the "cowardly Porus," the Macedoniansdubbed him, because he deserted his relative in a season ofdistress), who was king of one of the tribes in the foothills.He had offered to surrender when he thought that subservienceto Alexander would rid him of his uncle's influence, buthad again taken up arms and retired into the farther confinesof his land when he found that the elder Porus was again