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

INDIAN REPUBLICS. 571in favor. Him Alexander set out to pursue with his lighttroops, leaving posts along his line of advance, at suitableintervals, so that Craterus and Ca^nus might be protected incoming up, and in the foraging they were ordered to do forthe army. But on reaching the Hydraotis, up which riverhe proposed to operate, and finding that the pursuit wouldbe long and tedious, he detailed Hephsestion, with his ownand Demetrius' hipparchies, one half of the archers, and twobrigades of the phalanx, to finish the subjection of the landof this Porus, which was a district ofGandaritis, as is calledthe territory between the Hydaspes and Hydraotis rivers.Hephaestion was given orders tosubdue other Indian tribesin this district, and to found a city on the left bank of theAcesines, at the main-road fords. Hephsestion was then toturn this territory over to the faithful Porus to govern inaddition to his own.Alexander himself then advanced on and crossed theHydraotis,an operation which was more easily managed than theAcesines. Beyond this river he was in the land of the freeIndians, the Cathaeans being one of their tribes. Curiouslyfor this tyrant-ridden part of the world, there has always beenhere, from time immemorial, a set of republics, or " kingless "peoples, as they were called. They were looked down uponby the subjects ofafford to be so.the neighboring kings, but could no doubtTheir largest city and capital, Sangala (modernLahore), was strongly walled, and here the near-by alliedtribes had met to arrest Alexander's advance in their direction.These free tribes were very warlike, and had neverbeen subdued, Porus told Alexander that he had tried hishand against them more than once in vain, and that he wouldfind them very obstinate in battle. Some of the qualities ofthe true republic appear to have been prominent among them.This report whetted Alexander's ambition to subdue them.