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

590 HOW THE FLEET SAILED.dowii the channel at random. He did not allow even thefast-sailing ships to get out ofrank by outstripping the rest.The noise of the rowing was never equaled on any other occasion,inasmuch as it proceeded from so many ships rowed atthe same time ; also the shouting of the boatswains giving thetime for beginning and stopping the stroke of the oars, andthe clamor of the rowers, when keeping time all together, withthe dashing of the oars, made a noise like a battle-cry.Thebanks of the river, also, being in many places higher thanthe ships, and collecting the sound into a narrow space, sentback to each other an echo which was very much increasedby its very compression. In some parts, too, the groves oftrees on each side of the river helped to swell the sound, bothfrom the solitude and the reverberation of the noise. Thehorses which were visible on the decks of the transportsstruck the barbarians who saw them with such surprisethatthose of them who were present at the starting of the fleet accompaniedit a long way from the place of embarkation. Forhorses had never before been seen on board ships in the countryof India ; and the natives did not call to mind that theexpedition of Dionysus into India was a naval one. Theshouting of the rowers and the noise of the rowing were heardby the Indians who had already submitted to Alexander, andthese came running down to the river's bank, and accompaniedhim, singing their native songs. For the Indians havebeen eminently fond of singing and dancing since the time ofDionysus and those who under his bacchic inspiration traversedthe land of the Indians with him."Three days after embarking, Alexander reached the rendezvouswith Hephjestion and Craterus, and remained twodays for Philip to come up. His force here is stated by Curtiusat one hundred and twenty thousand men ; by Plutarch,at the same number of foot and fifteen thousand horse ; al-