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

THE MALLIAN PLAN. 693double volume of these two rivers is suddenly driven into anarrow gorge with high banks, and flows with great rapidity.A number of his vessels were here damaged by the whirlpoolsand eddies in the stream, and the rapids and bad bottomcame close to wrecking the entire fleet.The round ships, asthe transports from their unwieldly structure were called, gotthrough fairly well. But the long ships or war galleys sufferedgreatly from the oars ofthe lower tiers getting caught,and a number of men perished. Even Alexander's shipscarcely escaped being engulfed and the king is related tohave already cast aside his mantle and uf»per raiment in expectationof having to swim for his life. He was forced tohalt some days to repair damages. On the right bank belowthese rapids, in a bend of the river to the west, there was ajutting promontory which made a sort of roadstead. Herehe was able to pick up much wreckage and many of thecorpses.Alexander was on the confines ofthe territory of the Mallians,which extends northerly of the confluence of the Acesinesand Hydraotis. This tribe expected that Alexanderwould continue his route down river to this confluence andthence move up stream to attack them ; because the stretchof land north of the confluence and between the two riverswas a desert region entirely without water and difficult tocross. But Alexander determined to do what they least expectedand to march across the desert.While repairs were being made Alexander headed an incursionsome thirty miles westward into the land ofknown as the Sibae, on the rightsome tribesbank, they being said to beabout to reinforce the Mallians by crossing the river.Theywere some forty thousand in number, but he easily defeatedthem, destroyed their capital and wasted their territory as anexample. He then joined the fleet and his lieutenants. Cra-