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

600 ALEXANDER HEADS AN ASSAULT.eventual good than the slaughter of many thousands of barbariansdid harm.Perhaps Alexander had no right whateverof conquest. That proposition is certainly capable of beingably advocated. But he did go abroad to conquer ; and oncehe set forth, he was wise, in a military sense, to take themeans he did tocarry through his conquests, however muchwe may shudder at the awful array of figures which computesthe human souls his conquering progress swept from beforehim.While Peithon was capturing thesecond city, Alexanderheaded an expedition against a town of the Brahmins, whithersome of the Mallians had fled (probably modern Atari,twenty milessouthwest of Tulambo, thirty-three miles northeastof Multan). No sooner had he reached the place andmarched the phalanx to the wall, in order to undermine it,than the Indians, divining his purpose and believing that thecity wall would not long resist the Macedonians, and being,moreover, harassed with the missiles of the light troops, retiredinto the citadel, thinking here to be able to make abetter defense. The Macedonians followed hard upon, andsome of them penetrated the citadel with the barbarians, butcould not hold themselves there.But they were expert sajjpersand miners.They went to work with a will, and soonone of the towers and a part ofthe wall near by were underminedand thrown down. An assault was then ordered.When the Macedonians reached the breach, where the oppositionwas stovitly maintained, and were seen to hesitate in theassault, Alexander rushed to the front, — as he could neverrefrain from doing, — headed them in person, mounted thewall first of all, carried the works, and at once captured thecitadel. The gallant defenders themselves set their habitationson fire,and, standing on the roofs, hurled their missilesor firebrands upon the foe until they fell engulfed by the