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

THE PR^STIANS AND OX YCANUS. 611Alexander felt that he still had much work to do,submission.He continued down the river to the kingdom of Musicanus,who had made no tender of fealty, and who was said to beking of the most prosperous part of India, as was, to judgefrom the condition of to-day, a fact. To any one having theAnglo-Saxon feeling for independence, this assumption ofAlexander that all kings should volunteer submission at hismere approach is grating ; but the idea itself was well carriedout. So rapid was his progress that he reached the bordersof Musicanus before this potentate was aware that hehad started from the land of the Mallians. Thus surprised,Musicanus deemed it wise to accept theinevitable, and cameto meet the Macedonians with gifts and apologies. Alexander,always open to abject submission as well as flattery,forgave him his opposition, built a fortress at his capital,modern Alor, in which he placed a Macedonian garrison, andleft Musicanus in possession of his ancient kingdom as satrap.This extended, in allprobability, as far as modern Brahmanabad.Thence, with the seventeen hundred horse which had beenwith him on the fleet, the archersand Agrianians, Alexanderstruck inland to the west, on a campaign against the Praestiansand Oxycanus (or Portikanus), a king who had alsofailed to tender his submission. This territory ran as far asthe foothills, and about a hundred miles north and south.The first of his two cities Alexander took at the first onset,and distributed the booty among the soldiers. The secondcity was the capital, Mahorta (tenmiles from modern Larkhana,and forty from Alor), a place of much importance,which controlled the high road from thisIndus country viathe Gandara and Bolan passes to the plateau of Iran. Alexanderwas obliged to besiege thistown three days, and thento storm the citadel. In the assault the barbarian king was