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

616 EXPLORATION OF DELTA.nomads, but nevertheless persevered and carried out theirplan.Alexander now determined to explore the delta of theIndus. It required as true courage and enterprise to saildown the Indus delta with Alexander's small craft, propelledalone by oars, quite ignorant of what lay beyond, andwith crews which had never yet been out of the eastern Mediterranean,as it has ever required of thegreat discoverers toventure forth on unknown seas in search of unknown lands.There is some confusion as to which branch the king firstattempted ;but judging by the measures he adopted it seemsprobable that he began with theeast branch, though Arriancalls it the right one. He detailed Leonnatus, with eightthousand foot and one thousand horse, to explore the islandof Patala between the arms ofthe delta.Alexander set out with his thirty-oared galleys, and somewith one and one half banks of oars. After a perilous journey—for the Indus is twenty-five miles wide and subject toheavy water— he reached the open sea. Many of his vesselshad been damaged, and he had been unable toj^rocurenatives for pilots a good part of the way. He was greatlyastonished at the phenomenon of the tides, with which he wasnot familiar.Having put some distance out to sea, so as tobe sure he had reached the great ocean, he returned to Patala,where he found liis plans for a new city fairly completed.He then descended the west branch of the Indus. His firststop was at a point where thelake.river broadened out into a hugeHere he again laid the foundations of a city and dockyard,Minagara ; and proceeding to the sea, satisfied himselfthat this western arm was the best adapted for navigation.The details of these trips, as of the later voyage ofNearchus,are ofvast interest, but scarcely belong to Alexander's militaryhistory. He then explored the coast to the west with