Ivan Yefremov - Thais of Athens

“They didn’t reach the limits of the Ecumene in India,” she ranted excitedly. “The army revolted at the fifth river and refused to go further. That was when my Nearchus discovered that the Indus flows from the mountains that were far away from the sources of the Nile, not to the east but to the south, into the ocean. The Indus delta lies in the direction of the sun. Enormous expanses of land and sea separate these two rivers, so vast that no one could ever imagine…”

Lysippus put a hand on Thais’ shoulder to calm her down. She was startled by the wise man’s touch.

“Alexander was badly wounded while attacking a fortress, and was rescued by your Ptolemy, who was nicknamed Soter, or Savior, after that. They fought against many elephants. Bucephal perished. Then they descended down to the Indus. The army marched across the desert while Nearchus sailed along the shores of India for eighty days. He nearly starved to death while Alexander was dying of thirst in the desert. Then Alexander waited for him for a long time at the designated spot and dispatched the messengers to Persepolis from there…”

The Theban had spilled all this at once. Now she paused finally to draw breath.

Lysippus playfully shook Hesiona by the shoulders. “Please stop. Otherwise you will suffocate and we won’t find out what happened next. The wife of the great fleet leader like Nearchus ought to narrate the news in a more orderly manner. Who told you all this?”

“Deynomachus, one of Nearchus’ associates. He became sick and was sent to Persepolis with the caravan then went to Babylon to wait for Nearchus.”

“Then where is Nearchus himself?”

“He is leading the fleet to Babylon and seeking out a convenient route to Arabia and Libya along the way.”

“Another trip!” Thais exclaimed.

“Yes. Alexander himself wants to go by sea as he no longer trusts maps or descriptions of the dry land that deceived him so cruelly in Bactria and in India.”

“Then what did Deynomachus tell you?”

“Everything. He brought along a lokhagos, one of those who traveled with Alexander across Hedrosia [36] Modern northwest Pakistan and southeast border of India . They spent two days and two nights talking about the incredible trials of their journey. Then I left them at my house to sleep and rest and I rushed here. Oh, I memorized every detail. You know I have a good memory,” Hesiona added, noticing Thais’ glance.

“If such is the case,” the sculptor decided, “then let us follow the example of Deynomachus. We shall sail and you shall tell us the story, but not at nights. There is plenty of time.”

The Daughter of the Snake was not exaggerating her abilities, and Thais found out more about the Indian campaign than she would have from Ptolemy’s letters. Ptolemy had become Alexander’s chief associate after Hephaestion, who was a chiliarchus, or kings direct replacement. There was no position above that. And Ptolemy was still the great army leader’s closest friend.

After they crossed the Indus using a floating bridge built by Hephaestion’s detachment, the Macedonian army entered friendly territory. The Indians hailed Alexander as the king of kings of the West. At the same time, the aristocracy, referred to as “the higher castes”, considered Macedonians to be barbaric and nicknamed them “a bunch of farm boys” because they were primarily interested in livestock.

In the capital of this country, Taxil, Alexander arranged a splendid celebration and started preparing the next river crossing into the hostile kingdom of the Pauravs. That river, named Hydaspes (Jhelum) by the geographers, was the site of the most brutal battle Alexander’s army had experienced since Gaugamela. The clash was even more dangerous than at Gaugamela because at some point Alexander had completely lost control over his troops.

The Hydaspes swelled and flooded after endless rains. Its silt-covered shores turned into a swamp. The Indian army, headed by King Porus himself, waited on the east bank. Alexander hoped to easily overcome the Indians’ resistance, but made a big mistake. The best detachments of the Macedonian army, led by Ptolemy, Hephaestion, Kenos and Seleucus, had crossed the river, but Crateros and his reserves remained on the west bank. The Macedonians were met by two rows of battle elephants spaced at sixty elbows from each other. Between them walked archers with enormous bows that could only be shot by setting one end on the ground. The arrows of these bows penetrated armor and shields, like little catapults.

At first the Indians overran the Macedonians. The new Bactrian and Sogdian archers on horseback, led by Alexander, fought desperately while sinking in mud. Agrians and hypaspists dashed to their help but the elephants kept stubbornly pressing the Macedonians against the muddy bank, and Crateros with his reserve troops were still nowhere to be seen. It turned out that he had positioned himself behind a split in the river and, having found himself on an island, was forced to cross again.

Suddenly Bucephal collapsed from under Alexander. He was not wounded, but the old war horse’s heart could not stand the entire day of fighting through the thick mud. Alexander took a fresh horse and sent forth his still-courageous phalanx — only six thousand people — against the elephants. The brave veterans went into battle against the huge beasts roaring the war cry “Enialos, Enialos!”. They forced the elephants to turn around and trample their own troops, completely crumpling and scattering the lines of the excellent Indian cavalry. The Macedonians chased after them like demons, striking the elephants with their long sarissas. The reserve cavalry of King Porus struck from the side. The phalanx could have lost a large part of its soldiers there, but Alexander forced the infantry to line up and close their shields, tossing the cavalry back. Reserve troops led by Crateros had finally arrived at that point. The Indians fled and the reserves gave chase.

Alexander’s main military force could not move from exhaustion.

After that day in Targelion of the third year of one hundred thirteen Olympiad, the Macedonian army appeared to snap. While they were still at the Indus, the soldiers reluctantly agreed to cross it, having found out about Nearchus’ discovery. The terrible battle at the Hydaspes, the monstrous elephants, and great military ability of the Indian army had completely depressed the Macedonians, especially after Alexander’s earlier assurances that India was laid out, wide open before them.

The great conqueror treated the defeated king of the Pauravs with great mercy. He left him on the throne and did his best to secure his friendship.

Among the picturesque hills above the Hydaspes, just beyond the site of the battle, Hephaestion started building two new cities, following Alexander’s orders. The two were named Nikea, or Victory, and Bucephalia, in memory of the great war horse who was buried there.

Even before the battle, Nearchus proposed to Alexander that he build a large fleet and transport the army down the Indus. The king had opposed this suggestion at first, then gave his permission so that he could sail east. There he hoped to reach the legendary river Ganges, flowing near the boundaries of the world. Nearchus disregarded his ruler’s orders and, with the help of the Finikians, in addition to light, thirty-oar boats that could be easily dragged from one river to the next, constructed several heavy, flat-bottomed vessels based on his own drawings. Those ships would later save the entire army.

Alexander continued his push into the east with the same zeal as always. He crossed one river after another, working his way through battles in a hilly country inhabited by the Aratts, brave Indian tribes who lived without kings. The Macedonians had to fight over thirty-eight fortified towns and settlements before they crossed the rivers Akesinas (Chenab) and Hydraot (Ravi). During the battle at the fortress of Sangala, Alexander’s army lost twelve hundred people.