CHAPTER II.

BATTLE WITH THE TRIBALLIANS.

Alexander sent the booty away southward to the cities on the

seashore,[27] entrusting to Lysanias and Philotas[28] the duty of

setting it up for sale. But he himself crossed the summit, and

advancing through the Haemus into the land of the Triballians, he

arrived at the river Lyginus.[29] This river is distant from the

Ister[30] three days’ march to one intending to go to the Haemus.

Syrmus, king of the Triballians, hearing of Alexander’s expedition long

before, had sent the women and children of the nation on in advance

to the Ister, ordering them to pass over into one of the islands in

that river, the name of which was Peuce.[31] To this island also the

Thracians, whose territories were conterminous with those of the

Triballians, had fled together for refuge at the approach of Alexander.

Syrmus himself likewise, accompanied by his train, had fled for refuge

to the same place. But the main body of the Triballians fled back to

the river, from which Alexander had started the day before.

When he heard of their starting, he wheeled round again, and, marching

against them, surprised them just as they were encamping. And those

who were surprised drew themselves up in battle array in a woody glen

along the bank of the river. Alexander drew out his phalanx into a

deep column, and led it on in person. He also ordered the archers

and slingers to run forward and discharge arrows and stones at the

barbarians, hoping to provoke them by this to come out of the woody

glen into the ground unencumbered with trees. When they were within

reach of the missiles, and were struck by them, they rushed out

against the archers, who were undefended by shields, with the purpose

of fighting them hand-to-hand. But when Alexander had drawn them thus

out of the woody glen, he ordered Philotas to take the cavalry which

came from upper Macedonia, and to charge their right wing, where they

had advanced furthest in their sally. He also commanded Heraclides and

Sopolis[32] to lead on the cavalry which came from Bottiaea[33] and

Amphipolis against the left wing; while he himself extended the phalanx

of infantry and the rest of the horse in front of the phalanx and

led them against the enemy’s centre. And indeed as long as there was

only skirmishing on both sides, the Triballians did not get the worst

of it; but as soon as the phalanx in dense array attacked them with

vigour, and the cavalry fell upon them in various quarters, no longer

merely striking them with the javelin, but pushing them with their very

horses, then at length they turned and fled through the woody glen to

the river. Three thousand were slain in the flight; few of them were

taken prisoners, both because there was a dense wood in front of the

river, and the approach of night deprived the Macedonians of certainty

in their pursuit. Ptolemy says, that of the Macedonians themselves

eleven horsemen and about forty foot soldiers were killed.