CHAPTER XXIX.

CONQUEST OF BACTRIA, AND PURSUIT OF BESSUS ACROSS THE OXUS.

Alexander now arrived at Drapsaca, and having there given his army a

rest, he marched to Aornus and Bactra, which are the largest cities in

the land of the Bactrians. These he took at the first assault; and left

a garrison in the citadel of Aornus, over which he placed Archelaüs

son of Androcles, one of the Companions. He appointed Artabazus the

Persian, viceroy over the rest of the Bactrians, who were easily

reduced to submission. Then he marched towards the river Oxus, which

flows from mount Caucasus, and is the largest of all the rivers in Asia

which Alexander and his army reached, except the Indian rivers; but the

Indian rivers are the largest in the world. The Oxus discharges its

water into the great sea which is near Hyrcania. When he attempted to

cross the river it appeared altogether impassable; for its breadth was

about six stades, and its depth was much greater than the proportion of

its breadth. The bed of the river was sandy, and the stream so rapid,

that stakes fixed deep into the bottom were easily rooted up from

the earth by the mere force of the current, inasmuch as they could

not be securely fixed in the sand. Besides this, there was a scarcity

of timber in the locality, and he thought it would take a long time

and cause great delay, if they brought from a distance the materials

needful for making a bridge over the river. Therefore he collected the

skins which the soldiers used for tent-coverings, and ordered them to

be filled with chaff as dry as possible, and tied and stitched tightly

together, so that the water might not penetrate into them.[501] When

these were filled and stitched together, they were sufficient to convey

the army across in five days. But before he crossed the river, he

selected the oldest of the Macedonians, who were now unfit for military

service, and such of the Thessalians as had volunteered to remain in

the army, and sent them back home. He then dispatched Stasanor, one

of the Companions, into the land of the Areians, with instructions to

arrest Arsames, the viceroy of that people, because he thought him

disaffected, and to assume the office of viceroy of Areia himself.

After passing over the river Oxus, he made a forced march to the place

where he heard that Bessus was with his forces; but at this time

messengers reached him from Spitamenes and Dataphernes, to announce

that they would arrest Bessus and hand him over to Alexander if he

would send to them a small army and a commander for it; since even at

that very time they were holding him under guard, though they had not

bound him with fetters. When Alexander heard this, he gave his army

rest, and marched more slowly than before. But he despatched Ptolemy,

son of Lagus, at the head of three troops of the Companion cavalry and

all the horse-lancers, and of the infantry, the brigade of Philotas,

one regiment of 1,000 shield-bearing guards, all the Agrianians, and

half the archers, with orders to make a forced march to Spitamenes

and Dataphernes. Ptolemy went according to his instructions, and

completing ten days’ march in four days, arrived at the camp where on

the preceding day the barbarians under Spitamenes had bivouacked.