§17.106.1μόγις δὲ περάσας τὴν ἔρημον ἧκεν εἰς χώραν οἰκουμένην καὶ πάντων τῶν χρησίμων εὐποροῦσαν.
Having crossed the desert with difficulty, he arrived in an inhabited country which was well supplied with all useful things.
ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ προσαναλαβὼν τὴν δύναμιν ἐφʼ ἑπτὰ μὲν ἡμέρας προῄει κεκοσμημένῃ τῇ δυνάμει πανηγυρικῶς καὶ Διονύσῳ κῶμον ἤγαγεν ἑορτάζων καὶ μέθῃ καὶ πότοις χρώμενος κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν.
Restoring his army in this region, he advanced for seven days with his army decorated in festive fashion, celebrating and indulging in drunkenness and drinking along the way, leading a revel in honor of Dionysus.
§17.106.2ἀπὸ τούτων δὲ γενόμενος, ἀκούσας ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν βιαίως καὶ ὑβριστικῶς κεχρημένων ταῖς ἐξουσίαις παρανενομήκασι, πολλοὺς τῶν τε σατραπῶν καὶ στρατηγῶν τιμωρίας ἠξίωσεν.
Having finished this, and hearing that many of those who had used their authority violently and insolently had committed illegal acts, he deemed many of the satraps and generals worthy of punishment.
τῆς δʼ εἰς τοὺς παρανενομηκότας ἡγεμόνας μισοπονηρίας διαβοηθείσης πολλοὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς ὕβρεις καὶ παρανομίας εἰς φόβον ἐνέπιπτον καὶ τινὲς μὲν μισθοφόρους ἔχοντες ἀφίσταντο τοῦ βασιλέως, τινὲς δὲ χρήματα συσκευασάμενοι δρασμοὺς ἐποιοῦντο.
As his hatred of wickedness toward the offending leaders became widely known, many of the generals, conscious of their own insolence and illegalities, fell into fear, and some, having mercenaries, revolted from the king, while others, packing up their money, took to flight.
§17.106.3ταῦτα δὲ πυνθανόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς πάντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν στρατηγοὺς καὶ σατράπας ἔγραψεν, ἐπειδὰν ἀναγνῶσι τὴν ἐπιστολήν, παραχρῆμα πάντας τοὺς μισθοφόρους ἀπολῦσαι.
Learning of this, the king wrote to all the generals and satraps throughout Asia, that, as soon as they read the letter, they should immediately disband all their mercenaries.
§17.106.4κατὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ βασιλέως διατρίβοντος ἔν τινι παραθαλαττίῳ πόλει ὀνομαζομένῃ Σαλμοῦντι καὶ σκηνικοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ ποιοῦντος κατέπλευσαν οἱ διʼ Ὠκεανοῦ πλεῖν τὴν παραθαλάττιον ἀπεσταλμένοι καὶ παραχρῆμα εἰς τὸ θέατρον παρελθόντες τόν τε Ἀλέξανδρον ἠσπάσαντο καὶ περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἀπήγγειλαν.
At this time, while the king was tarrying in a certain coastal city named Salmous and holding theatrical contests in the theater, those who had been sent to sail along the coast through the Ocean sailed into harbor and, immediately entering into the theater, greeted Alexander and reported concerning their achievements.
§17.106.5οἱ δὲ Μακεδόνες ἡσθέντες τῇ παρουσίᾳ τῶν ἀνδρῶν κρότῳ μεγάλῳ τὸ γεγονὸς ἐπεσημήναντο καὶ πᾶν τὸ θέατρον μεστὸν ἦν χαρᾶς ἀνυπερβλήτου.
The Macedonians, pleased at the presence of the men, marked the event with great applause, and the entire theater was filled with unsurpassable joy.
§17.106.6οἱ δὲ καταπεπλευκότες ἀπήγγελλον ἀμπώτεις τε καὶ πλήμας παραδόξους γίνεσθαι κατὰ τὸν Ὠκεανὸν καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὰς ἀμπώτεις νήσους τε ὁρᾶσθαι πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ἐπʼ ἄκρας τῆς παραθαλαττίου χώρας, κατὰ δὲ τὰς πλήμας ἅπαντας τοὺς προειρημένους τόπους κατακλύζεσθαι, πολλοῦ καὶ βιαίου ῥεύματος φερομένου πρὸς τὴν χέρσον, τῆς δʼ ἐπιφανείας ἀφρῷ πολλῷ λευκαινομένης.
Those who had sailed back reported that extraordinary ebbs and flows of the tide occurred in the Ocean, and that during the ebbs many large islands were seen near the edge of the coastal country, whereas during the flows all the aforementioned places were flooded, a large and violent current being carried toward the dry land, and the surface being whitened with much foam.
τὸ δὲ παραδοξότατον, κήτεσι πολλοῖς καὶ τὸ μέγεθος ἀπίστοις συγκεκυρηκέναι· §17.106.7ταῦτα δὲ φοβηθέντας αὐτοὺς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπελπίσαι τὸ ζῆν ὡς αὐτίκα μάλα μετὰ τῶν σκαφῶν διαφθαρησομένους, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐξ ἁπάντων μιᾶς φωνῆς γινομένης καὶ διὰ τῶν ὅπλων πολλοῦ συντελουμένου ψόφου, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τῶν σαλπίγγων ἐνιεμένων τῷ παραδόξῳ πτοηθῆναι τὰ θηρία καὶ δῦναι πρὸς βυθόν.
But the most incredible thing was that they had encountered many whales, unbelievable in size; fearing these, they at first despaired of their lives, thinking that they would be destroyed immediately along with their boats, but after this, when one voice arose from all, and a great noise was made by means of their weapons, and in addition to this, the trumpets sounded, the beasts, terrified by the extraordinary event, plunged into the deep.