§15.2.5καὶ δὴ καί φησιν ὁ Νέαρχος, ἤδη τοῦ βασιλέως τελοῦντος τὴν ὁδόν, αὐτὸς μετοπώρου κατὰ πλειάδος ἐπιτολὴν ἑσπερίαν ἄρξασθαι τοῦ πλοῦ, μήπω μὲν τῶν πνευμάτων οἰκείων ὄντων, τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ἐπιχειρούντων αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξελαυνόντων· καταθαρρῆσαι γὰρ ἀπελθόντος τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐλευθεριάσαι.
And indeed Nearchus says that, while the king was already completing his march, he himself began his voyage in autumn around the evening rising of the Pleiades, although the winds were not yet favorable, and the barbarians were attacking them and trying to drive them out; for when the king had departed, they took courage and acted like free men.
κρατερὸς δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὑδάσπου ἀρξάμενος διʼ Ἀραχωτῶν ᾔει καὶ Δραγγῶν εἰς Καρμανίαν.
Craterus, starting from the Hydaspes, went through the country of the Arachoti and Drangae into Carmania.
πολλὰ δʼ ἐταλαιπώρει ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος καθʼ ὅλην τὴν ὁδὸν διὰ λυπρᾶς ἰών· πόρρωθεν δʼ ὁμοίως ἐπεχορηγεῖτο μικρὰ καὶ σπάνια ὥστε λιμώττειν τὸ στράτευμα· καὶ τὰ ὑποζύγια ἐπέλιπε, καὶ τὰ σκεύη κατελείπετο ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς καὶ τοῖς στρατοπέδοις· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν φοινίκων ἦν ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ τε καρποῦ καὶ τοῦ ἐγκεφάλου.
But Alexander suffered many hardships throughout the entire march, traveling through a barren land; and likewise, provisions from afar were supplied in small and rare quantities, so that the army starved; and the beasts of burden failed, and the baggage was left behind on the roads and in the camps; but their salvation lay in the date-palms, both the fruit and the cabbage.
φασὶ δὲ φιλονεικῆσαι τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον καίπερ εἰδότα τὰς ἀπορίας πρὸς τὴν κατέχουσαν δόξαν, ὡς Σεμίραμις μὲν ἐξ Ἰνδῶν φεύγουσα σωθείη μετὰ ἀνδρῶν ὡς εἴκοσι, Κῦρος δὲ ἑπτά, εἰ δύναιτο αὐτὸς τοσοῦτο στράτευμα διασῶσαι διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς χώρας, νικῶν καὶ ταῦτα.
And they say that Alexander, although he knew of the difficulties, was eager to rival the prevailing reputation, according to which Semiramis, fleeing from India, escaped with about twenty men, and Cyrus with seven, to see if he himself could save such a great army through the same country, thus conquering even these predecessors.
§15.2.6πρὸς δὲ τῇ ἀπορίᾳ χαλεπὸν ἦν καὶ τὸ καῦμα καὶ τὸ βάθος τῆς ψάμμου καὶ ἡ θερμότης, ἔστι δʼ ὅπου καὶ θῖνες ὑψηλοὶ ὥστε πρὸς τῷ δυσχερῶς ἀναφέρειν τὰ σκέλη καθάπερ ἐκ βυθοῦ καὶ ἀναβάσεις εἶναι καὶ καταβάσεις· ἀνάγκη δʼ ἦν καὶ σταθμοὺς ποιεῖσθαι μακροὺς διὰ τὰ ὑδρεῖα διακοσίων καὶ τετρακοσίων σταδίων, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ ἑξακοσίων, νυκτοποροῦντας τὸ πλέον.
In addition to the scarcity, the heat, the depth of the sand, and the burning temperature were also severe, and in some places there were high dunes, so that besides drawing up their legs with difficulty as if from an abyss, there were also ascents and descents; and it was necessary to make long marches on account of the reservoirs, of two hundred and four hundred stadia, and sometimes even six hundred, traveling for the most part by night.
πόρρω δὲ τῶν ὑδρείων ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο ἐν τριάκοντα σταδίοις πολλάκις τοῦ μὴ ἐμφορεῖσθαι κατὰ δίψος· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐμπίπτοντες σὺν ὅπλοις ἔπινον ὡς ἂν ὑποβρύχιοι, φυσώμενοι δʼ ἐπέπλεον ἐκπεπνευκότες καὶ τὰ ὑδρεῖα βραχέα ὄντα διέφθειρον· οἱ δʼ ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ κατὰ μέσην τὴν ὁδὸν ἀπηγορευκότες ἔκειντο ὑπὸ δίψους· ἔπειτα τρομώδεις μετὰ παλμοῦ χειρῶν καὶ σκελῶν ἔθνησκον παραπλησίως ὡς ἂν ῥίγους καὶ φρίκης ἐχόμενοι.
And they often encamped at a distance of thirty stadia from the reservoirs in order that they might not drink to excess because of thirst; for many, falling in with their armor on, drank as if submerged, and being bloated, they floated, having breathed their last, and ruined the reservoirs which were shallow; and others, having given up under the sun in the middle of the march, lay down because of thirst; then, trembling with shaking of hands and legs, they died much as if they were seized with shivering and shaking.
συνέβαινε δέ τισι καὶ ἐκτραπομένοις τὴν ὁδὸν καταδαρθεῖν κρατουμένοις ὑπὸ ὕπνου καὶ κόπου, ὑστερήσαντες δʼ οἱ μὲν ἀπώλοντο πλάνῃ τῶν ὁδῶν καὶ ὑπὸ ἀπορίας ἁπάντων καὶ καύματος, οἱ δʼ ἐσώθησαν πολλὰ ταλαιπωρήσαντες· πολλὰ δὲ κατέκλυσε καὶ τῶν σωμάτων καὶ τῶν χρηστηρίων ἐπιπεσὼν χειμάρρους νύκτωρ· καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς δὲ κατασκευῆς ἐξηλείφθη πολλή·
And it happened to some, having turned aside from the road, to fall asleep, being overcome by sleep and fatigue, and having fallen behind, some perished by losing their way and by scarcity of everything and heat, while others were saved after suffering many hardships; and a torrent, falling upon them by night, swept away many of both the bodies and the useful goods; and much of the royal baggage was destroyed.
καὶ τῶν καθοδηγῶν δὲ κατʼ ἄγνοιαν πολὺ εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιαν ἐκτραπομένων ὥστε μηκέτι ὁρᾶν τὴν θάλατταν, συνεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξαυτῆς ὥρμησε ζητήσων τὴν ᾐόνα, καὶ ἐπειδὴ εὗρε καὶ ὀρύξας εἶδεν ὕδωρ πότιμον, μεταπέμπεται τὸ στρατόπεδον, καὶ λοιπὸν μέχρι ἡμερῶν ἑπτὰ πλησίον ᾔει τῆς ᾐόνος εὐπορῶν ὑδρείας· ἔπειτʼ αὖθις εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιαν ἀνεχώρησεν.
And since the guides, through ignorance, had turned aside far into the interior so that they no longer saw the sea, the king, realizing this, set out immediately to look for the shore, and when he found it and saw drinkable water after digging, he sent for the army; and thereafter for seven days he went near the shore, having an abundance of water; then he withdrew again into the interior.
§15.2.7ἦν δέ τι ὅμοιον τῇ δάφνῃ φυτόν, οὗ τὸ γευσάμενον τῶν ὑποζυγίων ἀπέθνησκε μετὰ ἐπιληψίας καὶ ἀφροῦ· ἄκανθα δὲ τοὺς καρποὺς ἐπὶ γῆς κεχυμένη, καθάπερ οἱ σίκυοι, πλήρης ἦν ὀποῦ· τούτου δὲ ῥανίδες εἰς ὀφθαλμὸν ἐμπεσοῦσαι πᾶν ἀπετύφλουν ζῷον· οἵ τε ὠμοὶ φοίνικες ἔπνιγον πολλούς.
And there was a plant similar to the laurel, of which any of the beasts of burden that tasted died with epilepsy and foaming; and a thorn, spreading its fruit on the ground like cucumbers, was full of juice; and drops of this, falling into the eye, blinded any animal; and the raw dates choked many.
ἦν δὲ κίνδυνος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ὄφεων· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς θισὶν ἐπεφύκει βοτάνη, ταύτῃ δʼ ὑποδεδυκότες ἐλάνθανον τοὺς δὲ πληγέντας ἀπέκτεινον.
There was also danger from the snakes; for on the dunes grew a herb, and having slipped under this they were unseen, and they killed those who were bitten.
ἐν δὲ τοῖς Ὠρίταις τὰ τοξεύματα χρίεσθαι θανασίμοις φαρμάκοις ἔφασαν, ξύλινα ὄντα καὶ πεπυρακτωμένα· τρωθέντα δὲ Πτολεμαῖον κινδυνεύειν· ἐν ὕπνῳ δὲ παραστάντα τινὰ τῷ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ δεῖξαι ῥίζαν αὐτόπρεμνον, ἣν κελεῦσαι τρίβοντα ἐπιτιθέναι τῷ τρωθέντι· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ὕπνου γενόμενον, μεμνημένον τῆς ὄψεως εὑρεῖν ζητοῦντα τὴν ῥίζαν πολλὴν πεφυκυῖαν καὶ χρήσασθαι καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους· ἰδόντας δὲ τοὺς βαρβάρους εὑρημένον τὸ ἀλέξημα ὑπηκόους γενέσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ.
And among the Oritae, they said that the arrows were smeared with deadly poisons, being made of wood and hardened by fire; and that Ptolemy, having been wounded, was in danger; but in sleep someone appeared to Alexander and showed him a root pulled up with its stock, which he ordered to be ground and applied to the wounded man; and having risen from sleep, remembering the vision, he searched for and found the root growing abundantly and used it, both himself and the others; and the barbarians, seeing that the remedy had been found, became submissive to the king.
εἰκὸς δέ τινα μηνῦσαι τῶν εἰδότων, τὸ δὲ μυθῶδες προσετέθη κολακείας χάριν.
But it is likely that someone among those who knew pointed it out, and the mythical element was added for the sake of flattery.
ἐλθὼν δʼ εἰς τὸ βασίλειον τῶν Γεδρωσίων ἑξηκοσταῖος ἀπὸ Ὠρῶν, διαναπαύσας τὰ πλήθη μικρόν, ἀπῆρεν εἰς τὴν Καρμανίαν.
And having arrived at the capital of the Gedrosians on the sixtieth day from Orae, after resting his forces a little, he set out for Carmania.