WESTERN niNDOOSTAN. 



19 



TORY OF. 



they found in the hillocks. As foon as they had filled their 

 bags, they returned with all pollible expedition to avoid the fury 

 of the ants, which purfued them with incredible fwiftnefs. It is 

 reafonable to fuppofe, that the hiftorian had heard of the raon- 

 ftrous nefts of the Termites^ or white Ants, which his informants 

 thought proper to ftock with moft monftrous inhabitants. 



On the banks of the Hydafpes was fought the decifive battle Battle with 

 between Alexander and the Indian monarch Porus, both equal ^°^"^' 

 in valour ; but the former, by his great fuperiority in the art of 

 war, obtained a complete vid:ory with a handful of men. Porus 

 employed not fewer than two hundred elephants, which, terrific 

 as they might have been to the Macedonia}! horfes, were, with 

 their garrifoned towers, totally deflroyed by the victorious army. 



I CANNOT relifl the introdu<Stion into this place of the fol- Persian ms- 

 lowing curious anecdotes of the two famous Monarchs, as com- 

 municated to me by Major Oufeley, the ingenious author of the 

 Perfian mifcellanies. He informs me, that two Perfian v/riters 

 mention the invafion of Hindoojlan by Alexander the great. Fer- 

 dufi in his Shah Nameb, or Chronicle of Kings, written about 

 the latter end of the loth centmy and beginning of the nth; 

 and Nezaini, another celebrated poet, who flourilhed in the 

 1 2th. The firfl enumerates the various troops of Perfia, Greece, 

 and India, and the camel loads of prefents which Alexander re- 

 ceived from Keid, the Indian Prince. Nezamii in his Skander 

 Kameh, or Hiltory of Alexander, fays, that forty elephants 

 were loaden with the various produdlions of the country, among 

 which feveral carried Indian fteel. Porus is mentioned under 

 the name of Four. The poet adds, he brought two thoufand 

 elephants into the field; which, by a contrivance oi Artjiotk 

 (Alexander^ Secretary) were completely routed, and Four him- 



D 2 felf 



