porary success, the barbarians retired to a rocky eminence in the 

 neighbourhood, exceedingly steep and rugged, whence it required 

 no small exertions of Alexander to dislodge them ; a great number of 

 his troops being killed in the difficult ascent and assault, and himself 

 shot through the leg with an arrow, which shattered the fibula, or 

 smaller bone*. This bold but successless effort of the Sogdians and 

 Scythians seemed but as a signal for the revolt of the whole adjoining- 

 country; and, effectually to crush it, it became necessary to besiege 

 and carry by storm no less than seven considerable cities, of which 

 Cyropolis, built by Cyrus, was the strongest, and taken not without 

 a violent conflict, in which Alexander was again wounded. He 

 received intelligence, also, that the dispersed Bactrians, who had 

 followed Bessus, had rallied in great force, with Spitamenes at 

 their head, and were besieging Maracanda. Alexander immediately 

 sent off a strong reinforcement to the Macedonian garrison in that 

 city ; but, having commenced the erection of a strong fortress on 

 the laxartes, for the purpose of overawing the country and prevent- 

 ing a second revolt, as well as for its defence against the future 

 incursions of the Scythians, he would not personally relinquish, till 

 it was finished, so necessary and important an undertaking. But 

 the Scythians, pouring down to the river-side in great bodies of 

 horse, were determined that no fortress should be erected either to 

 repel their incursions or effect the conquest of them. They boasted, 

 (however falsely, as the reader has seen above,) that they were a 

 people hitherto not only unsubdued, but, in ancient times, themselves 

 the conquerors of Asia ; and, with loud and insulting reproaches from 

 the opposite shore, at once derided and defied the Macedonians. 

 They invited the attack, and, relying on their numerous cavalry that 

 lined the shore and covered all the adjacent country, they dared 



* Arrian, lib. iii. cap. ult. 



