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Alexander with so much attractive grace, that another son was, 

 afterwards, the result of that meeting, who bore the name of Alex- 

 ander, and became the head of the tribe of SULTANI, (so called 

 from Sultan Escander Zul Carnein, his Asiatic appellation,) who 

 are said, by Abul Fazil, to have flourished down to his time, and 

 scrupulously to have preserved the genealogical records of their 

 illustrious descent*. With respect to the resolute band of soldiers 

 that remained after the capitulation, Alexander offered to take them 

 into his own pay, and enroll them among the Macedonians, to 

 which they at first readily consented ; but, afterwards, reflecting how 

 deeply dishonourable it would be for Indians to fight against 

 Indians, they formed a secret plan to march off in a body by night 

 to their own country. On the discovery of that plan by Alexander, 

 they were surrounded by his army, and cut to pieces before they 

 could effectuate their escape. Plutarch brands this act as a scan- 

 dalous breach of faith in the king, but I think with great injustice ; 

 since their return must have spread a general alarm through the 

 country, and the result might have been fatal to his views -J*. 



Alexander, reserving to himself the main body of his army for the 

 subjugation of the greater cities and more formidable tribes, dispatched 

 detachments, under various commanders, for the reduction of those 

 of inferior note. Among these were the neighbouring cities of Ora 

 and Bazira : against the former were sent Attalus and other generals ; 

 and against the latter Ccenus : but neither of these officers was at 

 first successful in his attack, and the king was obliged to bring 

 succours in person before they could be reduced. Of these two, 

 Bazira was by far the strongest and most difficult to be subdued ; 

 for it was the capital of a small district, known by situation, and the 

 remarkable correspondence of its name, to be the modern province 



* See Ayeen Akbery, vol. ii. p. 194. f Plutarch in Vit. Alexaml. 



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