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ofBijore ; a province exceedingly rugged and mountainous, and in- 

 habited by a fierce and warlike tribe. The Bazireans, by no means 

 intimidated at the fate of the Assaceni, defended themselves against 

 the troops under Coenus with obstinate bravery, rushing down from 

 the heights on which their city stood, and demolishing the works 

 attempted to be raised against it. As no hopes were entertained by 

 Alexander of the speedy surrender of that city by such a martial 

 race, and it was become necessary first to reduce Ora, into which 

 Abissarus, a powerful Indian prince in those quarters, had thrown a 

 considerable body of mercenary soldiers, Coenus had orders to erect a 

 fort opposite the gates of the city, and, leaving a strong garrison in it, 

 for the purpose of checking the impetuous sallies of the enemy, to 

 join himself with the remainder of his forces. Ora, which had 

 defied Attains, soon yielded to the superior might of Alexander. 

 The rampart, intended to surround it, being at length finished, and 

 escape impossible, the inhabitants were summoned to deliver up the 

 city. On their refusal, the walls were scaled, and, the place being 

 taken by storm, every soul within it perished. In Ora were found 

 many elephants, which were of great use to Alexander, who was 

 now constantly opposed in battle by that formidable train of animals. 

 The citizens of Bazira, in the mean time, were not inactive ; but, 

 despising the small number of troops left to overawe them, made 

 frequent excursions into the open country. In one of these excur- 

 sions, they were pursued and attacked with great fury by the garri- 

 son, who killed five hundred of them, took seventy prisoners, and 

 beat the rest back again into the city. And now Alexander himself, 

 with the main army, bearing certain destruction to all opposers, 

 rapidly approached. Before his arrival, however, having heard of 

 the miserable fate of Ora, in which they read their own, if conquered, 

 and mistrustful of the strength of the fortifications of the city against 

 the terrible Macedonian engines of war, the Bazireans contrived to 



