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the southern bank of the Hydraotes, a considerable distance above 

 the confluence. He immediately forded that river, now considerably 

 fallen, with all the horse, in pursuit of a large body of Malli, who 

 were just then discovered crossing it. Many of them were overtaken 

 and slain, and some made prisoners ; but by far the greater part 

 reached in safety a town of that district, strongly fortified by nature 

 and art. Alexander waited the arrival of his foot to invest it, and 

 at last took it by assault. In this instance he relaxed in his san- 

 guinary conduct towards the Malli, and spared the prisoners who 

 had made but little resistance. But he displayed no similar cle- 

 mency on taking a city hard by, almost wholly inhabited by Brach- 

 mans, against which he next planted his engines of attack for daring 

 to give shelter to their brave countrymen, and perhaps animating 

 them strenuously to defend their religion and liberty. The Brach- 

 mans, seeing their case hopeless, after an ancient custom of their 

 nation, collected together their wives and children, and, setting fire 

 to their houses and furniture, perished together with them in the 

 consecrated flame of sacrifice to the gods of India*. 



Unconditional surrender being the easy terms of life offered to the 

 Malli by Alexander, their hardihood in persisting to resist impresses 

 the mind with high ideas of the intrepidity of that ancient tribe of 

 Indians, who, probably, in after-periods, travelling southward, con- 

 ferred their name on the coast of Malabar; at least a considerable 

 district of the peninsula at this day goes by the name of Malleam. 

 Rather than submit to that disgrace, they every where fled to the 

 desert, and buried themselves in the deep recesses of the forest. 

 They were pursued, they were massacred by thousands ; and Python 

 and Demetrius, two resolute captains of horse, were dispatched with 

 their troops to execute his vengeance. But all was ineffectual ; the 



* Arriau, lib. \i. caj). 7. 



