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lost not a moment in preparing for his journey thither. Alexander, 

 by the zeal of the Greek governor of the province, who hurried to 

 him by the nearest roads, was speedily informed of the safe arrival 

 of the fleet on the Carmanian coast and the approach of Near- 

 chus ; and detatchments, with carriages, for his accommodation, 

 were sent out on every quarter ; but these, not returning with the 

 celerity his impatience expected, his mind was alternately agitated 

 with the extremes of hope and despair ; and the latter predomi- 

 nating, the prefect was ordered into confinement for being the 

 bearer of false intelligence. In fact, so totally altered by their 

 continued sufferings \vere the countenances of the Greek admiral 

 and his comrades, their skin was so parched by the scorching sun 

 and wind, the hair of their heads and beards was grown to such an 

 enormous length, their whole bodies w r ere so emaciated, and the 

 vestments that coveied them were so worn and tattered, that the 

 messengers dispatched did not at first know them. Mutual inquiries 

 however, making them acquainted with each other, the wearied 

 travellers mounted the carriages sent for them, and were driven to 

 the tent of Alexander. At a distance, that prince was so struck with 

 horror at their squalid appearance, as immediately to conceive the 

 idea that the fleet had been cast away on the Gedrosian coast, and 

 that these were a part of the miserable remains of the shipwrecked 

 crew. On their nearer approach, he soon recognized and eagerly ran 

 to embrace Nearchus ; and, on being assured by him of the satety of 

 the fleet and army, no rapture could exceed Alexander's. The tears 

 streamed from his eyes ; he swore by the Greek and Lybian Jove, 

 that the preservation of his fleet was an object dearer to his heart 

 than the conquest of Asia ; and that, had it been lest, the dominion 

 of the whole earth could not have made him amends tor it.* 



* Arrian. Hist. Ind. cap. 34, 35. 



