CHAP. II.] 



THE GREEK CAVALRY. 



89 



approached, and afterwards closed up again and remained 

 firm and unharmed.^ The cavalry in the reserve after- 

 wards captured most of those who got through. 



Alexander passed the river Lycus, and halted there 

 to refresh his men and horses till midnight, when he 

 started on again in pursuit, arriving at Arbela the next 

 day, a distance of 600 furlongs (about seventy miles 

 English) from the battle-fielc. 



There is no battle in history in which a better apprecia- 

 tion is shown of the cavalry service, nor a better use 

 made of it, as well in action as in the pursuit. 



After this battle Alexander altered the organisation of 

 his cavalry by appointing two decurios to every 

 troop. Before this time there had been no decurios in 

 the mounted service.^ He made these appointments 

 partly, it seems, to have his cavalry better oliicered, but 

 probably also to give him an opportunity to promote 

 some of his auxiliaries, who had served him with great 

 courage and fidelity. 



He also after this constituted a troop of " darters " 

 to fight on horseback, and he continually employed flying 

 columns consisting mainly of cavalry of all kinds, with 

 which he made raids or inroads upon the tribes in the 

 neighbourhood of his line of march.' 



It was with a flying column mainly composed of 

 cavalry with some picked infantry that he pursued 

 Darius after the battle of Arbela, when he heard that 

 the Persian king had fallen into the hands of his Bactrian 

 satrap Bessus. After marching almost incessantly for 

 three days and nights, his infantry from weariness could 

 not keep up, whereupon he dismounted 500 of his horse- 

 men, and placed his captains of foot and others of the 

 best infantry (men who were heavily armed) upon the 

 horses, and pushed on in pursuit all night, ordering the 

 remainder of the infantry, as well as the dismounted 

 cavalry, to follow slowly on foot. He came up with the 

 barbarians early in the morning, and put them to flight 

 instantly. Bessus escaped with 600 horse after having 



* Arrian, iii. rh. 1.3. 



2 Ibid. 16. 



^ Ibid. 24. 



