222 On the Sites of Nikaia and Boukephalon. [No. 3. 



of the waters exactly imitates their action over sunken rocks ; so would 

 any of the solid banks near Bhoona represent the power of a rock to 

 the hapless boat dashed against it. It must also be remembered, that 

 at Bhoona, where I suppose the crossing to have been made, the 

 bottom is a pavement of large boulders, firmly cemented together. 

 Above this originally lay shingle of smaller sizes, to the depth of 

 several feet, now carried away from the channel, but still appearing in 

 the islands and often forming solid shoals, quite as dangerous as rocks. 

 Occasionally masses of this shingle become disjected from the shore 

 and form, for months, huge, rock-like cubes ; until gradually their 

 cement is dissolved by the elements. Thus, it will be seen that Curtius's 

 expressions will apply better to the Hydaspes above Jelum, than to 

 that river above Julalpoor. The "insulse crebrse," if they ever 

 existed at the latter spot, are no more to be seen. It is impossible for 

 any one looking on the river there, with Arrian and Curtius before 

 him, to imagine he contemplates the scene described by either. 



Let us next refer to the landing. On accomplishing this, we haye 

 no mention of Alexander finding the corps of observation sent against 

 him, posted on a height from which it was necessary to dislodge them. 

 On the contrary he dashes* at them with his cavalry. But at Russool 

 the Kanda (or inundated land) will not admit of cavalry movements, 

 and no cavalry can charge up cliffs and rugged ravines.f Porus, too, 

 marched, until he found himself upon soil firm enough to admit of 

 cavalry evolutions. This could not have been the Kanda ; he must 

 needs have been upon the sandy soil above it, in which case Alexander 

 had so decidedly the advantage of ground that it is wonderful that 

 Arrian has not noticed it. The chariots of PorusJ according to 

 Arrian, were encumbered in the mud ; according to Curtius, they were 



* 'fts 8e KaT€/j.aOev arpeKws rb ir\rjdos rb rwv 'lvSoiu, evravda S^ o£eW iirnre<re?v 

 avroTs £vv rfj a^cp" avrbv 'lirircp. Arrian lib. v. cap. 15. 



t 'Cls 8' iveryxe X U P^V " vo - ov irriXbs avrcp iQaiverw, aW' virb ipd/xfxov yap ^vfiirau 

 %v &Tre8ov teal arepebv is rhs e<p6dovs re Kal avaffrpo<pas tu>v 'iirirow, ivravQa eraacre 

 t)\v arpaTiav. id. 



+ Ta 8e apfiara avrois '(ttttois aAcorat, erre rrj a.iroxa>p'fl(rei fiapea yev6fj.eva, Kal £v 

 airy rep epyep uirb irrjXov axpela. id. 



Gravesque et propemodum immobiles currus illuvie et voraginibus hserebant. 



Aliorum turbati equi non in voragiries modo lacunasque, sed etiam in amnem 



prsecipitavere curricula. Q. Cur, lib. viii. cap. 14. 



