330 Gradus ad Aornon. [No. 4. 



It is impossible to read the above narratives with the knowledge 

 we at present possess of Sohaut, without the conviction that Alexan- 

 der conquered that country before he attacked Aornos. The evidence 

 of this is, his having entered the country of the Gouraioi and crossed 

 their river Gouraios, called to this day Punj Gowra, the people still 

 retaining their name of Gowr : and that the ruins of Masagorh in 

 the Seh Bhoochnia valley of Sohaut (see map) exactly agree with 

 Curtius' description of Mazaga (Arrian's Massaga). Whilst the 

 people of Massaga were the Assakani or subjects of Assakhan, and 

 the people of Mazagor are the Assazye sons of Assa. "We have 

 therefore only to decide which route Alexander chose in the inva- 

 sion of Sohaut. 



Now from Julalabad three routes into Sohaut were open to him. 



1st. Up the left bank of the river Kooner, over hilly but not 

 mountainous country upon Bajore, which the route attains about 

 that bend of the Punj gowra (Grouraios) where stood Khar # i Bun- 

 gaish the old capital of Bajore. There crossing the river Gouraios 

 he would have entered the country of the Gowr (Gouraioi) and 

 have conquered successively, the Gowr, the Abakhail, the Assazye 

 and Ashakhail, and would then have besieged Masagorh in the Seh 

 Boochnia valley, afterwards finishing the conquest of western Sohaut 

 in the subduction of the Drooskhail in the Sukra valley. Then 

 crossing the Suastus, (Sohaut Sinde,) he would have conquered the 

 richest, most powerful and most densely peopled moiety of the 

 Sohaut valley from North to South, and, leaving the valley by the 

 southern pass, have proceeded to the eastern Eusufzye to besiege 

 Ora (Oond) and Bazira (Baja). 



By the 2nd route from Lalpoor directly north, he would have 

 traversed the hilly country of the Momunds and entering Bajore from 

 the south, would then have progressed as described above in the 

 1st route. 



By the 3rd and more obvious route crossing the Nagooman at 

 Lalpoor, he would have threaded the Caroppa Pass, have entered 

 and conquered the Doaba of Shubqudr, have crossed at Ashtnugr the 

 river of the Eusufzyes, or, as they still call themselves, Asupzye, 

 Aspasioi, i. e. the Issupqwur and would have found himself in the 

 * Khar signifies in the language of the country a town or village. 



