1854.] Grachts ad Aornon. 337 



Curtius says of it,* " Its roots the Indus enters scarped on either 

 side with rugged cliffs" and againf " Wretched was the fate of many 

 whom the river sucked down as they fell from the broken rocks." 



Strabo says of it " When Alexander J had taken in the first assault 

 a certain rock called Aornos, whose roots the Indus not far from 

 its springs, washes." 



This authority having the greater weight in being all the record 

 of the position of Aornos left by ancient writers. 



We therefore require that Bazira at least, if not Oora, and Oora 

 probably, should be near the Indus. The Oora in Sohaut and the 

 Beejapoor in Sohaut or Bajore will therefore not answer; and our 

 attention is required to Baja and Oond, formerly Oora, on the Indus. 



Baja still exists as a village, but the ancient site, which was forti- 

 fied, is now a ruin occupying a small hill about half a mile distant. It 

 stands in a densely inhabited portion of the Issupzye country and 

 the natural refuge of its inhabitants are the mountains Aonj and 

 Mahabunn, both washed by the Indus. Mt. Aonj however is less 

 suited than Mahabunn for such an asylum, because the latter has 

 more water and is farther removed from an enemy occupying the 

 plain. The Issupzye are by far the most gallant race of all the tract 

 passed by Alexander in this expedition Trans-Indus. Bazira stood 

 upon a height. 



Oond sometimes written Hoond is still one of the chief towns of 

 the Issupzye. It has still a considerable castle of solid masonry 

 which commands a principal ferry of the Indus. It is separated 

 from the territory of Abisares by the river Indus only, and Arrian 

 tells us that Abisares had sent his agents thither, i. e. to Oora. 

 Several old sites apparently of this town still remain about a mile 

 to the westward of the present fort. They are said to be called 

 still Oora. I think it most probable that this was the Oora mentioned 

 by Alexander's historians. 



* Radices ejus Indus amnis subit, prsealtus utrimque asperis ripis. Curtius 

 Lib. 8, ch. 36. 



f Multorum miserabilis fuit casus, quos ex prserupta rupe lapsos amnis prreter- 

 fluens hausit. Id. Lib. 8, ch. 37. 



% Aopvov Seriva ir<-Tpav,7}s ras pi£as o IvSos wrroppei irX-qaiov ra,u irriyw, AAe|aj/. 

 hpov KOTa fxiav Trpoa$o\rji> eKovros. Strab. lib. 15, p. 688. a. 



