40 Z The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce- Book I. 
made about three hundred Stadia, they anchored, and found 
Water about eight Stadia diftant from the Shore. Thence 
they failed to a defer t Place, called Sacala ; and, in their 
Way, paffed over two Rocks, or rather between them, fo 
that the Oars ftruc-k againft them •, and, having failed three 
hundred Stadia, they arrived at Morontoharis : This they 
found a large, round, deep, and fafe Port, the Entrance 
into which was narrow, and called in the Language of the 
Country, Womens Haven ; becaufe the Nation inhabiting 
the Coaft had, in former Times, been governed by a 
Woman. 
Having paffed the Rocks, they found themfelves now 
in a wide rolling Sea ; having all that Day an Iiland on 
the Left, between which and the Continent the Sea made 
a narrow Streight or Gulph, fo that it looked like a Canal 
cut by Art ; they proceeded that Day feventy Stadia. The 
Shore of this Eland appeared covered with tall and thick 
Trees, which afforded a pleafant Shade. They paffed, the 
next Day, through a narrow Chanel, occafioned by the 
Ebb ; and, after failing one hundred and twenty Stadia, ar- 
rived at the Mouth of the River Arbis ; where they found 
a very large and convenient Port, but the Water was fo 
brackifh, that they could not drink it : They continued, 
therefore, their Paffage up the River about forty Stadia ; 
and there they came into a Lake ; and, having taken in 
Water, fell down the River again. 
The Eland that lies before the Port is very large •, and 
on the Coaft there are very fine Oyfters, and almoft every 
other kind of Fifh, in great Plenty, and excellent in their 
kind. Here ended the Country of the Arhians , who are 
the laft of the Indian Nations : They inhabit one Side of 
the Mouth of this River, and the Oritans the other : 
Sailing from the Mouth of the River Arbis , and coafting 
along the Country of the laft-mentioned People, they came, 
at laft, to Pagala , at the Diftance of two hundred Stadia, 
and moored clofe by a Rock. In the mean time, fome of 
the People went on fhore for Water, which being brought 
on board, they weighed early in the Morning, and made 
that Day three hundred Stadia, arriving in the Evening at 
a Place called Cabana ; they anchored at a good Diftance 
from the Shore, becaufe it was extremely rocky. 
In their next Day’s Courfe, having very bad Weather, 
two of their large Ships foundered, and a leffer Bark was 
alfo loft •, but, being pretty near the Shore, the People ef- 
caped by Swimming. In the middle of the Night they 
put into Co c ala , having failed about two hundred Stadia ; 
and, for fear of farther Accidents, they anchored at a con- 
fiderable Diftanch from the Coaft. 
5. As the Soldiers and Sailors both were extremely fa- 
tigued with the Dangers through which they had lately 
paffed, he thought proper to fuffer them to go on fhore, 
in order to recover their Strength and Spirits, fortifying 
his Camp, for fear of the Barbarians , with a good Re- 
trenchment. Leonnatus was then here, to whom Alexander 
had committed the Care of reducing the Oritans , whom 
he had juft defeated in a great Battle, wherein they loft fix 
thoufand Men and all their Chiefs ; and for which Service 
Leonnatus afterwards received from his Mailer a Crown of 
Gold. 
There was likewife in this Neighbourhood a Magazine 
of Corn, which had been eredled by the King’s Com- 
mand •, and from whence the Fleet was furnifhed with ten 
Days Provifions, the Veffels that had fuffered by the late 
Storms being repaired, and fuch as were weary of the 
Voyage left on fhore : Their Places were fupplied by fuch 
of Leonnatus' s Army as were willing to go in their room •, 
fo that the Men being in good Heart, and the Ships in 
tolerable Condition, they put to Sea with a fair Wind, and 
proceeded for the Space of five hundred Stadia, when 
they arrived at the Mouth of a River, called Tomerus. 
There was a kind of Lake near the Mouth of the Ri- 
ver, and on the Coaft the People lived in little Huts or 
Cottages •, who, at the Appearance of fo unufua] a Sight, 
affembled in great Numbers on the Shore .• They were 
armed with Lances of about nine Feet long, the Heads of 
which were not of Iron, but hardened in the Fire, and 
Iharpened fo as to ferve inftead of Iron : Thefe they fhook 
at the Macedonians ; and feemed to threaten and invite 
them to fight. Of thefe Barbarians fix hundred formed 
themfelves into a kind of regular Body, and feemed to 
difpofe themfelves in fuch a manner, as if they intended 
to hinder them from coming on fhore. Nearchus , having 
confidered their Difpofition attentively, ordered the Fleet 
to draw fo clofe to the Land, as that their Javelins might 
reach the Enemy. He rightly forefaw, that, though the 
Lances of the Barbarians might ferve them well enough 
in a clofe Fight, yet it was fimply impoffible they fhould 
be able to ufe them at a Diftance, becaufe their Weight 
rendered them unwieldy, and not at all fit to be thrown. 
When the Fleet had brought-to at a proper Diftance, Ne- 
archus direifted the lighteft-armed Soldiers, and thofe who 
could fwim beft, to hold themfelves in Readinefs, and, on 
a Signal given, to throw themfelves into the Water ; giv- 
ing them, at the fame time, a ftridl Charge to wait for 
each other, and not to attempt fetting Foot on the Shore, 
till they were drawn up in order of Battle, three-deep, 
and then to rufh on the Enemy at once with a loud Cry. 
The Soldiers in each Ship executed his Orders exaftly, 
threw themfelves into the Sea, fwam towards the Shore, 
and, being drawn into a Phalanx, ru filed upon the Enemy 
at once with loud Shouts : At the fame Inftant, thofe on 
board rent the Air with their Acclamations, and threw a 
large Flight of Darts and javelins from their Engines. 
The Barbarians , amazed at the Splendor of their Arms, 
the Suddennefs of the Attack, the vaft Number of Ar- 
rows and Other Weapons that fell amongft them, who were 
half naked, and not in a Condition to refill, fled as faft as 
they were able. In their Flight many were killed, many 
taken, and fome few efcaped to the Mountains. Such of 
them as were made Captives had not only their Heads, but 
their Bodies, covered with long Flair, and their Nails pro- 
digiously long and fharp, fo that they made ufe of them 
to cut Fifh, and even foft Woody fuch as was harder, 
they cut with fharp Stones •, for they had not the Ufe of 
Iron : All the Cloathing they had was a kind of Mantle ; 
made either of the Skins of wild Bealls, or of large Fifh. 
Nearchus ordered fuch of the Ships as had fuffered by hard 
Weather, to be drawn on fhore, and refitted. On the 
fixth Day, he profecuted his Voyage; and, having failed 
three hundred Stadia, came to a Place called Malana , 
which was the laft Port in the Country of the Oritans : 
This Nation, in their Habit and Arms, refemble the In- 
dians ; but differ from them in their Laws, and in their 
Language. The Length of their Voyage, from the Ri- 
ver Arbis , was a thoufand Stadia ; but, in the Whole, 
about fixteen hundred. 
6. In failing on the Coaft of India , Nearchus obferved 
that the Shadows of the People did not fall one Way ; but 
where the Country ran out into the Southern Ocean, the 
Shadows fell alfo Southward ; but at Noon there was no 
Shadow at all. The Stars alfo, that before appeared very 
high, were now either fcarce feen, or were depreffed to- 
wards the Earth ; and fuch as had been always confpi- 
cuous, were now obferved to rife and fet. I do not, fays 
Arrian , diffent from this, becaufe at Siene in Egypt , in the 
Summer Solftice, there is a Place fhewn, where the Sun, 
at Noon, calls no Shadow ; and in the Eland of Meroe , 
at the fame time of the Year, there are no Shadows. It is 
therefore, very probable, that the Indians , who live under 
the fame Latitude, fhould have their Shadows call the 
fame Way, efpecially towards the Indian Ocean, and 
where the Conntry runs out moft towards the South. 
This Obfervation of Arrian's is very judicious ; and the 
Fai 5 l, as it is ftated by Nearchus , may be very probably 
true, fince that Part of India he fpeaks of, lies immediately 
under the Tropic of Cancer , where, when the Sun is in 
their Zenith, Bodies call no Shadow ; otherwife their Sha- 
dows rnuft fall to the North : But fuch as live to the South 
of the Tropic, at that Seafon of the Year, when the Sun 
is to the North of them, have their Shadows on the South. 
It muft, however, be allowed, that if Nearchus was an 1 
Eye-witnefs, the Mouth of the Indus is laid down, even in 11 
the beft Maps, a little too far to the North ; which, I think, , 
is agreeable to fome modern Obfervations : But we fhall 1 
have Occafion to treat of this Matter more at large, in ano- 
ther Place. 
In the mean time, we will proceed with the Voyage be- 
fore us. Beyond the Oritans , withindand, inhabit the : 
Gedrofians % d 
