#©4 Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I 
cakes ' They feed alfo what Cattle they have with this fort 
of Fifh-meal j for they have no kind of Grafs in all this 
Country. 
There -are, likewife, found, upon this Coaft, vaft Quan- 
tities of Crabs, Qy tiers, and other Shell-fiffi. The Soil 
of itfelf produces Salt, and the People themfelves have an 
Art of making Oil. They build their Houfes in this man- 
ner: Thofe who are in the belt Condition, make ufe of the 
Bones of Whales, that are thrown on fhore, inftead of 
Beams ; and of the largeft Bones they make Doors. The 
poorer Sort make ufe of the fmall Fiffi-bones, to build 
their Huts ; for the' Whales, and other large Fijfh, which 
are bred in thefe outer Seas, are of a much larger Size than 
in our inner Seas. 
9. Nearchus likewife tells us, that, failing from Cyiza , 
about Break of Day , he faw a great deal of Water thrown 
up out of the Sea to a confiderable Height : Being very 
much ftruck at this ftrange Appearance, he inquired of the 
Pilots, and other knowing Seamen, what it meant ; who 
told him, that the Water was fpouted up by Whales ; at 
the Hearing of which his Men were frightened, fo that 
they let the Oars fall out of their Hands. Nearchus , how- 
ever, encouraged them as much as he could, advifed them 
to row towards thefe Creatures briskly, and as if they were 
going to an Engagement, making all the Noife they could, 
both by fhouting, and with their Oars. 
The Men, reluming their Spirits upon this, began, on 
a Signal given, to row with all their Force ; and, as they 
drew near the Whales, fhouted as loud as they were able, 
founded their Trumpets, and beat the Water with their 
Oars with all the Force they had. The Whales, who were 
juft under their Prows, frighted at the Noife, funk at once, 
and rofe a good Way behind the Ships, blowing up the 
Water again with prodigious Force. The Seamen, feeing 
themfelves thus unexpectedly delivered from fo great a 
Danger, loudly applauded the Boldnefs and Dexterity of 
Nearchus. 
Sometimes the Whales, running in too near the Shore, 
are left upon it by the Ebbing of the Tide ; and fome- 
times, being thrown thereon by Storms, their Flefh cor- 
rupting by the Heat of the Sun, the Bones are left dry 
upon the Shore, which thefe People gather carefully, in 
order to make ufe of them in building their Houfes: The 
largeft Bones they make ufe of for Rafters ; thofe of the 
Jaws they convert into Doors, and of the fmaller Bones they 
make their Utenfils. 
While Nearchus and his Fleet were on the, Coaft of 
the Ichthyo'phagi , he difcovered an Hand, which lay at the 
Diftance of about one hundred Stadia from the Continent, 
which was abfolutely uninhabited. This Hand, thofe who 
dwelt on the oppofite Coaft called Nofala , which they 
believed facred to the Sun ; adding, that it was' inacceffible 
to Mortals ; and farther, affirmed, that, in cafe any Man 
was fo imprudent as to fet his Foot upon it, he was never 
feen more : An Inftance of this the Pilots mentioned to 
Nearchus , of a Ship, manned by Egyptians , which, for 
this impious Attempt, had vaniffied from the Sight of 
Men. This, however, did not deter Nearchus from 
going in Perfon, with one of his Ships, to view this 
Hand, or from putting the Reporters of this Fable intirely 
out of Countenance by landing upon it j which he did. 
There was alfo another Fable related of this Hand ; which 
was, that a certain Sea-nymph, or Goddefs, dwelt there, 
who inticed Men on fhore, and, after criminally converfing 
with them, changed them into Fifti ; but the Sun obliged 
her to quit the Place, and to reftore the Men, whom ffie 
trad thus changed into'Fifli, to their former Shape. 
Some of thefe Ichthyophagi were brought to Alexander 
Thefe People inhabit the Coaft only •, but, within-land, 
inhabit the Gedrofians , in a Country barren and fandy, 
where Alexander and his Army fuffered great Hardfhips. 
When the Fleet had quitted this Coaft, and were arrived 
pn that of Car mania, they were obliged to come to an 
Anchor without landing, the Coaft being fo rocky and 
fteep, that they durft not approach it. They failed from 
thence, not diredtly Weft, but rather Weft and by North, 
and fo reached that Part of Carmania which was a more 
fruitful and agreeable Country than thofe they had left, and 
abounds in Grafs, and where they found freffi Water in 
Plenty. 
10. When they came to Badis, on the Coaft of Car- 
mania, they found all Sorts of Refrefhments, except Oil s 
and, failing eight hundred Stadia farther, they came upon 
a clefert Coaft, where a Promontory appeared, that ran far 
out into the Sea, and was about a Day’s Sail. Such as 
were acquainted with the Coaft, faid, it was a Promon- 
tory of Arabia , called Maceta , from whence Cinnamon, 
and other Spices, were fent into AJJyria. While the Fleet 
lay at Anchor, and had this Promontory in Sight, there 
arofe great Difputes ; for Qneficriius would have had the 
Fleet fail thither, to avoid the Flardffiips and Difficulties 
they might meet with in the Gulph : But Nearchus was of 
a contrary Opinion, and affirmed, that Oneficritus had 
quite mifunderftood the King’s Defign ; for it was not, 
faid he, becaufe Alexander could not have fafely led the 
Army intirely by Land, that he put a Part of them on 
board the Fleet, but becaufe he would have all thefe Coafts, 
Ports, and Hands, throughly examined, and the Gulph 
likewife failed through, that it might be known what 
Cities there were near the Sea, what Countries were fertile, 
and what defert. He was not therefore for changing their 
Courfe now, when they were in a manner at the End of 
their Labours ; and therefore he was not for fleering on 
the Side of the Promontory, for fear it might bring them 
on a bad Coaft, efpecialiy as they were not now in want 
of any thing neceffary for continuing their Voyage. 
The Opinion of Nearchus prevailed ; and, in my 
Judgment, fays Arrian , it was by following his Advice 
that the whole Fleet was faved ; for the Coaft beyond that 
Promontory was abfolutely defert, and afforded no Water. 
The Fleet therefore, weighing, proceeded feven hundred 
Stadia along the oppofite Coaft, which was called Ne- 
optana ; and, continuing their Voyage early the next 
Day, after failing one hundred Stadia more, arrived at the 
River of Anamis. The Name of the Place in which they 
now were, was called Harmozia , fince called Ormuz , where 
they found abundance of wild Fruit, and were pretty 
much at their Eafe. There moft of the Men went afhore 
to refreffi themfelves after all the Hardfhips they had gone 
through ; and fome of them, rambling up and down, met 
with a Perfon dreffed after the Grecian Manner, and who 
fpoke Greek ; which at once furprifed and overjoyed them 
exceedingly : And, upon inquiring who and what he was, 
the Man anfwered, that he belonged to Alexander" s Army, 
and that the King was encamped not far from thence. 
They prefendy conducted this Man to Nearchus, to whom 
he told the fame Things, and that the King was encamped 
no farther from him than five Days Journey. Nearchus 
alfo conferred with the Prefident of the Province about 
the Security of the Fleet, after the taking the proper 
Meafures, for which he agreed to go with him to the King. 
The Day following, by that Time it was Sunrife, Ne- 
archus caufed fuch of the Ships as were in bad Condition, 
to be drawn on fhore, in order to their being repaired *, 
and, refolving to leave a great Part of the Troops on fhore, 
he took care to fortify the Place with a ftrong Retrench- 
ment, and a deep Ditch, fo that both the Ships and Men 
might remain as fafe as poffible. In the mean time, the 
Prefident of the Province, knowing that the King was 
under the utmoft Concern for this Fleet, took a ffiort Cun 
to the Camp, in order to inform him of their fafe Arrival. 
This News was received by Alexander with the greateff 
Joy imaginable, though he could not help doubting the 
Truth of it : And his Doubt ftill grew upon him, becaufe 
fome who were fent with Carriages, to meet Nearchus , 
and bring him to Court, returned after they had went a 
little Way, without finding him ; and others who had a 
greater Refpedt for him, continuing their journey, did not 
return at ail : At lafi, the King lofing all Patience, and 
his Concern being doubled by this fliort Glimmering of 
Hope, ordered the Prefident to be committed to fafe Cu- • 
ftody, for having reported falfe News. 
In the mean time, fome of thofe who had been bif- 
patched to meet and conduct Nearchus to Court, actually 
met with him upon the Road, accompanied by Archias, , 
and five or fix more \ but they were all fo altered, both » 
i; ‘ v Id: 
