Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

124 THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
of India, heard these words, the thing was pleas-
ing unto him, and he rejoiced within himself,
for he was a strong and mighty man and of huge
stature.' Now Alexander was small and weak, and
Porus, the king of India, held him in contempt,
and he imagined that he would be able to stretch
out his hand towards him and to seize him [in it].
So Alexander ordered his soldiers to cease fighting,
and Porus ordered his troops to cease fighting,
The duel, and the two armies retreated each to its own
place; then Alexander and Porus drew nigh to
each other, each going on foot. And it came to
pass that when Porus the king, on hearing a ter-
rible uproar among his soldiers, turned round and
looked behind him to see what had happened
among his troops, Alexander, who was watching
the king of India, saw him turn, and rose up
porua is against him and stabbed him with [his] sword above
dies. "
'""
his shoulders, and he pierced him also in his belly
and slew him. Now when the army of Porus saw
that their king was slain they were smitten with
grief, and became full of wrath, and they threw
themselves again into the fight. And when Alexan-
der saw that they had returned to the battle, and that
they fought desperately and fiercely against him
and his troops whom they mowed down like grass.
' Porus was five cubits high, but Alexander was not three
nv Yap TTijJpoc; nrixeajv e, 6 be AXeSavbpog ovhk Tpiujv; see
Meusel, p. 772. Plutarch (Zi/e of Alexander, LX) makes his
height four cubits and a span (recro'dpujv TirixuJV Kai aineajuri).