Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

184 THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
enquired of them concerning the limits of their
country, and how they had come [hither], they
spake unto me, saying, "Swear unto us by the
"most High and blessed God that thou wilt not
"slay us, and we will shew thee our country;"
and I sware unto them. Then I commanded the
men to be separated each from the other—now
they were eight in number'—and I made enquiries
of each man separately, and when they were all
compared together they agreed. So I went forth
with my horsemen, and when we drew nigh to
the city I sent the ambassadors Avith Kuedames,^
my servant, who had with him fifty horsemen,
and I commanded them to march on until they
reached the city. And when we arrived I com-
Aiexander maudcd them to sound the horn round about the
"^^"^ whole city, and then I ordered the men to bring
wood and to set fire to it, and to watch until the
day broke, and that if any one^ of its people tried
to escape they should slay him. Now when the
people of the city heard the sound of the horn
[p. 105] they went forth and fled. And the elders
and the nobles of the city came forth to me, and
cried out to me, saying,"* "O victorious king, have
"mercy upon us, and put away slaughter from us,
"for we are thy servants, and we agree to do
' Read "i^^^ao-^ :
^ In the Syriac Kokaros Qoc\TDC\.a (p. 203. 1, 6).
3 Read ffljfh : : § hJ^'ilToo- :
+ Read fflJ&fl.A'^ •