Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

414
THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
"tarry not; if thou refusest [to obey] my order,
"thou wilt involve thyself in punishment from me.
"If, however, thou dost consent to come quickly
"I will pardon thy transgression, and will deal
"graciously with thee."
[The writer of this history] saith:—And Alexan-
der was not afraid of the letter of Darius, and
he marched on with his army, and he lighted
Defeat of upou DaHus' multltudes of soldiers, and a great
capture ''"of battle took place between them; and the Persian
I'fj^'
""''hosts fled and Darius escaped from the batde.
Then Alexander sent and made prisoners of his
mother, and wife, and children, and he captured
[p. 244]
his soldiers, together with their posses-
sions; but Darius fled and escaped by night into
a stronghold and hid himself therein. And Alex-
ander turned back [from pursuing him], and
gave orders about the burial of the dead nobles
of Persia, and all who had been slain; and he
abode in that place a few days.
Then the chief of his nobles came unto him
with a multitude of soldiers, and Alexander or-
Aiexander dercd him to gather together the army and to
Darius. pursuc him, and when the soldiers, and mighty
men, and warriors had come to him they marched
to the city wherein Darius had taken refuge. Nt)\v
Alexander had heard already of the size of the
stronghold and that there were many' men there.
And he gave orders to gather together the oxen
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