the very moment when he is approaching the limits of the inhabited
world."

But the soldiers, "with their heads bent earthwards," stood in silence.
It was not that they _would_ not follow him beyond the sunset; they
_could_ not. Their tears began to flow, sobs reached the ears of
Alexander, his anger turned to pity, and he wept with his men.

"Oh, sir," at last cried one of his men, "we have done and suffered
up to the full measure of the capacity of mortal nature. We have
traversed seas and lands, and know them better than do the inhabitants
themselves. We are standing now almost on the earth's utmost verge,
and yet you are preparing to go in quest of an India unknown even to
the Indians themselves. You would fain root out, from their hidden
recesses and dens, a race of men that herd with snakes and wild beasts,
so that you may traverse as a conqueror more regions than the sun
surveys. But while your courage will be ever growing, our vigour is
fast waning to its end. See how bloodless be our bodies, pierced with
how many wounds and gashed with how many scars! Our weapons are blunt,
our armour worn out! We have been driven to assume the Persian dress!
Which of us has a horse? We have conquered all the world, but are
ourselves destitute of all things."

The conqueror was at last conquered. The order to turn back was
reluctantly given by the disappointed king and leader. It was received
with shouts of joy from the mixed multitudes of his followers, and
the expedition faced for home. Back they marched through the new lands
where no less than two thousand cities had owned his sway, till they
came to the banks of the river where the ships were building. Two
thousand boats were ready, including eighty thirty-oared galleys.

It was now September 326 B.C.

Nearchus from Crete was made Admiral of the new fleet, which at dawn
one October morning pushed out upon the river Hydaspes and set sail
downstream towards the unknown sea, Alexander standing proudly on the
prow of the royal galley. The trumpets rang out, the oars moved, and
the strange argosy, "such as had never been seen before in these parts,"
made its way down the unknown river to the unknown sea. Natives swarmed
to the banks of the river to wonder at the strange sight, marvelling
specially to see horses as passengers on board! The greater part of
the army followed the ships on land, marching along the shores. At
last the waters of the Hydaspes mingled with those of