Forthwith Sikandar, when Fúr's answer reached him,
Chose from the host chiefs fit and enterprising,
Young but mature in wisdom, and led forth
To war against that Indian such an army
That all the earth seemed sea, and thou hadst said:—
“Sikandar is sole monarch in the world.”
But all those mountains, seas, and rugged paths
Quenched in the soldiers' hearts the flame of war
The troops were all aweary of a march
By roads so grievous, steep, and profitless.
Once at a stage they gathered round the Sháh
And said: “O Cæsar and the lord of Chín!
Earth is not able to sustain thy host.
Not Fúr of Hind, not the Faghfúr himself,
Or king of Sind, will seek to fight with thee.
Why must thou bring disaster on thy troops
By this vile country and by such a road?
We see no sound steed left whereon to fight
With vigour, and if e'er the troops turn back
From warfare neither horse nor foot will find
The way. When we have triumphed hitherto
It hath been o'er an army of our foes,
But now we are opposed by seas and mountains,
And none of us is weary of his life.
Convert not all our glory into shame;
None hath made war with water and with rocks.”
The words displeased Sikandar, and in wrath
He frustrated their scheme. “Such words,” thus said
he,
“Befit but mutineers. What time I marched
From Rúm Íránward we beheld all garden
And settlement, our Rúman slain reached not
A hundred, and our costs were small. Írán
Is yours. What better could ye ask of God?
Ill came upon Dárá from his own slaves;
No one of you hath seen one weak or wounded!
I will proceed without you and set foot
Upon the Dragon's heart. Come what come may
Of fight and feast henceforth ye shall behold me
Abandon not for good my task with Fúr.
What time I quit him I will march to Rúm,
And by my valour overcome the land.
With God to aid me, and Íránian troops,
I ask not I a Rúman to befriend me.”
On seeing that their words enraged the Sháh
The troops sought to excuse themselves, and said:—
“We all are Cæsar's slaves, we only walk
The earth to do his hest, will strive, and when
Our horses fail will foot it to the field
Of strife. Though foes make earth sea with our blood,
And valleys into mountains with our fallen,
None in the day of fight shall see our backs
Though sea and mountain-crag contend with us.
We all are slaves, and it is thine to bid:
In thy calamities our lives are thine.”
Sikandar, hearing this, prepared fresh strife,
And chose a hundred thousand of Írán,
Equipped for war. Behind were Rúman captains,
All clad in mail, and stalwart warriors.
Thus forty thousand veteran cavaliers
Marched in support of the Íránians.
Succeeding these came mounted men world-taking,
And falchion-brandishers, from Misr. Then Cæsar
Chose from the men of Rúm, Misr, and Barbar
Twelve thousand cavaliers efficient, martial,
For battle eager all and all renowned,
So that with this array supporting him
The dales and plains seemed heights! He took withal
Of readers of the stars and priests three score—
Wise men well known to fame and veteran—
To choose the days for battle.

When Fúr heard:—

“A host hath come” he picked his battle-field,
And all his troops assembled on the plain;
The earth was mountain-like with elephants.
The army stretched four miles with troops behind
And elephants in front.

Now spies arrived

From Hind before the world-lord and informed him
At large of how the elephant contendeth
In warfare: “It will rout two miles of horse.
No cavalier will dare to face that beast,
Or, if he did so, ever come again,
Because its trunk is higher than the air,
And Saturn is its helper in the sky.”
They drew a picture of an elephant,
And showed it to Sikandar who commanded
That the philosophers of Rúm should model
One out of wax for him, and then inquired:—
“Who can propound a scheme to cope with such?”
The sages held a session and devised
A plan in all its details. Then the Sháh

Assembled all the master-smiths of Rúm,
Of Misr, and Párs, twelve hundred men in sum,
Who made a horse, with saddle and with rider
Complete, of iron, fastening the joints
With bolts and rivets. Horse and man were furbished.
They charged it with black naphtha, and then ran it
On wheels before the troops. At sight thereof
Sikandar was well pleased for, being wise,
He felt the gain thereof, and bade to make
A thousand such and more: who e'er beheld
On chargers dappled, chestnut, black, and grey
An iron host? The matter took the month,
And then the workmen rested from their labours.
Thus led they forth on wheels an iron host
That of all things resembled horsemen most.