Alexander: Part Two: A Three-Act Drama

By J.J. Parker

Alexander the Great didn't conquer all the known world (which in his time was Europe, Asia, and North Africa). But he did plan to. And had he lived another 10-15 years, maybe he would have ... or perhaps not.
Read on and learn of his hopes and frustrations, his triumphs and his fatal illness that snuffed his life at an age when many men are entering their prime..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664137134

J.J. Parker

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Copyright © 2020 by J.J. Parker.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Rev. date: 10/15/2020

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Contents

Introduction

Beatsheet for Alexander: Part II

Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

Act V

Act VI

Introduction

King Alexander III of Macedon may have died from the typhoid virus, causing a fever, lack of appetite, and weight loss. No medicine existed then to cure the infection.

Some have claimed he was poisoned, but poisons work quickly. Alexander lingered for at least a week after getting ill.

This play suggests that a mosquito sting carried the virus into the king’s system. No one knows for sure, but that could have been the cause.

As for Alexander’s plans had he not died at age 33, evidence indicates he would have campaigned next in Arabia. From there, one may conjecture him continuing along North Africa’s coast to Carthage. Then, perhaps to Rome -- which wasn’t yet powerful, and was confined to central Italy. Next, he would have needed to solidify the Greek city-states -- allegedly under his rule -- especially Sparta, which had been ignoring rather than kowtowing to him….

Alexander didn’t conquer all the known world (which in his time was Europe, Asia, and North Africa). But he did plan to. And had he lived another 10-15 years, maybe he would have.

Sources:

Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley, Calif.: U. of California Press, 1991.

Rogers, Guy MacLean. Alexander: The Ambiguity of Greatness. New York: Random House, 2004.

Wells, H.G. The Outline of History: The Whole Story of Man, vol. I. pp276-295. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1956.

Setting: Macedon, Greece, Egypt, Asia (Persia to India)

Time: 356 to 323 B.C.

Quotes: Nothing is sufficient for the person who finds sufficiency too little. --Epicurus

Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. -Euripides

Beatsheet for

Alexander: Part II

I, 1: In Spring 331 B.C., in Samaria, Alexander revenges the death of a man he appointed satrap. A Persian emissary from King Darius offers Alexander a fantastic deal if Alex will stop campaigning against Persia. Despite advice from his General Parmenio to accept the offer, Alexander declines it, to teach them a lesson. Darius learns of the refusal, and decides to raise a huge army to wipe out the invading Macedonians.

I, 2: Summer 331, Babylon: Darius tells a general that he’s ordered many reinforcements, including special chariots and Indian war elephants -- weapons the Macedonians have never encountered.

I, 3: Sept. 20, 331: The Macedonian army crosses a river in Mesopotamia. In camp that night, an eclipse is seen. Alexander believes it’s a good omen regarding the looming battle versus the Persians as long as he sacrifices to the gods, which he does. Scouts notice the Persian army is near, and Alex plans an assault for the morning.

I, 4: In camp, Alex gives battle instructions to his officers. He delays the attack until the following day.

I, 5: That night in camp, Parmenio tries to convince Alexander to attack that night. But the young king decides to wait until the next morning, because dark battles are unpredictable, and he doesn’t want to steal a victory. In the other camp, Darius, fearing a night assault, orders his troops to stand in formation and not sleep that evening -- a detriment should the attack occur in the morning. Alex, confident, sleeps late, but Parmenio has arranged the Mace. army properly in the king’s absence.

I, 6: On Sept. 30, 331, on a plain near Guagamela, the Macedonian army advances toward the Persians. Commander Darius gives defensive orders to frustrate the enemy’s assault. Then, Alexander leads his cavalry Companions into battle. At first the Mace. infantry is stymied, but the Companions create a breach through a hole in the Persian line, and gallop through. On the other flank, a Persian cavalry charge nearly pierces the line, but is stemmed by Parmenio’s troops. Meanwhile, Darius flees the losing struggle in his chariot, as Alexander fruitlessly pursues.

I, 7: In Arbela after the battle, in which the Macedonians routed the Persians, Alexander learns that his army’s casualties were slight. But the Persians may have lost 90,000 men, ending their effectiveness militarily. Hephaestion has been wounded, and a concerned Alexander visits him inside a hospital tent.

I, 8: In Alexander’s Arbela headquarters, he says that he now controls the western half of the Persian Empire. However, he tells Parmenio that until Darius is captured, Alex cannot rule all of it. So Alexander orders his army to begin pursuit, which may take a long time.

I, 9: The Mace. army heads eastward through Mesopotamia. Susa surrenders peacefully to Alexander. He occupies the throne of Darius, which is too high for the diminutive conqueror. Alex also recovers treasures looted from Greece by the Persians.

I, 10: The Mace. army heads for Persis, in the midst of the Persian Empire. Local tribesmen block a snow mountain pass. Farther away, the young man’s army attacks Persian militia. Alexander directs a flank maneuver that routs the defenders.

I, 11: Alexander’s troops encounter, in a mountain gorge, dozens of deformed Greek veterans who were held captive by Persians. Alex pities them, and gifts them with money and provisions.

I, 12: Alexander and co. enter Persepolis. He orders the city’s treasury looted. He then tells the satrap that the city is to be destroyed, because it is the empire’s capital. So it is burned, its men slaughtered, and its women and children sold into slavery.

I, 13: Within the smoking ruins of Persepolis, Alexander learns that Darius hides in Ecbatana. He resolves to capture the fugitive.

I, 14: May 330, near Ecbatana: as the Macedonians prepare to besiege the town, Darius escapes. Alexander satraps Ecbatana after capturing it, and pursues the elusive former emperor.

I, 15: Near the Caspian Gates, Alex finds out that Darius has been captured by his own generals. When the captors learn that Alex is after them, they decide to murder Darius, and flee.

I, 16: In Hecatompylos, the deposed Darius is assassinated. However, before he dies, Alexander finds him, and learns who killed him. Alex vows to avenge the murder, because Darius was royal, a god-approved ruler.

II, 1: The next morning, in the same town, two Mace. soldiers confess to missing their families and home, where they believe they’ll soon travel, since the Persian campaign appears to be over. But they and other soldiers are disappointed when Alexander informs them that the army will head east toward the escaping assassins of Darius.

II, 2: Later that day, same town, Alexander orders bonuses given to his soldiers -- but only those who pay him allegiance.

II, 3: Later, a group of women from Scythia appear in Hacatompylos. Their leader, Thalestris, is also queen, and wants Alexander to impregnate her so she can produce a royal heir. A stunned Alex reluctantly agrees.

II, 4: The Mace. army forms outside Hecatompylos after a two-week break from campaigning. Alexander divides it into three columns, and says his will cross a snow-topped mountain. Parmenio is dubious, but Alex is confident. Along the way, the army catches two of Darius’s murderers, and executes them.

II, 5: Near Mardia, the Mace. army is stopped before a mountain pass that’s blocked by hostile warriors. Alexander plans a flanking move, then discovers someone’s stolen his prized horse, Bucephalas. He orders all area trees felled until the Mardian tribesmen return his horse, which they do. Then, Parmenio informs Alex that the remaining executioners of Darius are near, to the east. But Alexander orders the army to rest that night, then seek his vengeance.

II, 6: Outside Hecatompylos, Alex reveals that, to pursue the assassins, the army must traverse the 10,000-foot-high Elburz Mountains. Parmenio says the mountain pass is blocked by hostile Mardians. Alexander plans a nocturnal raid above the pass, forcing the Mardians to retreat or die. The Macedonians attack from two directions; the Mardians are surprised, and killed.

II, 7: In August 330, the Mace. army crosses the Elburz Mountains and enters Zardracarta. A messenger informs Alexander of the whereabouts of Bessus, a murderer of Darius. But Bessus has recruited mercenaries, and may be tough to capture.

II, 8: Camped on a plain near the mountains, Alexander appears wearing a costume half Macedonian and half Persian. Hephaestion is amused, but Alex is not. The young king says his dress signifies that he’s the monarch of East and West. Hephaestion wonders whether Alexander still considers hmself a Macedonian. Two Mace. soldiers debate Alexander’s apparent transformation. Alex reveals to Parmenio that he seeks to rule the entire world.

II, 9: In Alexander’s royal tent, he plans the capture of Bessus. Then, he plans a night of recreation with Hephaestion and several lovely females. Alex picks a few whom Hephaestion brings to the tent. Alexander demonstrates that he’s not homosexual, as some might believe, but does sometimes have sex with women.

II, 10: Marching near a desert, the Mace. army stops when Alexander learns that one of Darius’ killers, Barsaentes, is imprisoned in Phrada. There Alex goes, accompanied by troops, and confronts the chained and dissheveled assassin. Alexander discourses with him, while the condemned begs for his life. Nonetheless, Alexander orders him executed.

II, 11: In Phrada, two soldiers speak. Dimnus reveals that he’s soon to assassinate Alexander. Nicomachus tells his older brother, Cebalinus, of the plot. That brother informs Philotas, a cavalry officer, of the plot. But Philotas does not tell Alex, so Cebalinus does. Alexander orders Dimnus arrested. But Dimnus poisons himself once he sees he will be brought before Alex. Then, after his death, Alexander asks Philotas why he didn’t report the plot. Philotas has no satisfactory answer. Alex court martials him, and frames him (saying that he was part of the plot with Parmenio, his father -- who actually was not aware of it). Several officers speak against Philotas, saying he was critical of Alexander, and wanted him dead so Parmenio could take control of the army. That night, before a decision is rendered, Craterus and some soldiers take Philotas from his jail and torture him until he confesses.

II, 12: Alexander and 6,000 soldiers surround Philotas at the climax of his trial. Craterus produces the accused’s confession. Alexander declares Philotas guilty, to be stoned to death. The king decides to also eliminate Parmenio, whom he suspects will plot revenge once he learns his son was executed. (Parmenio is in Ecbatana, acting as governor.) Hephaestion urges on Alex, who sends two letters and trusted officers to liquidate the innocent old general.

III, 1: Late Dec., 330 B.C.: The Mace. army pursues Bessus, heading south from Phrada. It receives reinforcements sent, ironically, by Parmenio before Alex had him slain.

III, 2: March 329: Along a plain slogs the Mace. army, heading toward a mountain pass. Alexander halts his troops to build and staff another city named after him. A month later, it leaves to cross a snow-topped mountain pass. Meanwhile, Bessus is holed up in Drapsaca, at the easternmost edge of the Persian Empire. He learns the Maces. are near; they’ve located him. So he escapes to the Bactrian Mountains.

III, 3: In the small nearby town of Branchidae, where lurk traitors of Greece, Alexander vows to mete out punishment to the traitors who refused to fight the Persians when they invaded Greece. So the Macedonians storm the town, killing all the men as the women and children cry and flee. The town is then burned.

III, 4: Later in 329: Bessus, murderer of King Darius, is captured by Mace. troops. Presented to Alexander, a cowardly Bessus weeps, begging to be spared. But Alex has the ears and nose of Bessus severed by a sword; then, he’s stripped to a loincloth and whipped severely, nearly bleeding to death. Finally, Alexander has Bessus transported to Ecbatana for punishment by the Persians, who’d been ruled by Darius. Townsmen decree the traditional sentence: ripping apart the regicide. So, as Bessus futilely protests, Persian strongmen bend two young trees toward the ground, their branches only 4-5 feet apart, and rope them in place. They then tie each of Bessus’s arms to a tree branch. They sever the ropes, and the unfurling trees whip apart, as Bessus is torn in half while flinging through the air, screaming. Landing on the ground, he dies, bleeding, as onlookers appear satisfied.

III, 5: Later that spring, near a mountain top called the Rock of Sogdiana, Alexander decides to assault it, since it’s defended by armed local men. The Macedonians capture the pass, and cross through it.

III, 6: Fall 328, a Mace. camp in Sogdiana: Alexander allows his men to celebrate, eating and drinking and carousing with Sogdian women. The occasion is a going-away party for Cleitus, co-commander of the Companions cavalry. In a private room, Alex fetes Cleitus, who, drunk, insults an equally inebriated Alex. Enraged, Alexander grabs a pike and kills him. Soon, a sobered Alex is overcome by guilt. But Hephaestion says the king was justified, for no commoner should mock a monarch. Anaxarchus, a senior adviser, also says a king should never be criticized, and his every whim fulfilled and lawful.

III, 7: Early 327, in Northern Bactria: Alexander, in his tent, is dressed like a Persian. Hephaestion wonders why. Alex says his attire is part Persian, part Macedonian, symbolizing his joint rule. He also says he expects everyone to prostrate themselves before him, even Macedonians. But his Mace. soldiers think the new policy is silly -- they prostrate themselves only before their gods. Hephaestion debates the controversial policy with Alex, who wants it implemented (to feed his ego). Hephaestion points out that Macedonians are united by equality, a feeling that’s helped them win battles -- and that sentiment would be destroyed by the deification of Alexander.

III, 8: Late February 327: The Macedonians again approach the Sogdian Rock mountain pass. Oxyartes, leader of a mountain tribe, meets Alexander, bringing gifts. But O. insults Alex’s family, and maddens him. O. says he won’t surrender the pass, and has thousands of men blocking it. But when O. leaves, Alex devises an evening climb around the back of the mountain. So in the morning, nearly 300 Mace. soldiers appear above the pass, and the intimidated Oxyartes surrenders it.

III, 9: A few days later, in Sogdiana, Oxyartes and Alexander are now friends. He gifts Alex with his beautiful 20-year-old brunette daughter, Roxane. Alex falls in love with her, but she is high-spirited and impudent. Nonetheless, they marry.

III, 10: The Macedonians halt before another pass in the Sogdian mountains. Chorianes is the leader of the militia who block the throughway. Alexander meets him, and talks him into letting the Mace. soldiers spend an evening feasting and socializing with the locals, including the young women. With Hephaestion, Alex discusses his plans for the army. H. chastises him for pretending he’s a god. The two quarrel, and in aside, Hephaestion admits he misses the old, humbler Alexander.

III, 11: Spring 327: Alex and Hephaestion discuss India, the land they prepare to foray into. Hephaestion believes that unfortunately, the Mace. army may keep invading countries indefinitely.

III, 12: In camp in Sogdiana, six royal pages discuss their plot to kill Alexander. Hermolaus, the leader of the group, explains why he wants the young king dead.

III, 13: In his tent that night, Alexander hears of the plot from an officer. Alex confronts Hermolaus, who explains why he wants Alex assassinated. A paranoid Alexander thinks that Callisthenes, the royal historian, also took part in the scheme, though C. did not. Alex has him and the six pages tortured before one of them reveals who financed the conspiracy. One of the pages claims Callisthenes was the financier, though he wasn’t. But Alex has him hanged anyway. He explains to Hephaestion his actions after the plot was foiled.

IV, 1: Late Spring 327: Two veteran Mace. soldiers comment on their plight in the ever-advancing, all-conquering army.

IV, 2: In camp, Alexander gives instructions to two envoys who are to travel to Taxila in India. Alex refers to himself as Alexander the Great, but Hephaestion pokes fun at him. Hephaestion also says the army should have returned home after defeating Darius, instead of continuing on an endless quest to satisfy Alex’s ego.

IV, 3: Alexander meets with Ambhi, rajah of Taxila in India. Alex says Ambhi must surrender his town, or many residents will die. Ambhi gifts Alex with 25 war elephants, which fascinate Alex. Ambhi thus aligns himself with the Macedonians.

IV, 4: The Mace. army, in three columns, nears the Indus River in India. They encounter a village and capture it; Alex’s shoulder is slightly wounded. Later, Ptolemy informs Alexander of a huge Indian force blocking the Macedonians’ path. In a surprise attack, Alex’s army captures thousands of prisoners and oxen.

IV, 5: The Mace. army marches up a mountain toward Taxila. The forest on the mountain reminds Alexander of home, so he stops the army so the troops can relax there. They also forage and eat. The next morning, Alex sees they must reach the Rock of Aornos, up in the clouds atop the mountain. On it is a town, offering resistance. Alexander assaults it, and after some casualties, the Indian defenders give up. They surrender the town -- the biggest west of the river Hydaspes -- to Alexander.

IV, 6: On the western bank of the Indus River, Alex holds athletic competitions to reinvigorate his troops. He then sacrifices to the gods, so his Indian invasion will be successful. Because the Indus is more than two miles wide, he has boats built to ferry troops across it. After crossing, the Macedonians finally arrive at Taxila. There they’re greeted by Mophis, leader of the town, who surrenders it. Mophis arranges a feast for all. He also donates to Alexander war elephants, sheep, and bulls, as well as valuable coins. Alex in turn gives Mophis and his town stallions and money for its coffers, ensuring that Taxila will be his base of operations in the coming campaign against King Porus.

However, Alexander learns that King Porus will not pay tribute, and dares an attack across the Hydaspes River, along which he’s aligned troops. Alex plans a river crossing far downstream, to avoid detection.

IV, 7: May 326, western bank of the Hydaspes River: Indian King Porus’s troops stand on the other river bank, opposing the Macedonians’ crossing. But Alexander shifts his boats in several directions, to confuse Porus about Alex’s intentions. Finally, Alexander decides his main force will cross 17 miles away while a detachment’s diversion holds most of the Indians in place.

IV, 8: The next morning, Alexander’s force crosses the Hydaspes River. Alex’s troops win a skirmish with an Indian force, but Porus plans an assault with war elephants, chariots, cavalry, and thousands of foot soldiers.

IV, 9: After a long, desperate struggle along the Hydaspes River -- in which many war elephants kill some of Alexander’s soldiers -- the Macedonians prevail. And the Indians suffer about 20,000 more casualties. Alex confronts Porus after the battle, and is impressed with the tall Indian king’s courage. He has a Mace. doctor tend to Porus’s wounded shoulder. But Alexander is sorrowed when he learns his beloved horse Buchephalas has died in the battle.

IV, 10: Late Summer 326: The Mace. army forms east of the Hydaspes River. After assaulting a village, its leader, Alexander, is confronted by the captive Porus, who wonders why the Mace. king carries him east of his lands. Alex informs him that his army has liberated 37 villages in that area that are now in Porus’ territory. Alexander tries to initimidate Porus, but cannot.

IV, 11: Alexander’s men fell trees to make timber to build ships for river crossings. A corporal and sergeant complain about venomous snakes, some of whom have killed Mace. soldiers. Hephaestion counsels against continuing an eastward march despite a weeks-long downpour. But Alex doesn’t care about bad weather, disease, or death, being a glory hunter.

IV, 12: Alexander orders occupants of a walled Indian town, Sanaga, to surrender. After they don’t, he besieges the settlement. Eventually, the Macedonians invade, kill the men, and burn the town. (Ho-hum.) The army then marches toward the Hyphasis River. On the way, the Corporal and Sergeant bellyache that Alex may never let them go home, that they may campaign for the rest of their lives. Alexander tells Hephaestion he wants to conquer the world to fulfill the prophecy given to him by an oracle. Hephaestion is beginning to believe his friend is insane.

IV, 13: The Mace. army reaches the western bank of the Hyphasis River. A local tribal leader, Phegeus, advises Alexander of the difficulty of crossing the deadly Ganges River, which contains crocodiles and is east of the Hyphasis. Further, Phegeus reports that on the other side of the Ganges is an Indian force of nearly 300,000 warriors. Sergeant and Corporal overhear, and believe Alex would be mad to order them into battle against such a large formation. Yet Alexander is overconfident, telling Porus he is invincible.

IV, 14: While waiting to cross the Hyphasis River, some Mace. soldiers grumble about the condition of their uniforms, weapons, and horses from the incessant campaigning. Speaking to the army, Alexander claims its final battle is near. But rebellious troops indicate they miss home, and will fight no more in India. Alex privately confers with senior officers, explaning his plan for battling the 300,000 Indians. Coenus prefers the army return to Macedon, and even Alex’s buddy Hephaestion agrees. However, Alexander disagrees, and says the army will attack in the morning, come what may.

IV, 15: The next forenoon, before the assembled army, Alexander explains why he wants to engage in one final battle. But unseen soldiers call out, expressing their displeasure. Coenus, before the troops, cajoles Alex to send the army to Macedon, as the soldiers cheer. Faced with insurrection, Alexander is maddened. Claiming the army is mutinying, Alex, crying, pleads with the unmoving troops to relent, but they don’t.

IV, 16: Three days later, in the same camp, Alexander sulks in his royal tent. He orders a sacrifice as a prelude to the army advancing into battle, despite the troops’ unwillingness. But a captain informs the king that the army will not march east into further combat -- the soldiers have endured enough bloodshed and privation. Addressing the army, Alex tries to convince them to take up arms again, to conquer all of Asia, gaining additional glory. But the Macedonian men don’t want an enhanced reputation -- they want to return to their families. Alexander, sadly says he’s abandoning the Indian invasion, and the army will march westward toward home.

V, 1: To improve morale, Alexander holds an army celebration and athletic contests near the Hyphasis River. He also gives the former Indian king Porus reign of India between that river and the land’s western boundary.

V, 2: By the Hydaspes River, November 326: Alexander directs how the army will travel westward. Some troops will go by sea, while some will march by land. The ships will sail along the coast, stopping to provision the marchers -- who will traverse a forboding desert.

V, 3: Alexander gives sailing instructions to Nearchus, his admiral. Then Alex’s column of marchers assaults Multan, a walled town of religious fanatics. Alexander climbs over the wall on a ladder, leading his men into the fortress. There they slaughter its defenders. After, Alexander philosophizes with Hephaestion.

V, 4: A force of 50,000 more Mallians awaits Alexander’s army near the Hydraotes River. They try to prevent the Macedonians from crossing the river, but fail and retreat into the walled city of Mallia. Alex leads the assault by climbing a ladder over a 20-foot wall. Foolishly, he drops inside the town before his fellow troops can follow him. He’s surrounded by enemies, one of whom shoots him in the chest with a thick arrow that punctures a lung. Bleeding profusely, he’s rescued by Peucestas, Abreas, and Leonnatus, Macedonian officers who belatedly followed him over the wall. Perdiccas makes a tourniquet to tie off a bleeding artery in Alex’s upper arm. The rest of the Mace. army, learning that Alexander is seriously hurt, batters down the front gate and enters the town, slaying all its defenders. Alex lies on the ground, apparently dying. A veteran doctor, Critobulus, is brought to care for him.

V, 5: In Mallia, Alexander is treated by Critobulus, his army’s most-skilled surgeon. Elsewhere, two veteran Mace. soldiers discuss the army’s plight with a severely wounded commander. One of them fears they won’t make it home without Alexander. The king learns that his troops worry, which concerns him.

V, 6: To allay fears that he’s dying, Alexander is taken aboard a ship. From there, he’s helped to his feet, and waves to his soldiers ashore. They realize he’s alive, and are heartened.

V, 7: In camp, Alexander recovers. (To travel, he must improve physically.) He orders Admiral Nearchus to prepare his fleet for the journey homeward.

V, 8: Alexander, leading his marching troops west, plans an attack on Hamata, which has resisted him. Some of the Mace. soldiers, inlcuding the officer Ptolemy, are struck by poisoned arrows during the assault. Alex, thanks to a recent dream, discovers an antidote to the venom, and saves Ptolemy’s life.

V, 9: Alexander, aboard a ship sailing down the Indus River, finally sees the Outer Ocean (really the Indian Ocean). He sacrifices to the gods in gratitude.

V, 10: Alexander, on his ship, gives plans to Admiral Nearchus to supply Alex’s army on its hazardous desert journey near the coast.

V, 11: August 325, at Karachi near the sea coast, the Mace. army sets out on its journey to the west. To prove it could be done, Alexander decides to march through a 30-mile-long desert, the Gedrosian, with two-thirds of the army, while the other third sails with the fleet under Nearchus. After destroying a village of hostile tribesmen, Alex instructs Leonnatus to build yet another Alexandria.

V, 12: Alexander and his men trudge on foot through the desert. They wither, thirsty, in the intense heat, 200 miles from fertile ground.

V, 13: In the desert, a scout tells Alexander that no wells can be found. Alex is shocked, for he’d ordered them dug. However, he and his men locate water in an oasis. Four detailed soldiers unpack crates of food left by the fleet, and eat the supply. Alexander catches them stealing food intended for all the marchers. But he pardons them, for they were very hungry.

V, 14: In the desert, some starving soldiers kill a pack mule and cook, then eat it. Alex says the army is out of food, and must use willpower to get through the desert, or die.

V, 15: Alex discovers a water hole, and scoops up some water. But as his soldiers look on, he pours out the water, indicating he will not drink unless they can too. They cheer. Then, rain downpours, which brings them drinkable water. The next day, the Mace. survivors exit the desert, reaching the town of Pura, where they rest and recuperate.

V, 16: In Pura, Craterus arrives with supplies for the beleaguered survivors of the desert trek. So the Macedonians drink, feast, and carouse for seven days.

V, 17: In Babylon, a messenger tells the city’s satrap, Harpalus, that Alexander’s army approaches. Harpalus, who despite being Alex’s friend has stolen money belonging to the empire, realizes he’s in deep trouble if Alexander finds out. So he plans an escape.

V, 18: In the midst of winter, January 324 B.C., Alexander and his men relax in Salmus, 200 miles west of Pura. A homosexual lover of Alex’s, Bagoas, embarrasses him at the celebration. Alex slaps him, and leaves, while a stunned Peucestas looks on.

V, 19: Still in Salmus, Alexander learns that his fleet has arrived safely from India. He congratulates Admiral Nearchus. Alex orders