ABSTRACT
Alexander decided to put the pursuit of Bessus on hold for the moment. He thought it was more important to mop up the part of Dariuss force that had split from Bessus and fled to the high Elburz Mountains. The pattern of surrender was interrupted by the Mardi, who lived on the south-west border of Hyrcania. The Greek mercenaries, who expected the worst, must have been surprised when Alexander ordered that they join his army. The new policy of marching east, into unknown territory, following Alexander's pothos, continued. From Zadracarta the army moved to the satrapy of Areia. At Drapsaca the remainder of his army, including the baggage train and siege engines which had been brought across the mountains from Kabul in better weather, reached him. Alexander's official reason was revenge for the Branchidaes ancestors siding with the Persians, the enemy of the Greeks. Twenty-two thousand died, either in fighting or by throwing themselves off the cliff.
