Then the elder bade them take away all those treasures to their owners, and he took up a pinch of dust from the ground and laid it on the stone, and lo! from being so great, there was no mean thing that did not outweigh it; a blade of straw, a scrap of wood was heavier than this, and all its beauty and goodness were gone from it, so that no man would desire it or look upon it. Then Alexander asked of him what was this wonder, and why it did thus, and the elder told him the meaning of all this, and the name of the stone, and he said that the castle was put there to guard the way to the Wells of Life, and he told Alexander things that should come to pass. Then Alexander asked him how long he should live, and how should he die, and the elder told him not, but he said that he should learn from the trees of the sun and of the moon when he came to the shores of the great sea. And he told him that first must he go north into the desert and meet and conquer King Porus, and that then he should pass into the east through the Valley of Terror till he saw the Three Wells of Life, and that then he should find the Temple of the Sun and the trees which should tell him of what was to befall him. And Alexander gave him great gifts and left him and returned to his camp.
Thus Alexander turned northward, and in few days he was in the land of Bactria, and all the men of the land came to him with presents and gifts, and he received them, and abode there thirty days, that his men might recover their strength. And there came to him messengers and told him that Porus was encamped with his host a four days’ journey off; and Alexander disguised himself as one of those that supplied the camp with wine and flesh, and driving some cattle before him he came into the camp of Porus, that he might see how many men he had and what was their mind towards him. The guards of the camp laid hold on Alexander, for that he was a stranger, and brought him before Porus, and the king asked him who he was and whence he came. Then Alexander answered that he was a poor man of that land, and the Macedonians had taken away his cattle and his goods, but he had escaped with some which he was trying to sell. And Porus asked him had he seen Alexander, and what was he doing, and Alexander answered that he was sitting in his tent warming himself at a fire. Then Porus laughed out, and he was glad to hear that his enemy was so feeble that he had to sit in his tent, and he asked how old he was. And Alexander answered that he was a poor herdsman and knew not the king’s matters; so Porus gave him a letter to Alexander and a great reward, and promised him more if he should bring an answer again, and Alexander returned to his camp.
Now the letter of Porus was a challenge to Alexander, offering to meet him in single combat, for he said that no king or emperor should be such a coward as to send men to battle unless he joined in it himself, and that it would be better if only the kings on each side fought, for it would spare the blood of the people; and he offered to let the whole matter rest on this combat, so that if Alexander won he should be king of India, and if he won then all the lands should obey him. Now Porus was a tall man, a head and shoulders taller than any man of his army, while Alexander was short even among little men, and Porus counted on an easy victory.
When the armies drew near in line of battle, Alexander sent out a herald to Porus accepting his offer, and in short time all was ready for the fight, and the two kings, armed in full armour, were opposite one another. When the fight began, Porus advanced, proud of his strength and size, and ignorant of the great strength of Alexander, and both spurred at each other full tilt, and their lances broke to shivers, but neither was unhorsed. So they turned their horses and drew their swords, and Porus struck Alexander with his sword, and cut into the helmet, but the blow of Alexander was so fierce that it struck Porus out of his saddle and threw him to the ground senseless. Then all the knights of India cast up a keen cry, but Alexander dismounted, and caused the heralds to take off the helmet of Porus and to give him aid; and when Porus came to life again he owned him vanquished, and Alexander gave him back his kingdom, and from an enemy he became a friend and a subject to the lord of the Greeks.
On a night after Alexander lay in his tent musing alone, and he fell to thinking of his short life, and of the way he had come, and of the wonders of the land, and of the deeds he should do, when it seemed that there was with him in the tent his fosterer, the whilom King of Egypt, and he said to him, “O my son Alexander, many deeds shalt thou do, and many wonders shalt thou see, yet trust thou not to thy sight. Remember the stone in the Castle of the Lake, which was but the eye of man, for while he lives it may not be satisfied. Trust men who seem thy friends, but trust them not overmuch: fear the gods and them alone, for I am with thee to help thee.” Then the god departed, and Alexander lay alone asleep.
CHAPTER XIV. HOW ALEXANDER AND HIS ARMY PASSED THROUGH THE VALLEY OF TERROR AND SOUGHT THE WELLS OF LIFE.
Many hundred years before, one of the great heroes of the Greeks, Hercules by name, had come into India, and had conquered the people of the land, and had set up great pillars of marble wherever he had come. So Alexander, now that he had beaten Porus in battle, made up his mind to follow in the footsteps of Hercules and to see the wonders of India; and King Porus promised to go with him and to guide him. But before this he sought to find the Wells of Life of which the Elder had spoken to him in the castle in the lake. But Porus knew not of the way, nor any of the men in his army. So he turned again towards the South as the Elder had bidden him, and fared on his way.