Unknown to Alexander, the sudden departure of the Mallians from the walls had left Perdiccas with the impression that the city had already fallen to his assault. Consequently he brought no ladders forward when his men reached the walls. As Perdiccas’ men marked time trying to find a way in, Alexander and the lead element of the Guards had cut their way through masses of fugitives to reach the citadel. Rather than wait for Perdiccas, he ordered ladders brought up. Only two had reached the point of assault, and the men holding them hung back. This time the hesitancy Alexander had first seen at Atari was not momentary — the men stood rooted to the ground, as heavy Indian arrows, javelins and sling stones thudded into their raised shields.

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Alexander prowled in front of their ranks, protected by his shield bearer, Peucestas, who bore the sacred shield of Troy that the king had taken down from Athena’s sanctuary at that ancient site. Next to him also was his bodyguard, Leonnatus, an officer of the Guard. Deciding that personal example was the only way to bring the Guard forward, as it had at Atari, he snatched one of the ladders and ran to the wall.

In an instant, Alexander planted the ladder and bounded up, holding his own shield before him. His sword flicked with deadly speed as he cleared the parapet of defenders and climbed over the top. When he had dispatched the last defender, those Indians on the adjoining towers poured spears and arrows down on him. He was the most magnificent target in military history, standing there alone in his gold-decked armor, the white plumes and crest of his helmet nodding violently as he swung his shield back and forth to parry the converging missiles.

Below him, his Guards stood transfixed in horror. Peucestas and Leonnatus scrambled up the ladder, followed by Abreas, a double-pay Guardsman who was the only man with the presence of mind to seize a second ladder and mount it. The Guards shouted to Alexander to jump to safety into their arms, but he ignored them. He saw that the ground level inside the citadel was higher than outside. He would later say that he calculated that the greatest danger was to stay where he was, while jumping back would accomplish nothing. By attacking, he might intimidate the enemy and at the very worst die a legendary death. With that split-second decision made, he leapt inside. Crying out in shock, the Guard rushed to the ladders as Peucestas, Leonnatus and Abreas disappeared over the top. But so many tried to mount at once that the ladders shattered.

The Indians were even more astonished than the Guards as Alexander landed on his feet, put his back to the wall and assumed his fighting stance. A group of Indians then attacked, but all, including their commander, fell to his sword. Alexander felled a second leader with a stone, hurled with the force of a small catapult. More Mallians only added their bodies to the growing heap in front of the raging commander. The Indians may have been brave, but they recognized a near-inhuman killing machine, a veritable mythic hero from their Vedic epics come to life, and prudently kept their distance, forming a half circle from which to hurl every sort of missile at him.

At that moment, Alexander’s three protectors dropped inside the wall and rushed to his side. They were an instant too late. Abreas fell with an arrow in the face. Peucestas was throwing his shield in front of his commander when another arrow sped past and struck Alexander in his left lung. Red foam, blood mixed with air, bubbled from the wound through his pierced corselet. The Indians surged forward for the kill, but Alexander continued to defend himself. Finally, blood gushed from the wound and their king slumped forward over his shield. Peucestas and Leonnatus stepped in front of his body to shield him with their own, as arrows, darts and stones rained down on them.

Outside the citadel, near panic had gripped the Guards. Some formed human ladders; others drove wooden pegs into the wall so they could climb it. One by one they reached the top and dropped inside. ‘There they saw the King on the ground,’ wrote the historian Arrian, ‘and a cry of grief and a shout of rage rose from every throat.’ Each man leapt forward to cover Alexander with their shields and bodies as the Indians pressed the fight.

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