Anabasis by Xenophon - Book 1, Part 3

ANABASIS by XENOPHON Translated by H. G. DACKINS BOOK ONE PART THREE NUMBER FIVE Thence he marched on through Arabia, keeping the Euphrates on the right, five desert stages, thirty-five parisangs. In this region the ground was one long, level plain, stretching far and wide like the sea, full of absinthe, whilst all the other vegetation, whether wood or reed, was sweet-scented like spice or sweet herb. There were no trees, but there was wild game of all kinds, wild asses in greatest abundance, with plenty of ostriches. Besides these there were bustards and antelopes. These creatures were occasionally chased by the cavalry. The asses, when pursued, would run forward a space and then stand still, their pace being much swifter than that of horses, and as soon as the horses came close, they went through the same performance. The only way to catch them was for the riders to post themselves at intervals and to hunt them in relays, as it were. The flesh of those they captured was not unlike venison, only more tender. No one was lucky enough to capture an ostrich. Some of the troopers did give chase, but it soon had to be abandoned, for the bird, in its effort to escape, speedily put a long interval between itself and its pursuers, plying its legs at full speed and using its wings the while like a sail. The bustards were not so hard to catch when started suddenly, for they only take short flights, like partridges, and are soon tired. Their flesh is delicious. As the army wended its way through this region, they reached the river Moschus, which is one hundred feet in breadth. Here stood a big, deserted city, called Korsote, almost literally environed by the stream which flows round it in a circle. Here they halted three days and profisioned themselves. Thence they continued their march, thirteen desert stages, ninety parisangs, with the Euphrates still on their right, until they reached the gates. On these marches several of the baggage animals perished of hunger, for there was neither grass nor green herb or tree of any sort, but the country throughout was barren. The inhabitants make their living up quarrying millstones on the river banks, which they work up and take to Babylon and sell, purchasing corn in exchange for their goods. Corn failed the army, and was not to be got for money, except in the Lydian market opened in Cyrus's Asiatic army, where a cappeth of wheat or barley cost four shekels, the shekel being equal to seven and a half Attic obols, whilst the cappeth is the equivalent of two Attic tsionekes, dry measure, so that the troops subsisted on meat alone for the whole period. Some of the stages were long, whenever they had to push on to find water or fodder, and once they found themselves involved in a narrow way, where the deep clay presented an obstacle to the progress of the wagons. Cyrus, with the nobles about him, halted to superintend the operation, and ordered Glus and Pigres to take a body of barbarians, and to help in extricating the wagons. As they seemed to be slow about the business, they turned round angrily to the Persian nobles, and bade them lend a hand to force the wagons out. Then, if ever, what goes on to constitute one branch of good discipline, was to be witnessed. Each of those addressed, just when he chanced to be standing, threw off his purple cloak, and flung himself into the work, with as much eagerness as if it had been a charge for victory. Down a steep hill they flew, with their costly tunics and embroidered trousers, some with the circlets round their necks, and bracelets on their arms. In an instant, they had sprung into the miry clay, and in less time than one could have conceived, they had landed the wagons, safe on Terrafirma. Although it was plain that Cyrus was bent on pressing on the march, and adverse to stoppages, except when he halted for the sake of provisioning or some other necessary object, being convinced that the more rapidly he advanced, the less prepared for battle would he find the king. While the slower his progress, the larger would be the hostile army which he would find collected. Indeed, the attentive observer could see, at a glance, that if the king's empire was strong, in its extent of territory, and the number of inhabitants, that strength is compensated by an inherent weakness, dependent upon the length of roads, and the inevitable dispersion of defensive forces, where an invader insists upon pressing home the war by forced marches. On the opposite side of the Euphrates, to the point reached on one of these desert stages, was a large and flourishing city named Charmonda. From this town the soldiers made purchases of provisions, crossing the river on rafts, in the following fashion. They took the skins which they used as tent coverings, and filled them with light grass. They then compressed and stitched them tightly by the ends, so that the water might not touch the hay. On these they crossed and got provisions, wine made from the date-nut, and millet or panic-corn, the common staple of the country. Some dispute or other here occurred between the soldiers of Menon and Clearchus, in which Clearchus sentenced one of Menon's men as the delinquent, and had him flogged. The man went back to his own division, and told them. Hearing what had been done to their comrade, his fellows fretted and fumed, and were highly incensed against Clearchus. The same day Clearchus visited the passage of the river, and after inspecting the market there, was returning with a few followers on horseback to his tent, and had to pass through Menon's quarters. Cyrus had not yet come up, but was riding up in the same direction. One of Menon's men, who was splitting wood, caught sight of Clearchus as he rode past, and aimed a blow at him with his axe. The aim took no effect, when another hurled a stone at him, and a third, and then several, with shouts and hisses. Clearchus made a rapid retreat to his own troops, and at once ordered them to get under arms. He bade his hoplites remain in position, with their shields rested against their knees, while he, at the head of his thracians and horsemen, of which he had more than forty in his army—thracians for the most part—advanced against Menon's soldiers, so that the latter, with Menon himself, were panic-stricken, and ran to seize their arms. Some even stood riveted to the spot, in perplexity at the occurrence. Just then Proxinus came up from behind, as chance would have it, with his division of hoplites, and without a moment's hesitation marched into the open space between the rival parties, and grounded arms. Then he fell to begging Clearchus to desist. The latter was not too well pleased to hear his trouble mildly spoken of, when he had barely escaped being stoned to death, and he bade Proxinus retire and leave the intervening space open. At this juncture Cyrus arrived, and inquiring what happening. There was no time for hesitation. With his javelins firmly grasped in his hands, he galloped up, escorted by some of his faithful bodyguard, who were present, and soon in the mists exclaiming, Clearchus, Proxinus, and you, other Helliens yonder, you know not what you do. As surely as you come to blows with one another, our fate is sealed this very day. I shall be cut to pieces, and so will you. Your turn will follow close on mine. Let our fortunes once take an evil turn, and these barbarians whom you see around will be worse foes to us than those who are present serving the king. At these words Clearchus came to his senses. Both parties paused from battle, and retired to their quarters. Order reigned. Number six. As they advanced from this point, opposite, Comande, they looked upon the hoofprints and dung of horses at frequent intervals. It looked like the trail of some two thousand horses. Keeping ahead of the army, these fellows burnt up the grass, and everything else that was good for use. Now there was a Persian, named Orontas. He was closely related to the king by birth, and in matters pertaining to war reckoned among the best of Persian warriors. Having formerly been at war with Cyrus, and afterwards reconciled to him, he now made a conspiracy to destroy him. He made a proposal to Cyrus. If Cyrus would furnish him with a thousand horsemen, he would deal with these troopers who were burning down everything in front of them. He would lay an amphiscade and cut them down, or he would capture a host of them alive. In any case, he would put a stop to their aggressiveness and burnings. He would see to it that they had never got the chance of setting eyes on Cyrus's army, and reporting its advent to the king. The proposal seemed plausible to Cyrus, who accordingly authorized Orontas to take a detachment from each of the generals and be gone. He, thinking that he had got his horsemen ready to his hand, wrote a letter to the king, announcing that he would ere long join him with as many troopers as he could bring. He bade him, at the same time, instruct the royal cavalry to welcome him as a friend. The letter further contained certain reminders of his former friendship and fidelity. This dispatch he delivered into the hands of one who was a trusty messenger, as he thought. But the bearer took it and gave it to Cyrus. Cyrus read it. Orontas was arrested. Then Cyrus summoned to his tent seven of the noblest Persians among his personal attendants, and sent orders to the Hellenic generals to bring up a body of hoplites. These troops were to take a position round his tent. This the generals did, bringing up about three thousand hoplites. Clearchus was also invited inside to assist at the court-martial, a compliment due to the position he held among the other generals in the opinion not only of Cyrus, but also of the rest of the court. When he came out, he reported the circumstances of the trial, as to which, indeed, there was no mystery, to his friends. He said that Cyrus opened the inquiry with these words, I have invited you hither, my friends, that I may take advice with you, and carry out whatever, in the sight of God and man, it is right for me to do, as concerning the man before you, Orontas. The prisoner was, in the first instance, given to me by my father, to be my faithful subject. In the next place, acting, to use his words, under the orders of my brother, and having hold of the acropolis of Sardis, he went to war with me. I met war with war, and forced him to think it more prudent to desist from war with me. Whereupon we shook hands, exchanging solemn pledges. After that, and at this point Cyrus turned to Orontas, and addressed him personally, after that, did I do you any wrong? Answer, never. Again another question. Then later on, having received, as you admit, no injury from me, did you revolt to the Mycenaeans, and injure my territory, as far as in you lay? I did, was the reply. Then, once more, having discovered the limits of your power, did you flee to the altar of Artemis, crying out that you repented? Did you thus work upon my feelings, that we, a second time, shook hands, and made interchange of solemn pledges? Are these things so? Orontas again assented. Then what injury have you received from me, Cyrus asked, now that, for the third time, you have been detected in a treasonous plot against me? I must needs do so, he answered. Then Cyrus put one more question. But the day may come, may it not, when you will once again be hostile to my brother, and a faithful friend to myself? The other answered. Even if I were, you would never be brought to believe it, Cyrus. At this point Cyrus turned to those who were present, and said, Such has been the conduct of the prisoner in the past, such is his language now. I now call upon you, and you first, Clearchus, to declare your opinion. What think you? And Clearchus answered, My advice to you is to put this man out of the way, as soon as may be, so that we may be saved the necessity of watching him, and have more leisure, as far as he is concerned, to requite the services of those whose friendship is sincere. To this opinion, he told us, the rest of the court adhered. After that, at the bidding of Cyrus, each of those present, in turn, including the kinsmen of Orontas, took him by the girdle, which is as much to say, Let him die the death. And then those appointed let him out. And they, who in old days were wont to do obeisance to him, could not refrain, even at that moment, from bowing down before him, albeit they knew he was being led to death. After they had conducted him to the tent of Artepates, the trustiest of Cyrus's wand-bearers, none set eyes upon him ever again, alive or dead. No one of his own knowledge could declare the manner of his death, though some conjectured one thing, and some another. No tomb to mark his resting-place, either then, or since, was ever seen. From this place Cyrus marched through Babylonia, three stages, twelve parisangs. Now, on the third night, about midnight, Cyrus held a review of the Hellenes and Asiatics on the plain, expecting that the king would arrive the following day, with his army, to offer battle. He gave orders to Clearchus to take command of the right wing, and to Menon, the Thessalian, of the left, while he himself undertook to the disposition of his own forces in person. After the review, with the first approach of day, deserters from the great king arrived, bringing Cyrus information about the royal army. Then Cyrus summoned the generals and captains of the Hellenes, and held a council of war to arrange the plan of battle. He took this opportunity also to address the following words of compliment and encouragement to the meeting. Men of Hellas, he said, it is certainly not from dearth of barbarians to fight my battles, that I put myself at your head as my allies, but because I hold you to be better and stronger than many barbarians. This is why I took you. See then that you prove yourselves to be men worthy of the liberty which you possess, and which I envy you. Liberty, it is a thing which, be well assured, I would choose in preference to all my other possessions multiplied many times. But I would like you to know into what sort of struggle you are going. Learn its nature from one who knows. Their numbers are great, and they come on with much noise. But if you can hold out against these two things, I confess I am ashamed to think what a sorry set of folk you will find the inhabitants of this land to be. But you are men, and brave. You must be being men. It is agreed, then, if you wish to return home, any of you, I undertake to send you back, in such sort that your friends at home shall envy you. But I flatter myself I shall persuade many of you to accept what I will offer you here, in lieu of what you left at home." Here Galates, a Samian exile and a trusty friend of Cyrus, being present, exclaimed, "'Aye, Cyrus, but some say you can afford to make large promises now, because you are in the crisis of impending danger. But let matters go well with you. Will you recollect?' They shaked their heads. Indeed, some add that, even if you did recollect, and were ever so willing, you would not be able to make good all your promises and repay. When Cyrus heard that, he answered, "'You'll forget, sirs. My father's empire stretches southwards to a region where men cannot dwell by reason of the heat, and northwards to a region uninhabitable through cold. But all the intervening space is mapped out in satrapies belonging to my brother's friends. So that if victory be ours, it will be ours also to put our friends in possession in their room. On the whole, my fear is, not that I might not have enough to give to each of my friends, but lest I may not have friends enough on whom to bestow what I have to give. And to each of you Hellenes, I will give you a crown of gold.' So they, when they heard these words, were once more elated than ever themselves, and spread the good news among the rest outside. And there came into his presence both the generals and some of the other Hellenes also, claiming to know what they should have in the event of victory. And Cyrus satisfied the expectations of each and all, and so dismissed them. Now the advice and admonition of all who came into conversation with him was, not to enter the battle himself, but to post himself in rear of themselves. And at this season Clearchus put a question to him, But do you think that your brother will give battle to you, Cyrus? And Cyrus answered, Not without a battle, be assured, shall the prize be won, if he be the son of Darius, and Parisatis, a brother of mine. In the final arming for battle at this juncture, the numbers were as follows. Of Hellenes there were 10,400 heavy infantry with 2,500 targeteers, while the barbarians with Cyrus reached a total of 100,000. He had, too, about 20 sith chariots. The enemy's forces were reported to number 1,200,000, with 200 sith chariots. Besides, he had 6,000 cavalry under Artaxerxes. These formed the immediate vanguard of the king himself. The royal army was marshaled by four generals, or field marshals, each in command of 300,000 men. Their names were Abrachomus, Tissaphernes, Gobrius, and Arbacace. But of this total, not more than 900,000 were engaged in the battle, with 150 sith chariots since Abrachomus, in his march from Phoenicia, arrived five days late for the battle. Such was the information brought to Cyrus by deserters who came in from the king's army before the battle, and it was corroborated after the battle by those of the enemies who were taken prisoners. From this place, Cyrus advanced one stage, three parisangs, with the whole body of his troops, Hellenic and Barbarian alike, in order of battle. He expected the king to give battle the same day, for in the middle of this day's march, a deep, sunk trench was reached, thirty feet broad and eighteen feet deep. The trench was carried inland through the plain, twelve parisangs distance to the wall of Medea. Here are canals flowing from the river Tigris. There are four in number, each about a hundred feet broad and very deep. With corn ships plying upon them, they empty themselves into the Euphrates, and are at intervals of one parisang apart, and are spanned by bridges. Between the Euphrates and the trench was a narrow passage, twenty feet only in breadth. The trench itself had been constructed by the great king, upon hearing of Cyrus's approach to serve as a line of defense. Through this narrow passage, then, Cyrus and his army passed, and found themselves safe inside the trench. So there was no battle to be fought with the king that day, but there were numerous unmistakable traces of horse and infantry in retreat. Here Cyrus summoned Salanus, his Ambrachiate soothsayer, and presented him with three thousand darix, because eleven days back, when sacrificing, he had told him that the king would not fight within ten days. And Cyrus had answered, Well, then, if he does not fight within that time, he will not fight at all. And if your prophecy comes true, I promise you ten talents. So now that the ten days were passed, he presented him with the above sum. But as the king had failed to hinder the passage of Cyrus's army at the trench, Cyrus himself and the rest concluded that he must have abandoned the idea of offering battle, so that the next day Cyrus advanced with less than his former caution. On the third day he was conducting the march, seated in his carriage, with only a small body of troops drawn up in front of him. The mass of the army was moving on in no kind of order, the soldiers having consigned their heavy arms to be carried in the wagons, or on the backs of beasts. End of book one, part three