ment of this ineffectual fight. The Greeks made very little distance, but arrived at the villages, their proposed destination, in the evening. Here they were much depressed, and with reason. Xenophon candidly confesses that he was blamed by his fellow-generals for his conduct during the day. He owned to them that he was wrong, but he made some practical suggestions which went far toward repairing his mistake. He told his comrades that two things were necessary to their safety. They must have slingers, and they must have horsemen. A force of about fifty horsemen was extemporized by mounting that number of soldiers on horses released from baggage for the purpose, and a company of slingers volunteered to the number of about two hundred. They made an earlier start than usual the next morning, and accordingly had passed a ravine, in which they would have fought at disadvantage had they been attacked there, before Mithridates appeared once more, having this time a force increased to one thousand horse, and about four thousand archers and slingers. This satrap had, from his success on the previous day, conceived great hopes of what he would now be able to accomplish in attacking the Greeks. His men had, however, no sooner begun to discharge their weapons, than at the sound of a trumpet the newly organized companies of the Greeks rushed out to repel the enemy. The Barbarians fled, but not without losing several of their foot, who were killed, and about eighteen of their horse, who were made prisoners. The Greeks suffered no further molestation during the day. At night they reached the river Tigris, where they found a large deserted city, called by Xenophon Laris'sa, identified, with some probability, as the Resen of Scripture. The region is that of the ancient Nineveh, a city which had already then disappeared. Larissa was formerly a city of the Medes. It was finally wrested from them by the Persians in the general overthrow of the Median empire. The Greeks marched a day or two farther, when who should

make his appearance but Tissaphernes, with a numerous army? Tissaphernes showed no disposition to put himself at personal risk, or even to endanger his force. At a presumed safe distance he set his slingers and archers at work. But as soon as the Rhodian slingers, on the part of the Greeks, and their mounted bowmen, began their practice in reply, no weapon failing to hit its man in the serried masses of the foe, the Persians beat a hasty retreat. They still followed, but they no longer harassed, the Greeks. In the villages where the Greeks encamped that night, they found plenty of provisions, but whether they left plenty on going away, we have no word from the poor villagers to inform us. Tissaphernes dogged them on their march the day after, hurling missiles at them from a distance.

The Greeks found that a better marching order for their force might be formed. Instead of marching in a square, as heretofore, they now organize a movable body of six hundred men, drilled to occupy the center when the way was wide enough for marching in a square, and to fall behind lengthening the rear when, in crossing a bridge, for instance, or going through a defile, they were obliged to narrow their line. This plan was found to work well. They advanced in this order four days, when on the fifth they observed with pleasure that their road would lead them among high hills, presenting difficulties for the movement of the enemy's cavalry. But when, having crossed the summit of the first hill, they were descending to climb the second, behold the enemy behind and above them. Barbarian slingers and archers, and men with darts, rained weapons on the Greeks below, the wretched Persian troops themselves being, in accordance with their customary discipline, lashed to their work by their overseers. The same thing occurred as the Greeks passed the second hill. They suffered so much that they resorted to a laborious; but effectual expedient for relief. The hills they were crossing were spurs or offsets from

a mountain still higher. A detachment of soldiers were sent up the mountain. From this height they commanded the Persians and prevented their farther pursuit. Thus toiling and suffering, they reached the villages at which they aimed for encampment. There were many wounded, and eight surgeons were appointed to care for these. The surgeons thus appointed were very likely not professionally trained men, but simply soldiers experienced in the treatment of wounds. They rested three days to nurse the wounded and to recruit the wearied. They found a store of provisions which had been collected for the satrap of the country.

On the fourth day, they again took up their march, Tissaphernes still persistently following them. The Greeks soon learned that their best way was to stop, and at once encamp, after Tissaphernes came near, since from their encampment they could sally out with advantage to attack him, whereas marching and fighting at the same time, embarrassed as they were with their wounded, they found nearly impracticable. The Persians, with wholesome awe of their enormously outnumbered Greek enemy, always retired some six miles te make their encampment for the night. Observing this cau tious habit of the Barbarians, the Greeks toward evening one day broke up their own encampment as soon the Persians began to retire for the night, and made a march of six miles in advance, thus interposing a distance of twelve miles between themselves and their enemy. This prevented the Persians from reappearing on the next day or on the day following, but on the day after, the Barbarians, having made a night march, were descried occupying a high point commanding the way by which the Greeks must pass. Here was a difficulty indeed. The leader of the advance called up Xenophon from the rear and pointed out to him the situa tion of affairs. Those men must be dislodged, they both agreed, and Xenophon now noticed that there was a way leading from their present position, by which they might gain

a summit still more commanding than that occupied by the enemy. The two generals mutually offered, each to the other, the privilege of moving up to take possession of the height. Xenophon said that he was himself the younger and he would go. The Persians saw what the Greeks were aiming at, and immediately on both sides there began a masterful scramble for the summit. The Greeks below shouted to cheer the climbers, and the troops of Tissaphernes answered cheer with cheer. Xenophon on horseback exhorted his men, but So-ter'i-des, a man whose name Xenophon, perhaps maliciously, preserves, cried out, "But, Xenophon, you ride, and I have to carry my shield afoot." Xenophon at once leaped from his horse, pushed Soterides from the ranks, took his shield from him, and marched on with it as fast as he could. But the rest of the soldiers tormented Soterides till he gladly took back his shield and resumed his place in the march. The Greeks beat the Barbarians in the race, arriving first at the summit.

The Barbarians upon this took to flight. The van of the Greeks went safely down into the plain and encamped in a village well stored with supplies. Some of the Greeks dispersed themselves hither and thither to forage. But at evening the enemy suddenly appeared in the plain and cut off a number of the foragers. The inhabitants, it seems, had been making all haste to get their cattle transported to the farther side of the river, where they would be safe from the marauding Greeks. It is but incidentally that we get glimpses of the sufferings inflicted upon the non-combatant population inhabiting the countries along the line of this famous retreat. While the parties sent out to succor the interrupted Greek foragers, were returning to their camp, Xenophon having now accomplished his more laborious descent from the mountain, observing that Tissaphernes with his force was attempting to fire the villages, took occasion very spiritedly and wittily to draw from the circumstance an

omen of encouragement for the soldiers, who had been dejected in view of what the enemy were doing. "Greeks," said he, "the Barbarians confess that we have beaten, for they are burning the country as being no longer their own, but ours." To Chi-ris'o-phus, however, the leader of the van, he said, "This burning must be stopped." "Nay," said Chirisophus, "rather let us go to burning too; our enemies then will sooner stop." The case was serious, for on one side of their way were lofty mountains, and on the other, the river Tigris, so deep that their spears sank below the surface of the water, when they tried to sound it with them. A Rhodian proposed a plan for crossing the river. The generals pronounced the plan ingenious but impracticable. The plan in brief was to float a bridge by means of inflated skins taken from the animals in their possession. The course finally adopted was to make a short stage of retreat, having first set fire to the villages thus abandoned. The effect was to set the enemy to wondering what could now be the purpose of the Greeks. Having encamped, the Greek soldiers as usual busied themselves in getting food, while a council of war was held by the officers. From prisoners in their possession they learned that toward the north was a way leading to the hill country of the Carduchians. These mountaineers the prisoners represented to be very warlike, and not subject to the Persian king. A royal army, they said, 120,000 strong, had once invaded the territory, and there perished to a man. This way, notwithstanding its doubly formidable character, it was decided to pursue. A strong inducement was that, the Carduchian country once safely passed, they would, the prisoners assured them, reach Armenia, described as an extensive region of much wealth, beyond which the way was open for them to go wherever they pleased. They made a sacrifice with reference to their resolution, and directed the soldiers to have their baggage packed ready for a sudden start on summons, and then, having supped, to go to rest.