better part of valour,’ and following the example of the Cilician
prince, he took care so to manage matters, that in the quarrel between
the two brothers, he should have done something to help both sides.
If the Great King should conquer, he could urge that he had burnt the
boats and guarded the walls for a time. If, on the other hand, Cyrus
should prevail, he could say that he had given way at his approach, and
had yielded him free passage. He afterwards carried out this policy
by bringing an army to the aid of the Great King five days after the
decisive battle between the two brothers had been fought, with a
plausible excuse for not having been able to arrive sooner.
A day’s march along the Syrian coast brought the troops to Myriandus,
a populous sea-port of Phenicia, where an active trade brought many
merchant-vessels to anchor in the bay. Here the army rested for seven
days, and during this time two of the Hellene officers, Xenias and
Pasion by name, hired a ship, and sailed away home in it with the
greater part of their possessions.
These were the two officers from whom 2,000 soldiers had deserted at
Tarsus in order to take service under Clearchus. They had expected that
Cyrus would compel the deserters to return to them, but knowing that
they would serve much better under the general of their own choice, he
had allowed them to remain with Clearchus. In consequence of this, the
two officers were so much annoyed that they determined to abandon the
expedition.
When their flight became known, the soldiers all expected that Cyrus
would send some ships of war in pursuit of them, and that having been
overtaken and brought back, they would be severely punished. But in
this they were mistaken, for instead of acting in any such way, Cyrus
called together the remaining Hellene officers, and addressed them in
an altogether different strain.
‘Xenias and Pasion,’ he said, ‘have deserted, but they are still in
my power. I am fully informed as to the route they have taken, and my
ships are swifter than theirs. But for all that, I will not pursue
them. No one shall be able to say of me that I know how to make use of
a man as long as he is with me, but that when he wishes to leave me, I
lay hands upon him and seize his goods. Let them go. They will have to
confess that they have treated me worse than I have treated them. I
might detain their wives and children who have been left at home under
my protection, but they shall not be deprived of them. This shall be
their reward for the services they have rendered hitherto.’
This proof of high-mindedness increased the respect of all the Hellenes
for Cyrus.
XI
THE CROSSING OF THE EUPHRATES
From this point, the route by which the army was to march left the
coast and struck inland. The fleet could therefore be of no further
service, and Cyrus accordingly sent it home from Myriandus.
It was now the hot season, which in Syria is infinitely more trying
than anything that is ever experienced in our northern climates. And as
the troops were marching southwards, the heat continued to increase in
intensity with every day’s march.
To the Hellenes, everything in these tropical regions was new and
strange; the vegetation, the animals, the people, the customs, the ways
of thinking, all were very different from anything to which they were
accustomed at home. One day they came to a river swarming with great
fish. These were worshipped as gods by the people of the country, who
would have thought it a great crime to catch them. In the same place
there were large flocks of pigeons, which were also considered sacred,
and any one who dared to kill or even to catch one of them, would have
been severely punished.
Towards the end of August the army reached the large and flourishing
city of Thapsacus, on the Euphrates. Here Cyrus called together the
Hellene officers, and told them plainly that he was marching towards
Babylon to make war upon the Great King, and that they must communicate
this information to the soldiers under them, and persuade them to
follow him as before.
The news was received by the men, not indeed with surprise, for they
had long had their misgivings, but with considerable irritation, and
many of them cried out that nothing would induce them to go any farther.
Their anger was directed, not so much against Cyrus, as against their
own officers, whom they accused of having known from the first what was
intended, and they said that by keeping the matter secret, the officers
had involved them in an undertaking which, so far at all events,
appeared absolutely hopeless.
A few days’ consideration however was sufficient to make them realise
their position. What could they do? Ever since leaving Tarsus they
had been marching farther and farther away from their homes, and the
reasons which had then decided them to cast in their lot with Cyrus
were now even more urgent than before.
Again therefore they allowed themselves to be persuaded, and once more
demanded an increase of pay, which was promised by Cyrus to an extent
that exceeded their highest hopes. For he said that when they reached
Babylon he would give to each man five silver minæ, which was more than
the ordinary pay for a whole year, and that during the return march
they should receive full pay until they were again among their own
countrymen in Ionia.
It was now necessary to find some means of crossing the great river
Euphrates, and at first it seemed probable that this would be a task
of no small difficulty. The boats ordinarily used for the purpose had
been burnt by Abrocamas, and the only thing to be done was to make an
attempt at wading through the stream. Happily this proved to be a far
more simple matter than could have been expected, for when the soldiers
stepped into the water, it only reached as far as their breasts,
although at this season of the year it was usually very much deeper.
The men of Thapsacus said that this was a sign from heaven, and that
the stream had been constrained to roll back his waters in order to
make way for the man who was destined to wear the royal tiara of Persia.
At this time, Menon, one of the Hellene generals, saw an opportunity
of gaining an advantage over his comrades, and he used it in a manner
that was little to his credit. Before it had been decided whether the
Hellenes should continue to follow Cyrus or not, an advance party had
been sent out to see if the river could be forded, and had reported
that it was possible.
On hearing this, Menon called his men together, and said to them,
‘Soldiers, if you will be guided by my advice, you may, with no danger,
and little trouble, get yourselves farther advanced in the favour of
Cyrus than any of your comrades. To him it is of the utmost importance
that the Hellenes should cross the Euphrates and support him in his
attack upon the Great King. If then we take the lead and cross the
river to-day, and they follow us, he will give us credit for having set
them a good example. If, on the other hand, they decide not to follow
Cyrus, we can easily go back again, but in any case we may be sure
that Cyrus will regard us as his most faithful friends, and that when
he has rich appointments and well-paid offices to give away, he will
remember us in disposing of them.’
The prospect suggested by Menon was so alluring that the soldiers fell
in readily with his proposal, and at once crossed the Euphrates. When
Cyrus heard that they were already on the further side, he was greatly
pleased, and sent them this message,--‘I have occasion to praise you,
and that you may soon have occasion to praise me must be my care, or
I should not be Cyrus.’ He lost no time moreover in testifying his
especial gratitude to Menon by sending him magnificent presents.
Selfishness was the most conspicuous feature in the character of Menon.
His highest aim in life was to amass wealth, and to obtain power. A
straightforward, honourable man he regarded as a fool, and for his own
part shunned neither deceit nor perjury. Whereas other men considered
it their duty to honour the gods and to deal justly with their fellows,
Menon prided himself only on getting the better of others by cunning
and fraud.
XII
IN THE DESERT
After crossing the Euphrates, the army followed the course of the
river, keeping it on the right, and came in nine days to the desert.
The tract of country that now lay before them was so waste and barren
as to be entirely uninhabited; the most they could expect was to meet
from time to time with some stranger journeying through it.
It was necessary therefore to lay in a good store of provisions, and
happily the villages on the border of the desert were thriving and well
supplied with corn and wine, so that the soldiers were able to load the
baggage animals with as much as they could possibly carry.
After this they journeyed for eighteen days through a waste of sand,
which lay all around them in broad, low waves, like the sea when it
is stirred by a gentle wind. There were no trees in this desert, but
occasional shrubs and plants, which gave forth a delicious scent. In
consequence of the absence of men, wild animals abounded, especially
gazelles and wild asses, bustards and ostriches. Never in their lives
before had many of them seen such a creature as a Hellene soldier.
When there was a halt, the soldiers went out hunting, but some of the
animals were hard to catch. The wild asses were very different beasts
from our donkeys, who are justly accused of being both slow and stupid.
They were remarkable both for swiftness and intelligence, and could not
be run down by a single horse, however fleet. When they found that they
were being hunted, they would stand quite still until their pursuer was
almost within spear range, and then dash away out of reach, and again
stop to rest.
The only way in which the Hellenes could succeed in capturing them was
by arranging for several horsemen to take part in the chase. Having
placed themselves at suitable distances apart, the first horseman would
drive the wild ass as fast as possible towards the next, who would then
take up the chase with his fresh horse, and by the time that two or
three horses had been tired out, the wild ass would himself become so
exhausted that he was easily caught and killed.
As for the ostriches, it was quite useless to pursue them, for, as is
well known, they run very swiftly, and moreover add to their speed by
the movement of their wings, which they use like sails. Of all the
wild animals the easiest to kill were the bustards, for they, like
partridges, can only fly a short distance. They furnished moreover
the best eating, although the flesh of the wild ass, which resembled
venison, was also excellent.
In this desert region, long forced marches were sometimes necessary, in
order to reach either a spring of water, or a place where the horses
and beasts of burden could find pasture, but even so, many of them
died of hunger. The men also suffered considerably.
One day they came in sight of a city where they felt sure that they
would be able to obtain abundance of food. But there was neither boat
nor bridge nor any other means of crossing the river, and the stream,
at this place, was far too deep for the men to wade through it.
They overcame the difficulty however by means of a contrivance that
is still common in the East. Taking a number of the leather coverings
used by the army for various purposes, they made great sacks which
they filled with hay and bound together so as to form little rafts
capable of supporting a few men and some cargo. The soldiers then rowed
themselves over to the opposite shore in these rafts, and bought in the
town supplies of wheat, millet-bread, and palm-wine.
Another time it happened that they had to march along a narrow way,
where the wagons sank so deep in the soft clay soil, that the transport
animals were unable to drag them through it. Cyrus commanded his
Barbarian soldiers to pull the wagons along. But they set to work in a
surly, lazy manner, and he became so impatient that he drove them away,
and turning to his suite, ordered them to put their shoulders to the
wheel.
These proud nobles were little accustomed to any kind of exertion, but
with the implicit obedience of the Persian subject, they hastened to
do the bidding of Cyrus. Laying aside their gorgeous cloaks, but still
dressed in their silk vests and trousers, many of them adorned moreover
with golden chains and bracelets, they ran to the place, as if each
were eager to prove himself more active and zealous than all the rest,
and seizing the dirty wagons, dragged them along until they were well
beyond the bad part of the road.
Such a spirit of submission was quite unknown among the Hellenes, who
were accustomed to treat their superiors in a very different manner.
Once already they had manifested their displeasure at the conduct
of Clearchus, and about this time another incident of the same sort
occurred, which might have led to very serious consequences.
It happened that in passing through the camp, Clearchus saw one of the
soldiers of his company engaged in a dispute with a soldier belonging
to the company of Menon, and taking the part of his own man, he did not
hesitate to have the other one beaten.
This action was resented by the comrades of the man who had been
beaten, and later in the day, when Clearchus chanced to be riding
through the camp of Menon with only a few soldiers attending him, a
Hellene who was occupied in cutting wood, threw his axe at him, while
others threw stones, and called out after him in an insulting manner.
Neither the axe nor the stones hit their mark, but Clearchus was
nevertheless beside himself with rage, and riding furiously to his
own camp, he ordered his men to arm themselves and advance without a
moment’s delay against the company of Menon. On the other hand, the
soldiers of Menon, seeing Clearchus and his men about to charge, rushed
also to seize their arms and prepare for battle.
Meanwhile one of the other generals, named Proxenus, had seen what
was going on, and he also hurried forward at the head of his men,
and placing himself between the combatants, implored Clearchus to
make peace. But Clearchus only reproached him with estimating far too
lightly the insult he had received, and becoming more furious than
ever, ordered him to withdraw.
Just then however, by great good fortune, Cyrus came to the place,
and seeing the Hellene troops drawn up in battle-array, enquired what
was the meaning of it. When he heard all that had passed, he was
filled with dismay, and cried out, ‘Ye leaders of the Hellenes, ye
know not what ye do. As surely as my Barbarians see you fighting among
yourselves, my ruin will be sealed, and yours also. Ye will have more
to fear from my followers than from the army of my brother.’
These grave words brought back Clearchus to his right mind. He was
filled with remorse, and both sides laid down their arms and made
friends again.
It was not indeed without cause that Cyrus had referred to the ill-will
of the Barbarians, for they had long since observed with feelings of
jealousy and hatred the preference that on all occasions he showed for
the Hellenes.
XIII
THE TREACHERY OF ORONTES
After marching some distance farther, Cyrus was informed that the
ground showed the tracks of about 2,000 horsemen. This was a troop
of cavalry sent out by the Great King to reconnoitre. They were to
discover and report to him the position of Cyrus, and were also to burn
down all the villages and corn-fields on the way, so as to prevent his
army from getting any food. It was important therefore for Cyrus to
intercept these horsemen, and either kill them or keep them prisoners,
so as to prevent their returning to the King.
At this moment, a Persian of high rank, named Orontes, came forward,
and offered to undertake their capture. Orontes had already twice
proved himself a false friend to Cyrus, and had twice been forgiven.
He had however promised so faithfully on the last occasion to be true
for the future, that in spite of his previous history, Cyrus did not
now feel suspicious, but agreed to let him take with him the thousand
horsemen that he asked for.
[Illustration: PILLAR FROM HALL OF THE HUNDRED COLUMNS.
_See page 3, and illustrations facing pages 38 and 47._]
Everything was in readiness for the start, when a Barbarian presented
himself before Cyrus, and delivered into his hands a letter that he
had received from Orontes, with instructions to obtain the swiftest
horses, and carry it with all speed to the Great King. In the letter
Orontes reminded the King of the services that he had formerly rendered
him, and added that he was now about to hasten to his side with all the
horsemen he could procure.
Cyrus immediately caused Orontes to be arrested, and sent to summon the
most distinguished Persians, and Clearchus the Hellene, to a meeting in
his tent. After informing them of the treachery of Orontes, he said,
‘My friends, I desire your counsel as to the course which in the sight
of God and man it will be right for me to pursue with regard to the
prisoner, Orontes.’ He then began to question Orontes.
‘Since our reconciliation at Sardis,’ he asked, ‘have I ever in any way
wronged you?’
Orontes was obliged to answer, ‘No.’
‘Did you revolt from me to the Mysians, and lay waste my land, so far
as you were able?’
‘I did.’
‘Did you then come to the altar of Artemis, and say that you repented
of your misdoings? And did you swear that you would in the future be
always my friend and helper?’
‘I did.’
‘Have I since then done you any wrong, that you have turned traitor for
the third time?’
‘You have given me no cause.’
‘Do you think that from henceforth you can be to my brother an enemy,
but to me a true friend?’
‘If I were, you would not trust me.’
The questioning over, Cyrus turned to the judges, and said to them,
‘Thus has Orontes spoken, thus has he done. Speak then, and you first,
Clearchus, say what he deserves.’
‘My advice,’ answered Clearchus, ‘is to put this man out of the way, so
that we need not have to watch him.’
The Persians, even the relations of Orontes, concurred in the opinion
of Clearchus, and each in turn seized the prisoner by the girdle, which
was the Persian manner of pronouncing the sentence of death.
Then Orontes was led away through a great crowd of Hellenes and
Barbarians who had assembled outside the tent of Cyrus, and many of
the Persians of lower rank threw themselves on the ground before him,
as they had always been accustomed, although the great lord was now a
criminal condemned to death.
After this Orontes was never seen again, and no one ever knew by what
death he died, or where he was buried. It is probable that according to
a practice common in Persia, he was buried alive beneath the tent to
which he had been taken.
XIV
THE KING APPROACHES
After three more days of marching, there arrived at the camp of Cyrus
some deserters, who informed him that the King’s army was close at hand.
He could hardly have been much surprised at the news that Artaxerxes
was approaching; the only wonder was that he had tarried so long, for
he had heard from Tissaphernes of the revolt of Cyrus in little more
than a month from the time that the expedition had set out from Sardis.
The King had certainly expected that his brother would find some
difficulty in getting through Cilicia, and that Abrocamas, with his
300,000 men, would do something more to check his progress than merely
burning the boats on the Euphrates. But it was now two months since
the flight of Abrocamas, and yet the King had made no effort to meet
the usurper, but had allowed him to penetrate unhindered into the
very heart of the empire. Cyrus had now reached the rich province of
Babylonia, where the fruitful soil brought forth food in abundance,
being watered by the two great rivers Tigris and Euphrates, which in
this part of the country flow at a distance of only a few miles apart.
The Hellenes thought scorn of a King who could be so indolent and so
irresolute, and they said, mockingly, one to another, ‘This is a King
who can neither ride, nor drink, nor hunt, nor fight.’
But Cyrus took a different view of his brother’s character, for once
when Clearchus asked him, ‘Do you think, Cyrus, that your brother will
fight at all?’ he answered, ‘By Zeus, he will. If he be the son of
Darius and Parysatis, and my brother, I shall not get the crown from
him without a struggle.’
[Illustration: THE GREAT KING HUNTING.
Sculpture found at Persepolis. See p. 3.]
When the news of the King’s approach reached Cyrus, it was already past
midnight, but nevertheless he at once held a review of his whole force,
for he thought that a battle might now take place at any time.
After the review, Cyrus addressed the Hellene officers. ‘Men of
Hellas,’ he said, ‘it is not from any scarcity of troops of my own
that I have brought you hither, but because I know that you are braver
and stronger than a whole multitude of Barbarians. See that you prove
yourselves worthy of the freedom that you enjoy. Believe me when I say
that I envy you this, and would willingly part with all my treasures
to purchase it, and even with far more precious possessions. The
Barbarians trust to their overwhelming numbers, and to the deafening
clamour with which they charge, but if you resist them bravely, you
will find them--it shames me to say so--nothing but a cowardly mob.
Bear yourselves bravely, and if I conquer, I will send you back to your
homes with such treasures as will make you envied by all your friends.
Yet I hope that many of you will prefer to remain in my service,
instead of returning to Hellas.’
When Cyrus had ended his speech, a Hellene from the island of Samos
answered him, saying, ‘There are many of us, Cyrus, who think that it
is all very well in the hour of danger to promise mountains of gold,
but that when the danger is past, you may forget your promises, or it
may not perhaps be in your power to fulfil them.’
‘The empire of my father,’ said Cyrus, ‘stretches northwards to the
regions where men cannot live because of the cold, and southwards to
the regions where men cannot live because of the heat, and all the
countries that lie between are governed by the friends of my brother.
If we conquer, I will set my friends over all that land. I have less
fear that I shall not have enough gifts with which to reward my
friends, than that I shall not have enough friends on whom to bestow
my gifts. To each of you moreover, ye officers of the Hellenes, I will
give, in remembrance of this campaign, a crown of gold.’
The rest of the soldiers quickly heard of the dazzling prospects held
out by Cyrus, and there was not a man among them who did not long
for the battle to begin. At the same time the officers were anxious
that Cyrus should not expose himself, for everything depended on his
escaping unhurt, and they urged him to take up a safe position behind
the cavalry.
But Cyrus would not hear of such a thing, and in this he was perfectly
right. In our days the general is regarded as the head of the army who
has to think for all, and he would be blamed if he were to risk his
life without actual necessity. But in the time of Cyrus, the general in
command always took his share of the actual fighting, and would have
been thought a coward if he had not been seen by friend and foe alike,
in the fore-front of the battle.
The next morning the troops continued their march, drawn up in fighting
order, for Cyrus expected that the two armies would meet that day. But
as the day wore on, and no enemy appeared in sight, he remembered a
prophecy that had been made by a Hellene soothsayer, Silanus by name,
who ten days before this had sacrificed a heifer, and had afterwards
prophesied that the battle would not take place within the next ten
days.
The Hellenes believed that by examining the entrails, that is to say,
the heart, the lungs and the liver of an animal that had been offered
in sacrifice, the soothsayer could discover the will of the gods, and
foretell the fate of the person for whom the animal had been sacrificed.