Anabasis
fortress, and when they had once rushed in, not a stone more was
hurled from overhead.
And here a terrible spectacle displayed itself: the women first cast
their infants down the cliff, and then they cast themselves after 13
their fallen little ones, and the men likewise. In such a scene,
Aeneas the Stymphalian, an officer, caught sight of a man with a fine
dress about to throw himself over, and seized hold of him to stop him;
but the other caught him to his arms, and both were gone in an instant
headlong down the crags, and were killed. Out of this place the merest
handful of human beings were taken prisoners, but cattle and asses in
abundance and flocks of sheep.
From this place they marched through the Chalybes (1) seven stages,
fifty parasangs. These were the bravest men whom they encountered on
the whole march, coming cheerily to close quarters with them. They
wore linen cuirasses reaching to the groin, and instead of the
ordinary "wings" or basques, a thickly-plaited fringe of cords. They
were also provided with greaves and helmets, and at the girdle a short
sabre, about as long as the Laconian dagger, with which they cut the
throats of those they mastered, and after severing the head from the
trunk they would march along carrying it, singing and dancing, when
they drew within their enemy's field of view. They carried also a
spear fifteen cubits long, lanced at one end (2). This folk stayed in
regular townships, and whenever the Hellenes passed by they invariably
hung close on their heels fighting. They had dwelling-places in their
fortresses, and into them they had carried up their supplies, so that
the Hellenes could get nothing from this district, but supported
themselves on the flocks and herds they had taken from the Taochians.
After this the Hellenes reached the river Harpasus, which was four
hundred feet broad. Hence they marched through the Scythenians four
stages--twenty parasangs--through a long level country to more
villages, among which they halted three days, and got in supplies.
(1) These are the Armeno-Chalybes, so called by Pliny in
contradistinction to another mountain tribe in Pontus so named,
who were famous for their forging, and from whom steel received
its Greek name {khalups}. With these latter we shall make
acquaintance later on.
(2) I.e. with a single point or spike only, the Hellenic spear having
a spike at the butt end also.
Passing on from thence in four stages of twenty parasangs, they 19
reached a large and prosperous well-populated city, which went by the
name of Gymnias (3), from which the governor of the country sent them a
guide to lead them through a district hostile to his own. This guide
told them that within five days he would lead them to a place from
which they would see the sea, "and," he added, "if I fail of my word,
you are free to take my life." Accordingly he put himself at their
head; but he no sooner set foot in the country hostile to himself than
he fell to encouraging them to burn and harry the land; indeed his
exhortations were so earnest, it was plain that it was for this he had
come, and not out of the good-will he bore the Hellenes.
(3) Gymnias is supposed (by Grote, "Hist. of Greece," vol. ix. p. 161)
to be the same as that which is now called Gumisch-Kana--perhaps
"at no great distance from Baibut," Tozer, "Turkish Armenia," p.
432. Others have identified it with Erzeroum, others with Ispir.
On the fifth day they reached the mountain, the name of which was
Theches (4). No sooner had the men in front ascended it and caught
sight of the sea than a great cry arose, and Xenophon, in the
rearguard, catching the sound of it, conjectured that another set of
enemies must surely be attacking in front; for they were followed by
the inhabitants of the country, which was all aflame; indeed the
rearguard had killed some and captured others alive by laying an
ambuscade; they had taken also about twenty wicker shields, covered
with the raw hides of shaggy oxen.
(4) Some MSS. give "the sacred mountain." The height in question has
been identified with "the ridge called Tekieh-Dagh to the east of
Gumisch-Kana, nearer to the sea than that place" (Grote, ib. p.
162), but the exact place from which they caught sight of the sea
has not been identified as yet, and other mountain ranges have
been suggested.
But as the shout became louder and nearer, and those who from time to
time came up, began racing at the top of their speed towards the
shouters, and the shouting continually recommenced with yet greater
volume as the numbers increased, Xenophon settled in his mind that
something extraordinary must have happened, so he mounted his horse,
and taking with him Lycius and the cavalry, he galloped to the rescue.
Presently they could hear the soldiers shouting and passing on the
joyful word, "The sea! the sea!"
Thereupon they began running, rearguard and all, and the baggage 24
animals and horses came galloping up. But when they had reached the
summit, then indeed they fell to embracing one another--generals and
officers and all--and the tears trickled down their cheeks. And on a
sudden, some one, whoever it was, having passed down the order, the
soldiers began bringing stones and erecting a great cairn, whereon
they dedicated a host of untanned skins, and staves, and captured
wicker shields, and with his own hand the guide hacked the shields to
pieces, inviting the rest to follow his example. After this the
Hellenes dismissed the guide with a present raised from the common
store, to wit, a horse, a silver bowl, a Persian dress, and ten
darics; but what he most begged to have were their rings, and of these
he got several from the soldiers. So, after pointing out to them a
village where they would find quarters, and the road by which they
would proceed towards the land of the Macrones, as evening fell, he
turned his back upon them in the night and was gone.
VIII
From this point the Hellenes marched through the country of the 1
Macrones three stages--ten parasangs, and on the first day they
reached the river, which formed the boundary between the land of the
Macrones and the land of the Scythenians. Above them, on their right,
they had a country of the sternest and ruggedest character, and on
their left another river, into which the frontier river discharges
itself, and which they must cross. This was thickly fringed with trees
which, though not of any great bulk, were closely packed. As soon as
they came up to them, the Hellenes proceeded to cut them down in their
haste to get out of the place as soon as possible. But the Macrones,
armed with wicker shields and lances and hair tunics, were already
drawn up to receive them opposite the crossing. They were cheering one
another on, and kept up a steady pelt of stones into the river, though
they failed to reach the other side or do any harm.
At this juncture one of the light infantry came up to Xenophon; he had
been, he said, a slave at Athens, and he wished to tell him that he
recognised the speech of these people. "I think," said he, "that this
must be my native country, and if there is no objection I will have a
talk with them." "No objection at all," replied Xenophon, "pray talk 5
to them, and ask them first, who they are." In answer to this question
they said, "they were Macrones." "Well, then," said he, "ask them why
they are drawn up in battle and want to fight with us." They answered,
"Because you are invading our country." The generals bade him say: "If
so, it is with not intention certainly of doing it or you any harm:
but we have been at war with the king, and are now returning to
Hellas, and all we want is to reach the sea." The others asked, "Were
they willing to give them pledges to that effect?" They replied: "Yes,
they were ready to give and receive pledges to that effect." Then the
Macrones gave a barbaric lance to the Hellenes, and the Hellenes a
Hellenic lance to them: "for these," they said, "would serve as
pledges," and both sides called upon the gods to witness.
After the pledges were exchanged, the Macrones fell to vigorously
hewing down trees and constructing a road to help them across,
mingling freely with the Hellenes and fraternising in their midst, and
they afforded them as good as market as they could, and for three days
conducted them on their march, until they had brought them safely to
the confines of the Colchians. At this point they were confronted by a
great mountain chain, which however was accessible, and on it the
Colchians were drawn up for battle. In the first instance, the
Hellenes drew up opposite in line of battle, as though they were
minded to assault the hill in that order; but afterwards the generals
determined to hold a council of war, and consider how to make the
fairest fight.
Accordingly Xenophon said: "I am not for advancing in line, but advise
to form companies by columns. To begin with, the line," he urged,
"would be scattered and thrown into disorder at once; for we shall
find the mountain full of inequalities, it will be pathless here and
easy to traverse there. The mere fact of first having formed in line,
and then seeing the line thrown into disorder, must exercise a
disheartening effect. Again, if we advance several deep, the enemy
will none the less overlap us, and turn their superfluous numbers to
account as best they like; while, if we march in shallow order, we may
fully expect our line to be cut through and through by the thick rain 11
of missiles and rush of men, and if this happen anywhere along the
line, the whole line will equally suffer. No; my notion is to form
columns by companies, covering ground sufficient with spaces between
the companies to allow the last companies of each flank to be outside
the enemy's flanks. Thus we shall with our extreme companies be
outside the enemy's line, and the best men at the head of their
columns will lead the attack, and every company will pick its way
where the ground is easy; also it will be difficult for the enemy to
force his way into the intervening spaces, when there are companies on
both sides; nor will it be easy for him to cut in twain any individual
company marching in column. If, too, any particular company should be
pressed, the neighbouring company will come to the rescue, or if at
any point any single company succeed in reaching the height, from that
moment not one man of the enemy will stand his ground."
This proposal was carried, and they formed into columns by
companies (1). Then Xenophon, returning from the right wing to the
left, addressed the soldiers. "Men," he said, "these men whom you see
in front of you are the sole obstacles still interposed between us and
the haven of our hopes so long deferred. We will swallow them up
whole, without cooking (2), if we can."
(1) For this formation, see "The Retreat of the Ten Thousand; a
military study for all time," by Lieut.-General J. L. Vaughan,
C.B.
(2) Or, "we will gobble them up raw." He is thinking of the Homeric
line ("Iliad", iv. 35) "Perchance wert thou to enter within the
gates and long walls and devour Priam raw, and Priam's sons and
all the Trojans, then mightest thou assuage thine anger."--Leaf.
The several divisions fell into position, the companies were formed
into columns, and the result was a total of something like eighty
companies of heavy infantry, each company consisting on an average of
a hundred men. The light infantry and bowmen were arranged in three
divisions--two outside to support the left and the right respectively,
and the third in the centre--each division consisting of about six
hundred men (3).