Anabasis

As for Xenophon, he was at a loss to know what he should do; for he chanced, as one held in honour, to be seated on the stool nearest to Seuthes. And Heracleides directed the cupbearer to proffer him the horn. Then Xenophon, who already as it happened had been drinking a little, arose courageously after taking the horn and said:

And I, Seuthes, give you myself and these my comrades to be your faithful friends; and not one of them do I give against his will, but all are even more desirous than I of being your friends.

And now they are here, asking you for nothing more, but rather putting themselves in your hands and willing to endure toil and danger on your behalf. With them, if the gods so will, you will acquire great territory, recovering all that belonged to your fathers and gaining yet more, and you will acquire many horses, and many men and fair women; and these things you will not need to take as plunder, but my comrades of their own accord shall bring them before you as gifts.

Up rose Seuthes, drained the horn with Xenophon, and joined him in sprinkling the last drops.[*](The reference is to the Thracian custom, known to us through Suidas, of sprinkling the last drops that remained in the drinking horn upon one’s fellow guests.) After this there came in musicians blowing upon horns such as they use in giving signals, and playing upon trumpets of raw ox-hide not only measured notes, but music like that of a harp.

And Seuthes himself got up, raised a war-cry, and sprang aside very nimbly, as though avoiding a missile. There entered also a company of buffoons.

When the sun was about setting, the Greeks arose and said that it was time to post sentinels and give out the watchword. They also urged Seuthes to issue an order that none of the Thracians were to enter the Greek camp by night; for, they said, our enemies are Thracians and our friends are yourselves.[*](Viz., Thracians also; in other words, the Greeks could not tell whether an individual Thracian was friend or foe.)

As the Greeks were setting forth, Seuthes arose with them, not in the least like a drunken man. And after coming out he called the generals aside by themselves and said: Gentlemen, our enemies do not yet know of our alliance; therefore if we go against them before they have got on guard against being captured or have made preparations to defend themselves, we should most surely get both captives and property.

The generals agreed in approving this plan, and bade him lead on. And he said: Get yourselves ready and wait; and when the proper time comes, I will return to you and, picking up my peltasts and yourselves, will lead the way with my horsemen.

And Xenophon said: Well, now, consider this point, whether, if we are to make a night march, the Greek practice is not the better: in our marches by day, you know, that part of the army takes the lead which is suited to the nature of the ground in each case, whether it be hoplites or peltasts or cavalry; but by night it is the practice of the Greeks that the slowest arm should lead the way;

for thus the various parts of the army are least likely to become separated, and men are least likely to drop away from one another without knowing it; and it often happens that scattered divisions fall in with one another and in their ignorance inflict and suffer harm.

Then Seuthes replied: You are right, and I will adopt your practice. I will give you guides[*](Which are necessary now that the Greeks, whose hoplites form the slowest arm, are to lead the way.) from among the oldest men, who know the country best, and I myself will bring up the rear with my horsemen; for I can speedily reach the front if need be. Then they gave out Athena as the watchword, on account of their kinship.[*](cp. Xen. Anab. 7.2.31.) After this conference they went to rest.

When it was about midnight, Seuthes was at hand with his horsemen armed with breast-plates and his peltasts equipped with their arms. And as soon as he had given over their guides to the Greeks, the hoplites took the lead, the peltasts followed, and the horsemen brought up the rear.

When day came, Seuthes rode along to the front and expressed his approval of the Greek practice. For many times, he said, while marching by night with even a small force he himself, along with his cavalry, had got separated from his infantry; but now, he continued, we find ourselves at daybreak all together, just as we should be. But do you wait where you are and take a rest, and I will return after I have looked around a little. With these words he rode off along a mountain side, following a kind of road.

When he had reached a place where there was deep snow, he looked about to see whether there were human footprints, either leading onward or back. As soon as he saw that the road was untrodden, he quickly returned and said:

All will be well, gentlemen, if god will; for we shall fall upon these people before they know it. Now I will lead the way with the cavalry, so that if we catch sight of any one, he may not slip through our fingers and give word to the enemy; and do you follow after me, and in case you get left behind, keep to the trail of the horses. Once we have crossed over the mountains, we shall come to many prosperous villages.

By the time it was midday he was already upon the heights, and catching sight of the villages below he came riding up to the hoplites and said: Now I am going to let the horsemen charge down to the plain on the run, and to send the peltasts against the villages. Do you, then, follow as fast as you can, so that if any resistance is offered, you may meet it.

Upon hearing these words Xenophon dismounted from his horse. And Seuthes asked: Why do you dismount, for there is need of haste? I know, Xenophon replied, that I am not the only one you need; and the hoplites will run faster and more cheerfully if I also am on foot leading the way.

After this Seuthes went off, and with him Timasion at the head of about forty horsemen of the Greeks. Then Xenophon gave orders that the active men up to thirty years of age should move up from their several companies to the front. So he himself ran along with them, while Cleanor led the rest.

When they had reached the villages, Seuthes with about thirty horsemen rode up to him and said: Here’s the very thing, Xenophon, that you were saying;[*](See 37, 38 above. Seuthes has again (cp. 41) gone ahead with his fastest arm (his cavalry), and now appreciates the danger of having them unsupported (cp. ἔρημοι below) by infantry.) these fellows are caught, but unhappily my horsemen have gone off unsupported, scattering in their pursuit, and I fear that the enemy may get together somewhere in a body and work some harm. On the other hand, some of us also must remain in the villages, for they are full of people.

Well, Xenophon replied, I myself with the troops I have will seize the heights, and do you direct Cleanor to extend his line through the plain alongside the villages. When they had done these things, there were gathered together captives to the number of a thousand, two thousand cattle, and ten thousand smaller animals besides. Then they bivouacked where they were.