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026 - Bk 7 pt 4 · Anabasis

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  Speaker 1: Book seven, Part four of Xenophons and Abases. This is
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  Speaker 1: Anabasis by Xenophon, translated by H. G. Dawkins, Book seven,
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  Speaker 1: Part four. But the next day Southus burnt the villages
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  Speaker 1: to the ground. He left not a single house, being
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  Speaker 1: minded to inspire terror in the rest of his enemies,
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  Speaker 1: and to show them what they were also to expect
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  Speaker 1: if they refused obedience. And so he went back again.
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  Speaker 1: As to the booty, he sent off Heracleates to Parenthus
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  Speaker 1: to dispose of it with a view to future pay
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  Speaker 1: for the soldiers, but for himself. He encamped with the
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  Speaker 1: Hellenes in the lowland country of the Athenians, the natives
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  Speaker 1: leaving the flats and betaking themselves in flight to the uplands.
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  Speaker 1: There was deep snow and cold, so intense that the
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  Speaker 1: water brought in for dinner and the wine within the
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  Speaker 1: jars froze, and many of the Hellenes had their noses
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  Speaker 1: and ears frostbitten. Now they came to understand why the
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  Speaker 1: Thracians wear fox skin caps on their heads and about
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  Speaker 1: their ears. And why, on the same principle they are
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  Speaker 1: frocked not only about the chest and busts, so as
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  Speaker 1: to cover the loins and thighs as well, And why
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  Speaker 1: on horseback they enveloped themselves in long shawls which reached
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  Speaker 1: down to the feet instead of the ordinary short rider's cloak.
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  Speaker 1: Soothus sent off some of the prisoners to the hills
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  Speaker 1: with a message to say that if they did not
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  Speaker 1: come down to their homes and live quietly and obey him,
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  Speaker 1: he would burn down their villages and their corn and
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  Speaker 1: leave them to perish with hunger. Thereupon, down they came,
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  Speaker 1: women and children, and the older men. The younger preferred
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  Speaker 1: to quarter themselves in the villages on the skirts of
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  Speaker 1: the hills. On discovering this, Soothus bad Xenophon take the
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  Speaker 1: youngest of the heavy infantry and join him on an expedition.
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  Speaker 1: They rose in the night, and by daybreak had reached
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  Speaker 1: the villages, But the majority of the inhabitants made good
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  Speaker 1: their escape, for the hills were close at hand. Those
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  Speaker 1: whom he did catch Southus unsparingly shot down. Now there
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  Speaker 1: was a certain Olynthian named Ephisthenes. He was a great
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  Speaker 1: lover of boys, and seeing a handsome lad just in
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  Speaker 1: the bloom of youth and carrying a light shield, about
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  Speaker 1: to be slain, he ran up to Xenophon and supplicated
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  Speaker 1: him to rescue the fair youth. Xenophon went to Southus
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  Speaker 1: and begged him not to put the boy to death.
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  Speaker 1: It explained to him the disposition of Ephisthenes, how he
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  Speaker 1: had once enrolled a company, the only qualification being that
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  Speaker 1: of personal beauty, and with these handsome young men at
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  Speaker 1: his side, there were none so brave as he. Southus
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  Speaker 1: put the question, would you like to die? On his behalf?
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  Speaker 1: Episthenes whereat the other, stretched out his neck and said,
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  Speaker 1: strike if the boy bids you, and will thank his preserver. Soothus,
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  Speaker 1: turning to the boy, asked, shall I smite him instead
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  Speaker 1: of you? The boy shook his head, imploring him to
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  Speaker 1: slay neither the one nor the other. Whereupon Ephisthenes caught
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  Speaker 1: the lad in his arms, exclaiming, it is time you
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  Speaker 1: did battle with me, Sothus, For my boy, never will
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  Speaker 1: I yield him up? And Sothus laughed, what must be must?
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  Speaker 1: And so consented. In these villages he decided that they
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  Speaker 1: must bivouac so that the men on the mountains might
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  Speaker 1: be still further deprived of subsistence. Stealthily descending himself, he
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  Speaker 1: found quarters in the plain, while Xenophon with his pick
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  Speaker 1: troops encamped in the highest village on the skirts of
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  Speaker 1: the hills, and the rest of the Hellenes hard by
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  Speaker 1: among the highland Thracians as they are called. After this,
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  Speaker 1: not many days had idly slipped away before the Thracians
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  Speaker 1: from the mountains came down and wished to arrange with
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  Speaker 1: Cethus for terms of truce and hostages. Simultaneously came Xenophon
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  Speaker 1: and informed Cethus that they were camped in bad quarters
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  Speaker 1: with the enemy next door. It would be pleasanter too,
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  Speaker 1: he added, to bivouac in a strong position in the open,
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  Speaker 1: than under cover on the edge of destruction. The other
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  Speaker 1: at him take heart, and pointed to some of their
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  Speaker 1: hostages as much to say, look there. Parties also from
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  Speaker 1: the mountaineers came down and pleaded with Xenophon himself to
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  Speaker 1: help arrange a truce for them. This he agreed to do,
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  Speaker 1: bidding them to pluck up heart and assuring them that
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  Speaker 1: they would beat with no mischief if they yielded obedience
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  Speaker 1: to Southus. All their parleying, however, was, as it turned out,
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  Speaker 1: merely to get a closer inspection of things. This happened
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  Speaker 1: in the day and in the following night the Thracians
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  Speaker 1: descended from the hill country and made an attack. In
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  Speaker 1: each case, the guide was the master of the house attacked,
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  Speaker 1: otherwise it would have tax their powers to discover the
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  Speaker 1: houses in the dark, which, for the sake of their
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  Speaker 1: flocks and herds, were palisated all round with great stockades.
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  Speaker 1: As soon as they had reached the doors of any
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  Speaker 1: particular house, the attack began, some hurling in their spears,
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  Speaker 1: others belaboring with their clubs, which they carried, it was said,
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  Speaker 1: for the purpose of knocking off the lance points from
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  Speaker 1: the shaft. Others were busy setting the place on fire,
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  Speaker 1: and they kept calling Xenophon by name. Come out, Xenophon,
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  Speaker 1: and die like a man, or we will roast you alive. Inside.
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  Speaker 1: By this time, too, the flames were making their appearance
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  Speaker 1: through the roof, and Xenophon and his followers were within
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  Speaker 1: with their coats of maelon and big shields, swords and helmets.
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  Speaker 1: Then selenas a Mystician, a youth of some eighteen years,
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  Speaker 1: signaled on the trumpet, and in an instant out they
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  Speaker 1: all left with their drawn swords, and the inmates of
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  Speaker 1: other quarters as well. The Thracians took to their heels
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  Speaker 1: according to their custom, swinging their light shields round their
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  Speaker 1: backs as they leapt over the stockade. Some were captured
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  Speaker 1: hanging on the top with their shields caught in the palings.
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  Speaker 1: Others missed the way out and so were slain, and
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  Speaker 1: the Hellenes chased them hotly till they were outside the village.
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  Speaker 1: A party Ofthenians turned back, and as the men ran
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  Speaker 1: past in bold relief against a blazing house, they let
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  Speaker 1: fly a volley of javelins out of the darkness into
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  Speaker 1: the glare and wounded two captains, Hieronymus a Yodeon and Theogenes,
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  Speaker 1: a Lucrian. No one was killed, only the clothes and
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  Speaker 1: baggage of some of the men were consumed in the flames. Presently,
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  Speaker 1: up came Sothus to the rescue, with seven troopers, the
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  Speaker 1: first to hand and his Thracian trumpeter by his side.
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  Speaker 1: Seeing that something had happened, he hastened to the rescue,
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  Speaker 1: and ever the while his bugler wound his horn, which
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  Speaker 1: music added terror to the foe. Arrived at length, he
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  Speaker 1: greeted them with outstretched hand, exclaiming, I thought to find
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  Speaker 1: you all dead men. After that, Xenophon begged him to
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  Speaker 1: hand over the hostages to himself, and, if so disposed,
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  Speaker 1: to join him on an expedition to the hills, or
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  Speaker 1: if not, to let him go along. Accordingly, the next
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  Speaker 1: day Sothus delivered up the hostages. They were men already
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  Speaker 1: advanced in years, but the pick of the mountaineers, as
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  Speaker 1: they themselves gave out. Not merely did Sothus do this,
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  Speaker 1: but he came himself with his force at his back,
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  Speaker 1: and by this time he had ruble his former force.
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  Speaker 1: For many of the Odrysians, hearing of the proceedings, came
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  Speaker 1: down to join in the campaign. And Thethenians, aspying from
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  Speaker 1: the mountains, the vast array of heavy infantry and light
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  Speaker 1: infantry and cavalry rank upon rank, came down and supplicated
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  Speaker 1: him to make terms. They were ready. They professed to
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  Speaker 1: do all that he demanded, let him take pledges of
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  Speaker 1: their good faith. So Sothus summoned Xenophon and explained their proposals,
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  Speaker 1: adding that he should make no terms with them. If
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  Speaker 1: Xenophon wished to punish them for their night attack, the
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  Speaker 1: latter replied, for my part, I should think their punishment
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  Speaker 1: is great enough already, if they are to be slaves
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  Speaker 1: instead of free men. Still, he added, I advise you
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  Speaker 1: for the future to take as hostages those who are
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  Speaker 1: most capable of doing mischief, and to let the old
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  Speaker 1: men abide in peace at home. So to a man
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  Speaker 1: they gave in their adhesion in that quarter of the country.
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  Speaker 1: Part five. Crossing over in the direction of the Thracians,
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  Speaker 1: above busy Antium, they reached the Delta, as it is called.
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  Speaker 1: Here they were no longer in the territory of Mescetes,
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  Speaker 1: but in the country of Teres. The Odrysian, an ancient
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  Speaker 1: worthy here Heracledes met them with proceeds of the spoil,
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  Speaker 1: and Southus picked out three pairs of mules. There were
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  Speaker 1: only three, the other teams being oxen Then he summoned
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  Speaker 1: Xenophon and bade him take them and divide the rest
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  Speaker 1: between the generals and officers, to which Xenophon replied that
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  Speaker 1: for himself he was content to receive his share another time,
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  Speaker 1: but added, make a present of these to my friends
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  Speaker 1: here the generals who have served with me, and to
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  Speaker 1: the officers. So of the pairs of mules, Timasion the
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  Speaker 1: Dardanian received one, Cleonor the Ocomenian one, and Ferniskis the
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  Speaker 1: Achaean one. The teams of oxen were divided among the officers.
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  Speaker 1: Then Southus proceeded to omit pay due for the month
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  Speaker 1: already past, but all he could give was the equivalent
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  Speaker 1: of twenty days. Heraclets insisted this was all he had
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  Speaker 1: got by his tracking, whereupon Xenophon, with some warmth, exclaimed,
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  Speaker 1: upon my word Heracletes, I do not think you care
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  Speaker 1: for Suthus's interests as you should. If you did, you
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  Speaker 1: would have been at pains to bring back the full
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  Speaker 1: amount of the pay, even if you had to raise
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  Speaker 1: alone to do so, and if by no other means
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  Speaker 1: by selling the coat off your own back. What he
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  Speaker 1: said annoyed Heracletes, who was afraid of being ousted from
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  Speaker 1: the friendship of Suthus, and from that day forward he
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  Speaker 1: did his best to calumniate Xenophon. Before Suthus, the soldiers
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  Speaker 1: on their side laid the blame, of course on Xenophon.
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  Speaker 1: Where was their pay? And Suthus was vexed with him
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  Speaker 1: for persistently demanding it for them. Up to this date
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  Speaker 1: he had frequently referred to what he would do when
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  Speaker 1: he got to the sea board again, how he intended
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  Speaker 1: to hand over to him byzanthe, Ganthos and Neontichos, But
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  Speaker 1: from this time forward he never mentioned one of them again.
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  Speaker 1: The slanderous tongue of Heraclets had whispered him it was
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  Speaker 1: not safe to hand over fortified towns to a man
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  Speaker 1: with the force at back. Consequently, Xenophon fell to considering
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  Speaker 1: what he ought to do as regards marching any further
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  Speaker 1: up the country, and Heraclides introduced the other generals to Suthus,
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  Speaker 1: urging them to say that they were quite as well
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  Speaker 1: able to lead the army as Xenophon, and promising them
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  Speaker 1: that within a day or two they should have full
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  Speaker 1: pay for two months. And he again implored them to
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  Speaker 1: continue the campaign with Suthus, to which Timasion replied that
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  Speaker 1: for his part, he would continue no campaign without Xenophon,
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  Speaker 1: not even if they were to give him pay for
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  Speaker 1: five months. And what Timashan said, Ferniscus and Cleonor repeated
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  Speaker 1: the views of all three coincided. Southus fell to upbraiding
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  Speaker 1: Heracletes in round terms. Why had he not invited Xenophon
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  Speaker 1: with the others, and presently they invited him, but by
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  Speaker 1: himself alone, He perceiving the knavery of Heracleides, and that
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  Speaker 1: his object was to calumniate him with the other generals,
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  Speaker 1: presented himself. But at the same time he took care
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  Speaker 1: to bring all the generals and the officers. After their
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  Speaker 1: joint consent had been secured, they continued the campaign, keeping
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  Speaker 1: the Pontus on their right. They passed through the millet
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  Speaker 1: eating Thracians as they are called, and reached some Medicis.
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  Speaker 1: This is a point at which many trading vessels bound
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  Speaker 1: for the Black Sea run aground and are wrecked, owing
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  Speaker 1: to a sort of marshy ledge or sand bank, which
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  Speaker 1: runs out for a considerable distance into the sea. The
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  Speaker 1: Thracians who dwell in these parts have set up pillars
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  Speaker 1: as boundary marks, and each set of them has the
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  Speaker 1: pillage of its own flotsam and jetsam. For in old days,
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  Speaker 1: before they set up these landmarks, the wreckers, it is said,
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  Speaker 1: used freely to fall foul of and slay one another.
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  Speaker 1: Here was a rich treasure trove of beds and boxes numberless,
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  Speaker 1: with a mass of written boots, and all the various
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  Speaker 1: things which mariners carry in their wooden chests. Having reduced
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  Speaker 1: this district, they turned round and went back again. By
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  Speaker 1: this time the army of Suthus had grown to be
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  Speaker 1: considerably larger than the Hellenic army, for on the one hand,
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  Speaker 1: the Odrysians flocked down in still larger numbers, and on
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  Speaker 1: the other the tribes, which gave in their adhesion from
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  Speaker 1: time to time were amalgamated with his armament. They got
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  Speaker 1: into quarters on the flat country above Selibria, at about
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  Speaker 1: three miles distance from the sea, as to pay not
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  Speaker 1: a penny was as yet forthcoming, and the soldiers were
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  Speaker 1: cruelly disaffected to Xenophon, whilst Suthus, on his side, was
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  Speaker 1: no longer so friendly disposed. If Xenophon ever wished to
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  Speaker 1: come face to face with him, want of leisure or
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  Speaker 1: some other difficulty always seemed to present itself. The rugged
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  Speaker 1: Salmadician jaw of the Black sea inhospitable to sailor's stepmother
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  Speaker 1: of ships. But the poet is at fault in his geography,
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  Speaker 1: since he connects the Salmadisian jaw with the thermodon end
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  Speaker 1: of Books seven, Part four and five,