Book 3 · Chapter 5

And then, right away, the barbarians turned and ran as fast as they could, and the Greek soldiers held the high ground. Meanwhile, the troops with Tissaphernes and Ariaeus turned away and disappeared down another road.

The main group with Cheirisophus made their way down into the flatlands and set up camp in a village packed with all kinds of good stuff. It wasn't just one village; there were plenty of others in this Tigris plain, all overflowing with supplies.

It was now afternoon, and suddenly the enemy appeared on the plain, managing to cut down some of the Greek soldiers who were scattered around looking for loot. In fact, lots of cattle had been caught while being moved across the river.

And now Tissaphernes and his troops tried to burn the villages, and some of the Greek soldiers were seriously worried, thinking they wouldn’t know where to find food if the enemy burned everything down.

"Cheirisophus and his soldiers were heading back from their defense mission when Xenophon and his group arrived. Xenophon rode along the ranks as the rescue team showed up, greeting them: "Don't you see, soldiers of Greece, they’re admitting that this land is now ours?

"What they said we weren’t allowed to do in the treaty - fire the king’s country - they’re doing it now, setting it ablaze like it’s their own! But we'll get even; if they leave any food behind, they’ll see us marching right through it!"

Then, turning to Cheirisophus, he added, "But I think we should attack these arsonists and protect our territory." Cheirisophus shot back, "That’s not how I see it; I say, let’s do a little burning ourselves, and they’ll stop quicker."

When they got back to the villages, while everyone else was busy with food, the generals and officers met, and there was a lot of gloom. On one side were really high mountains; on the other, a river so deep that they couldn’t reach the bottom with their spears.

Amidst all their worries, a Rhodian stepped forward with a plan: I’m ready, sirs, to carry you across, four thousand heavy infantry at a time; if you’re willing to give me what I need and a talent as payment for my work. When asked, What will you need? he replied, Two thousand wineskins.

I see there are plenty of sheep, goats, and donkeys. They just need to be skinned, and their skins inflated, and they’ll give us a way across. I’ll also need the straps you use for the pack animals.

With these, I’ll tie the skins together; then I’ll moor each skin by attaching stones and letting them sink into the water. Then I’ll carry them across, and when I’ve linked them on both sides, I’ll place layers of wood on them and a coating of earth on top.

"You’ll see in a minute that there’s no danger of drowning, because every skin will be able to support a couple of men without sinking, and the wood and earth will stop you from slipping off."

The generals thought it was a pretty clever idea, but they thought it was impossible to do, because on the other side were groups of cavalry ready to block the crossing; they wouldn’t let the first group of people even start.

So, the next day, they turned around and started heading back toward Babylon, toward the villages that hadnn't been burned. Before they left, they torched the places they were abandoning, so the enemy wouldn’t just ride up and take over.

The enemy just stood there, totally stunned, trying to figure out where the Greeks were going and what they were planning. Meanwhile, while everyone else was sorting out food, the generals and officers met up to talk things over.

They rounded up the prisoners and grilled them about the whole area - the names of the different districts and everything. The prisoners told them that the regions south, where they’d come from, belonged to Babylon and Media.

Heading east, the road led to Susa and Ecbatana, where the king supposedly spends his summers and springs. Crossing the river, the road went west toward Lydia and Ionia. And the part through the mountains, facing toward the Great Bear, led to the Carduchians.

They were a people, the prisoners said, living up in the hills, always ready for a fight, and not under the king’s control. Once, a royal army of one hundred and twenty thousand tried to invade them, but not a single soldier made it back - the country was just too rough.

Sometimes, though, they’d make a truce or treaty with the governor in the lowlands, and then there’s trading and visiting: "They’ll come in and out amongst us," the captives said, "and we’ll go in and out amongst them."

After hearing all that, the generals pulled aside anyone who claimed to know the area well, and made them sit apart without saying which way they were planning to go. Finally, they decided they had to force their way through the hills and into the territory of the Kurds.

According to what they'd heard, once they got past those hills, they’d be in Armenia - a rich and huge territory ruled by Orontas. And from Armenia, they could go anywhere. So, they made a sacrifice to the gods, to get ready to march as soon as the time felt right.

Their biggest worry was that the mountain pass would already be occupied. A general order went out: everyone should pack their gear after dinner and get some rest, ready to move out as soon as the command was given.