Book 1 · Chapter 5

Then he marched through Arabia, keeping the Euphrates River on his right, covering about five days’ worth of travel - thirty-five parasangs. The area was a huge, flat plain, stretching out like the ocean, full of wormwood.

Everything else growing there - plants and reeds - smelled sweet, like spices or herbs. There were no trees, but there was lots of wild game - especially wild donkeys, and plenty of ostriches. You’d also find bustards and antelopes. Sometimes, the cavalry would chase them.

When the donkeys were chased, they’d run a bit, then stop - they were way faster than horses. And as soon as the horses got close, they’d do the same thing again. The only way to catch them was for the riders to spread out and hunt them in shifts. The meat was similar to venison, but more tender.

Nobody managed to catch an ostrich. Some soldiers tried, but they quickly gave up; the birds were super speedy, putting a huge distance between themselves and their pursuers, running as fast as they could and flapping their wings like sails.

The bustards weren’t so hard to catch when you startled them; they only flew short distances, like partridges, and got tired quickly. Their meat was delicious. As the army moved through this area, they reached the Mascas River, about a hundred feet wide.

There was a big, abandoned city called Corsote, almost surrounded by the river, which flowed around it in a circle. They stopped there for three days to restock supplies.

Then they continued their march for thirteen days - ninety parasangs - still keeping the Euphrates on their right, until they reached the Gates. During these marches, several of the pack animals died of hunger, because there was no grass, herbs, or trees; the land was completely barren.

The local people made a living by digging millstones from the riverbanks, which they’d then sell in Babylon, trading for grain.

The army ran out of grain, and it couldn't be bought with money, except at the Lydian market with Cyrus’s army; where a kapithe of wheat or barley cost four shekels - a shekel was worth about seven and a half Attic obols, and a kapithe was about two Attic choeneces, dry measure.

So the soldiers had to eat meat for the whole time. Some of the marches were really long, whenever they had to push on to find water or food. Once, they got stuck in a tough spot where the deep clay was blocking the wagons.

Cyrus, with the nobles around him, stopped to supervise, and told Glus and Pigres to take a group of local people and help get the wagons moving. When they seemed slow, he angrily turned to the Persian nobles and told them to help push the wagons out.

That’s when everyone saw what good discipline looked like. Each noble, wherever they happened to be, took off their purple cloaks and jumped into the work with as much energy as if it were a charge into battle.

They flew down a steep hillside, with their fancy tunics and embroidered pants - some with jeweled circlets and bracelets - and in no time, they were in the muddy clay, landing the wagons safely on solid ground.

It was clear Cyrus was determined to keep moving and didn’t want to stop, except to restock supplies or handle other necessities. He figured the faster they moved, the less prepared the king would be for a fight. But if they dragged their feet, the king’s army would just get bigger.

Anyone paying attention could see that even though the king’s empire was huge, with tons of people, it was also weak because of the long roads and how spread out his troops were. An invader who pushed hard with fast marches could really exploit that.

Across the Euphrates from where they were, there was a big, thriving city called Charmande. The soldiers bought food there, crossing the river on rafts. They used their tent covers, stuffing them with light grass, then tightly stitching them shut so the water wouldn't get in.

They used these makeshift rafts to get wine made from dates, and millet - the main food in the area. There was a disagreement between the soldiers of Menon and Clearchus. Clearchus punished one of Menon’s men, whipping him for messing up. The guy went back to his own group and told them.

They were seriously ticked off at Clearchus. Later that day, Clearchus went to check out the river crossing and the market. He was riding back to his tent with a few guys when he had to go through Menon’s camp. Cyrus was still on his way, riding in the same direction.

One of Menon’s men, who was chopping wood, spotted Clearchus riding past and swung his axe at him. He missed, but then another guy threw a rock, and then several more, yelling and hissing. Clearchus quickly retreated to his own troops and told them to get ready for a fight.

He had his hoplites stand with their shields braced against their knees, while he, leading his Thracians and horsemen (he had over forty of them - mostly Thracians), charged toward Menon’s soldiers.

The soldiers, including Menon himself, panicked and scrambled for their weapons; some just stood there, totally confused.

Just then, Proxenus showed up from behind with his own group of hoplites, and without thinking, marched right into the space between the two groups and told everyone to drop their weapons. Then he started begging Clearchus to stop.

Clearchus wasn’t thrilled to hear his near-death experience being brushed off so lightly, and told Proxenus to back off and clear the area. That’s when Cyrus arrived and asked what was going on. There was no time to waste.

Gripping his javelins, he galloped up, escorted by some of his loyal bodyguards, and shouted, "Clearchus, Proxenus, and you other Greeks here, you don't know what you're doing! If we fight each other, we’re done - I'm going to be cut to pieces today, and so will you!"

If our luck turns bad, these barbarians around us will be worse enemies than those currently serving the king." Those words snapped Clearchus out of it. Both sides stopped fighting and went back to their own camps - order was restored."