is way such of the men as had fallen down with it,
knew not what disease it was. But as one of those acquainted with it
told him that they were evidently affected with bulimia, and that they
would get up if they had something to eat, he went round among the
baggage, and, wherever he saw anything eatable, he gave it out, and
sent such as were able to run to distribute it among those diseased,
who, as soon as they had eaten, rose up and continued their march. As
they proceeded, Cheirisophus[50] came, just as it grew dark, to a
village, and found a spring in front of the rampart, some women and
girls belonging to the place fetching water. The women asked them who
they were; and the interpreter answered, in the Persian language, that
they were people going from the king to the satrap. They replied that
he was not there, but about a parasang off.

However, as it was late, they went with the water-carriers within the
rampart to the head man of the village; and here Cheirisophus, and as
many of the troops as could come up, encamped; but of the rest, such
as were unable to get to the end of the journey spent the night on the
way without food or fire; and some of the soldiers lost their lives on
that occasion. Some of the enemy too, who had collected themselves
into a body, pursued our rear, and seized any of the baggage-cattle
that were unable to proceed, fighting with one another for the
possession of them. Such of the soldiers, also, as had lost their
sight from the effects of the snow, or had had their toes mortified by
the cold, were left behind. It was found to be a relief to the eyes
against the snow if the soldiers kept something black before them on
the march, and to the feet, if they kept constantly in motion, and
allowed themselves no rest, and if they took off their shoes in the
night; but as to such as slept with their shoes on, the straps worked
into their feet, and the soles were frozen about them; for when their
old shoes had failed them, shoes of raw hides had been made by the
men themselves from the newly skinned oxen.

From such unavoidable sufferings, some of the soldiers were left
behind, who, seeing a piece of ground of a black appearance, from the
snow having disappeared there, conjectured that it must have melted;
and it had, in fact, melted in the spot from the effect of a fountain,
which was sending up a vapor in a woody hollow close at hand. Turning
aside thither, they sat down and refused to proceed