enic states in pure contempt
with his cavalry? Accordingly he sent to Pharnabazus and put it to him
point-blank: Which will you have, peace or war? Whereupon Pharnabazus,
who could not but perceive that the whole Aeolid had now been converted
practically into a fortified base of operations, which threatened his
own homestead of Phrygia, chose peace.

B.C. 399-398. This being so, Dercylidas advanced into Bithynian Thrace,
and there spent the winter; nor did Pharnabazus exhibit a shadow of
annoyance, since the Bithynians were perpetually at war with himself.
For the most part, Dercylidas continued to harry (1) Bithynia in perfect
security, and found provisions without stint. Presently he was joined
from the other side of the straits by some Odrysian allies sent by
Seuthes; (2) they numbered two hundred horse and three hundred peltasts.
These fellows pitched upon a site a little more than a couple of miles
(3) from the Hellenic force, where they entrenched themselves; then
having got from Dercylidas some heavy infantry soldiers to act as
guards of their encampment, they devoted themselves to plundering,
and succeeded in capturing an ample store of slaves and other wealth.
Presently their camp was full of prisoners, when one morning the
Bithynians, having ascertained the actual numbers of the marauding
parties as well as of the Hellenes left as guards behind, collected in
large masses of light troops and cavalry, and attacked the garrison,
who were not more than two hundred strong. As soon as they came close
enough, they began discharging spears and other missiles on the little
body, who on their side continued to be wounded and shot down, but were
quite unable to retaliate, cooped up as they were within a palisading
barely six feet high, until in desperation they tore down their defences
with their own hands, and dashed at the enemy. These had nothing to do
but to draw back from the point of egress, and being light troops easily
escaped beyond the grasp of heavy-armed men, while ever and again, from
one point of vantage or another, they poured their shower of javelins,
and at every sally laid many a brave man low, till at length, like
sheep penned in a fold, the defenders were shot down almost to a man. A
remnant, it is true, did escape, consisting of some fifteen who, seeing
the turn affairs were taking, had already made off in the middle of the
fighting. Slipping through their assailants' fingers, (4) to the small
concer