l with both sides. In Lycaonia, Cyrus divided
his forces, and sending a small body of troops under Menon to escort
Epyaxa across the mountains and enter Cilicia by the more western of the
two practicable passes he proceeded himself with the bulk of his troops
to the famous Pylae Cilicias, where he probably knew that Syennesis
would only make a feint of resistance. He found the pass occupied; but
it was evacuated the next day, on the receipt of intelligence that Menon
had already entered the country and that the fleet of Cyrus--composed
partly of his own ships, partly of a squadron furnished to him by
Sparta--had appeared off the coast and threatened a landing. Cyrus
thus crossed the most difficult and dangerous of all the passes that
separated him from the heart of the Empire, without the loss of a man.

Thus far it would appear that Cyrus had to a certain extent masked his
plans. The Greek captains must have guessed, if they had not actually
learnt, his intentions; but to the bulk of the soldiery they had been
hitherto absolutely unknown. It was only in Cilicia that the light broke
in upon them, and they began to suspect that they were being marched
into the interior of Asia, there to engage in a contest with the entire
power of the Great King. Something of the horror which is ascribed to
Cleomenes, when it was suggested to him a century earlier that he should
conduct his Spartans the distance of a three months' journey from the
sea, appears to have taken possession of the minds of the mercenaries
on their awaking to this conviction. They at once refused to proceed. It
was only by the most skilful management on the part of their captains,
joined to a judicious liberality on the part of Cyrus, that they were
induced to forego their intention of returning home at once, and so
breaking up the expedition. A perception of the difficulty of effecting
a retreat, together with an increase of pay, extorted a reluctant assent
to continue the march, of which the real term and object were even now
not distinctly avowed. Cyrus said he proposed to attack the army of
Abrocomas, which he believed to be posted on the Euphrates. If he did
not find it there, a fresh consultation might be held to consider any
further movement.

The march now proceeded rapidly. The gates of Syria--a narrow pass on
the east coast of the Gulf of Issus, shut in, like Thermopylae,
between the mountains and the sea, and strengthened moreover by
fortifications-