"O king, even by report I was almost
assured of the difficulty of dealing with these men; and when I came I
learnt it still more thoroughly, since I saw that they were mocking us.
Now therefore my opinion is, that as soon as night comes on, we kindle
the camp-fires as we are wont to do at other times also, and deceive
with a false tale those of our men who are weakest to endure hardships,
and tie up all the asses and get us away, before either the Scythians
make for the Ister to destroy the bridge or something be resolved by the
Ionians which may be our ruin."

135. Thus Gobryas advised; and after this, when night came on, Dareios
acted on this opinion. Those of his men who were weakened by fatigue and
whose loss was of least account, these he left behind in the camp, and
the asses also tied up: and for the following reasons he left behind the
asses and the weaker men of his army,--the asses in order that they might
make a noise which should be heard, and the men really because of their
weakness, but on a pretence stated openly that he was about to attack
the Scythians with the effective part of the army, and that they
meanwhile were to be defenders of the camp. Having thus instructed those
who were left behind, and having kindled camp-fires, Dareios hastened
by the quickest way towards the Ister: and the asses, having no longer
about them the usual throng, 120 very much more for that reason caused
their voice to be heard; 121 so the Scythians, hearing the asses,
supposed surely that the Persians were remaining in their former place.

136. But when it was day, those who were left behind perceived that
they had been betrayed by Dareios, and they held out their hands in
submission to the Scythians, telling them what their case was; and the
Scythians, when they heard this, joined together as quickly as possible,
that is to say the two combined divisions of the Scythians and the
single division, and also the Sauromatai, 122 Budinoi, and Gelonians,
and began to pursue the Persians, making straight for the Ister: but as
the Persian army for the most part consisted of men on foot, and was
not acquainted with the roads (the roads not being marked with tracks),
while the Scythian army consisted of horsemen and was acquainted
with the shortest cuts along the way, they missed one another and the
Scythians arrived at the bridge much before the Persians. Then having
learnt that the Persians had not yet arrived, they said to the Ioni