ters. A despatch was captured, written in the
Laconian fashion, informing the Ephors of the disaster. "Our ships are
gone; Mindarus is slain; the men are starving; we know not what to do."

[Footnote A: The Greeks attached great importance to the burial of the
dead. The usual test of which party had won a battle was, which side
after it demanded a truce for the burial of the dead. Here the
possession of the dead bodies of the enemy is enumerated as one of the
proofs of victory.]

XXIX. The men who had served under Alkibiades were so elated by this
victory that they disdained to mix with the rest of the army, alleging
that the others had often been defeated, and that they were invincible.
Indeed, not long before, Thrasyllus had received a defeat near Ephesus,
upon which the Ephesians erected the brazen trophy to the disgrace of
the Athenians; so that the soldiers of Alkibiades reproached those of
Thrasyllus with this, glorifying themselves and their commander, and
refusing to allow the others to make use of their places of exercise or
their quarters in camp. However, when Pharnabazus with a large force of
infantry and calvary attacked them while they were invading the
territory of Abydos, Alkibiades led them out to fight him, defeated him,
and, together with Thrasyllus, pursued him till nightfall. After this
the soldiers fraternised with each other and returned to their camp
rejoicing together. On the following day Alkibiades erected a trophy and
ravaged the country of Pharnabazus, no one daring to oppose him. He even
took priests and priestesses prisoners, but released them without
ransom.

The city of Chalkedon had revolted from Athens, and received a
Lacedaemonian harmost[A] and garrison. Alkibiades was eager to attack
them, but, hearing that they had collected all the property[B] in their
country and placed it in the hands of the Bithynians, a friendly tribe,
he led his whole army to the Bithynian frontier and sent a herald to
that people reproaching them for what they had done. In terror, the
Bithynians gave up the property to him, and entered into an alliance
with him.

[Footnote A: A "harmost," [Greek: harmostes], was an officer sent from
Sparta to administer a subject city. See p. 97.]

[Footnote B: Probably consisting of corn and cattle, as Clough
translates it.]

XXX. He now completely invested Chalkedon, by building a wall reaching
from sea to sea. Pharnabazus came down to raise the siege, and
Hippokra