ymus and an Arcadian named Basias. The rear division, more roughly
handled than the rest, was obliged continually to halt to repel the
enemy, under all the difficulties of the ground, which made it scarcely
possible to act against nimble mountaineers. On one occasion, however, a
body of these latter were entrapped into an ambush, driven back with
loss, and (what was still more fortunate) two of their number were made
prisoners.

Thus impeded, Xenophon sent frequent messages entreating Cheirisophus to
slacken the march of the van division; but instead of obeying,
Cheirisophus only hastened the faster, urging Xenophon to follow him.
The march of the army became little better than a rout, so that the rear
division reached the halting place in extreme confusion; upon which
Xenophon proceeded to remonstrate with Cheirisophus for prematurely
hurrying forward and neglecting his comrades behind. But the
other--pointing out to his attention the hill before them, and the steep
path ascending it, forming their future line of march, which was beset
with numerous Karduchians--defended himself by saying that he had
hastened forward in hopes of being able to reach this pass before the
enemy, in which attempt however he had not succeeded.

To advance farther on this road appeared hopeless; yet the guides
declared that no other could be taken. Xenophon then bethought him of
the two prisoners whom he had just captured, and proposed that these two
should be questioned also. They were accordingly interrogated apart; and
the first of them--having persisted in denying, notwithstanding all
menaces, that there was any road except that before them--was put to
death under the eyes of the second prisoner. This latter, on being then
questioned, gave more comfortable intelligence; saying that he knew of a
different road, more circuitous, but easier and practicable even for
beasts of burden, whereby the pass before them and the occupying enemy
might be turned; but that there was one particular high position
commanding the road, which it was necessary to master beforehand by
surprise, as the Karduchians were already on guard there. Two thousand
Greeks, having the guide bound along with them, were accordingly
despatched late in the afternoon, to surprise this post by a
night-march; while Xenophon, in order to distract the attention of the
Karduchians in front, made a feint of advancing as if about to force the
direct pass. As soon as he was seen cros