ith pork-fat, oil of
almonds or of sesame,[65] or turpentine. Having sent out a clever scout
named Demokrates, who captured a native prisoner, they learned that
Tiribazus was laying plans to intercept them in a lofty mountain pass
lying farther on in their route; upon which they immediately set forth,
and by two days of forced march, surprising in their way the camp of
Tiribazus, got over the difficult pass in safety. Three days of
additional march brought them to the Euphrates river--that is, to its
eastern branch, now called Murad. They found a ford and crossed it,
without having the water higher than the waist; and they were informed
that its sources were not far off.

Their four days of march, next on the other side of the Euphrates, were
toilsome and distressing in the extreme; through a plain covered with
deep snow (in some places six feet deep), and at times in the face of a
north wind so intolerably chilling and piercing, that at length one of
the prophets urged the necessity of offering sacrifices to Boreas[66];
upon which (says Xenophon), the severity of the wind abated
conspicuously, to the evident consciousness of all. Many of the slaves
and beasts of burthen, and a few even of the soldiers, perished: some
had their feet frost-bitten, others became blinded by the snow, others
again were exhausted by hunger. Several of these unhappy men were
unavoidably left behind; others lay down to perish, near a warm spring
which had melted the snow around, from extremity of fatigue and sheer
wretchedness, though the enemy were close upon the rear. It was in vain
that Xenophon, who commanded the rear-guard, employed his earnest
exhortations, prayers, and threats, to induce them to move forward. The
sufferers, miserable and motionless, answered only by entreating him to
kill them at once. So greatly was the army disorganized by wretchedness,
that we hear of one case in which a soldier, ordered to carry a disabled
comrade, disobeyed the order, and was about to bury him alive. Xenophon
made a sally, with loud shouts and clatter of spear with shield, in
which even the exhausted men joined,--against the pursuing enemy. He was
fortunate enough to frighten them away, and drive them to take shelter
in a neighboring wood. He then left the sufferers lying down, with
assurance that relief should be sent to them on the next day,--and went
forward; seeing all along the line of march the exhausted soldiers lying
on the snow, without ev