no more trouble about the matter.

All went well with Cyrus and his Greek mercenaries until they reached
that city of Tarsus in Cilicia, which was later to become famous as the
birthplace of the apostle Paul. When they reached that place, Xenophon's
countrymen saw that they had been deceived, and that Cyrus evidently had
some greater foe in view than the rough banditti of the Pisidian
highlands. At first they were on the point of mutinying, and of stoning
Klearchus to give proper emphasis to their feelings; but sober second
thought showed them that it was doubtful whether they would gain
anything by such a course. Klearchus, who was quite equal to the
emergency, bade them reflect that they were now a long distance from
home, and that Cyrus had it in his power to make it difficult for them
to get back without his permission. Next, they were promised a decided
increase of pay if they would keep on. These considerations so
influenced the Greeks that they finally resolved to continue their march
and take the chances of war. Cyrus still refused to divulge his real
purpose; and though there cannot be much doubt that the Ten Thousand
felt pretty reasonably certain what it was, yet they probably believed
he had chances enough of success to make it worth their while to run the
risk with him.

Accordingly the army resumed their forward movement, following the trend
of the coast round the Gulf of Issus, and then striking southeasterly
again, until some time in the summer they reached and crossed the
Euphrates at Thapsacus. From that point they marched down the left bank
of the river, through the hilly desert of Arabia, toward the great city
of Babylon. Early in September they reached a point on the Tigris,
nearly opposite Bagdad, and about two days' march from Kunaxa, a place
not very far northwest of the Persian capital.

Up to this time Cyrus had met with no opposition, though he was daily
expecting to see the advance-guard of his brother's army. Before going
further he thought it prudent to hold a grand review of his troops,
which he did at midnight, as it was now reported that Artaxerxes, with
an army of over a million, was coming to give him battle.

But the million did not make their appearance, and so Cyrus decided to
keep on until he should encounter them. The next day the invading army
reached a trench which had evidently been recently dug to obstruct their
advance. It stretched across the plain between the Euphrates