o by all,
Cheirisophus offered, if the army chose to empower him, to sail
forthwith to Byzantium,[80] where he thought he could obtain from his
friend the Lacedaemonian admiral Anaxibius, sufficient vessels for
transport. His proposition was gladly accepted; and he departed to
execute the project.

Xenophon then urged upon the army various resolutions and measures,
proper for the regulation of affairs during the absence of Cheirisophus.
The army would be forced to maintain itself by marauding expeditions
among the hostile tribes in the mountains. Such expeditions accordingly
must be put under regulation: neither individual soldiers, nor small
companies, must be allowed to go out at pleasure, without giving notice
to the generals; moreover, the camp must be kept under constant guard
and scouts, in the event of surprise from a retaliating enemy. It was
prudent also to take the best measures in their power for procuring
vessels; since, after all, Cheirisophus might possibly fail in bringing
an adequate number. They ought to borrow a few ships of war from the
Trapezuntines, and detain all the merchant ships[81] which they saw;
unshipping the rudders, placing the cargoes under guard, and
maintaining the crew during all the time that the ships might be
required for transport of the army. Many such merchant vessels were
often sailing by; so that they would thus acquire the means of
transport, even though Cheirisophus should bring few or none from
Byzantium. Lastly, Xenophon proposed to require the Grecian cities to
repair and put in order the road along the coast, for a land-march;
since, perhaps, with all their efforts, it would be found impossible to
get together a sufficient stock of transports.

All the propositions of Xenophon were readily adopted by the army,
except the last. But the mere mention of a renewed land-march excited
such universal murmurs of repugnance, that he did not venture to put
that question to the vote. He took upon himself however to send messages
to the Grecian cities, on his own responsibility; urging them to repair
the roads, in order that the departure of the army might be facilitated.
And he found the cities ready enough to carry his wishes into effect, as
far as Kotyora.

The wisdom of these precautionary suggestions of Xenophon soon appeared;
for Cheirisophus not only failed in his object, but was compelled to
stay away for a considerable time. An armed ship with fifty oars was
borrowed fro