ooty might afford an ampler dividend to
each partner.

Beginning their march in the evening, Xenophon and his detachment of 300
reached about midnight the tower of Asidates. It was large, lofty,
thickly built, and contained a considerable garrison. It served for
protection to his cattle and cultivating slaves around, like a baronial
castle in the Middle Ages; but the assailants neglected this outlying
plunder, in order to be more sure of taking the castle itself. Its walls
however were found much stronger than was expected; and although a
breach was made by force about daybreak, yet so vigorous was the defence
of the garrison, that no entrance could be effected. Signals and shouts
of every kind were made by Asidates to procure aid from the Persian
forces in the neighborhood; numbers of whom soon began to arrive, so
that Xenophon and his company were obliged to retreat. And their retreat
was at last only accomplished, after severe suffering and wounds to
nearly half of them, through the aid of Gongylus with his forces from
Pergamus, and of Prokles (the descendant of Demaratus) from Halisarna, a
little farther off seaward.

Though his first enterprise thus miscarried, Xenophon soon laid plans
for a second, employing the whole army; and succeeded in bringing
Asidates prisoner to Pergamus, with his wife, children, horses, and all
his personal property. Thus (says he, anxious above all things for the
credit of sacrificial prophecy) the "previous sacrifices (those which
had promised favorably before the first unsuccessful attempt) now came
true." The persons of this family were doubtless redeemed by their
Persian friends for a large ransom; which, together with the booty
brought in, made up a prodigious total to be divided.

In making the division, a general tribute of sympathy and admiration was
paid to Xenophon, in which all the army--generals, captains, and
soldiers--and the Lacedaemonians besides--unanimously concurred. Like
Agamemnon at Troy, he was allowed to select for himself the picked lots
of horses, mules, oxen, and other items of booty; insomuch that he
became possessor of a share valuable enough to enrich him at once, in
addition to the fifty darics which he had before received. "Here then
Xenophon (to use his own language) had no reason to complain of the god"
(Zeus the Gracious). We may add--what he himself ought to have added,
considering the accusations which he had before put forth--that neither
had he an