nsiderable distance from the heart of the Persian empire, and
then to open his schemes of treasonable hostility, which the imprudence
of Klearchus enabled him to do, on the banks of the Great Zab, with
chances of success such as he could hardly have contemplated. We have
here a fresh example of the wonderful impotence of the Persians. We
should have expected that, after having committed so flagrant an act of
perfidy, Tissaphernes would at least have tried to turn it to account;
that he would have poured with all his forces and all his vigor on the
Grecian camp, at the moment when it was unprepared, disorganized, and
without commanders. Instead of which, when the generals (with those who
accompanied them to the Persian camp) had been seized or slain, no
attack whatever was made except by small detachments of Persian cavalry
upon individual Greek stragglers in the plain. One of the companions of
the generals, an Arcadian,[33] named Nikarchus, ran wounded into the
Grecian camp, where the soldiers were looking from afar at the horsemen
scouring the plain without knowing what they were about,--exclaiming
that the Persians were massacring all the Greeks, officers as well as
soldiers. Immediately the Greek soldiers hastened to put themselves in
defence, expecting a general attack to be made upon their camp; but no
more Persians came near than a body of about 300 horse, under Ariaeus and
Mithridates (the confidential companions of the deceased Cyrus),
accompanied by the brother of Tissaphernes. These men, approaching the
Greek lines as friends, called for the Greek officers to come forth, as
they had a message to deliver from the King. Accordingly, Kleanor and
Sophaenetus with an adequate guard, came to the front, accompanied by
Xenophon, who was anxious to hear news about Proxenus. Ariaeus then
acquainted them that Klearchus, having been detected in a breach of the
convention to which he had sworn, had been put to death; that Proxenus
and Menon, who had divulged his treason, were in high honor at the
Persian quarters. He concluded by saying--"The King calls upon you to
surrender your arms, which now (he says) belong to him, since they
formerly belonged to his slave Cyrus."

The step here taken seems to testify a belief on the part of these
Persians, that the generals being now in their power the Grecian
soldiers had become defenceless, and might be required to surrender
their arms, even to men who had just been guilty of the mo