t Issus
in Kilikia.[40] Cheirisophus urged the captains to retire forthwith, and
agree upon their commanders instead of the five who had been seized;
after which the herald must be summoned, and the entire body of soldiers
convened without delay. Accordingly Timasion of Dardanus was chosen
instead of Klearchus; Xanthikles in place of Sokrates; Kleanor in place
of Agias; Philesius in place of Menon; and Xenophon instead of
Proxenus. The captains, who had served under each of the departed
generals, separately chose a successor to the captain thus promoted. It
is to be recollected that the five now chosen were not the only generals
in the camp; thus for example, Cheirisophus had the command of his own
separate division, and there may have been one or two others similarly
placed. But it was now necessary for all the generals to form a Board
and act in concert.

At daybreak the newly-constituted Board of generals placed proper
outposts in advance, and then convened the army in general assembly, in
order that the new appointments might be submitted and confirmed. As
soon as this had been done, probably on the proposition of Cheirisophus
(who had been in command before), that general addressed a few words of
exhortation and encouragement to the soldiers. He was followed by
Kleanor, who delivered, with the like brevity, an earnest protest
against the perfidy of Tissaphernes and Ariaeus. Both of them left to
Xenophon the task, alike important and arduous at this moment of
despondency, of setting forth the case at length,--working up the
feelings of the soldiers to that pitch of resolution which the emergency
required,--and above all extinguishing all those inclinations to
acquiesce in new treacherous proposals from the enemy, which the perils
of the situation would be likely to suggest.

Xenophon had equipped himself in his finest military costume at this his
first official appearance before the army, when the scales seemed to
tremble between life and death. Taking up the protest of Kleanor against
the treachery of the Persians, he insisted that any attempt to enter
into convention or trust with such liars, would be utter ruin--but that
if energetic resolution were taken to deal with them only at the point
of the sword, and punish their misdeeds, there was good hope of the
favor of the gods and of ultimate preservation. As he pronounced this
last word, one of the soldiers near him happened to sneeze.[41]
Immediately the whole