e road.
Meanwhile Cyrus offered sacrifice for the success of his expedition and
found an opportunity to ask Cyaxares for a troop of his junior cavalry.
But Cyaxares would only spare a few, though many wished to go. Soon
afterwards he started for the outposts himself with all his horse and
foot, and then Cyrus found the omens favourable for his enterprise, and
led his soldiers out as though he meant to hunt. [19] He was scarcely
on his way when a hare started up at their feet, and an eagle, flying on
the right, saw the creature as it fled, swooped down and struck it,
bore it aloft in its talons to a cliff hard by, and did its will upon it
there. The omen pleased Cyrus well, and he bowed in worship to Zeus the
King, and said to his company, "This shall be a right noble hunt, my
friends, if God so will."

[20] When he came to the borders he began the hunt in his usual way, the
mass of horse and foot going on ahead in rows like reapers, beating out
the game, with picked men posted at intervals to receive the animals and
give them chase. And thus they took great numbers of boars and stags and
antelopes and wild-asses: even to this day wild-asses are plentiful in
those parts. [21] But when the chase was over, Cyrus had touched the
frontier of the Armenian land, and there he made the evening meal. The
next day he hunted till he reached the mountains which were his goal.
And there he halted again and made the evening meal. At this point he
knew that the army from Cyaxares was advancing, and he sent secretly to
them and bade them keep about eight miles off, and take their evening
meal where they were, since that would make for secrecy. And when their
meal was over he told them to send their officers to him, and after
supper he called his own brigadiers together and addressed them thus:

[22] "My friends, in old days the Armenian was a faithful ally and
subject of Cyaxares, but now when he sees an enemy against us, he
assumes contempt: he neither sends the troops nor pays the tribute. He
is the game we have come to catch, if catch we can. And this, I think,
is the way. You, Chrysantas," said he, "will sleep for a few hours, and
then take half the Persians with you, make for the hill country, and
seize the heights which we hear are his places of refuge when alarmed.
I will give you guides. [23] The hills, they tell us, are covered with
trees and scrub, so that we may hope you will escape unseen: still you
might send a handful of