[29] Now Croesus, king of Lydia,
seeing that it was summer-time, had sent his women on during the night,
so that they might travel more pleasantly in the cool, and he himself
had followed with his cavalry to escort them. [30] The Lord of
Hellespontine Phrygia, it is said, had done the same. And these two,
when they heard what was happening from the fugitives who overtook them,
fled for their lives with the rest. [31] But it was otherwise with the
kings of Cappadocia and Arabia; they had not gone far, and they stood
their ground, but they had not even time to put on their corslets, and
were cut down by the Hyrcanians. Indeed, the mass of those who fell were
Assyrians and Arabians, for, being in their own country, they had
taken no precautions on the march. [32] The victorious Medes and the
Hyrcanians had their hands full with the chase, and meanwhile Cyrus made
the cavalry who were left with him ride all round the camp and cut down
any man who left it with weapons in his hands. Then he sent a herald to
those who remained, bidding the horsemen and targeteers and archers come
out on foot, with their weapons tied in bundles, and deliver them up to
him, leaving their horses in their stalls: he who disobeyed should lose
his head, and a cordon of Persian troops stood round with their swords
drawn. [33] At that the weapons were brought at once, and flung down,
and Cyrus had the whole pile burnt.

[34] Meanwhile he did not forget that his own troops had come without
food or drink, that nothing could be done without provisions, and that
to obtain these in the quickest way, it was necessary on every campaign
to have some one to see that quarters were prepared and supplies ready
for the men on their return. [35] It occurred to him it was more than
likely that such officers, of all others, would be left behind in the
Assyrian camp, because they would have been delayed by the packing.

Accordingly, he sent out a proclamation that all the stewards should
present themselves before him, and if there was no such officer left,
the oldest man in every tent must take his place; any one failing to
obey would suffer the severest penalties. The stewards, following the
example of their masters, obeyed at once. And when they came before him
he ordered those who had more than two months' rations in their quarters
to sit down on the ground, and then those who had provisions for one
month. [36] Thereupon very few were left standing. [37] Having thu