seems, that his antagonist was more formidable than he had
imagined, and on the morning after the battle they both seemed
inclined to remain in their respective encampments, without evincing
any disposition to renew the contest.

Croesus, in fact, seems to have considered that he was fortunate in
having so far repulsed the formidable invasion which Cyrus had been
intending for him. He considered Cyrus's army as repulsed, since they
had withdrawn from the field, and showed no disposition to return to
it. He had no doubt that Cyrus would now go back to Media again,
having found how well prepared Croesus had been to receive him. For
himself, he concluded that he ought to be satisfied with the advantage
which he had already gained, as the result of one campaign, and return
again to Sardis to recruit his army, the force of which had been
considerably impaired by the battle, and so postpone the grand
invasion till the next season. He accordingly set out on his return.
He dispatched messengers, at the same time, to Babylon, to Sparta, to
Egypt, and to other countries with which he was in alliance, informing
these various nations of the great battle of Pteria and its results,
and asking them to send him, early in the following spring, all the
re-enforcements that they could command, to join him in the grand
campaign which he was going to make the next season.

He continued his march homeward without any interruption, sending off,
from time to time, as he was moving through his own dominions, such
portions of his troops as desired to return to their homes, enjoining
upon them to come back to him in the spring. By this temporary
disbanding of a portion of his army, he saved the expense of
maintaining them through the winter.

Very soon after Croesus arrived at Sardis, the whole country in the
neighborhood of the capital was thrown into a state of universal alarm
by the news that Cyrus was close at hand. It seems that Cyrus had
remained in the vicinity of Pteria long enough to allow Croesus to
return, and to give him time to dismiss his troops and establish
himself securely in the city. He then suddenly resumed his march, and
came on toward Sardis with the utmost possible dispatch. Croesus,
in fact, had no announcement of his approach until he heard of his
arrival.

All was now confusion and alarm, both within and without the city.
Croesus hastily collected all the forces that he could command. He
sent immediately to the nei