sembled at Daras an
imposing force, composed of Romans and allies, the latter being chiefly
Massagetse. The entire number amounted to 25,000 men; and with this
army he would probably have assumed the offensive, had not the Persian
general of the last campaign, Perozes the Mihran, again appeared in
the field, at the head of 40,000 Persians and declared his intention of
besieging and taking Daras. With the insolence of an Oriental he sent a
message to Belisarius, requiring him to have his bath prepared for the
morrow, as after taking the town he would need that kind of refreshment.
Belisarius contented himself, in reply, with drawing out his troops in
front of Daras in a position carefully prepared beforehand, where both
his centre and his flanks would be protected by a deep ditch, outside
of which there would be room to act for his cavalry. Perozes, having
reconnoitred the position, hesitated to attack it without a greater
advantage of numbers, and sent hastily to Nisibis for 10,000 more
soldiers, while he allowed the day to pass without anything more serious
than a demonstration of his calvary against the Roman left, and some
insignificant single combats.

The next morning his reinforcement arrived; and after some exchange of
messages with Belisarius, which led to no result, he commenced active
operations. Placing his infantry in the centre, and his horse upon
either wing, as the Romans had likewise done, and arranging his
infantry so that one half should from time to time relieve the other,
he assaulted the Roman line with a storm of darts and arrows. The Romans
replied with their missile weapons; but the Persians had the advantage
of numbers; they were protected by huge wattled shields; and they were
more accustomed to this style of warfare than their adversaries. Still
the Romans held out; but it was a relief to them when the missile
weapons were exhausted on both sides, and a closer fight began along the
whole line with swords and spears. After a while the Roman left was in
difficulties. Here the Cadiseni (Cadusians?) under Pituazes routed their
opponents, and were pursuing them hastily when the Massagetic horse,
commanded by Sunicas and Aigan, and three hundred Heruli under a chief
called Pharas, charged them on their right flank, and at once threw them
into disorder. Three thousand fell, and the rest were driven back upon
their main body, which, still continued to fight bravely. The Romans did
not push their advan