ik, and proceed at full speed to Ctesiphon. The armies then
came to close quarters; and the foot and horse contended through the
day with swords and spears, neither side being able to make any serious
impression upon the other. As night closed in, however, the Persians
once more fell back, crossing the canal El Atik, and so placing that
barrier between themselves and their adversaries.

Their object in this manoeuvre was probably to obtain the rest which
they must have greatly needed. The Persians were altogether of a frame
less robust, and of a constitution less hardy, than the Arabs. Their
army at Kadisiyeh was, moreover, composed to a large extent of raw
recruits; and three consecutive days of severe fighting must have sorely
tried its endurance. The Persian generals hoped, it would seem, by
crossing the Atik to refresh their troops with a quiet night before
renewing the combat on the morrow. But the indefatigable Arabs, perhaps
guessing their intention, determined to frustrate it, and prevented
the tired host from enjoying a moment's respite. The "day of embittered
war," as it was called, was followed by the "night of snarling"--a time
of horrid noise and tumult, during which the discordant cries of the
troops on either side were thought to resemble the yells and barks of
dogs and jackals. Two of the bravest of the Arabs, Toleicha and Amr,
crossed the Atik with small bodies of troops, and under cover of the
darkness entered the Persian camp, slew numbers, and caused the greatest
confusion. By degrees a general engagement was brought on, which
continued into the succeeding day, so that the "night of snarling" can
scarcely be separated from the "day of cormorants"--the last of the four
days' Kadisiyeh fight.

It would seem that the Persians must on the fourth day have had for a
time the advantage, since we find them once more fighting upon the old
ground, in the tract between the two canals, with the Atik in their
rear. About noon, however, a wind arose from the west, bringing with
it clouds of sand, which were blown into the faces and eyes of the
Persians, while the Arabs, having their backs to the storm, suffered but
little from its fury. Under these circumstances the Moslems made fresh
efforts, and after a while a part of the Persian army was forced to
give ground. Hormuzan, satrap of Susiana, and Firuzan, the general who
afterwards commanded at Nehavend, fell back. The line of battle was
dislocated; the person of