hemselves no rest, and
if they took off their shoes in the night; 14. but as to such as slept
with their shoes on, the straps worked into their feet, and the soles
were frozen about them; for when their old shoes had failed them, shoes
of raw hides had been made by the men themselves from the newly-skinned
oxen. 15. From such unavoidable sufferings, some of the soldiers were
left behind, who, seeing a piece of ground of a black appearance, from
the snow having disappeared there, conjectured that it must have melted;
and it had in fact melted in the spot from the effect of a fountain,
which was sending up vapour in a woody hollow close at hand. Turning
aside thither, they sat down and refused to proceed farther. 16.
Xenophon, who was with the rear-guard, as soon as he heard this, tried
to prevail on them by every art and means not to be left behind, telling
them, at the same time, that the enemy were collected, and pursuing them
in great numbers. At last he grew angry; and they told him to kill them,
as they were quite unable to go forward. 17. He then thought it the best
course to strike a terror, if possible, into the enemy that were behind,
lest they should fall upon the exhausted soldiers. It was now dark, and
the enemy were advancing with a great noise, quarrelling about the booty
that they had taken; 18. when such of the rear-guard as were not
disabled, started up, and rushed towards them, while the tired men,
shouting as loud as they could, clashed their spears against their
shields. The enemy, struck with alarm, threw themselves among the snow
into the hollow, and no one of them afterwards made themselves heard
from any quarter.

19. Xenophon, and those with him, telling the sick men that a party
should come to their relief next day, proceeded on their march, but
before they had gone four stadia, they found other soldiers resting by
the way in the snow, and covered up with it, no guard being stationed
over them. They roused them up, but they said that the head of the army
was not moving forward. 20. Xenophon, going past them, and sending on
some of the ablest of the peltasts, ordered them to ascertain what it
was that hindered their progress. They brought word that the whole army
was in that manner taking rest. 21. Xenophon and his men, therefore,
stationing such a guard as they could, took up their quarters there
without fire or supper. When it was near day, he sent the youngest of
his men to the sick, telling t