Xenophon Of Athens (17/28) Anabasis

IV. From Ceresus they continued the march, the same portion of the troops being conveyed by Ceresus before, and the rest marching by land. When they had reached the frontiers of the Mocenotians, they sent to him Timositheus the Trapezantine, who was the proxenos of the Mocenotians, to inquire whether they were to pass through their territory as friends or foes. They, trusting in their strongholds, replied that they would not give them passage. It was then that Timositheus informed them that the Mocenotians on the farther side of the country were hostile to these members of the tribe, and it was resolved to invite the former to make an alliance, if they wished it. So Timositheus was sent, and came back with their chiefs. On their arrival there was a conference of the Mocenotian chiefs and the generals of the Helenes, and Xenophon made a speech which Timotheseus interpreted. He said, Men of the Mocenotians, our desire is to reach Hellas in safety, and since we have no vessels we must needs go by foot, but these people who as we hear are your enemies prevent us. Will you take us for your allies? Now is your chance to exact vengeance for any wrong which they at any time may have put upon you, and for the future they will be your subjects. But if you send us about our business, consider and ask yourselves, from what quarter will you ever obtain so strong a force to help you? To this the chiefs of the Mocenotians made answer, that the proposal was in accordance with their wishes and they welcomed the alliance. Good, said Xenophon, but to what use do you propose to put us, if we become your allies? And what will you in turn be able to do to assist our passage? They replied, we can make an incursion into this country hostile to yourselves and us, from the opposite side, and also send you ships and men to this place, who will aid you fighting and conduct you on the road. On this understanding they exchanged pledges and were gone. The next day they returned, bringing three hundred canoes, each hollowed out of a single trunk. There were three men in each, two of whom disembarked and fell into rank, whilst the third remained. Then the one set took the boats and sailed back again, whilst the other two thirds who remained marshalled themselves in the following way. They stood in rows of about a hundred each, like the rows of dancers in a chorus, standing vis-a-vis to one another, and all bearing wicker shields, made of white oxide, shaggy, and shaped like an ivy leaf. In the right hand they brandished a javelin about six cubits long, with a lance in front, and rounded like a ball at the butt end of the shaft. Their bodies were clad in short frocks, scarcely reaching to the knees, and in texture closely resembling that of a linen bedclothes bag. On their heads they wore leathern helmets, just like the Panflagonian helmet, with a tuft of hair in the middle, as like a tiara in shape as possible. They carried, moreover, iron battle-axes. Then one of them gave, as it were, the keynote, and started, while the rest, taking up the strain in the step, followed singing and marking time. Passing through the various corps and heavily armed battalions of the Hellenes, they marched straight against the enemy, to what appeared the most assailable of his fortresses. It was situated in front of the city, or mother-city, as it is called, which latter contains the high citadel of the Massonotians. This citadel was the real bone of contention, the occupants at any time being acknowledged as the masters of all the other Massonotians. The present holders, so it was explained, had no right to its possession. For the sake of self-aggrandizement they had seized what was really common property. Some of the Hellenes followed the attacking party, not under the orders of the generals, but for the sake of plunder. As they advanced, the enemy for a while kept quiet, but as they got near the place they made a sortie and routed them, killing several of the barbarians as well as some of the Hellenes who had gone up with them, and so pursued them until they saw the Hellenes advancing to the rescue. Then they turned round and made off, first cutting off the heads of the dead men and flaunting them in the face of the Hellenes, and of their own private foes, dancing the while and singing in a measured strain. But the Hellenes were much vexed to think that their foes had only been rendered bolder, while the Hellenes who had formed a part of the expedition had turned tail and fled, in spite of their numbers, a thing which had not happened previously during the whole expedition. So Xenophon called a meeting of the Hellenes and spoke as follows. Soldiers, do not in any wise be cast down by what has happened. Be sure that good no less than evil will be the result. For to begin with, you now know certainly that those who are going to guide us are indeed very hostile to those with whom necessity drives us to quarrel. And in the next place, some of our own body, these Hellenes who have made so light of orderly array and conjoined action with ourselves, as though they must needs achieve in the company of barbarians all they could with ourselves, have paid the penalty and been taught a lesson, so that another time they will be less prone to leave our ranks. But you must be prepared to show these friendly barbarians that you are of a better sort, and prove to the enemy that battle with the undisciplined is one thing, but with men like yourselves another. Accordingly they halted, as they were that day. Next day they sacrificed, and finding the victims favorable, they breakfasted, formed the companies into columns, and with their barbarians arranged in similar order on their left began their march. Between the companies were the archers only slightly retired behind the front of the heavy infantry, on account of the enemy's active light troops, who ran down and kept up volleys of stones. These were held in check by the archers and peltasts, and steadily, step by step, the mass marched on, first to the position from which the barbarians, and those with them, had been driven two days back, and where the enemy were now drawn up to meet them. Thus it came to pass that the barbarians first grappled with the peltasts and maintained the battle until the heavy infantry were close, when they turned and fled. The peltasts followed without delay, and pursued them right up to their city, while the heavy troops in unbroken order followed. As soon as they were up at the houses of the capital, there and then the enemy, collecting all together in one strong body, fought valiantly, and hurled their javelins, or else clutched their long, stout spears, almost too heavy for a man to wield, and did their best to ward off the attack at close quarters. But when the Hellenes, instead of giving way, kept massing together more thickly, the barbarians fled from this place also, and in a body deserted the fortress. Their king, who sat in his wooden tower, or mossen, built on the citadel, there he sits, and there they maintain him, all at the common cost, and guard him narrowly, refused to come forth, as did those in the fortress first taken, and so were burnt to a cinder where they were, their mossens themselves and all. The Hellenes, pillaging and ransacking these places, discovered in the different houses treasures and magazines of loaves, pile upon pile, the ancestral stores, as the Mossenotians told them, but the new corn was laid up apart with the straw-silk and ear together, and this was for the most part spelt. Slices of dolphin were another discovery, in narrow-necked jars, all properly salted and pickled, and there was the blubber of dolphin in vessels, which the Mossenotians used precisely as the Hellenes use oil. Then there were large stores of nuts also on the upper floor, the broad kind without a division. This was also a chief article of food with them, boiled nuts and baked loaves. Wine was also discovered. This, from its rough, dry quality, tasted sharp when drunk pure, but mixed with water was sweet and fragrant. The Hellenes breakfasted and then started forward on their march, having first delivered the stronghold to their allies among the Mossenotians. As for the other strongholds belonging to tribes allied with their foes, which they passed en route, the most accessible were either deserted by their inhabitants or gave in their adhesion voluntarily. The following description will apply to the majority of them. The cities were, on an average, ten miles apart, some more, some less, but so elevated is the country and intersected by such deep clefts, that if they chose to shout across to one another, their cries would be heard from one city to another. When in the course of their march they came upon a friendly population, these would entertain them with exhibitions of fatted children belonging to the wealthy classes, fed up on boiled chestnuts until they were as white as white can be, of skin plump and delicate, and very nearly as broad as they were long, with their backs variegated and their breasts tattooed with patterns of all sorts of flowers. They sought after the women in the Hellenic army, and would fain have laid with them openly in broad daylight, for that was their custom. The whole community, male and female alike, were fair-complexioned and white-skinned. It was agreed that this was the most barbaric and outlandish people that they had passed through on the whole expedition, and the furthest removed from the Hellenic customs, doing in a crowd precisely what other people would prefer to do in solitude, and when alone behaving exactly as others would behave in company, talking to themselves and laughing at their own expense, standing still and then again capering about, wherever they might chance to be, without rhyme or reason, as if their sole business were to show off to the rest of the world. NUMBER FIVE Through this country, friendly or hostile as the chance might be, the Hellenes marched, eight stages in all, and reached the Calibis. These were people few in number, and subject to the Massonotians. Their livelihood was for the most part derived from mining and forging iron. Thence they came to the Tiburineans. The country of the Tiburineans was far more level, and their fortresses lay on the seaboard and were less strong, whether by art or nature. The generals wanted to attack these places, so that the army might get some pickings, and they would not accept the gifts of hospitality which came from the Tiburareans, but bidding them wait until they had taken counsel, they proceeded to offer sacrifice. After several abortive attempts, the seers at last pronounced an opinion that the gods in no wise countenance warred. Then they accepted the gifts of hospitality, and, marching through what was now recognized as a friendly country, in two days reached Katoria, a Hellenic city and a colony of Sinope, albeit situated in the territory of the Tiburineans. Here they halted for forty-five days, during which they first of all sacrificed to the gods, and instituted processions, each set of the Hellenes according to their several tribes, with gymnastic contests. Provisions they got in, meanwhile, partly from Paphlagonia, partly from the estates of the Kachurites, for the latter would neither provide them a market nor receive their sick within their walls. Meanwhile ambassadors arrived from Sinope, full of fears, not only for the Kachurites and their city, which belonged to Sinope, and brought in tribute, but also for the territory which, as they had heard, was being pillaged. Accordingly they came to the camp and made a speech. Hecatonymus, who was reported to be a clever orator, acted as their spokesman. "'Soldiers,' he said, "'the city of the Sinopeans has sent us to offer you, as Hellenes, our compliments and congratulations on your victories over the barbarians, and, next, to express our joyful satisfaction that you have surmounted all those terrible sufferings of which we have heard, and have reached this place in safety. As Hellenes we claim to receive at your hands, as fellow Hellenes, kindness and not harm. We have certainly not ourselves set you an example heretofore of evil treatment. Now the Kachurites are our colonists. It was we who gave them this country to dwell in, having taken it from the barbarians, for which reason also they, with the men of Sarasus and Trapezus, pay us an appointed tribute. So that, whatever mischief you inflict on the men of Kaktoria, the city of Sinope takes as personal to herself. At the present time we hear that you have made forcible entry into their city, some of you, and are quartered in the houses, besides taking forcibly from the Kachurite estates whatever you need, by hook and by crook. Now against these things we enter protest. If you mean to go on so doing, you will drive us to make friends with Coriolis and the Pamphlegonians, or any one else we can find. To meet these charges Xenophon, on behalf of the soldiers, rose and said, As to ourselves, men of Sinope, having got so far, we are well contented to have saved our bodies and our arms. Indeed it was impossible at one and the same moment to keep our enemies at bay, and to despoil them of their goods and chattels. And now, since we have reached Hellenic cities, how has it fared with us? At Trapezus they gave us a market, and we paid for our provisions at a fair market price. In return for the honor they did us, and the gifts of hospitality they gave the army, we requited them with honor. Where the barbarian was friendly to them, we stayed our hands from injury, or under their escort we did damage to their enemies to the utmost of our power. Ask them what sort of people they found us. They are here, some of them, to answer for themselves. Their fellow-citizens in the state of Trapezus, for friendship's sake, have sent them with us to act as our guides. But wherever we come, be it foreign or Hellenic soil, and find no market for provisions, we are wont to help ourselves, not out of insolence, but from necessity. There have been tribes, like the Carduchians, the Tauchians, and the Chaldeans, which, albeit they were not subject to the great king, yet were no less formidable than independent. These we had to bring over by our arms. The necessity of getting provisions forced us, since they refused to offer us a market. Whereas some other folk, like the Macrones, in spite of their being barbarians, we regarded as our friends, simply because they did provide us with the best market in their power, and we took no single thing of theirs by force. But to come to these Coturites, whom you claim to be your people, if we have taken aught from them, they have themselves to blame, for they did not deal with us as friends, but shut their gates in our faces. They would neither welcome us within, nor furnish us with a market without. The only justification they alleged was that your governor had authorized this conduct. As to your assertion," he continued, turning to Hecatonymus, that we have got in by force and taken up quarters, this is what we did. We requested them to receive our sick and wounded under cover, and when they refused to open their gates, we walked in where the place itself invited us. All the violence we have committed amounts to this, that our sick folk are quartered under cover, paying for their expenses, and we keep a sentry at the gates, so that our sick and wounded may not lie at the mercy of your governor. But we may have it in our power to remove them whenever we like. The rest of us, you observe, are camping under the canopy of heaven, in regular rank and file, and we are ready to requite kindness with kindness, but to repel evil vigorously. And as for your threat," he said, once again turning to the spokesman, that you will, if it suits you, make alliance with Corullus and the Panflagonians to attack us, for our part we have no objection to fighting both sets of you, if so be we must. We have already fought others many times more numerous than you. Besides, if it suits us, as you put it, to make the Panflagonian our friend, report says that he has a hankering after your city, and some other places on the sea-board, we can enhance the value of our friendship by helping to win for him what he covets. Thereupon the ambassadors showed very plainly their annoyance with Hecatonimus, on account of the style of his remarks, and one of them stepped forward to explain that their intention in coming was not at all to raise a war, but, on the contrary, to demonstrate their friendliness. And if you come to Sinope itself, the speaker continued, we will welcome you there with gifts of hospitality. Meanwhile we will enjoin upon the citizens of this place to give you what they can, for we can see that every word of what you say is true. Thereupon the Coturides sent gifts of hospitality, and the generals of the Helenes entertained the ambassadors of the Sinopeans. Many and friendly were the topics of conversation, freely flowed the talk on things in general, and in particular both parties were able to make inquiries and satisfy their curiosity concerning the remaining portion of the march.