Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/113

 CHANGE OF ARRAY. 91 men were wounded. Experience taught them, that it was incon- venient for the whole army to march in one inflexible, undivided, hollow square ; and they accordingly constituted six lochi or regi- ments of one hundred men each, subdivided into companies of flfty, and enomoties or smaller companies of twenty-five, each with a special officer (conformably to the Spartan practice) to move separately on each flank, and either to fall back, or fall in, as might suit the fluctuations of the central mass, arising from impediments in the road or menaces of the enemy. 1 On reach- ing the hills, in sight of an elevated citadel or palace, with several villages around it, the Greeks anticipated some remission of the Persian attack. But after having passed over one hill, they were proceeding to ascend the second, when they found themselves as- sailed with unwonted vigor by the Persian cavalry from the sum- mit of it, whose leaders were seen flogging on the men to the attack. 2 This charge was so efficacious, that the Greek light troops were driven in with loss, and forced to take shelter within the ranks of the hoplites. After a march both slow and full of suffering, they could only reach their night-quarters by sending a detachment to get possession of some ground above the Persians, who thus became afraid of a double attack. The villages which they now reached (supposed by Mr. Ains- worth to have been in the fertile country under the modern town called Zakhu), 3 were unusually rich in provisions ; magazines of flour, barley, and wine, having been collected there for the Per- sian satrap. They reposed here three days, chiefly in order to tend the numerous wounded, for whose necessities, eight of the most competent persons were singled out to act as surgeons. On the fourth day they resumed their march, descending into the plain. But experience had now satisfied them that it was impru- dent to continue in march under the attack of cavalry, so that when Tissaphernes appeared and began to harass them, they halted at the first village, and when thus in station, easily repel- led him. As the afternoon advanced, the Persian assailants began 1 Xen. Anab. iii, 4, 19-23. I incline to believe that there were six lochi upon each flank that is, twelve lochi in all ; though the words of Xenophon are not quite clear. ' Professor Koch (Zug der Zehn Tausend, p. 68) is of the same opinion.
 * Xen. Anab. iii, 4-25. Compare Herodot. vii, 21, 56, 103.