Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/131

 THE TAOCH1. 109 and there took up their night-station, making demonstrations of a purpose to storm it the next morning. But as soon as it was dark, Aristonymus and his detachment started, and ascending the moun- tain at another point, obtained without resistance a high position on the flank of the enemy, who soon, however, saw them and despatched a force to keep guard on that side. At daybreak these two detachments came to a conflict on the heights, in which the Greeks were completely victorious, while Cheirisophus was march ing up the pass to attack the main body. His light troops, en couraged by seeing this victory of their comrades, hastened on to the charge faster than their hoplites could follow. But the enemy was so dispirited by seeing themselves turned, that they fled with little or no resistance. Though only a few were slam, many threw away their light shields of wicker or wood-work, which became the prey of the conquerors. 1 Thus masters of the pass, the Greeks descended to the level ground on the other side, where they found themselves in some villages well-stocked with provisions and comforts ; the first in the country of the Taochi. Probably they halted here some days ; for they had seen no villages, either for rest or for refreshment, during the last nine days' march, since leaving those Armenian villages in which they had passed a week so eminently restora- tive, and which apparently had furnished them with a stock of provisions for the onward journey. Such halt gave time to the Taochi to carry up their families and provisions into inaccessible strongholds, so that the Greeks found no supplies, during five days' march through the territory. Their provisions were com- pletely exhausted, when they arrived before one of these strong- holds, 'a rock on which were seen the families and the cattle of the Taochi ; without houses or fortification, but nearly surrounded by a river, so as to leave only one narrow ascent, rendered unap- proachable by vast rocks which the defenders hurled or rolled from the summit. By an ingenious combination of bravery and stratagem, in which some of the captains much distinguished them- selves, the Greeks overcame this difficulty, and took the height. The scene which then ensued was awful. The Taochian women seized their children, flung them over the precipice, and then casl 1 Xen. Anab. iv, 6, 20-27