Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/132

 HO HISTORY OF GLEfcCE. themselves headlong also, followed by the men. Almost everj soul thus perished, very few surviving to become prisoners. An Arcadian captain named JEneas, seeing one of them in a fine dress about to precipitate himself with the rest, seized him with a view to prevent it. But the man in return grasped him firmly, dragged him to the edge of the rock, and leaped down to the destruction of both. Though scarcely any prisoners were taken, however, the Greeks obtained abundance of oxen, asses, and sheep, which fully supplied their wants. 1 They now entered into the territory of the Chalybes, which they were seven days in passing through. These were the bravest warriors whom they had seen in Asia. Their equipment was a epear of fifteen cubits long, with only one end pointed, a hel- met, greaves, stuffed corselet, with a kilt or dependent flaps, a short sword which they employed to cut off the head of a slain enemy, displaying the head in sight of their surviving enemies with triumphant dance and song. They carried no shield ; per- haps because the excessive length of the spear required the con- stant employment of both hands, yet they did not shrink from meeting the Greeks occasionally in regular, stand-up fight. As they had carried off all their provisions into hill-forts, the Greeks could obtain no supplies, but lived all the time upon the cattle which they had acquired from the Taochi. After seven days oi march and combat, the Chalybes perpetually attacking their rear, they reached the river Harpasus (four hundred feet broad), where they passed into the territory of the Skythini. It rather seems that the territory of the Chalybes was mountainous ; that of the Skythini was level, and containing villages, wherein they remained three days, refreshing themselves, and stocking them- selves with provisions. 3 Four days of additional march brought them to a sight, the like of which they had not seen since Opis and Sittake on the Tigris in Babylonia, a large and flourishing city called Gymnias ; an earnest of the neighborhood of the sea, of commerce, and of civi- lization. The chief of this city received them in a friendly man- ner, and furnished them with a guide who engaged to conduct them, after five days' march, to a hill from whence they would 1 Xn. Anab. iv, 7, 2-15. * Xcn. Anab. iv, 7, 18.