Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/392

 70 HISTORY OF GREECE. .red opportunity for a successful stratagem. Anaxibius, having just irawn the town of Antandrus into his alliance, had marched thither for the purpose of leaving a garrison in it, with his Lacedaemonian and mercenary forces, as well as two hundred hoplites from Abydos tself. Has way lay across the mountainous region of Ida, south- ward to the coast of the gulf of Adramyttium. Accordingly, Iphikrates, foreseeing that he would speedily return, crossed over in the night from the Chersonese, and planted himself in ambush on the line of return march ; at a point where it traversed the desert and mountainous extremities of the Abydene territory, neai the gold mines of Kremaste. The triremes which carried him across were ordered to sail up the strait on the next day, in order that Anaxibius must be apprised of it, and might suppose Iphi- krates to be employed on his ordinary money-levying excursion. The stratagem was completely successful. Anaxibius returned on the next day, without the least suspicion of any enemy at hand, marching in careless order and with long-stretched files, as well from the narrowness of the mountain path as from the circum- stance that he was in the friendly territory of Abydos. Not ex- pecting to fight, he had unfortunately either omitted the morning sacrifice, or taken no pains to ascertain that the victims were favor- able ; so Xenophon informs us, 1 with that constant regard to the divine judgments and divine warnings which pervades both the Hellenica and the Anabasis. Iphikrates having suffered the Abydenes who were in the van to pass, suddenly sprang from his ambush, to assault Anaxibius with the Lacedaemonians and the mercenaries, as they descended the mountain-pass into the plain of Kremaste. His appearance struck terror and confusion into the whole army ; unprepared in its disorderly array for sted- fast resistance, even if the minds of the soldiers had been ever so well strung, against well-trained peltasts, who were sure to prevail over hoplites not in steady rank. To Anaxibius himself, the truth stood plain at once. Defeat was inevitable, and there remained no other resource for him except to die like a brave man. 1 Xen. Hellen. iv, 8,36. 'O 'Avaft/Jtof airenopevero, V lepuv y eyevij fievuv avrip lite ivy ry jj/tepa, uKTui, KaTad>~ c, on 6iu (f>Mof re emipevero KOI i-f noXiv QiAtav, ical on fjKove rut, rbv 'IfyiKpuTTiv avartJrfavKf at rr/v inl TIpoiKovriia iv, u^c'.tcrf pOV ETTODfVf*").