Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/86

 54 HISTORY OF GREECE. from Babylon. Two days of farther march, computed as eight parasangs, brought them to the Tigris. During these two daya they crossed two great ship canals, one of them over a permanent bridge, the other over a temporary bridge laid on seven boats. Canals of such magnitude must probably have been two among th 3 four stated by Xenophon to be drawn from the river Tigris, each of them a parasang distant from the other. They were one hundred feet broad, and deep enough even for heavy vessels ; they were distributed by means of numerous smaller channels and ditches for the irrigation of the soil ; and they were said to fall into the Euphrates ; or rather, perhaps, they terminated in one main larger canal cut directly from the Euphrates to the Tigris, each of them joining this larger canal at a different point of its course. "Within less than two miles of the Tigris was a large and populous city named Sittake, near which the Greeks pitched their camp, on the verge of a beautiful park or thick grove full of all kinds of trees ; while the Persians all crossed the Tigris, at the neighboring bridge. As Proxenus and Xenophon were here walking in front of the <:amp after supper, a man was brought up who had asked for the former at the advanced posts. This man said that he came with instructions from Ariaeus. He advised the Greeks to be on their guard, as there were troops concealed in the adjoining grove, for the purpose of attacking them during the night, and also to send and occupy the bridge over the Tigris, since Tissaphernes intend- ed to break it down, in order that the Greeks might be caught without possibility of escape between the river and the canal. On discussing this information with Klearchus, who was much alarmed by it, a young Greek present remarked that the two mat- ters stated by the informant contradicted each other ; for that if Tissaphernes intended to attack the Greeks during the night, he would not break down the bridge, so as both to prevent his own troops on the other side from crossing to aid, and to deprive those on this side of all retreat if they were beaten, while, if the Greeks were beaten, there was no escape open to them, whether the bridge continued or not, This remark induced Klearchua to ask the messenger, what was the extent of ground between the Tigris and the canal. The messenger replied, that it was a great extent of country, comprising many large cities and villages. Re- flecting on this communication, the Greek c fficers came to the con