Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/347

 904 HISTORY OF ARMENIA.

and» in seeking for another on the field, was sur- rounded by a host of swordsmen by whom he fell, after killing a number of them in his de- fence. While these glorious commanders were thus valiantly contending, several vile and trea- cherous Armenians, who were in secret un- derstanding with the Persians, all of sodden pretended to take flight, crying out, ''Save yourselves, the day is lost !''

This action of a party of perfidious cowards occasioned the Vahanians to lose the battle, for most of those who heard the cry, thinking all lost, joined in the flight. Among these was the deceitful Val thank, with his Georgian troops. Va- han and the Camsaracans, observing this, found longer resistance fruitless, and therefore followed the fugitives. On their leaving the scene of action Vahan observed Babken the Seunian lying on the ground, in the midst of the dead bodies that covered the field, desperately wounded. Not being able to leave his old colleague to the vengeance of an irritated and cruel enemy, he alighted from his horse, toolc him up be- fore him, and thus saved his life. The victorious Persians pursued the Armenians and killed many of them in their flight. Hirahat the Camsaracan was thrown from his horse in the retreat, and proceeding on foot was taken pri- soner and carried to Mihran, who put him ib

�� �