Page:Xenophon by Alexander Grant.djvu/50

40 the Kurdish houses, which they found well stocked with provisions, and with an abundance of copper pots. The hills all round were lit up with the watch-fires of the people. In the morning the generals determined to diminish their encumbrances by abandoning the greater part of their baggage-cattle and all their Persian prisoners. Having given an order to this effect, they took their stand at a narrow place on the march, and inspected all that was being taken onwards. They thus turned back whatever was not desirable to be brought, but Xenophon implies that some pretty female captives were smuggled through.

For the next two days the Greeks advanced, through storm and rain and the guerilla attacks of the Kurds, till they came to a place where further progress seemed impossible, as a lofty pass in front was occupied by the enemy. But they had made prisoners of two of the natives, and these were separately questioned as to the existence of any other route. One prisoner denied that there was any, and he was then put to death pour encourager l'autre, who at once offered to conduct them round by another road, but said that there was one height commanding it which must be occupied beforehand. Two thousand Greeks volunteered for this service and started in the evening, while Xenophon made a feint of marching along the direct route, which caused the Kurds to commence rolling down masses of stone upon it from above, an amusement which they