The Anabasis (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ciiap.i. VOWS PAID: GAMES. 143 Draoontius, and desired him to conduct them to the place where he had made- the course. Dracontins, pointing to the place where they were standing, said, This hill is an excellent place for running, in -whatever direction the men may wish. But how will they be able, said they, to wrestle on ground so rough and bushy He that faUs, said he, will suffer the more. 27. Boys, most of them from among the prisoners, contended in the short course,1 and in the long course' above sixty Cretans ran; while others were matched in wrestling, boxing, and the pancratium. It was a fine sight; for many entered the lists, and as their friends were spectators, there was great emulation. 28. Herses also ran; and they had to gallop down the steep, and, turning round in the sea, to come up again to the altar.1 In the descent, many rolled down; but in the ascent, against the exceedingly steep ground, the horses could scarcely get up at a walking pace. There was consequently great shouting, and laughter, and cheering from the people. BOOK Y. CHAPTER L Cheirisophns goes to Anaxibius, the Spartan admiral, to obtain ships for the Greeks. Xenophon, meanwhile, attends to other matters, and devises another plan for procuring; vessels, if Cheirisophus should fail in his mission, and causing the roads to be repaired, in case the army should be obliged to proceed by land. Treachery of Dexippus, and efficient exertions of Polycrates. 1. What the Greeks did in their march up the country with Cyrus, and what they underwent in their journey to the Euxine Sea; how they arrived at the Greek city of Trebi- sond, and how they offered the sacrifices which they had vowed to offer for their safety as soon as they should reach a friendly country, has been related in...