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134 HISTORY OF GREECE. himself being too familiar with the process to be imposed upon But he at the same time tried to create alarm by declaring that a nice inspection disclosed evidence of treacherous snares laid for Xenophon ; which latter indications he himself began to realize, Dy spreading reports among the army that the Athenian general was laying clandestine plans for keeping them away from Greece without their own concurrence. 1 Thus prematurely and insidiously divulged, the scheme found some supporters, but a far larger number of opponents ; especially among those officers who were jealous of the ascendency of Xeno- phon. Timasion and Thorax employed it as a means of alarming the Herakleotic and Sinopian traders in the camp ; telling them that unless they provided not merely transports, but also pay for the soldiers, Xenophon would find means to detain the army in the Euxine, and would employ the transports when they arrived, not for the homeward voyage, but for his own projects of acquisition This news spread so much terror both at Sinope and Herakleia, that large offers of money were made from both cities to Timasion, on condition that he would ensure the departure of the army, as soon as the vessels should be assembled at Kotyora. Accordingly these officers, convening an assembly of the soldiers, protested against the duplicity of Xenophon in thus preparing momentous schemes without any public debate or decision. And Timasion, seconded by Thorax, not only strenuously urged the army to return, but went so far as to promise to them, on the faith of the assur- ances from Herakleia and Sinope, future pay on a liberal scale, to commence from the first new moon after their departure ; together with a hospitable reception in his native city of Dardanus on the Hellespont, from whence they could make incursions on the rich neighboring satrapy of Pharnabazus. 2 It was not, however, until these attacks were repeated from more than one quarter, until the Achaeans Philesius and Lykon had 1 Though Xenophon accounted sacrifice to be an essential preliminary to any action of dubious result, and placed great faith in the indications which the victims offered, as signs of the future purposes of the gods, he never- theless had very little confidence in the professional prophets. He thought them quite capable of gross deceit ( See Xen. Cyrop. i, 6, 2, 3 ; compare So phokles, Antigone, 1035, 1060; and CEdip. Tyrann. 387). Xen. Anab. v, 6, 19-26.