Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/170

J.18 HISTORY OF GREECE. the humiliation put upon him, hi having been first named sole com- mander and next deposed within a week, had fallen sick of a fever and died. The eld <r Arcadian captains farther moved a reso- lution, that if any one h> ticeforward should propose to separate the army into fractions, he hould be put to death. 1 The locality of KaL^e was well suited for the foundation of a colony, which XenopHn evidently would have been glad to bring about, though he toot tio direct measures tending towards it ; while the soldiers were so .oent on returning to Greece, and so jealous lest Xenophon shored entrap them into remaining, that they almost shunned the encampment. It so happened that they were de- tained there for sr toe days without being able to march forth even in quest of provf /ions, because the sacrifices were not favorable. Xenophon refused to lead them out, against the warning of the sacrifices although the army suspected him of a deliberate manoeuvre fc? ihe purpose of detention. Neon, however, less scru- pulous, led out a body of two thousand men who chose to follow him, under severe distress for want of provisions. But being sur- prised by the native Bithynians, with the aid of some troops of the Persian satrap Pharnabazus, he was defeated with the loss of no less than five hundred men ; a misfortune which Xenophon regards as the natural retribution for contempt of the sacrificial warning. The dangerous position of Neon with the remainder of the detach- ment was rapidly made known at the camp ; upon which Xeno- phon, unharnessing a waggon-bullock as the only animal near at hand, immediately offered sacrifice. On this occasion, the victim was at once favorable ; so that he led out without delay the greater part of the force, to the rescue of the exposed detachment, which was brought back in safety to the camp. So bold had the enemy become, that hi the night the camp was attacked. The Greeks were obliged on the next day to retreat into stronger gi-ound, sur- rounding themselves with a ditch and palisade. Fortunately a vessel arrived from Herakleia, bringing to the camp at Kalpe a supply of barley-meal, cattle, and wine ; which restored the spirits of the army, enabling them to go forth on the ensuing morning, and assume the aggressive against the Bithynians and the troops of Pliarnabazus. Thes! troops were completely defeated and dis- 1 Xenoph. Anab. vi. 3, 10-25; vi, 4, 11.