and son mounted their carriages, with their dear ones beside them, and drove away rejoicing.
[41] But when they were home again, they all spoke of Cyrus, one praising his wisdom, another his endurance, a third the gentleness of his nature, and a fourth his stature and his beauty. Then Tigranes turned to his wife and asked, 'Did Cyrus seem so beautiful in your eyes?' But she answered, 'Ah, my lord, he was not the man I saw.' 'Who was it then?' asked Tigranes. 'He,' she answered, 'who offered his own life to free me from slavery.'
And so they took their delight together, as lovers will, after all their sufferings.
[42] But on the morrow the king of Armenia sent gifts of hospitality to Cyrus and all his army, and bade his own contingent make ready to march on the third day, and himself brought Cyrus twice the sum which he had named. But Cyrus would take no more than he had fixed, and gave the rest back to the king, only asking whether he or his son was to lead the force. And the father answered that it should be as Cyrus chose, but the son said, 'I will not leave you, Cyrus, if I must carry the baggage to follow you.' [43] And Cyrus laughed and said, 'What will you take to let us tell your wife that you have become a baggage- bearer?' 'She will not need to be told,' he answered, 'I mean to bring her with me, and she can see for herself all that her husband does.' 'Then it is high time,' said Cyrus, 'that you got your own baggage together now.' 'We will come,' said he, 'be sure of that, in good time, with whatever baggage my father gives.'
So the soldiers were the guests of Armenia for the day, and rested for that night.
[C.2] But on the day following Cyrus took Tigranes and the best of the Median cavalry, with chosen followers of his own, and scoured the whole country to decide where he should build a fort. He halted on the top of a mountain-pass and asked Tigranes where the heights lay down which the Chaldaeans swept when they came to plunder. Tigranes showed him. Then Cyrus asked him if the mountains were quite uninhabited. 'No, indeed,' said the prince, 'there are always men on the look-out, who signal to the others if they catch sight of anything.' 'And what do they do,' he asked, 'when they see the signal?' 'They rush to the rescue,' he said, 'as quickly as they can.' [2] Cyrus listened and looked, and he could see that large tracts lay desolate and untilled because of the war. That day they came back to camp and took their supper and slept. [3] But the next morning Tigranes presented himself with all his baggage in order and ready for the march, 4000 cavalry at his back, 10,000 bowmen, and as many targeteers. While they were marching up, Cyrus offered sacrifice, and finding that the victims were favourable, he called the leaders of the Persians together and the chief captains of the Medes and spoke to them thus:
[4] 'My friends, there lie the Chaldaean hills. If we could seize them and set a garrison to hold the pass, we should compel them both, Chaldaeans and Armenians alike, to behave themselves discreetly. The victims are favourable; and to help a man in such a work as this there is no ally half so good as speed. If we scale the heights before the enemy have time to gather, we may take the position out of hand without a blow, and at most we shall only find a handful of weak and scattered forces to oppose us. [5] Steady speed is all I ask for, and surely I could ask for nothing easier or less dangerous. To arms then! The Medes will march on our left, half the Armenians on our right, and the rest in the van to lead the way, the cavalry in our rear, to cheer us on and push us forward and let none of us give way.'
[6] With that Cyrus led the advance, the army in column behind him. As soon as the Chaldaeans saw them sweeping up from the plain, they signalled to their fellows till the heights re-echoed with answering shouts, and the tribesmen gathered on every side. Then Cyrus sent word along his lines, 'Soldiers of Persia, they are signalling to us to make haste. If only we reach the top before them, all they can do will be in vain.'
[7] Now the Chaldaeans were said to be the most warlike of all the tribes in that country, and each of them was armed with a shield and a brace of javelins. They fight for pay wherever they are needed, partly because they are warriors born, but partly through poverty; for their country is mountainous, and the fertile part of it small. [8] As Cyrus and his force drew near the head of the pass, Tigranes, who was marching at his side, said:
'Do you know, Cyrus, that before long we shall be in the thick of the fight ourselves? Our Armenians will never stand the charge.' Cyrus answered that he was well aware of that, and immediately sent word that the Persians should be ready to give chase at once, 'as soon as we see the Armenians decoying the enemy by feigning flight and drawing them within our reach.'
[9] Thus they marched up with the Armenians in the van: and the Chaldaeans who had collected waited till they were almost on them, and then charged with a tremendous shout, as their custom was, and the Armenians, as was ever theirs, turned and ran. [10] But in the midst of the pursuit the Chaldaeans met new opponents streaming up the pass, armed with short swords, and some of them were cut to pieces at once before they could withdraw, while others were taken prisoners and the rest fled, and in a few moments the heights were won. From the top of the pass Cyrus and his staff looked down and saw below them the Chaldaean villages with fugitives pouring from the nearest houses. [11] Soon the rest of the army came up, and Cyrus ordered them all to take the morning meal. When it was over, and he had ascertained that the look-out was really in a strong position, and well supplied with water, he set about fortifying a post without more ado, and he bade Tigranes send to his father and bid him come at once with all the carpenters and stonemasons he could fetch, and while a messenger went off to the king Cyrus did all he could with what he had at hand.
[12] Meanwhile they brought up the prisoners, all of them bound in chains and some wounded. But Cyrus when he saw their plight ordered the chains to be struck off, and sent for surgeons to dress their wounds, and then he told them that he came neither to destroy them nor to war against them, but to make peace between them and the Armenians. 'I know,' he said, 'before your pass was taken you did not wish for peace. Your own land was in safety and you could harry the Armenians: but you can see for yourselves how things stand to-day. [13] Accordingly I will let you all go back to your homes in freedom, and I will allow you and your fellows to take counsel together and choose whether you will have us for your enemies or your friends. If you decide on war, you had better not come here again without your weapons, but if you choose peace, come unarmed and welcome: it shall be my care to see that all is well with you, if you are my friends.'
[14] And when the Chaldaeans heard that, they poured out praises and thanks, and then they turned homewards and departed.
Meanwhile the king, receiving the call of Cyrus, and hearing the business that was at hand, had gathered his workmen together and took what he thought necessary and came with all speed. [15] And when he caught sight of Cyrus, he cried: 'Ah, my lord, blind mortals that we are! How little can we see of the future, and how much we take in hand to do! I set myself to win freedom and I made myself a slave, and now, when we were captured and said to ourselves that we were utterly undone, suddenly we find a safety we never had before. Those who troubled us are taken now, even as I would have them. [16] Be well assured, Cyrus,' he added, 'that I would have paid the sum you had from me over and over again simply to dislodge the Chaldaeans from these heights. The things of worth you promised me when you took the money have been paid in full already, and we discover that we are not your creditors, but deep in your debt for many kindnesses; and we shall be ashamed not to return them, or we should be base indeed, for try as we may, we shall never be able to requite in full so great a benefactor.'
[17] Such thanks the Armenian gave.
Then the Chaldaeans came back, begging Cyrus to make peace with them. And Cyrus asked them: 'Am I right in thinking that you desire peace to-day because you believe it will be safer for you than war, now that we hold these heights?'
And the Chaldaeans said that so it was. [18] 'Well and good,' said he. 'And what if other benefits were gained by peace?' 'We should be all the better pleased,' said they. 'Is there any other reason,' he asked, 'for your present poverty, except your lack of fertile soil?' They said that there was none. 'Well then,' Cyrus went on, 'would you be willing to pay the same dues as the Armenians, if you were allowed to cultivate as much of their land as you desired?' And the Chaldaeans said they would, if only they could rely on being fairly treated. [19] 'Now,' said Cyrus, turning to the Armenian king, 'would you like that land of yours which is now lying idle to be tilled and made productive, supposing the workers paid you the customary dues?' 'I would, indeed,' said the king, 'so much so that I am ready to pay a large sum for it. It would mean a great increase to my revenue.' [20] 'And you, Chaldaeans,' said Cyrus, 'with your splendid mountains, would you let the Armenians use them for pasture if the graziers paid you what was fair?' 'Surely yes,' said the Chaldaeans, 'it would mean much profit and no pains.'
'Son of Armenia,' said Cyrus, 'would you take this land for grazing, if by paying a small sum to the Chaldaeans you got a far greater return yourself?'
'Right willingly,' said he, 'if I thought my flocks could feed in safety.'
'And would they not be safe enough,' suggested Cyrus, 'if this pass were held for you?' To which the king agreed. [21] But the Chaldaeans cried, 'Heaven help us! We could not till our own fields in safety, not to speak of
