[Footnote 189: [Greek: Engythen pheugontes].] "Fleeing from near," i. e. when they were at no great distance before us.]
[Footnote 190: [Greek: Tô aristerô podi prosbainontes].] All the manuscripts have [Greek: probainontes]: [Greek: prosbainontes] is a conjecture of Wesseling ad Diod. Sic. iii. 8, which all the recent editors have adopted, but by which it does not appear that anything is gained, as [Greek: pros to katô tou toxou] precedes. Spelman, who was himself an archer, has illustrated the passage very clearly by a quotation from Arrian, Indie. 16: "Resting one end of the bow upon the ground, and stepping forward with the left foot, ([Greek: tô podi tô aristerô antibantes],) they thus discharge the arrow, drawing the string a long way back, the arrow being nearly three cubits long." See also Diod. Sic. l. c., where he speaks of the archery of the Æthiopians; Strabo, xvi. p. 1117; Suidas in [Greek: Arabes], cited by Weiske. Schneider and Halbkart, strangely enough, think that Xenophon is speaking of _cross-bows_, which few besides themselves have supposed to have been known in Xenophon's time.]
[Footnote 191: [Greek: Enankylôntes].] "Fitting them with [Greek: ankylai]." The [Greek: ankylê] is generally supposed to be the same with the Latin _amentum_, a strap or loop fastened to the middle of a javelin, or the shaft of a spear, that it might be hurled with the greater force. The writer of the article _Ansa_ in Smith's Dict. of G. and R. Ant. thinks, however that the two were not the same.]
The Greeks arrive at the river Centrites, which divides the Carduchi from Armenia. They see the Persians drawn up on the opposite bank, while the Carduchi threaten their rear. They are encouraged by a dream of Xenophon's to try a ford, and effect a safe passage across the stream.
1. This day the Greeks abode in the villages above the plain near the river Centrites, the breadth of which is about two hundred feet, and which forms the boundary between Armenia and the territory of the Carduchi. Here they took some rest, being glad to see a piece of level country. The river is distant from the mountains of the Carduchi about six or seven stadia. 2. It was with great satisfaction that they stayed here, as they had a sufficiency of provisions, and were frequently reflecting on the difficulties that were past, for, during seven days that they had been marching among the Carduchi, they had been constantly fighting, and had suffered more evils than all those which they had endured from the king and Tissaphernes.[192] Having escaped from such hardships, they gladly took repose.