18, {Dia ti e dia pason sumphonia adetai mone;
    magasizousi gar tauten, allen de oudemian}, i.e. “since no
    interval except the octave ({dia pason}) could be ‘magidised’ (the
    effect of any other is well known to be intolerable), therefore no
    other interval was employed at all.”

But when the sun began to set, the Hellenes rose from their seats.  It 33 was time, they said, to place the night sentinels and to pass the watchword; further, they begged of Seuthes to issue an order that none of the Thracians were to enter the Hellenic camp at night, “since between your Thracian foes and our Thracian friends there might be some confusion.”  As they sallied forth, Seuthes rose to accompany them, like the soberest of men.  When they were outside, he summoned the generals apart and said:  “Sirs, our enemies are not aware as yet of our alliance.  If, therefore, we attack them before they take precautions not to be caught, or are prepared to repel assault, we shall make a fine haul of captives and other stock.”  The generals fully approved of these views, and bade him lead on.  He answered:  “Prepare and wait; as soon as the right time comes I will be with you.  I shall pick up the peltasts and yourselves, and with the help of the gods, I will lead on.”  “But consider one point,” urged Xenophon; “if we are to march by night, is not the Hellenic fashion best?  When marching in the daytime that part of the army leads the van which seems best suited to the nature of the country to be traversed—­heavy or light infantry, or cavalry; but by night our rule is that the slowest arm should take the lead.  Thus we avoid the risk of being pulled to pieces:  and it is not so easy for a man to give his neighbour the slip without intending, whereas the scattered fragments of an army are apt to fall foul of one another, and to cause damage or incur it in sheer ignorance.”  To this Seuthes replied:  “You reason well, and I will adopt your custom.  I will furnish you with guides chosen from the oldest experts of the country, and I will myself follow with the cavalry in the rear; it will not take me long, if need be, to present myself at the front.”  Then, for kinship’s sake, they chose “Athenaia[6]” as their watchword.  With this, they turned and sought repose.

[6] “Our Lady of Athens.”

It was about midnight when Seuthes presented himself with his cavalry troopers armed with corselets, and his light infantry under arms.  As 40 soon as he had handed over to them the promised guides, the heavy infantry took the van, followed by the light troops in the centre, while the cavalry brought up the rear.  At daybreak Seuthes rode up to the front.  He complimented them on their method:  so often had he himself, while marching by night with a mere handful of men, been separated with his cavalry from his infantry.  “But now,” said he, “we find ourselves at dawn of day all happily together, just as we ought to be.  Do you wait