As soon as the pledge was taken, Clearchus spoke:  “And now, Ariaeus,” he said, “since you and we have one expedition in prospect, will you 10 tell us what you think about the route; shall we return the way we came, or have you devised a better?” He answered:  “To return the same way is to perish to a man by hunger; for at this moment we have no provisions whatsoever.  During the seventeen last stages, even on our way hither, we could extract nothing from the country; or, if there was now and again anything, we passed over and utterly consumed it.  At this time our project is to take another and a longer journey certainly, but we shall not be in straits for provisions.  The earliest stages must be very long, as long as we can make them; the object is to put as large a space as possible between us and the royal army; once we are two or three days’ journey off, the danger is over.  The king will never overtake us.  With a small army he will not dare to dog our heels, and with a vast equipment he will lack the power to march quickly.  Perhaps he, too, may even find a scarcity of provisions.  There,” said he, “you asked for my opinion, see, I have given it.”

Here was a plan of the campaign, which was equivalent to a stampede:  helter-skelter they were to run away, or get into hiding somehow; but fortune proved a better general.  For as soon as it was day they recommenced the journey, keeping the sun on their right, and calculating that with the westering rays they would have reached villages in the territory of Babylonia, and in this hope they were not deceived.  While it was yet afternoon, they thought they caught sight of some of the enemy’s cavalry; and those of the Hellenes who were not in rank ran to their ranks; and Ariaeus, who was riding in a wagon to nurse a wound, got down and donned his cuirass, the rest of his party following his example.  Whilst they were arming themselves, the scouts, who had been sent forward, came back with the information that they were not cavalry but baggage animals grazing.  It was at once clear to all that they must be somewhere in the neighbourhood of the king’s encampment.  Smoke could actually be seen rising, evidently from villages not far ahead.  Clearchus hesitated to advance upon the enemy, knowing that the troops were tired and hungry; and indeed it was already late.  On the other hand he had no mind either to swerve from his route—­guarding against any appearance of flight.  Accordingly he 16 marched straight as an arrow, and with sunset entered the nearest villages with his vanguard and took up quarters.

These villages had been thoroughly sacked and dismantled by the royal army—­down to the very woodwork and furniture of the houses.  Still, the vanguard contrived to take up their quarters in some sort of fashion; but the rear division, coming up in the dark, had to bivouac as best they could, one detachment after another; and a great noise they made, with hue and cry to one another, so that the enemy could hear them; and those in their immediate proximity actually took to their heels, left their quarters, and decamped, as was plain enough next morning, when not a beast was to be seen, nor sign of camp or wreath of smoke anywhere in the neighbourhood.  The king, as it would appear, was himself quite taken aback by the advent of the army; as he fully showed by his proceedings next day.