AFTER this the enemy kept themselves to themselves and moved their families and their property as far off as they could. Meanwhile the Greeks waited for Oleander and the triremes and transports that were supposed to be coming. Every day they went out of camp with their baggage animals and slaves, and brought in, with no fear of being attacked, wheat, barley, wine, vegetables, millet and figs. The country produced everything one could want, except olives.
When the army was resting in camp, permission was given to individuals to go out after plunder, and those who did so kept their plunder; but when the whole army was out on an expedition, whatever anyone got hold of, if he went off on his own, was counted as public property.
There was now plenty of everything. And in addition food was brought for sale from the Greek cities on all sides, and people sailing along the coast were glad to put in here, as they had heard that a city was being founded, and that there was a harbour available. Enemy tribes, too, who lived in the vicinity, now began to send messengers to Xenophon, since they had heard that he was in charge of the arrangements for founding the city, and asked him what they had to do in order to be on friendly terms. Xenophon let the soldiers see these envoys.
In the middle of all this Cleander arrived with two triremes but no transports. When he arrived the army happened to be out of camp, but some stragglers had gone off into the mountains after plunder and had seized a number of sheep. Fearing that the sheep would be taken away from them, they told Dexippus (the man who ran away from Trapezus with the ship of fifty oars) about it, and urged him to look after the sheep for them, taking a share for himself and giving them back the rest. Dexippus immediately pushed out of the way the soldiers who were standing round and were pointing out that the sheep were public property, and then went to Cleander and said that they were trying to make off with the sheep themselves. Cleander gave orders that whoever did so should be brought to him, and Dexippus arrested one of the soldiers and started to take him along. Agasias, however, met the party and rescued the man, who was a soldier in his own company. The other soldiers who were there started throwing stones at Dexippus, and kept on shouting out ‘Traitor!’ At this many of the men from the triremes were frightened too, and fled to the sea, Cleander among them. Xenophon and the other generals tried to stop them, and told Cleander that there was nothing to be afraid of, pointing out that the reason for the trouble was the decision passed by the army.
Cleander, however, had been put into a state of excitement by Dexippus and was himself ashamed at having shown that he was frightened. He said that he proposed to sail away from them and would give the order that they were to be treated as public enemies, and no city was to receive them. At this time the Spartans were supreme over all Greece.
It now looked a bad business for the Greeks, and they begged him not to carry out his threats. He, however, refused to make any change in his plans unless the man who had rescued the prisoner was handed over to him. The man whom he was looking for was Agasias, who had always been a friend of Xenophon’s, which, indeed, was the reason why Dexippus was accusing him.
At this point, since no one knew what to do, the officers called a meeting of the army. Some of the soldiers thought very little of Cleander, but Xenophon regarded the matter as by no means unimportant. He got up and spoke as follows: ‘Soldiers, in my view, it is a serious business if Cleander goes away, as he says he will, feeling about us as he does at present. The Greek cities are not far away, and the Spartans are the masters of Greece. They have the power, yes, each individual Spartan in the cities has the power, to do what they like there. If, then, Cleander first of all shuts us out of Byzantium, and then gives orders to the other Spartan governors in the various cities not to admit us, on the ground that we are disobeying the Spartans and are outlaws, and then if the same report of us comes to the admiral Anaxibius, it will be a difficult thing for us either to stay here or to sail away. At the present time the Spartans have supreme power both on land and sea. It is not right, then, that, for the sake of one or two men, all the rest of us should be shut off from Greece. No, we ought to do what they tell us. Speaking for myself (and I hear that Dexippus is telling Cleander that Agasias would not have done what he did if I had not ordered him to do so), – speaking for myself, I am ready to clear both you and Agasias from blame if Agasias says himself that I had any responsibility for what happened, and I am ready to condemn myself to the severest punishment, and I will undergo that punishment, if I was the instigator of stone-throwing or any other act of violence. I suggest, too, that if Dexippus is accusing anyone else, that person ought to give himself up to Cleander for trial. In this way you would be freed from all responsibility in the affair. As things are at present it will be hard if, instead of all our expectations of getting honour and glory in Greece, we are not even looked upon as on a level with our fellow countrymen, and are shut out of their cities.’
After this speech Agasias rose up and spoke as follows: ‘I swear to you, soldiers, by all the gods and goddesses that Xenophon never ordered me to rescue the man, and nor did anyone else among you. But when I saw a good soldier, a man from my own company, being led away by Dexippus, who you know was a traitor to you, it seemed to me insufferable, and I rescued the man: I admit it. And there is no need for you to hand me over. I shall, as Xenophon suggests, give myself up to Cleander to try me and do what he pleases with me. Don’t, for the sake of this, make enemies of the Spartans. I want you to get safely home where each man wants to be. But I should like you to choose some people and send them with me to Cleander, so that they can speak on my behalf and do what they can if I leave anything out.’
The army then gave him the opportunity to choose whom he liked to go with him, and he chose the generals.
After this Agasias and the generals and the man who had been rescued went to Cleander. The generals spoke as follows: ‘The army has sent us to you, Cleander, and it requests that, if you are accusing all of us, you will try the case yourself and treat us as you think fit: if you are accusing one or two or more, they think that the right thing is for them to give themselves up to you for judgement. So, if you are accusing any of us, we are here before you. If anyone else, you have only to tell us his name. No one who is willing to obey our orders will refuse to attend.’
Next Agasias stepped forward and spoke as follows: ‘I, Cleander, am the man who rescued this soldier when Dexippus was carrying him off, and I gave the order to throw stones at Dexippus. This was because I knew that this soldier was a good man, and I knew Dexippus too. I knew that he had been chosen by the army to command the ship of fifty oars which we persuaded the people of Trapezus to give us so that we could collect transports for bringing us home safe, and I knew that Dexippus ran away and played the traitor to the soldiers in whose company his life had been saved. So we were left, having taken the ship away from the people of Trapezus, and consequently with a bad reputation there, and, so far as Dexippus had a share in the business, we were lost men ourselves. He had heard, just as we had, of how impossible it was to cross the rivers and get safely to Greece by going on foot. This was the sort of man from whom I rescued this soldier. If it had been you who was leading him off, or any of your people, and not one of our deserters, you can be sure that I would never have acted as I did. And if you kill me now, remember that you will be killing a good man because of a wretched coward.’
After listening to this Cleander said that if Dexippus had acted as had been stated, it was impossible to approve of his conduct. On the other hand, he considered that, not even if Dexippus was an utter scoundrel, ought he to suffer by violent action. Instead he should have a trial and then get what he deserved. ‘Just,’ said Cleander, ‘as you yourselves are now claiming a trial. Now,’ he continued, ‘go away and leave Agasias with me. Come back when I tell you, to be present at his trial. I make no accusation either against the army or against anyone else, since this man admits himself that he rescued the prisoner.’
The man who had been rescued then spoke. ‘As for me, Cleander,’ he said, ‘if you think that I was being led away because I had done anything wrong, I never struck anybody or threw stones. I merely said that the sheep were public property, as it was a decision passed by the soldiers that if anyone got any plunder by himself when the army was out on an expedition, what he got was to be considered public property. This was what I said, and the next thing was that Dexippus seized hold of me and was leading me off, so that no one could say a word about it, while he himself could take his own share and keep the rest of the plunder for the robbers, against the resolution of the army.’
Cleander replied to this as follows: ‘Since you are involved in this, stay behind, so that we can decide what to do about you too.’
After this Cleander’s party had dinner. Xenophon called a meeting of the army and advised sending delegates to Cleander to ask him to treat the men leniently. They decided to send the generals and captains and Dracontius the Spartan and any of the others who seemed likely to be useful and instruct them to beg Cleander most earnestly to release the men, Xenophon therefore went to Cleander and spoke as follows: ‘You have the men in your power, Cleander, and the army has given you the authority to act as you please both as concerns the two men and also as concerns all the soldiers. They now most earnestly beg you to give them back these men and not to put them to death. In times past the two of them have done a lot for the army. If the soldiers gain their request, they promise you, as a return for this, that, if you are willing to be their commander, and if the gods are kind, they will give you a demonstration of their good discipline and will show you that, in obedience to their commander and with the help of heaven, they do not know the meaning of fear in the face of the enemy. They have another request to make too. It is that, when you have come and taken over the command, you will give to Dexippus and to the rest of them a chance of showing what each is good for, and that you will reward each according to his merits.’
Cleander listened to this, and then said: ‘By the twin brethren, I shall give you a quick answer. I give you back the two men and I shall come and join you myself. And, if the gods give me the power, I shall lead you from here to Greece. Your own words are very different from the reports which I had about some of you, and which suggested that you were alienating the army from the Spartans.’
Then the delegates thanked Cleander and went away, taking the two men with them. Cleander offered a sacrifice with a view to making the journey and associated with Xenophon on very friendly terms. Indeed they made an agreement for mutual hospitality. When he saw how the soldiers carried out their orders in a smart disciplined way, he became even more anxious to be their commander. However, although he sacrificed on three separate days, the omens did not turn out favourable, and so he called the generals together and spoke as follows: ‘The omens have not turned out right for me to lead you away from here : but you must not be discouraged on that account. You are the people, it seems, to whom has been given the task of bringing the army home. I ead on, then, and when you get to Byzantium, we shall give you the best reception we can.’
After this the soldiers decided to make him a present of the sheep which were public property. He accepted the gift, and then gave it back to them again. Then he set sail.
The army, after disposing of the corn which they had collected and the rest of their booty, marched on through the country of the Bithynians. Marching along the direct road, they fell in with no opportunities of securing any booty to take with them into the friendly country where they were going, and so they decided to march back on their tracks for a day and a night. By doing this they secured large numbers both of slaves and cattle. After six days they arrived at Chrysopolis10 in Chalcedonia where they stayed for seven days to sell their booty.