366 XENOPHON
position. And now the two battle lines were no more than three or four furlongs apart, when the Hellenes began chanting the paean, and at the same time ad- vanced against the enemy.
But with the forward movement a certain portion of the line curved onwards in advance, with wave-like sinuosity, and the portion left behind quickened to a run ; and simultaneously a thrilling cry burst from all lips, like that in honor of the war-god — eleleu! eleleu ! and the running became general. Some say they clashed their shields and spears, thereby causing terror to the horses ; and before they had got within arrowshot the barbarians swerved and took to flight. And now the Hellenes gave chase with might and main, checked only by shouts to one another not to race, but to keep their ranks. The enemy's chariots, reft of their charioteers, swept onwards, some through the enemy themselves, others past the Hellenes. They, as they saw them coming, opened a gap and let them pass. One fellow, like some dumfounded mortal on a race-course, was caught by the heels, but even he, they said, received no hurt ; nor indeed, with the single exception of some one on the left wing who was said to have been wounded by an arrow, did any Hellene in this battle suffer a single hurt.
Cyrus, seeing the Hellenes conquering, as far as they at any rate were concerned, and in hot pursuit, was well content ; but in spite of his joy and the salu- tations offered him at that moment by those about him, as though he were already king, he was not led away to join in the pursuit, but keeping his squadron of six hundred horsemen in close order, waited and watched to see what the king; himself would do. The king;, he knew, held the centre of the Persian army. Indeed it
