THE HISTORY [268]
the captains. Such were the nations who fought upon the dry land, and made up the infantry of the Persians. And they were commanded by the captains whose names have been above recorded. The marshalling and numbering of the troops had been committed to them; and by them were appointed the captains over a thousand, and the captains over ten thousand; but the leaders of ten men, or a hundred, were named by the captains over ten thousand. There were other officers also, who gave the orders to the various ranks and nations; but those whom I have mentioned above were the commanders. Over these commanders themselves, and over the whole of the infantry, there were set six generals- namely Mardonius, son of Gobryas; Tritantaechmes, son of the Artabanus who gave his advice against the war with Greece; Smerdomenes, son of Otanes- these two were the sons of Darius' brothers, and thus were cousins of Xerxes- Masistes, son of Darius and Atossa; Gergis, son of Arizus; and Megabyzus, son of Zopyrus. The whole of the infantry was under the command of these generals, excepting the Ten Thousand. The Ten Thousand, who were all Persians and all picked men, were led by Hydarnes, the son of Hydarnes. They were called "the Immortals," for the following reason. If one of their body failed either by the stroke of death or of disease, forthwith his place was filled up by another man, so that their number was at no time either greater or less than 10,000. Of all the troops the Persians were adorned with the greatest magnificence, and they were likewise the most valiant. Besides their arms, which have been already described, they glittered all over with gold, vast quantities of which they wore about their persons. They were followed by litters, wherein rode their concubines, and by a numerous train of attendants handsomely dressed. Camels and sumpter-beasts carried their provision, apart from that of the other soldiers. All these various nations fight on horseback; they did not, however, at this time all furnish horsemen, but only the following:- (i.) The Persians, who were armed in the same way as their own footmen, excepting that some of them wore upon their heads devices fashioned with the hammer in brass or steel. (ii.) The wandering tribe known by the name of Sagartians- a people Persian in language, and in dress half Persian, half Pactyan, who furnished to the army as many as eight thousand horse. It is not the wont of this people to carry arms, either of bronze or steel, except only a dirk; but they use lassoes made of thongs plaited together, and trust to these whenever they go to the wars. Now the manner in which they fight is the following: when they meet their enemy, straightway they discharge their lassoes, which end in a noose; then, whatever the noose encircles, be it man or be it horse, they drag towards them; and the foe, entangled in the toils, is forthwith slain. Such is the manner in which this people fight; and now their horsemen were drawn up with the Persians. (iii.) The Medes, and Cissians, who had the same equipment as their foot-soldiers. (iv.) The Indians, equipped as their foot. men, but some on horseback and some in chariots- the chariots drawn either by horses, or by wild asses. (v.) The Bactrians and Caspians, arrayed as their foot-soldiers. (vi.) The Libyans, equipped as their foot-soldiers, like the rest; but all riding in chariots. (vii.) The Caspeirians and Paricanians, equipped as their foot-soldiers. (viii.) The Arabians, in the same array as their footmen, but all riding on camels, not inferior in fleetness to horses. These nations, and these only, furnished horse to the army: and the number of the horse was eighty thousand, without counting camels or chariots. All were marshalled in squadrons, excepting the Arabians; who were placed last, to avoid frightening the horses, which cannot endure the sight of the camel. The horse was commanded by Armamithras and Tithaeus, sons of Datis. The other commander, Pharnuches, who was to have been their colleague, had