16. On hearing these proposals, they at once complied with them, and crossed the river before the others had given their answer. And when Cyrus perceived that they had crossed, he was much pleased, and despatched Glus to Menon's troops with this message: "I applaud your conduct, my friends; and it shall be my care that you may applaud me; or think me no longer Cyrus." 17. The soldiers, in consequence, being filled with great expectations, prayed that he might succeed; and to Menon Cyrus was said to have sent most magnificent presents. After these transactions, he passed the river, and all the rest of the army followed him; and, in crossing the stream, no one was wetted by its waters above the breast. 18. The people of Thapsacus said, that this river had never, except on that occasion, been passable on foot, but only by means of boats; which Abrocomas, going before, had burnt, that Cyrus might not be able to cross. It seemed, therefore, that this had happened by divine interposition, and that the river had plainly made way for Cyrus as the future king. 19. Hence he advanced through Syria, nine days' march, a distance of fifty parasangs, and arrived at the river Araxes, where were a number of villages, stored with corn and wine. Here the army remained three days, and collected provisions. [Footnote 40: Ἦσαν δὲ ταῦτα δύο τείχη.] As the fem. πύλαι precedes, and as the gates were not properly the τείχη, but the space between them, Weiske conjectures ἦσαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα, κ. τ. λ., which Kühner and others approve, but have not admitted into the text. Kühner interprets τείχη "castella," and I have followed him. When Xenophon speaks, a little below, of τείχη εἰς τὴν θάλατταν καθήκοντα, he seems to mean _walls_ attached to the fortress nearest to the sea. So when he says that _at each of the fortresses_, ἐπὶ τοῖς τείχεσιν ἀμφοτέροις, were gates, he appears to signify that there were gates in the walls attached to each of the fortresses. "At a distance of about six hundred yards, corresponding with the three stadia of Xenophon, are the ruins of a wall, which can be traced amid a dense shrubbery, from the mountains down to the sea-shore, where it terminates in a round tower." _Ainsworth_, p. 59.] [Footnote 41: "That is, within the two fortresses and beyond them, viz. in Syria." _Kühner_.] [Footnote 42: Εἰς ζώνην.] Nominally to furnish her with girdles, or to supply ornaments for her girdle, it being the custom with the Persian kings to bestow places on their queens and other favourites ostensibly for the purpose of furnishing them with articles of dress, food, or other conveniences. See Herod, ii. 98; Plato, Alcib. I. c. 40; Cic. in Verr. iii. 23; Corn. Nepos, Life of Themistocles, c. 10.] [Footnote 43: Reckoning the talent at £243 15_s._, the mina (60 = a talent) will be £4 1_s._ 3_d._, and five minæ £20 6_s._ 3_d._] CHAPTER V.