Clearchus, who was a stern commander and no favourite with his men, tried in vain to quell their rebellion, but all his efforts were vain. Not a step forward would they march. He had used his authority and failed, now he resolved not to command but to persuade. So he called his men together again, and as he looked at them he wept. Their grim, stern commander shedding tears! The soldiers stared at him in open-eyed wonder. Then Clearchus bade them see in how difficult a position they had placed him, for he must either fail Cyrus or forsake them. Forsake them he could not, so he declared, for were they not ‘his country, his friends, and his allies’? These words pleased the soldiers well, but what pleased them even more was that when Cyrus sent to ask their commander to go to his tent, he refused to go. But they were less content when Clearchus reminded them that as they refused to follow Cyrus, they could no longer expect him to give them food or wages. What, he asked them, did they mean to do? All that they could do was to send a few of their number to the prince to ask him where he intended to lead them. Cyrus answered that he was taking them to the river Euphrates, to fight against a Persian rebel, and at the same time he offered to increase their wages if they would obey Clearchus. The Greeks were far from home, and not knowing what else to do, they agreed to follow their commander. But they did not trust Cyrus, and they still suspected that he wished to march beyond the river Euphrates. And when they reached the river their suspicions proved true, for Cyrus told them plainly that he was going to Babylon to dethrone his brother Artaxerxes. As the Euphrates was unusually shallow, the army was able to cross over on foot, and soon afterwards it was in the desert of Arabia. Xenophon tells us that the desert was ‘smooth as a sea.’ There were no large trees in all the great expanse, but there were many shrubs that had a pleasant scent. The soldiers did not find the march across the desert dull, for they saw many strange beasts, unlike any they had ever seen--wild asses, ostriches, antelopes,--and these they hunted with zest. When the desert lay behind them they found themselves in a land where fields had been dug and gardens tended. Here, too, a little before them, was Artaxerxes, with a great army, ready to fight to the death for his crown. The king was encamped at a place called Cunascæ, where in the summer of 401 B.C. a battle was fought. Strange as it may seem, before a blow was struck, the Persians were seized with panic and turned to flee. Only Tissaphernes at the head of the cavalry stood firm. Cyrus with a small body of men, about six hundred in number, dashed upon the centre of the army, for there, surrounded by six thousand horsemen, was Artaxerxes. The guards scattered before his fierce attack, and the king turned to fly with them.