Then Cyrus asked him if the mountains were quite uninhabited.

"No, indeed," said the prince, "there are always men on the look-out, who signal to the others if they catch sight of anything." "And what do they do," he asked, "when they see the signal ?" "They rush to the rescue," he said, "as quickly as they can." [2] Cyrus listened and looked, and he could see that large tracts lay desolate and untilled because of the war.

That day they came back to camp and took their supper and slept.

[3] But the next morning Tigranes presented himself with all his baggage in order and ready for the march, 4000 cavalry at his back, 10,000 bowmen, and as many targeteers.

While they were marching up, Cyrus offered sacrifice, and finding that the victims were favourable, he called the leaders of the Persians together and the chief captains of the Medes and spoke to them thus: [4] "My friends, there lie the Chaldaean hills.