[4] To watch these eating up the land was bad enough, and Cyaxares thought he would rather be quit of one horde before he received another.

On his side the officer in command of the Persian levy, following the instructions from Cyrus, asked Cyaxares if he had any need of the men, and Cyaxares said he had not.

Thereupon, and hearing that Cyrus had arrived, the Persian put himself at the head of his troops and went off at once to join him.

[5] Cyaxares himself waited till the next day and then set out with the Median troopers who had stayed behind.

And when Cyrus knew of his approach he took his Persian cavalry, who were now a large body of men, and all the Medes, Hyrcanians, and Armenians, and the best-mounted and best-armed among the rest, and so went out to meet Cyaxares and show the power he had won.