Anabasis, Part 1, no. 28, Part IV summary

What happens

1. The Hellenes march through Armenia, finding abundant provisions, and agree with Tiribazus to spare his houses while taking necessary supplies.
2. Heavy snow and reports of enemy watchfires lead the generals to shift between village quarters and a shared camp.
3. Xenophon starts chopping wood, prompting snow-covered soldiers to rise, light fires, and rub their bodies with ointment.
4. Democrates returns from scouting with a Persian prisoner who describes Tiribazus’s plan to attack at a narrow mountain passage.
5. Leaving Sophaenetus in charge of the camp, the army advances, and its light infantry rushes the enemy position.
6. The enemy flees, leaving horses, furnishings, and servants; the generals recall the troops out of concern for the camp.

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What to notice

The prisoner’s report turns concern about enemy activity into immediate action. The generals move against the threat rather than continue toward the reported ambush.

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