So Menon’s troops cherished high hopes and prayed that he might be
 successful, while to Menon himself Cyrus was
 said to have sent magnificent gifts besides. After so doing
 Cyrus proceeded to cross the river, and the
 rest of the army followed him, to the last man. And in the crossing
 no one was wetted above the breast by the water. The people of Thapsacus said
 that this river had never been passable on foot except at this time,
 but only by boats; and these Abrocomas had now burned, as he marched
 on ahead of Cyrus , in order to prevent him from
 crossing. It seemed, accordingly, that here was a divine
 intervention, and that the river had plainly retired before
 Cyrus because he was destined to be
 king. Thence he marched through Syria nine stages, fifty
 parasangs, and they arrived at the Araxes river. There they found
 many villages full of grain and wine, and there they remained for
 three days and provisioned the army. Thence he marched through Arabia , keeping the Euphrates on the right, five
 stages through desert country, thirty-five parasangs. In this region
 the ground was an unbroken plain, as level as the sea, and full of
 wormwood; and whatever else there was on the plain by way of shrub
 or reed, was always fragrant, like spices; trees there were none, but wild animals of all sorts, vast numbers of
 wild asses and many ostriches, besides bustards and gazelles. These
 animals were sometimes chased by the horsemen. As for the asses,
 whenever one chased them, they would run on ahead and stop—for they
 ran much faster than the horses—and then, when the horses came near,
 they would do the same thing again, and it was impossible to catch
 them unless the horsemen posted themselves at intervals and hunted
 them in relays. The flesh of those that were captured was like
 venison, but more tender.