ing
that an army was being assembled in Persarmenia, straightway sent two
body-guards with instructions to spy out the whole force of the enemy
and report to them. And both of these men got into the barbarian camp,
and after noting everything accurately, they departed. And they were
travelling toward some place in that region, when they happened
unexpectedly upon hostile Huns. By them one of the two, Dagaris by name,
was made captive and bound, while the other succeeded in escaping and
reported everything to the generals. They then armed their whole force
and made an unexpected assault upon the camp of their enemy; and the
barbarians, panic-stricken by the unexpected attack, never thought of
resistance, but fled as best each one could. Thereupon the Romans, after
killing a large number and plundering the camp, immediately marched
back.

Not long after this Mermeroes, having collected the whole army, invaded
the Roman territory, and they came upon their enemy near the city of
Satala. There they established themselves in camp and remained at rest
in a place called Octava, which is fifty-six stades distant from the
city. Sittas therefore led out a thousand men and concealed them behind
one of the many hills which surround the plain in which the city of
Satala lies. Dorotheus with the rest of the army he ordered to stay
inside the fortifications, because they thought that they were by no
means able to withstand the enemy on level ground, since their number
was not fewer than thirty thousand, while their own forces scarcely
amounted to half that number. On the following day the barbarians came
up close to the fortifications and busily set about closing in the town.
But suddenly, seeing the forces of Sittas who by now were coming down
upon them from the high ground, and having no means of estimating their
number, since owing to the summer season a great cloud of dust hung over
them, they thought they were much more numerous than they were, and,
hurriedly abandoning their plan of closing in the town, they hastened to
mass their force into a small space. But the Romans anticipated the
movement and, separating their own force into two detachments, they set
upon them as they were retiring from the fortifications; and when this
was seen by the whole Roman army, they took courage, and with a great
rush they poured out from the fortifications and advanced against their
opponents. They thus put the Persians between their own troops,