that that prince was eager to become master of the
wealthy city of Sinope, and would speedily attempt some such enterprise
if he could obtain the Cyreian army as his auxiliaries.

This judicious reply shamed the colleagues of Hekatonymus so much, that
they went the length of protesting against what he had said, and of
affirming that they had come with propositions of sympathy and
friendship to the army, as well as with promises to give them an
hospitable reception at Sinope, if they should visit that town on their
way home. Presents were at once sent to the army by the inhabitants of
Kotyora, and a good understanding established.

Such an interchange of goodwill with the powerful city of Sinope was an
unspeakable advantage to the army--indeed an essential condition to
their power of reaching home. If they continued their march by land, it
was only through Sinopian guidance and mediation that they could obtain
or force a passage through Paphlagonia; while for a voyage by sea, there
was no chance of procuring a sufficient number of vessels except from
Sinope, since no news had been received of Cheirisophus. On the other
hand, that city had also a strong interest in facilitating their transit
homeward, and thus removing formidable neighbors, for whose ulterior
purposes there could be no guarantee. After some preliminary
conversation with the Sinopian envoys, the generals convoked the army in
assembly, and entreated Hekatonymus and his companions to advise them
as to the best mode of proceeding westward to the Bosphorus.
Hekatonymus, after apologizing for the menacing insinuations of his
former speech, and protesting that he had no other object in view except
to point out the safest and easiest plan of route for the army, began to
unfold the insuperable difficulties of a march through Paphlagonia. The
very entrance into the country must be achieved through a narrow
aperture in the mountains, which it was impossible to force if occupied
by the enemy. Even assuming this difficulty to be surmounted, there were
spacious plains to be passed over, wherein the Paphlagonian horse,[85]
the most numerous and bravest in Asia, would be found almost
irresistible. There were also three or four great rivers, which the army
would be unable to pass--the Thermodon and the Iris, each 300 feet in
breadth--the Halys, nearly a quarter of a mile in breadth--the
Parthenius, also very considerable. Such an array of obstacles (he
affirmed) rendered