ot make my youth an excuse, but shall think myself
sufficiently mature to defend myself against harm."

26. Thus spoke Xenophon; and the captains, on hearing his observations,
all desired him to be their leader, except a certain Apollonides, who
resembled a Boeotian in his manner of speaking; this man said that
"whoever asserted they could gain safety by any other means than by
obtaining, if he could, the king's consent to it, talked absurdly;" and
at the same time began to enumerate the difficulties surrounding them.
27. But Xenophon, interrupting him, said, "O most wonderful of men! you
neither understand what you see, nor remember what you hear. Yet you
were on the same spot with those here present, when the king, after
Cyrus was dead, being in high spirits at the circumstance, sent to
demand that we should deliver up our arms; 28. and when we, refusing to
deliver them up, and appearing in full armour, went and encamped over
against him, what means did he not try, sending deputies, asking for a
truce, and supplying us with provisions until he obtained a truce? 29.
But when, on the other hand, our generals and captains went to confer
with the Barbarians, as you now advise us to do, without their arms, and
relying on the truce, were they not beaten, goaded, insulted, and are
they not unable, wretched men, to die, though, I should think, greatly
longing for death? And do you, knowing all these occurrences, say that
those who exhort us to defend ourselves talk absurdly, and advise us to
go again to try persuasion? 30. To me, O captains, it seems that we
should no longer admit this man into the same service with ourselves,
but take from him his captaincy, and laying baggage on his back, make
use of him in that capacity; for he disgraces both his own country and
all Greece, inasmuch as, being a Greek, he is of such a character." 31.
Here Agasias of Stymphalus, proceeding to speak, said, "But this man,
assuredly, has nothing to do either with Boeotia or with Greece at
all, for I have observed that he has both his ears bored, like a
Lydian." Such indeed was the case; and they accordingly expelled him.

32. The rest, proceeding to the different divisions of the troops,
called up the general wherever there was a general surviving, and the
lieutenant-general[123] where the general was dead, and the captain
wherever there was a captain surviving. 33. When they were all come
together, they sat down before the place where the arms