Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

end to the fray ;ANTIGONUS TRIES SURPRISE. 671Antigonus held the battlefiehl, but had lostmore heavily than Eumenes. This lattei* fact so disheartenedhis soldiery that he did not dare renew the struggle. Hewithdrew into Media for the winter. Eumenes had gainedCambasene, and there took up his winter-quarters.He had given orders to his troops not to spread over toolarge a territory. But the men, heedless of orders, and farfrom being well under control, dispersed into hamlets so farapart as to rob the army of all power of speedy concentrationin case of attack. Of this fact Antigonus becameaware through the reports of his spies. He determined tofall unexpectedly on the enemy, and beat him in detail.From his own winter-quarters there led two roads to Cambasene,one long, through a thicldy-settled district and wellfitted to sustain an army on the march ;cut, through a sparsely-peopledthe other by a shorterand poor mountain country,devoid of water, and difficult to traverse. Antigonus chosethe latter route because he would be less apt to be discovered,and because it debouched from the mountains directly uponthe centre of Eumenes' scattered cantonments. He distributedten days' rations to his men and forage to the cavalry,collected many water-skins to carry a water supply, and spreada report that he was about to march to Armenia. This wasa very probable thing indeed, for Antigonus' army had beenweakened, while that of Eumenes had grown in strength, andhe had every reason to avoid his enemy, while Armenia offeredhim a good chance to recruit.To further sustain the rumor spread, Antigonus set out onthe road to Armenia ; but he soon filed to the left and intothe road leadinjj throu