VI When Nicephorus saw that the battle had become a hand-to-hand contest, he dreaded a defeat and therefore wheeled round with all his troops and hastened to their aid. Hereupon the barbarians turned their backs and with the Sultan Clitziasthlan himself they fled at full speed and hurried back to the hills. Many fell in the battle on that occasion, but more were captured; and the survivors all scattered.
The Sultan himself in desperate fear escaped with only his cupbearer and climbed up to a chapel built on a mountain top, round which very tall cypresses stood in rows, as he was hard pressed by three Scythians and the son of Uzas who were pursuing him; there he turned off in another direction, and, as he was not known to his pursuers, he himself escaped, but the cupbearer was seized by the Scythians and offered to the Emperor as a great prize. The Emperor rejoiced at this signal victory and in having prevailed over his enemies, but was vexed that the Sultan himself had not fallen into their hands too and been captured, but was saved ‘by the skin of his teeth,’ as the proverb goes.
Roman army and finding his way
Evening had now overtaken them so he encamped on the spot, and the barbarians who had survived again mounted to the hilltops, lighted exceedingly many fires and barked the whole night long at the Romans like dogs. But a certain Scythian deserted from the Roman army and finding his way to the Sultan said, “Do not think of fighting with the Emperor in the daytime ; for it will not be to your advantage. But since the plain is not very large, he has had the tents pitched very close together, so let your light archers go down to the foot of the hills and all night long discharge showers of darts upon them, and they will inflict no trifling damage on the Roman army.” Upon this a semi-barbarian escaped without the Turks noticing and ran to the Emperor and related to him what the Scythian had come and suggested to the Sultan and explained to him clearly all that they were planning against the Roman army.
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