by which greater depth or shallowness is given to the battle line, are
given by word of mouth by the enomotarch (or commander of the
section), who plays the part of the herald, and they cannot be
mistaken. None of these manouvres presents any difficulty whatsoever
to the understanding.

[11] See "Anab." IV. iii. 26; "Cyrop." III. iii. 59; VI. iii. 22.

[12] I.e. "for doubling depth"; e.g. anglice, "form two deep," etc.,
when marching to a flank. Grote, "H. G." vii. 108; Thuc. v. 66;
also Rustow and Kochly, op. cit. p. 111, S. 8, note 19; p. 121,
$17, note 41.

But when it comes to their ability to do battle equally well in spite
of some confusion which has been set up, and whatever the chapter of
accidents may confront them with,[13] I admit that the tactics here
are not so easy to understand, except for people trained under the
laws of Lycurgus. Even movements which an instructor in heavy-armed
warfare[14] might look upon as difficult are performed by the
Lacedaemonians with the utmost ease.[15] Thus, the troops, we will
suppose, are marching in column; one section of a company is of course
stepping up behind another from the rear.[16] Now, if at such a moment
a hostile force appears in front in battle order, the word is passed
down to the commander of each section, "Deploy (into line) to the
left." And so throughout the whole length of the column, until the
line is formed facing the enemy. Or supposing while in this position
an enemy appears in the rear. Each file performs a counter-march[17]
with the effect of bringing the best men face to face with the enemy
all along the line.[18] As to the point that the leader previously on
the right finds himself now on the left,[19] they do not consider that