and another to cut off her escape and run her down, because she is so
swift. And even if she escaped these, she did not escape you; you had
all her runs by heart and knew all her hiding-places, and there you
would spread your nets, so that they were scarcely to be seen, and the
very haste of her flight would fling her into the snare. And to make
sure of her you had men placed on the spot to keep a look-out, and
pounce on her at once. And there were you at her heels, shouting and
scaring her out of her wits, so that she was caught from sheer terror,
and there lay your men, as you had taught them, silent and motionless
in their ambuscade. [41] I say, therefore, that if you chose to act
like this against human beings, you would soon have no enemies left to
fight, or I am much mistaken. And even if, as well may be, the
necessity should arise for you to do battle on equal terms in open
field, even so, my son, there will still be power in those arts which
you have studied so long and which teach you to out-villain villainy.
And among them I include all that has served to train the bodies and
fire the courage of your men, all that has made them adepts in every
craft of war. One thing you must ever bear in mind: if you wish your
men to follow you, remember that they expect you to plan for them.
[42] Hence you must never know a careless mood; if it be night, you
must consider what your troops shall do when it is day; if day, how
the night had best be spent. [43] For the rest, you do not need me to
tell you now how you should draw up your troops or conduct your march
by day or night, along broad roads or narrow lanes, over hills or
level ground, or how you should encamp and post your pickets, or
advance into battle or retreat before the foe, or march past a hostile
city, or attack a fortress or retire from it, or cross a river or pass
through a defile, or guard against a charge of cavalry or an attack
from lancers or archers, or what you should do if the enemy comes into
sight when you are marching in column and how you are to take up