The
Romans were vexed at being deceived; and, telling Crassus to give up
all hopes of aid from the Armenians as too remote and groundless, they
prepared to make their escape by stealth; and none of the people of
Carrhae were to know this before the time came. But Andromachus, that
most faithless wretch, heard of it from Crassus, who confided to him
the secret, and also the guidance on the route. Accordingly, all was
known to the Parthians; for Andromachus reported to them every
particular. But as it is not the custom of the Parthians to fight in
the dark, and indeed they cannot easily do it, and Crassus had left
the city by night, Andromachus contrived that the Parthians should not
be far behind in the pursuit, by leading the Romans first by one route
and then by another, till at last he brought them out of their course
into deep marshes and ground full of ditches, and thus made the march
difficult and circuitous to all who followed him; for there were some
who suspected that Andromachus had no honest object in turning and
twisting about, and therefore did not follow. Cassius, indeed,
returned to Carrhae; and when the guides, who were Arabs, advised him
to wait till the moon had passed the Scorpion, he replied, "I fear the
Archer more than the Scorpion," and, saying this, he rode off to
Syria, with five hundred horsemen. Others, who had faithful guides,
got into a mountainous country, called Sinnaca,[84] and were in a safe
position before daybreak: they were about five thousand in number, and
were commanded by a brave man, Octavius.
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