Eum. 9.1Dīmidium ferē spatium cōnfēcerat, cum ex fūmō castrōrum eius suspīciō allāta est ad Eumenem hostem appropinquāre.He had covered about half the distance when, from the smoke of his camp, a suspicion was brought to Eumenes that the enemy was approaching. Eum. 9.1Conveniunt ducēs: quaeritur, quid opus sit factō.The commanders meet: the question is what must be done. Eum. 9.1Intellegēbant omnēs tam celeriter cōpiās ipsōrum contrahī nōn posse, quam Antigonus affutūrus vidēbātur.They all understood that their forces could not be gathered as quickly as Antigonus seemed likely to arrive. Eum. 9.2Hīc omnibus titubantibus et dē rēbus summīs dēspērantibus Eumenēs ait, sī celeritātem velint adhibēre et imperāta facere, quod ante nōn fēcerint, sē rem expedītūrum.Here, while all were wavering and despairing of their very survival, Eumenes says that, if they are willing to use speed and carry out orders, which they had not done before, he will settle the matter. Eum. 9.2Nam quod iter diēbus quīnque hostis trānsīsse posset, sē effectūrum ut nōn minus totidem diērum spatiō retardārētur: quārē circumīrent, suās quisque contraheret cōpiās.For the journey which the enemy could have covered in five days, he would ensure that he was delayed for no less than the same number of days: therefore they should go round, and each should gather his own forces.
Eum. 9.3Ad Antigonī autem refrēnandum impetum tāle capit cōnsilium.To check Antigonus' onrush he adopts the following plan. Eum. 9.3Certōs mittit hominēs ad īnfimōs montēs, quī obviī erant itinerī adversāriōrum, iīsque praecipit ut prīmā nocte, quam lātissimē possint, ignēs faciant quam maximōs atque hōs secundā vigiliā minuant, tertiā perexiguōs reddant, ut assimulātā castrōrum cōnsuētūdine suspīciōnem iniciant hostibus, iīs locīs esse castra ac dē eōrum adventū esse praenūntiātum;He sends reliable men to the foothills which lay across his opponents' route, and instructs them at nightfall to light fires as large as possible and spread as widely as they can, to reduce them in the second watch and to make them very small in the third, so that by imitating the routine of a camp they might put into the enemy's minds the suspicion that there was a camp in those places and that warning had been given of their approach; Eum. 9.4idemque posterā nocte faciant.and that they should do the same the following night. Eum. 9.5Quibus imperātum erat, dīligenter praeceptum cūrant.Those to whom the order had been given carefully carry out the instructions.
Eum. 9.5Antigonus tenebrīs obortīs ignēs cōnspicātur: crēdit dē suō adventū esse audītum et adversāriōs illūc suās contrāxisse cōpiās.Antigonus, when darkness has fallen, sees the fires: he believes that his approach has been heard of and that his opponents have gathered their forces there. Eum. 9.6Mūtat cōnsilium et, quoniam imprūdentēs adorīrī nōn posset, flectit iter suum et illum ānfrāctum longiōrem cōpiōsae viae capit ibique diem ūnum opperītur ad lassitūdinem sēdandam mīlitum ac reficienda iūmenta, quō integriōre exercitū dēcerneret.He changes his plan and, since he could not attack them unawares, turns aside from his march and takes that longer detour of the well-supplied road, and waits there for one day to relieve his soldiers' weariness and to refresh the animals, so that he might fight with a fresher army.