they will by no means dare to sally forth completely, and then only a few; for the majority, suspecting war from the general, will not desert the emir's battle line. And with the general acting thus, let the inhabitants of the villages flee into both the strongholds and the forts, and be kept unharmed. 13.t Concerning laying an ambush against the so-called *minsouratores* in the camps 13.1 But when the enemy are ravaging our lands with their army and not sending raiding parties far afield but keeping themselves safe, he shall endeavor to wound them by another stratagem. You must investigate and ascertain from what place the enemy’s camp is, and where it is going to encamp on the next day. 13.2 And if the distance to the camp is very long, about sixteen miles or more, so that the length of the road can wear out both them and their horses, having scouted out and found a suitable spot for an ambush near the place where they intend to halt, you will hide in it three hundred combat-ready and select horsemen, or even fewer, having chosen them. And you will set up another ambush with your whole force in a suitable place that also has a stronghold for its security. 13.3 And if there happens to be a fort nearby, it is also for your greater safety and benefit. And if there should be need of the foot soldiers, let them also come out of the fort, allying with and assisting you. 13.4 And those of the enemy force who run ahead to occupy the place in order to prepare their own camps, whom the Romans are accustomed to call *minsouratores*, and while they are busy with these things, let those sent by you in the first ambush near the camp, who were previously positioned, go out against them swiftly with a great charge, and with God's help they will overcome them. And if the enemy pursue them to the place where you have set up a strong hiding place, coming out against them with a manly and noble charge you will prevail over the pursuers and you will raise a trophy worthy of memory. 13.5 And if it should happen that enemy forces arrive to fight against you, having the help of the stronghold and of the foot soldiers, thus you will shame them and make them retreat unsuccessful, having lost many of their own men. 14.t Concerning the withdrawal of the horsemen from the foot soldiers when they are marching together 14.1 Therefore you must also consider this carefully, O general, and, as the enemy strives to elude you and to send out raiding parties and to plunder our lands, you must keep a sleepless mind, lest their plan and stratagem ever escape you; for what I shall say, the same men have also carried out in other cases. 14.2 For when both their horsemen and foot soldiers are marching together with the baggage train, just as they were doing in past and bygone days, those wishing to sally forth on a raid, when the sun reaches the west, their baggage train and all the service personnel along with this infantry force and the warrior horsemen left behind for their guard, having pitched their tents, encamp as is their custom; but those who have been prepared for the raid and wishing to overrun our lands, so that their dust cloud is not seen, set out on the raid in the late afternoon. 14.3 And the one who must keep watch on the enemy's army, whether he is a tourmarch or another commander, coming with his force, must approach the place where they are camped. Since as night falls, they must then according to custom enter and approach their tents after the first or even second hour of the night, and if they do not find the enemy horsemen in the camp, because they have already gone on a raid, it is not otherwise possible for these commanders entrusted with keeping watch to ascertain this accurately and to report the truth to the general, except in the way I shall describe. 14.4 Therefore it is necessary for those sent out each day to keep watch, from those who kept watch on the past and bygone

τελείως οὐδαμῶς ἐξελάσαι κατατολμήσουσι, καὶ τότε ὀλίγοι τινές· οἱ γὰρ πλείους τὸν παρὰ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ πόλεμον ὑφορώμενοι τῆς τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ παρατάξεως οὐκ ἀποστήσονται. Καὶ οὕτως ποιοῦντος τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ἐκφύγωσιν οἱ τῶν χωρίων οἰκήτορες εἴς τε τὰ ὀχυρώματα καὶ τὰ κάστρα, καὶ ἀβλαβεῖς διατηρηθῶσιν. 13.τ Περὶ τοῦ ἐνεδρεῦσαι κατὰ τῶν λεγομένων μινσουρατόρων ἐν τοῖς ἀπλήκτοισ 13.1 Τῶν δὲ πολεμίων φοσσατικῶς τὰς χώρας ἡμῶν δῃούντων καὶ κοῦρσα πόρρωθεν μὴ ἀποστελλόντων ἀλλ' ἑαυτοὺς ἀσφαλιζομένων, σπουδάσει δι' ἑτέρας μηχανῆς τραυματίσαι αὐτούς. ∆ιασκοπῆσαί σε χρὴ καὶ στοχάσασθαι, ἀφ' οὗ τόπου τῶν πολεμίων ὑπάρχει ἄπληκτον, καὶ ἐν ποίῳ τῇ ἐπιούσῃ μέλλει ἀπληκεύειν. 13.2 Καὶ εἰ μακρότατόν ἐστι τὸ διάστημα τοῦ ἀπλήκτου, ὡσεὶ μιλίων ἑξκαίδεκα καὶ ἐπέκεινα, ὥστε τὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ μῆκος δύνασθαι κατακόπους αὐτούς τε καὶ τοὺς ἵππους αὐτῶν ἐργάσασθαι, πλησίον δὲ τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾧ μέλλουσι καταλύειν διασκοπήσας καὶ εὑρὼν λόχον ἐπιτήδειον, μαχίμους καὶ ἐκλεκτοὺς ἄνδρας ἱππότας τριακοσίους ἢ καὶ τούτων ἔλαττον ἀπολεξάμενος ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκρύψεις. Καταστήσεις δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν ἐνέδραν μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ τόπῳ ἔχοντι καὶ ὀχύρωμα εἰς ἀσφάλειαν αὐτοῦ. 13.3 Εἰ δὲ καὶ κάστρον πλησίον τύχῃ, ἔστι καὶ αὐτὸ εἰς περισσοτέραν σου σωτηρίαν καὶ ὠφέλειαν. Καὶ εἰ χρεία γένηται τῶν πεζῶν, ἐξελθέτωσαν καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦ κάστρου συμμαχοῦντες καὶ ἐπιβοηθοῦντές σοι. 13.4 Οἱ δὲ προτρέχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν πολεμίων καταλαβεῖν τὸν τόπον πρὸς τὸ εὐτρεπίσαι τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἄπληκτα, ὡς εἰώθειοὓς μινσουράτορας εἴθισται Ῥωμαίοις καλεῖν, καὶ ἀσχολουμένων ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐξελθέτωσαν κατ' αὐτῶν οἱ παρὰ σοῦ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ λόχῳ πλησίον τοῦ ἀπλήκτου προκαταστάντες ὀξέως σὺν ἐλασίᾳ πολλῇ, καὶ τούτους βοηθείᾳ Θεοῦ χειρώσονται. Καὶ εἴγε τούτους οἱ ἐχθροὶ καταδιώξουσιν ἕως τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾧπερ δυνατὸν ἔγκρυμμα κατέστησας, ἐξερχόμενος κατ' αὐτῶν ἀνδρικῷ καὶ γενναίῳ ὁρμήματι ὑπερισχύσεις τῶν διωκόντων καὶ τρόπαιον μνήμης ἄξιον ἀνεγερεῖς. 13.5 Καὶ εἴγε συμβῇ δυνάμεις τῶν πολεμίων καταλαβεῖν ἀντιμαχομένας σοι, ἔχων τὴν τοῦ ὀχυρώματος βοήθειαν καὶ τῶν πεζῶν, οὕτως καταισχυνεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν οἰκείων ἀποβαλόντας ἀπράκτους παρασκευάσεις ὑποστρέψαι. 14.τ Περὶ τῆς ὑποχωρήσεως τῶν ἱππέων ἀπὸ τῶν πεζῶν ὁδοιπορούντων ὁμοῦ 14.1 Χρὴ οὖν καὶ τοῦτό σε ἀκριβῶς, ὦ στρατηγέ, σκοπεῖν καί, τῶν πολεμίων ἀγωνιζομένων διαλαθεῖν σε καὶ κοῦρσα ἀποστέλλειν καὶ τὰς χώρας ἡμῶν ληΐσασθαι, ἄγρυπνον ἔχειν τὸν νοῦν, μή ποτέ σε ἡ ἐπίνοια καὶ μηχανὴ αὐτῶν διαλάθῃ· ὅπερ γὰρ λέξω καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις οἱ αὐτοὶ ἐξειργάσαντο. 14.2 Ὁμοῦ γὰρ αὐτῶν τῶν τε ἱππέων καὶ πεζῶν σὺν τῆς ἀποσκευῆς ὁδοιπορούντων, καθὼς ταῖς ὄπισθεν καὶ διελθούσαις ἡμέραις ἐποίουν, οἱ εἰς κοῦρσα ἐξελάσαι βουλόμενοι, ἡνίκα πρὸς δυσμὰς ὁ ἥλιος καταντήσει, ἡ μὲν ἀποσκευὴ αὐτῶν καὶ ἅπαν τὸ ὑπουργικὸν σὺν τῷ πεζῷ τούτῳ στρατεύματι καὶ τῶν εἰς φυλακὴν αὐτῶν καταλιμπανομένων πολεμιστῶν ἱππέων τὰς σκηνὰς πηξάμενοι, ὡς ἔθος αὐτοῖς ἀπληκεύουσιν· οἱ δὲ εἰς κοῦρσον ἑτοιμασθέντες καὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας χώρας καταδραμεῖν βουλόμενοι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ κονιορτὸν αὐτῶν φανῆναι, ἀμφὶ δείλην ὀψίαν πρὸς κοῦρσον ὁρμῶσιν. 14.3 Τῷ δὲ παραμεῖναι ὀφείλοντι τῷ τῶν πολεμίων φοσσάτῳ, εἴτε τουρμάρχης ἐστὶν εἴθ' ἕτερος ἄρχων, μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐρχομένῳ χρὴ πλησιάσαι τῷ τόπῳ ἐν ᾧ αὐλίζονται. Ἐπειδὴ τῆς νυκτὸς καταλαμβανούσης, ὀφείλουσι τότε κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς εἰσέρχεσθαι καὶ πλησιάζειν ταῖς σκηναῖς αὐτῶν μετὰ πρώτην ὥραν ἢ καὶ δευτέραν τῆς νυκτός, καὶ ἐὰν οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν ἐν τῷ ἀπλήκτῳ τοὺς τῶν πολεμίων ἱππεῖς, διὰ τὸ ἤδη αὐτοὺς εἰς κοῦρσον πορευθῆναι, οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν ἄλλως τούτους τοὺς τὴν παραμονὴν πεπιστευμένους ἄρχοντας τοῦτο ἀκριβῶς διαγνῶναι καὶ τῷ στρατηγῷ τὸ ἀληθὲς καταμηνῦσαι, εἰ μὴ οὕτως ὡς λέξω. 14.4 ∆εῖ τοίνυν τοὺς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν πρὸς παραμονὴν ἀποστελλομένους ἐκ τῶν παραμεινάντων τὰς ὄπισθεν καὶ διελθούσας