FALSE IMPRESSIONS UPON THE ENEMY 33 sition, upon their right flank. He here halted, and caused his col* umns to face to the right ; thus forming a line, or phalanx of moderate depth, fronting towards the enemy. During the march, each lochus or company had marched in single file with the lochage or captain (usually the strongest and best soldier in it), at the head ; though we do not know how many of these lochages marched abreast, or what was the breadth of the column. When the phalanx or front towards the enemy was formed, each lochage was of course in line with his company, and at its left hand ; while the Thebans and Epaminondas himself were at the left of the whole line. In this position, Epaminondas gave the order to ground arms. 1 The enemy, having watched him ever since he had left Tegea and formed his marching array, had supposed at first that he was coming straight up to the front of then" position, and thus expected speedy battle. But when he turned to the left towards the moun- tains, so that for some time he did not approach sensibly nearer to their position, they began to fancy that he had no intention of fight- ing on that day. Such belief, having been once raised, still con- tinued, even though, by advancing along the skirts of the moun- tain, he gradually arrived very close upon their right flank. They were farther confirmed in the same supposition, when they saw his phalanx ground arms ; which they construed as an indication that he was about to encamp on the spot where he stood. It is probable that Epaminondas may have designedly simulated some other preliminaries of encampment, since his march from Tegea seems to have been arranged for the purpose partly of raising such false impression in his enemies, partly of getting upon their right flank instead of their front. He completely succeeded in his object. The soldiers on the Lacedaamonian side, believing that there would be no battle until the next day, suffered their ranks to Colonel Leake reckons about eight miles from Tripolitza to Mantinea. Gell states it as two hours and three minutes, Dodwell as two hours and five minutes, or seven miles. Colonel Leake, Travels in Morea, vol. i, p. 88-100; Gell's Itinerary, p. 141 ; Dodwell's Travels, vol. ii, p. 418-422. It would seem that Epaminondas, in this latter half of his march, must have followed nearly the road from Mantinea to Pallantium. Pallantium was situated west by south from Tegea. 1 Xen. Hellen. vii, 5, 22.
