History of Armenia, by Father Michael Chamich; from B. C. 2247 to ...

304 HISTORY OF AEMENIA.
and, in seeking for another on the field, was surrounded
by a host of swordsmen by whom he
fell, after killing a number of them in his defence.
While these glorious commanders were
thus valiantly contending, several vile and treacherous
Armenians, who were in secret understanding
with the Persians, all of sudden
pretended to take flight, crying out, " Save
yourselves, the day is lost !"
This action of a party of perfidious cowards
occasioned the Vahanians to lose the battle, for
most of those who heard the cry, thinking all
lost, joined in the flight.
Among these was the
deceitful Val thank, with his Georgian troops. Vahan
and the Camsaracans, observing this, found
longer resistance fruitless, and therefore followed
the fugitives. On their leaving the scene of
action Vahan observed Babken the Seunian lying
on the ground, in the midst of the
dead bodies
that covered the field, desperately wounded.
Not beiniT able to leave his old colleague to the
vengeance of an irritated and cruel enemy,
he alighted from his horse, took him up before
him, and thus saved his life.
The victorious
Persians pursued the Armenians and killed
many of them in their flight. Hirahat the
Camsaracan was thrown from his
horse in the
retreat, and proceeding on foot was taken prisoner
and carried to Mihran, who put him in