Anonymous

“ When the ties burned and the rampart fell upon the moat, the running soldiers unwarily fell down and came into the moat together with the fire. This misfortune was worse than the dangerous river. Who will not weep when he hears this? Who will not cry? Thus perished the commanders' sons both of the old and of the young ones who were a whole multitude, in the blossom of their youth, and they had beautiful bodies that shined with whiteness, with golden hairs and beards, with handsome faces. ”

“ Still others who hoped that they avoided their death in the river, reached to the rampart built by the Bulgars which was very strong and very hard to climb. Since they could not overcome it with their horses, they dismounted, climbed with their hands and feet and hung on the other side. On the outer side, however, a deep moat was dug out, and when they fell from the height, their limbs broke. Some of them died immediately, others walked a little, and as they could not continue, fell to the ground and perished, tortured by hunger and thirst. At other places, the rampart was put on fire. ”

“ Hence, his army used every occasion to rob mercilessly, burn unharvested fields, cut the sinews of oxen and hide their flanks to make ropes while the animals bellowed loudly and died, slaughtered sheep and pigs, and did other reprehensible deeds. At last, some, seeing the irregularity and confusion of Nicephorus and that no one dared to talk to him, escaped one by one or used subterfuges to extricate themselves. However, the Bulgars made a terrible and impassable wall-like rampart from large tree trunks. ”