commotion, in order that they might remain longer in Scythia, and by remaining might be harassed through want of all things necessary, adopted the following expedient: when they had left some of their own cattle in the care of the herdsmen, they themselves withdrew to another spot; and the Persians coming up, took the cattle, and having taken them, exulted in what they had done. 131. When this had happened several times, at last Darius was in a great strait, and the kings of the Scythians, having ascertained this, sent a herald, bearing as gifts to Darius, a bird, a mouse, a frog, and five arrows. The Persians asked the bearer of the gifts the meaning of this present; but he answered, that he had no other orders than to deliver them and return immediately; and he advised the Persians, if they were wise, to discover what the gifts meant. The Persians, having heard this, consulted together. 132. Darius's opinion was, that the Scythians meant to give themselves up to him, as well as earth and water; forming his conjecture thus ; since a mouse is bred in the earth, and subsists on the same food as a man; a frog lives in the water; a bird is very like a horse; and the arrows they deliver up as their whole strength. This was the opinion given by Darius. But the opinion of Gobryas, one of the seven who had deposed the magus, did not coincide with this; he conjectured that the presents intimated: "Unless, O Persians, ye become birds and fly into the air, or become mice and hide yourselves beneath the earth, or become frogs and leap into the lakes, ye shall never return home again, but be stricken by these arrows." And thus the other Persians interpreted the gifts.

133. In the mean time that division of the Scythians, that had been before appointed to keep guard about the lake Mæotis, and then to confer with the Ionians at the Ister, when they arrived at the bridge, spoke as follows: "Men of Ionia, we are come bringing freedom to you, if only you will listen to us. We have heard that Darius commanded you to guard the bridge sixty days only, and if he did not come up within that time, then to return into your own country. Now therefore, if you do this, you will be free from all blame as regards him and as regards us; when you have waited the appointed number of days, after that depart." On the Ionians

promising to do so, the Scythians hastened back with all expedition.

134. The rest of the Scythians, after they had sent the presents to Darius, drew themselves opposite the Persians with their foot and horse, as if they intended to come to an engagement; and as the Scythians were standing in their ranks, a hare started in the midst of them; and each of them, as they saw the hare, went in pursuit of it. The Scythians being in great confusion, and shouting loudly, Darius asked the meaning of the uproar in the enemy's ranks; but when he heard that they were pursuing a hare, he said to those he was accustomed to address on such occasions : "These men treat us with great contempt; and I am convinced that Gobryas spoke rightly concerning the Scythian presents. Since, then, I am of opinion that the case is so, we have need of the best advice, how our return home may be effected in safety." To this Gobryas answered: "O king, I was in some measure acquainted by report with the indigence of these men ; but I have learned much more since I came hither, and seen how they make sport of us. My opinion therefore is, that as soon as night draws on, we should light fires, as we are accustomed to do, and having deceived those soldiers who are least able to bear hardships, and having tethered all the asses, should depart before the Scythians direct their march to the Ister, for the purpose of destroying the bridge, or the Ionians take any resolution which may occasion our ruin." Such was the advice of Gobryas. 135. Afterwards night came on, and Darius acted on this opinion: the infirm amongst the soldiers, and those whose loss would be of the least consequence, and all the asses tethered, he left on the spot in the camp. And he left the asses and the sick of his army for the following reason; that the asses might make a noise: and the men were left on this pretext, namely, that he with the strength of his army was about to attack the Scythians, and they, during that time, would defend the camp. Darius, having laid these injunctions on those he was preparing to abandon, and having caused the fires to be lighted, marched away with all speed towards the Ister. The asses, being deserted by the multitude, began to bray much louder than usual; so that the Scythians, hearing the asses, firmly believed that the

Persians were still at their station. 136. When day appeared, the men that were abandoned, discovering that they had been betrayed by Darius, extended their hands to the Scythians, and told them what had occurred: when they heard this, the two divisions of the Scythians, and the single one, the Sauromatæ, Budini, and Geloni, having joined their forces together as quickly as possible, pursued the Persians straight towards the Ister. But as a great part of the Persian army consisted of infantry, and they did not know the way, there being no roads cut, and as the Scythian army consisted of cavalry, and knew the shortest route, they missed each other, and the Scythians arrived at the bridge much before the Persians. And having learnt that the Persians were not yet arrived, they spoke to the Ionians who were on board the ships in these terms: "Men of Ionia, the number of days appointed for your stay is already passed, and you do not as you ought in continuing here; but if you remained before through fear, now break up the passage and depart as quickly as possible, rejoicing that you are free, and give thanks to the gods and the Scythians. As for the man who before was your master, we will so deal with him, that he shall never hereafter make war on any people."

137. Upon this the Ionians held a consultation. The opinion of Miltiades the Athenian, who commanded and reigned over the Chersonesites on the Hellespont, was, that they should comply with the request of the Scythians, and restore liberty to Ionia. But Histiæus the Milesian was of a contrary opinion, and said, "that every one reigned over his own city through Darius; and if Darius's power should be destroyed, neither would he himself continue master of Miletus, nor any of the rest of other places; because every one of the cities would choose to be governed rather by a democracy than a tyranny. Histiæus had no sooner delivered this opinion, than all went over to his side, who had before assented to that of Miltiades. 138. These were they who gave their votes and were in high estimation with Darius; the tyrants of the Hellespontines, Daphnis of Abydos, Hippocles of Lampsacus, Herophantus of Parium, Metrodorus of Proconnesus, Aristagoras of Cyzicum, and Ariston of Byzantium; these were from the Hellespont. From Ionia, Strattis of Chios, aces of Samos, Laodamas of Phocæa, and Histiæus of Miletus, whose opinion was opposed

to that of Miltiades. Of the Æolians the only person of consideration present, was Aristagoras of Cyme.

139. When these men had approved the opinion of Histiæus, they determined to add to it the following acts and words: to break up the bridge on the Scythian side, as far as a bow-shot might reach, that they might seem to do something, when in effect they did nothing; and that the Scythians might not attempt to use violence and purpose to cross the Ister by the bridge; and to say, while they were breaking up the bridge on the Scythian side, they would do every thing that might be agreeable to the Scythians. the Scythians. This, then, they added to the opinion of Histiæus. And, afterwards, Histiæus delivered the answer in the name of all, saying as follows: "Men of Scythia, you have brought us good advice, and urge it seasonably; you, on your part, have pointed out the right way to us, and we on ours readily submit to you; for, as you see, we are breaking up the passage, and will use all diligence, desiring to be free. But while we are breaking it up, it is fitting you should seek for them, and having found them, avenge us and yourselves on them, as they deserve." 140. The Scythians, believing a second time that the Ionians were sincere, turned back to seek the Persians; but entirely missed the way they had taken. The Scythians themselves were the cause of this, having destroyed the pastures for the horses in this direction, and having filled in the wells; for if they had not done this, they might easily have found the Persians if they wished; but now they erred in the very thing which they thought they had contrived for the best. For the Scythians sought the enemy by traversing those parts of the country where there was forage and water for the horses, thinking that they too would make their retreat by that way. But the Persians, carefully observing their former track, returned by it, and thus with difficulty found the passage. As they arrived in the night, and perceived the bridge broken off, they fell into the utmost consternation, lest the Ionians had abandoned them. 141. There was with Darius an Egyptian, who had an exceedingly loud voice. This man Darius commanded to stand on the bank of the Ister, and call Histiæus the Milesian. He did so, and Histiæus, having heard the first shout, brought up all the ships to carry the army across, and joined the bridge. Thus the Persians escaped. 142. The Scythians

in their search missed them a second time and on the one hand, considering the Ionians as free and cowardly, they deem them to be the most base of men; but on the other, accounting the Ionians as slaves, they say that they are most attached to their masters, and least inclined to run away. These reproaches the Scythians fling out against the Ionians. 143. Darius, marching through Thrace, reached Sestos in the Chersonesus; and thence he himself crossed over on shipboard into Asia, and left Megabazus, a Persian, to be his general in Europe. Darius once paid this man great honour, having expressed himself in this manner in the presence of the Persians: Darius being about to eat some pomegranates, as soon as he opened the first, his brother Artabanus asked him, of what thing he would wish to possess a number equal to the grains in the pomegranate. Darius said, that he would rather have as many Megabazuses, than Greece subject to him. By saying this, he honoured him in the presence of the Persians, and now he left him as general with eighty thousand men of his own army. 144. This Megabazus, by making the following remark, left an everlasting memorial of himself among the Hellespontines; for when he was at Byzantium, he was informed that the Chalcedonians had settled in that country seventeen years before the Byzantians; but when he heard it, he said, that the Chalcedonians must have been blind at that time, for if they had not been blind, they would never have chosen so bad a situation, when they might have had so beautiful a spot to settle in. This Megabazus, then, being left as general in the country of the Hellespontines, subdued those nations who were not in the interest of the Medes. He accordingly did this.

145. About the same time another great expedition was undertaken against Libya, on what pretext I will relate, when I have first given the following account by way of preface. The descendants of the Argonauts, being expelled from Lemnos by the Pelasgians who carried off the Athenian women from Brauron, set sail for Lacedæmon, and seating themselves on Mount Taygetus, lighted fires. The Lacedæmonians, having seen this, despatched a messenger to demand who and whence they were. They said to the messenger who questioned

6

6 See Book VI. chap. 138.