herodotus

seized them and carried them away; and neither could the Nasamoniansunderstand anything of their speech nor could those who were carryingthem off understand anything of the speech of the Nasamonians: andthey led them (so it was said) through very great swamps, and afterpassing through these they came to a city in which all the men were insize like those who carried them off and in colour of skin black; andby the city ran a great river, which ran from the West towards thesunrising, and in it were seen crocodiles. 33. Of the account given byEtearchos the Ammonian let so much suffice as is here said, exceptthat, as the men of Kyrene told me, he alleged that the Nasamoniansreturned safe home, and that the people to whom they had come were allwizards. Now this river which ran by the city, Etearchos conjecturedto be the Nile, and moreover reason compels us to think so; for theNile flows from Libya and cuts Libya through in the midst, and as Iconjecture, judging of what is not known by that which is evident tothe view, it starts at a distance from its mouth equal to that of theIster: for the river Ister begins from the Keltoi and the city ofPyrene and so runs that it divides Europe in the midst (now the Keltoiare outside the Pillars of Heracles and border upon the Kynesians, whodwell furthest towards the sunset of all those who have their dwellingin Europe); and the Ister ends, having its course through the whole ofEurope, by flowing into the Euxine Sea at the place where theMilesians have their settlement of Istria. 34. Now the Ister, since itflows through land which is inhabited, is known by the reports ofmany; but of the sources of the Nile no one can give an account, forthe part of Libya through which it flows is uninhabited and desert.About its course however so much as it was possible to learn by themost diligent inquiry has been told; and it runs out into Egypt. NowEgypt lies nearly opposite to the mountain districts of Kilikia; andfrom thence to Sinope, which lies upon the Euxine Sea, is a journey inthe same straight line of five days for a man withoutencumbrance;[37a] and Sinope lies opposite to the place where theIster runs out into the sea: thus I think that the Nile passes throughthe whole of Libya and is of equal measure with the Ister.*****Of the Nile then let so much suffice as has been said. 35. Of Egypthowever I shall make my report at length, because it has wonders morein number than any other land, and works too it has to show as much asany land, which are beyond expression great: for this reason then moreshall be said concerning it.The Egyptians in agreement with their climate, which is unlike anyother, and with the river, which shows a nature different from allother rivers, established for themselves manners and customs in a way