herodotus

they call /akinakes/: but whether he cast them into the sea as anoffering dedicated to the Sun, or whether he had repented of hisscourging of the Hellespont and desired to present a gift to the seaas amends for this, I cannot for certain say. 55. When Xerxes had donethis, they proceeded to cross over, the whole army both the footmenand the horsemen going by one bridge, namely that which was on theside of the Pontus, while the baggage-animals and the attendants wentover the other, which was towards the Egean. First the ten thousandPersians led the way, all with wreaths, and after them came the mixedbody of the army made up of all kinds of nations: these on that day;and on the next day, first the horsemen and those who had their spearpointsturned downwards, these also wearing wreaths; and after themthe sacred horses and the sacred chariot, and then Xerxes himself andthe spear-bearers and the thousand horsemen; and after them the restof the army. In the meantime the ships also put out from shore andwent over to the opposite side. I have heard however another accountwhich says that the king crossed over the very last of all.56. When Xerxes had crossed over into Europe, he gazed upon the armycrossing under the lash; and his army crossed over in seven days andseven nights, going on continuously without any pause. Then, it issaid, after Xerxes had now crossed over the Hellespont, a man of thatcoast exclaimed: "Why, O Zeus, in the likeness of a Persian man andtaking for thyself the name of Xerxes instead of Zeus, art thouproposing to lay waste Hellas, taking with thee all the nations ofmen? for it was possible for thee to do so even without the help ofthese."57. When all had crossed over, after they had set forth on their way agreat portent appeared to them, of which Xerxes made no account,although it was easy to conjecture its meaning,--a mare gave birth toa hare. Now the meaning of this was easy to conjecture in this way,namely that Xerxes was about to march an army against Hellas veryproudly and magnificently, but would come back again to the placewhence he came, running for his life. There happened also a portent ofanother kind while he was still at Sardis,--a mule brought forth youngand gave birth to a mule which had organs of generation of two kinds,both those of the male and those of the female, and those of the malewere above. Xerxes however made no account of either of theseportents, but proceeded on his way, and with him the land-army. 58.The fleet meanwhile was sailing out of the Hellespont and coastingalong, going in the opposite direction to the land-army; for the fleetwas sailing towards the West, making for the promontory of Sarpedon,to which it had been ordered beforehand to go, and there wait for thearmy; but the land-army meanwhile was making its march towards theEast and the sunrising, through the Chersonese, keeping on its right