herodotus

iron. 85. There are also certain nomads called Sagartians, Persian inrace and in language and having a dress which is midway between thatof the Persians and that of the Pactyans. These furnished eightthousand horse, and they are not accustomed to have any arms either ofbronze or of iron excepting daggers, but they use ropes twisted ofthongs, and trust to these when they go into war: and the manner offighting of these men is as follows:--when they come to conflict withthe enemy, they throw the ropes with nooses at the end of them, andwhatsoever the man catches by the throw,[77] whether horse or man, hedraws to himself, and they being entangled in toils are thusdestroyed. 86. This is the manner of fighting of these men, and theywere arrayed next to the Persians. The Medes had the same equipment astheir men on foot, and the Kissians likewise. The Indians were armedin the same manner as those of them who served on foot, and they bothrode horses[78] and drove chariots, in which were harnessed horses orwild asses. The Bactrians were equipped in the same way as those whoserved on foot, and the Caspians likewise. The Libyans too wereequipped like those who served on foot, and these also all drovechariots. So too the Caspians[79] and Paricanians were equipped likethose who served on foot, and they all rode on camels, which inswiftness were not inferior to horses. 87. These nations aloneserved[80] as cavalry, and the number of the cavalry proved to beeight myriads,[81] apart from the camels and the chariots. Now therest of the cavalry was arrayed in squadrons, but the Arabians wereplaced after them and last of all, for the horses could not endure thecamels, and therefore they were placed last, in order that the horsesmight not be frightened. 88. The commanders of the cavalry wereHarmamithras and Tithaios sons of Datis, but the third, Pharnuches,who was in command of the horse with them, had been left behind atSardis sick: for as they were setting forth from Sardis, an accidentbefell him of an unwished-for kind,--as he was riding, a dog ran upunder his horse's feet, and the horse not having seen it beforehandwas frightened, and rearing up he threw Pharnuches off his back, whofalling vomited blood, and his sickness turned to a consumption. Tothe horse however they forthwith at the first did as he commanded,that is to say, the servants led him away to the place where he hadthrown his master and cut off his legs at the knees. Thus wasPharnuches removed from his command.89. Of the triremes the number proved to be one thousand two hundredand seven, and these were they who furnished them:--the Phenicians,together with the Syrians[82] who dwell in Palestine furnished threehundred; and they were equipped thus, that is to say, they had abouttheir heads leathern caps made very nearly in the Hellenic fashion,and they wore corslets of linen, and had shields without rims andjavelins. These Phenicians dwelt in ancient time, as they themselves