herodotus

from Aineia, with which name I brought to an end the list of thecities, at once the fleet came into the Thermaïc gulf and to theregion of Mygdonia, and so it arrived at the aforesaid Therma and atthe cities of Sindos and Chalestra upon the river Axios. This river isthe boundary between the land of Mygdonia and Bottiaia, of whichdistrict the narrow region which lies on the sea coast is occupied bythe cities of Ichnai and Pella.124. Now while his naval force was encamped about the river Axios anthe city of Therma and the cities which lie between these two, waitingfor the coming of the king, Xerxes and the land-army were proceedingfrom Acanthos, cutting through the middle by the shortest way[109]with a view to reaching Therma: and he was proceeding through Paioniaand Crestonia to the river Cheidoros,[110] which beginning from theland of the Crestonians, runs through the region of Mygdonia and comesout alongside of the marsh which is by the river Axios. 125. As he wasproceeding by this way, lions attacked the camels which carried hisprovisions; for the lions used to come down regularly by night,leaving their own haunts, but they touched nothing else, neither beastof burden nor man, but killed the camels only: and I marvel what wasthe cause, and what was it that impelled the lions to abstain from allelse and to attack the camels only, creatures which they had neverseen before, and of which they had had no experience. 126. Now thereare in these parts both many lions and also wild oxen, those that havethe very large horns which are often brought into Hellas: and thelimit within which these lions are found is on the one side the riverNestos, which flows through Abdera, and on the other the Achelos,which flows through Acarnania; for neither do the East of the Nestos,in any part of Europe before you come to this, would you see a lion,nor again in the remaining part of the continent to the West of theAcheloos, but they are produced in the middle space between theserivers.127. When Xerxes had reached Therma he established the army there; andhis army encamping there occupied of the land along by the sea no lessthan this,--beginning from the city of Therma and from Mygdonia itextended as far as the river Lydias and the Haliacmon, which form theboundary between the lands of Bottiaia and Macedonia, mingling theirwaters together in one and the same stream. The Barbarians, I say,were encamped in these regions; and of the rivers which have beenenumerated, only the river Cheidoros flowing from the Crestonian landwas insufficient for the drinking of the army and failed in itsstream.128. Then Xerxes seeing from Therma the mountains of Thessaly, Olymposand Ossa, that they were of very great height, and being informed that