herodotus

observed by any of the Hellenes:"Then shall the Colian women with firewood of oars roast barley."[61]This was destined to come to pass after the king had marched away.97. When Xerxes perceived the disaster which had come upon him, hefeared lest some one of the Ionians should suggest to the Hellenes, orthey should themselves form the idea, to sail to the Hellespont andbreak up the bridges; and so he might be cut off in Europe and run therisk of perishing utterly: therefore he began to consider about takingflight. He desired however that his intention should not be perceivedeither by the Hellenes or by those of his own side; therefore heattempted to construct a mole going across to Salamis, and he boundtogether Phenician merchant vessels in order that they might serve himboth for a bridge and a wall, and made preparations for fighting as ifhe were going to have another battle by sea. Seeing him do so, all therest made sure that he had got himself ready in earnest and intendedto stay and fight; but Mardonios did not fail to perceive the truemeaning of all these things, being by experience very well versed inhis way of thinking.98. While Xerxes was doing thus, he sent a messenger to the Persians,to announce the calamity which had come upon them. Now there isnothing mortal which accomplishes a journey with more speed than thesemessengers, so skilfully has this been invented by the Persians: forthey say that according to the number of days of which the entirejourney consists, so many horses and men are set at intervals, eachman and horse appointed for a day's journey. These neither snow norrain nor heat nor darkness of night prevents from accomplishing eachone the task proposed to him, with the very utmost speed. The firstthen rides and delivers the message with which he is charged to thesecond, and the second to the third; and after that it goes throughthem handed from one to the other,[62] as in the torch-race among theHellenes, which they perform for Hephaistos. This kind of running oftheir horses the Persians call /angareion/. 99. The first message thenwhich came to Susa, announcing that Xerxes had Athens in hispossession, so greatly rejoiced the Persians who had been left behind,that they strewed all the ways with myrtle boughs and offered incenseperpetually, and themselves continued in sacrifices and feasting. Thesecond message however, which came to them after this, so greatlydisturbed them that they all tore their garments and gave themselvesup to crying and lamentation without stint, laying the blame uponMardonios: and this the Persians did not so much because they weregrieved about the ships, as because they feared for Xerxes himself.