the history-第83章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


and　from　these　goat…skins　the　Greeks　get　their　word　Aegis　（goat…harness）。　I　think　for　my　part　that　the　loud　cries　uttered　in　our　sacred　rites　came　also　from　thence；　for　the　Libyan　women　are　greatly　given　to　such　cries　and　utter　them　very　sweetly。　Likewise　the　Greeks　learnt　from　the　Libyans　to　yoke　four　horses　to　a　chariot。　　　　　All　the　wandering　tribes　bury　their　dead　according　to　the　fashion　of　the　Greeks；　except　the　Nasamonians。　They　bury　them　sitting；　and　are　right　careful　when　the　sick　man　is　at　the　point　of　giving　up　the　ghost；　to　make　him　sit　and　not　let　him　die　lying　down。　The　dwellings　of　these　people　are　made　of　the　stems　of　the　asphodel；　and　of　rushes　wattled　together。　They　can　be　carried　from　place　to　place。　Such　are　the　customs　of　the　afore…mentioned　tribes。　　　　　Westward　of　the　river　Triton　and　adjoining　upon　the　Auseans；　are　other　Libyans　who　till　the　ground；　and　live　in　houses：　these　people　are　named　the　Maxyans。　They　let　the　hair　grow　long　on　the　right　side　of　their　heads；　and　shave　it　close　on　the　left；　they　besmear　their　bodies　with　red　paint；　and　they　say　that　they　are　descended　from　the　men　of　Troy。　Their　country　and　the　remainder　of　Libya　towards　the　west　is　far　fuller　of　wild　beasts　and　of　wood　than　the　country　of　the　wandering　people。　For　the　eastern　side　of　Libya；　where　the　wanderers　dwell；　is　low　and　sandy；　as　far　as　the　river　Triton；　but　westward　of　that　the　land　of　the　husbandmen　is　very　hilly；　and　abounds　with　forests　and　wild　beasts。　For　this　is　the　tract　in　which　the　huge　serpents　are　found；　and　the　lions；　the　elephants；　the　bears；　the　aspicks；　and　the　horned　asses。　Here　too　are　the　dog…faced　creatures；　and　the　creatures　without　heads；　whom　the　Libyans　declare　to　have　their　eyes　in　their　breasts；　and　also　the　wild　men；　and　wild　women；　and　many　other　far　less　fabulous　beasts。　　　　　Among　the　wanderers　are　none　of　these；　but　quite　other　animals；　as　antelopes；　gazelles；　buffaloes；　and　asses；　not　of　the　horned　sort；　but　of　a　kind　which　does　not　need　to　drink；　also　oryxes；　whose　horns　are　used　for　the　curved　sides　of　citherns；　and　whose　size　is　about　that　of　the　ox；　foxes；　hyaenas　porcupines；　wild　rams；　dictyes；　jackals；　panthers；　boryes；　land…crocodiles　about　three　cubits　in　length；　very　like　lizards；　ostriches；　and　little　snakes；　each　with　a　single　horn。　All　these　animals　are　found　here；　and　likewise　those　belonging　to　other　countries；　except　the　stag　and　the　wild　boar；　but　neither　stag　nor　wild…boar　are　found　in　any　part　of　Libya。　There　are；　however；　three　sorts　of　mice　in　these　parts；　the　first　are　called　two…footed；　the　next；　zegeries；　which　is　a　Libyan　word　meaning　〃hills〃；　and　the　third；　urchins。　Weasels　also　are　found　in　the　Silphium　region；　much　like　the　Tartessian。　So　many；　therefore；　are　the　animals　belonging　to　the　land　of　the　wandering　Libyans；　in　so　far　at　least　as　my　researches　have　been　able　to　reach。　　　　　Next　to　the　Maxyan　Libyans　are　the　Zavecians；　whose　wives　drive　their　chariots　to　battle。　　　　　On　them　border　the　Gyzantians；　in　whose　country　a　vast　deal　of　honey　is　made　by　bees；　very　much　more；　however；　by　the　skill　of　men。　The　people　all　paint　themselves　red；　and　eat　monkeys；　whereof　there　is　inexhaustible　store　in　the　hills。　　　　　Off　their　coast；　as　the　Carthaginians　report；　lies　an　island；　by　name　Cyraunis；　the　length　of　which　is　two　hundred　furlongs；　its　breadth　not　great；　and　which　is　soon　reached　from　the　mainland。　Vines　and　olive　trees　cover　the　whole　of　it；　and　there　is　in　the　island　a　lake；　from　which　the　young　maidens　of　the　country　draw　up　gold…dust；　by　dipping　into　the　mud　birds'　feathers　smeared　with　pitch。　If　this　be　true；　I　know　not；　I　but　write　what　is　said。　It　may　be　even　so；　however；　since　I　myself　have　seen　pitch　drawn　up　out　of　the　water　from　a　lake　in　Zacynthus。　At　the　place　I　speak　of　there　are　a　number　of　lakes；　but　one　is　larger　than　the　rest；　being　seventy　feet　every　way；　and　two　fathoms　in　depth。　Here　they　let　down　a　pole　into　the　water；　with　a　bunch　of　myrtle　tied　to　one　end；　and　when　they　raise　it　again；　there　is　pitch　sticking　to　the　myrtle；　which　in　smell　is　like　to　bitumen；　but　in　all　else　is　better　than　the　pitch　of　Pieria。　This　they　pour　into　a　trench　dug　by　the　lake's　side；　and　when　a　good　deal　has　thus　been　got　together；　they　draw　it　off　and　put　it　up　in　jars。　Whatever　falls　into　the　lake　passes　underground；　and　comes　up　in　the　sea；　which　is　no　less　than　four　furlongs　distant。　So　then　what　is　said　of　the　island　off　the　Libyan　coast　is　not　without　likelihood。　　　　　The　Carthaginians　also　relate　the　following：…　There　is　a　country　in　Libya；　and　a　nation；　beyond　the　Pillars　of　Hercules；　which　they　are　wont　to　visit；　where　they　no　sooner　arrive　but　forthwith　they　unlade　their　wares；　and；　having　disposed　them　after　an　orderly　fashion　along　the　beach；　leave　them；　and；　returning　aboard　their　ships；　raise　a　great　smoke。　The　natives；　when　they　see　the　smoke；　come　down　to　the　shore；　and；　laying　out　to　view　so　much　gold　as　they　think　the　worth　of　the　wares；　withdraw　to　a　distance。　The　Carthaginians　upon　this　come　ashore　and　look。　If　they　think　the　gold　enough；　they　take　it　and　go　their　way；　but　if　it　does　not　seem　to　them　sufficient；　they　go　aboard　ship　once　more；　and　wait　patiently。　Then　the　others　approach　and　add　to　their　gold；　till　the　Carthaginians　are　content。　Neither　party　deals　unfairly　by　the　other：　for　they　themselves　never　touch　the　gold　till　it　comes　up　to　the　worth　of　their　goods；　nor　do　the　natives　ever　carry　off　the　goods　till　the　gold　is　taken　away。　　　　　These　be　the　Libyan　tribes　whereof　I　am　able　to　give　the　names；　and　most　of　these　cared　little　then；　and　indeed　care　little　now；　for　the　king　of　the　Medes。　One　thing　more　also　I　can　add　concerning　this　region；　namely；　that；　so　far　as　our　knowledge　reaches；　four　nations；　and　no　more；　inhabit　it；　and　two　of　these　nations　are　indigenous；　while　two　are　not。　The　two　indigenous　are　the　Libyans　and　Ethiopians；　who　dwell　respectively　in　the　north　and　the　south　of　Libya。　The　Phoenicians　and　the　Greek　are　in…comers。　　　　　It　seems　to　me　that　Libya　is　not　to　compare　for　goodness　of　soil　with　either　Asia　or　Europe；　except　the　Cinyps　region；　which　is　named　after　the　river　that　waters　it。　This　piece　of　land　is　equal　to　any　country　in　the　world　for　cereal　crops；　and　is　in　nothing　like　the　rest　of　Libya。　For　the　soil　here　is　black；　and　springs　of　water　abound；　so　that　there　is　nothing　to　fear　from　drought；　nor　do　heavy　rains　（and　it　rains　in　that　part　of　Libya）　do　any　harm　when　they　soak　the　ground。　The　returns　of　the　harvest　come　up　to　the　measure　which　prevails　in　Babylonia。　The　soil　is　likewise　good　in　the　country　of　the　Euesperites；　for　there　the　land　brings　forth　in　the　best　years　a　hundred…fold。　But　the　Cinyps　region　yields　three　hundred…fold。　　　　　The　country　of　the　Cyrenaeans；　which　is　the　highest　tract　within　the　part　of　Libya　inhabited　by　the　wandering　tribes；　has　three　seasons　that　deserve　remark。　First　the　crops　along　the　sea…coast　begin　to　ripen；　and　are　ready　for　the　harvest　and　the　vintage；　after　they　have　been　gathered　in；　the　crops　of　the　middle　tract　above　the　coast　region　（the　hill…country；　as　they　call　it）　need　harvesting；　while　about　the　time　when　this　middle　crop　is　housed；　the　fruits　ripen　and　are　fit　for　cutting　in　the　highest　tract　of　all。　So　that　the　produce　of　the　first　tract　has　been　all　eaten　and　drunk　by　the　time　that　the　last　harvest　comes　in。　And　the　harvest…time　of　the　Cyrenaeans　continues　thus　for　eight　full　months。　So　much　concerning　these　matters。　　　　　When　the　Persians　sent　from　Egypt　by　Aryandes　to　help　Pheretima　reached　Barca；　they　laid　siege　to　the　town；　calling　on　those　within　to　give　up　the　men　who　had　been　guilty　of　the　murder　of　Arcesilaus。　The　townspeople；　however；　as　they　had　one　and　all　taken　part　in　the　deed；　refused　to　entertain　the　proposition。　So　the　Persians　beleaguered　Barca　for　nine　months；　in　the　course　of　which　they　dug　several　mines　from　their　own　lines　to　the　walls；　and　likewise　made　a　number　of　vigorous　assaults。　But　their　mines　were　discovered　by　a　man　who　was　a　worker　in　brass；　who　went　with　a　brazen　shield　all　round　the　fortress；　and　laid　it　on　the　ground　inside　the　city。　In　other　Places　the　shield；　when　he　laid　it　down；　was　quite　dumb；　but　where　the　ground　was　undermined；　there　the　brass　of　the　shield　rang。　Here；　therefore；　the　Barcaeans　countermined；　and　slew　the　Persian　diggers。　Such　was　the　way　in　which　the　mines　were　discovered；　as　for　the　assaults；　the　Barcaeans　beat　them　back。　　　　　When　much　time　had　been　consumed；　and　great　numbers　had　fallen　on　both　sides；　nor　had　the　Persians　lost　fewer　than　their　adversaries；　Amasis；　the　leader　of　the　land…army；　perceiving　that；　although　the　Barcaeans　would　never　be　conquered　by　force；　they　might　be　overcome　by　fraud；　contrived　as　follows　One　night　he　dug　a　wide　trench；　and　laid　light　planks　of　wood　across　the　opening；　after　which　he　brought　mould　and　placed　it　upon　the　planks；　taking　care　to　make　the　place　level　with　the　surrounding　ground。　At　dawn　of　day　he　summoned　the　Barcaeans　to　a　parley：　and　they　gladly　hearkening；　the　terms　were　at　length　agreed　upon。　Oaths　were　interchanged　upon　the　ground　over　the　hidden　trench；　and　the　agreement　ran　thus…　〃So　long　as　the　ground　beneath　our　feet　stands　firm；　the　oath　shall　abide　unchange