ios reckoned and found that more good services
had been done by him to the royal house than were equal to his offences;
and having found this, and perceived that he had himself acted with more
haste than wisdom, he let him go. Thus he escaped from king Dareios, and
did not perish but survived; now, however, when he sailed in toward the
Hellenes, he was destined not to escape the second time; for when the
Hellenes saw them sailing up, perceiving the mistake which was being
made they put out against them and captured them without difficulty.

195. Sailing in one of these ships Aridolis was captured, the despot of
Alabanda in Caria, and in another the Paphian commander Penthylos son of
Demonooes, who brought twelve ships from Paphos, but had lost eleven
of them in the storm which had come on by Sepias, and now was captured
sailing in towards Artemision with the one which had escaped. These men
the Hellenes sent away in bonds to the Isthmus of the Corinthians, after
having inquired of them that which they desired to learn of the army of
Xerxes.

196. The fleet of the Barbarians then, except the fifteen ships of which
I said that Sandokes was in command, had arrived at Aphetai; and Xerxes
meanwhile with the land-army, having marched through Thessalia and
Achaia, had already entered the land of the Malians two days before, 200
after having held in Thessaly a contest for his own horses, making trial
also of the Thessalian cavalry, because he was informed that it was the
best of all among the Hellenes; and in this trial the horses of Hellas
were far surpassed by the others. Now of the rivers in Thessalia the
Onochonos alone failed to suffice by its stream for the drinking of
the army; but of the rivers which flow in Achaia even that which is the
largest of them, namely Epidanos, even this, I say, held out but barely.

197. When Xerxes had reached Alos of Achaia, the guides who gave him
information of the way, wishing to inform him fully of everything,
reported to him a legend of the place, the things, namely, which have to
do with the temple of Zeus Laphystios; 201 how Athamas the son of Aiolos
contrived death for Phrixos, having taken counsel with Ino, and after
this how by command of an oracle the Achaians propose to his descendants
the following tasks to be performed:--whosoever is the eldest of this
race, on him they lay an injunction that he is forbidden to enter the
City Hall, 202 and they themselves keep watch; now the