t
everything is possible in the long course of ages. However that may be,
the Ligurians who dwell in the region inland above Massalia call traders
sigynnai, and the men of Cyprus give the same name to spears.

10. Now the Thracians say that the other side of the Ister is occupied
by bees, and that by reason of them it is not possible to pass through
and proceed further: but to me it seems that when they so speak, they
say that which is not probable; for these creatures are known to be
intolerant of cold, and to me it seems that the regions which go up
towards the pole are uninhabitable by reason of the cold climate. These
then are the tales reported about this country; and however that may
be, Megabazos was then making the coast-regions of it subject to the
Persians.

11. Meanwhile Dareios, so soon as he had crossed over the Hellespont and
come to Sardis, called to mind the service rendered to him by Histiaios
the Milesian and also the advice of the Mytilenian Coes, and having
sent for them to come to Sardis he offered them a choice of rewards.
Histiaios then, being despot of Miletos, did not make request for
any government in addition to that, but he asked for the district of
Myrkinos which belonged to the Edonians, desiring there to found a city.
Histiaios chose this for himself; but Coes, not being a despot but a man
of the people, asked to be made despot of Mitylene.

12. After the desires of both had been fulfilled, they betook themselves
to that which they had chosen: and at this same time it chanced that
Dareios saw a certain thing which made him desire to command Megabazos
to conquer the Paionians and remove them forcibly from Europe into Asia:
and the thing was this:--There were certain Paionians named Pigres and
Mantyas, who when Dareios had crossed over into Asia, came to Sardis,
because they desired themselves to have rule over the Paionians, and
with them they brought their sister, who was tall and comely. Then
having watched for a time when Dareios took his seat publicly in the
suburb of the Lydian city, they dressed up their sister in the best way
they could, and sent her to fetch water, having a water-jar upon her
head and leading a horse after her by a bridle round her arm, and at the
same time spinning flax. Now when the woman passed out of the city by
him, Dareios paid attention to the matter, for that which was done by
the woman was not of Persian nor yet of Lydian fashion, nor indeed
after the ma