nd halted his army upon the river Oaros. Having so done he
began to build eight large fortifications at equal distances from one
another, that is to say about sixty furlongs, of which the ruins
still existed down to my time; and while he was occupied in this,
the Scythians whom he was pursuing came round by the upper parts and
returned back to Scythia. Accordingly, since these had altogether
disappeared and were no longer seen by the Persians at all, Dareios left
those fortifications half finished, and turning back himself began to
go towards the West, supposing that these were the whole body of the
Scythians and that they were flying towards the West.

125. And marching his army as quickly as possible, when he came to
Scythia he met with the two divisions of the Scythians together, and
having fallen in with these he continued to pursue them, while they
retired out of his way one day's journey in advance: and as Dareios did
not cease to come after them, the Scythians according to the plan which
they had made continued to retire before him towards the land of those
who had refused to give their alliance, and first towards that of the
Melanchlainoi; and when Scythians and Persians both together had invaded
and disturbed these, the Scythians led the way to the country of the
Androphagoi; and when these had also been disturbed, they proceeded to
the land of the Neuroi; and while these too were being disturbed, the
Scythians went on retiring before the enemy to the Agathyrsians. The
Agathyrsians however, seeing that their next neighbours also were flying
from the Scythians and had been disturbed, sent a herald before the
Scythians invaded their land and proclaimed to the Scythians not to set
foot upon their confines, warning them that if they should attempt
to invade the country, they would first have to fight with them. The
Agathyrsians then having given this warning came out in arms to their
borders, meaning to drive off those who were coming upon them; but
the Melanchlainoi and Androphagoi and Neuroi, when the Persians and
Scythians together invaded them, did not betake themselves to brave
defence but forgot their former threat 115 and fled in confusion ever
further towards the North to the desert region. The Scythians however,
when the Agathyrsians had warned them off, did not attempt any more to
come to these, but led the Persians from the country of the Neuroi back
to their own land.

126. Now as this went on for a lo