whose women wear each of
them a number of anklets made of the skins of animals, for the following
reason, as it is said:--for every man who has commerce with her she binds
on an anklet, and the woman who has most is esteemed the best, since she
has been loved by the greatest number of men.

177. In a peninsula which stands out into the sea from the land of these
Gindanes dwell the Lotophagoi, who live by eating the fruit of the
lotos only. Now the fruit of the lotos is in size like that of the
mastich-tree, and in flavour 158 it resembles that of the date-palm. Of
this fruit the Lotophagoi even make for themselves wine.

178. Next after the Lotophagoi along the sea-coast are the Machlyans,
who also make use of the lotos, but less than those above mentioned.
These extend to a great river named the river Triton, and this runs out
into a great lake called Tritonis, in which there is an island named
Phla. About this island they say there was an oracle given to the
Lacedemonians that they should make a settlement in it.

179. The following moreover is also told, namely that Jason, when
the Argo had been completed by him under Mount Pelion, put into it
a hecatomb and with it also 159 a tripod of bronze, and sailed round
Pelopponese, desiring to come to Delphi; and when in sailing he got near
Malea, a North Wind seized his ship and carried it off to Libya, and
before he caught sight of land he had come to be in the shoals of the
lake Tritonis. Then as he was at a loss how he should bring his ship
forth, the story goes that Triton appeared to him and bade Jason give
him the tripod, saying that he would show them the right course and let
them go away without hurt: and when Jason consented to it, then Triton
showed them the passage out between the shoals and set the tripod in his
own temple, after having first uttered a prophecy over the tripod 160
and having declared to Jason and his company the whole matter, namely
that whensoever one of the descendants of those who sailed with him in
the Argo should carry away this tripod, then it was determined by fate
that a hundred cities of Hellenes should be established about the lake
Tritonis. Having heard this the native Libyans concealed the tripod.

180. Next to these Machlyans are the Auseans. These and the Machlyans
dwell round the lake Tritonis, and the river Triton is the boundary
between them: and while the Machlyans grow their hair long at the back
of the head, the Auseans do