out
the compulsion of a strong tie agreements are apt not to hold strongly
together. Now these nations observe the same ceremonies in taking oaths
as the Hellenes, and in addition to them they make incision into the
skin of their arms, and then lick up the blood each of the other.

75. This Astyages then, being his mother's father, Cyrus had conquered
and made prisoner for a reason which I shall declare in the history
which comes after. 90 This then was the complaint which Croesus had
against Cyrus when he sent to the Oracles to ask if he should march
against the Persians; and when a deceitful answer had come back to him,
he marched into the dominion of the Persians, supposing that the answer
was favourable to himself. And when Croesus came to the river Halys,
then, according to my account, he passed his army across by the bridges
which there were; but, according to the account which prevails among the
Hellenes, Thales the Milesian enabled him to pass his army across. For,
say they, when Croesus was at a loss how his army should pass over the
river (since, they add, there were not yet at that time the bridges
which now there are), Thales being present in the army caused the river,
which flowed then on the left hand of the army, to flow partly also on
the right; and he did it thus:--beginning above the camp he proceeded to
dig a deep channel, directing it in the form of a crescent moon, so that
the river might take the camp there pitched in the rear, being turned
aside from its ancient course by this way along the channel, and
afterwards passing by the camp might fall again into its ancient course;
so that as soon as the river was thus parted in two it became fordable
by both branches: and some say even that the ancient course of the river
was altogether dried up. But this tale I do not admit as true, for how
then did they pass over the river as they went back?

76. And Croesus, when he had passed over with his army, came to that
place in Cappadokia which is called Pteria (now Pteria is the strongest
place in this country, and is situated somewhere about in a line with
the city of Sinope 91 on the Euxine). Here he encamped and ravaged the
fields of the Syrians. Moreover he took the city of the Pterians, and
sold the people into slavery, and he took also all the towns that lay
about it; and the Syrians, who were not guilty of any wrong, he forced
to remove from their homes. 92 Meanwhile Cyrus, having gathered his
own for