s of the Athenians were wont ever to go
for water to the spring of Enneacrunos; for at that time neither they
nor the other Hellenes as yet had household servants; and when these
girls came, the Pelasgians in wantonness and contempt of the Athenians
would offer them violence; and it was not enough for them even to do
this, but at last they were found in the act of plotting an attack
upon the city: and the narrators say that they herein proved themselves
better men than the Pelasgians, inasmuch as when they might have slain
the Pelasgians, who had been caught plotting against them, they did not
choose to do so, but ordered them merely to depart out of the land: and
thus having departed out of the land, the Pelasgians took possession of
several older places and especially of Lemnos. The former story is that
which was reported by Hecataios, while the latter is that which is told
by the Athenians..

138. These Pelasgians then, dwelling after that in Lemnos, desired to
take vengeance on the Athenians; and having full knowledge also of the
festivals of the Athenians, they got 122 fifty-oared galleys and laid
wait for the women of the Athenians when they were keeping festival to
Artemis in Brauron; and having carried off a number of them from thence,
they departed and sailed away home, and taking the women to Lemnos they
kept them as concubines. Now when these women had children gradually
more and more, they made it their practice to teach their sons both
the Attic tongue and the manners of the Athenians. And these were not
willing to associate with the sons of the Pelasgian women, and moreover
if any of them were struck by any one of those, they all in a body came
to the rescue and helped one another. Moreover the boys claimed to
have authority over the other boys and got the better of them easily.
Perceiving these things the Pelasgians considered the matter; and when
they took counsel together, a fear came over them and they thought, if
the boys were indeed resolved now to help one another against the sons
of the legitimate wives, and were endeavouring already from the first to
have authority over them, what would they do when they were grown up to
be men? Then they determined to put to death the sons of the Athenian
women, and this they actually did; and in addition to them they slew
their mothers also. From this deed and from that which was done before
this, which the women did when they killed Thoas and the rest, who were