in one and the same stream. The Barbarians, I say, were
encamped in these regions; and of the rivers which have been enumerated,
only the river Cheidoros flowing from the Crestonian land was
insufficient for the drinking of the army and failed in its stream.

128. Then Xerxes seeing from Therma the mountains of Thessaly, Olympos
and Ossa, that they were of very great height, and being informed that
in the midst between them there was a narrow channel, through which
flows the Peneios, and hearing also that by this way there was a good
road leading to Thessaly, formed a desire to sail thither and look at
the outlet of the Peneios, because he was meaning to march by the upper
road, through the land of the Macedonians who dwell inland, until he
came to the Perraibians, passing by the city of Gonnos; for by this way
he was informed that it was safest to go. And having formed this desire,
so also he proceeded to do; that is, he embarked in a Sidonian ship, the
same in which he used always to embark when he wished to do anything of
this kind, and he displayed a signal for the others to put out to sea
also, leaving there the land-army. Then when Xerxes had looked at the
outlet of the Peneios, he was possessed by great wonder, and summoning
his guides he asked them whether it was possible to turn the river aside
and bring it out to the sea by another way.

129. Now it is said that Thessaly was in old time a lake, being enclosed
on all sides by very lofty mountains: for the parts of it which lie
towards the East are shut in by the ranges of Pelion and Ossa, which
join one another in their lower slopes, the parts towards the North
Wind by Olympos, those towards the West by Pindos and those towards
the mid-day and the South Wind by Othrys; and the region in the midst,
between these mountains which have been named, is Thessaly, forming as
it were a hollow. Whereas then many rivers flow into it and among them
these five of most note, namely Peneios, Apidanos, Onochonos, Enipeus
and Pamisos, these, which collect their waters from the mountains that
enclose Thessaly round, and flow into this plain, with names separate
each one, having their outflow into the sea by one channel and that a
narrow one, first mingling their waters all together in one and the
same stream; and so soon as they are mingled together, from that point
onwards the Peneios prevails with its name over the rest and causes
the others to lose their separate names. And i