according to the number of days of which the entire
journey consists, so many horses and men are set at intervals, each man
and horse appointed for a day's journey. These neither snow nor rain nor
heat nor darkness of night prevents from accomplishing each one the task
proposed to him, with the very utmost speed. The first then rides and
delivers the message with which he is charged to the second, and the
second to the third; and after that it goes through them handed from
one to the other, 62 as in the torch-race among the Hellenes, which
they perform for Hephaistos. This kind of running of their horses the
Persians call angareion.

99. The first message then which came to Susa, announcing that Xerxes
had Athens in his possession, so greatly rejoiced the Persians who had
been left behind, that they strewed all the ways with myrtle boughs and
offered incense perpetually, and themselves continued in sacrifices and
feasting. The second message however, which came to them after this,
so greatly disturbed them that they all tore their garments and gave
themselves up to crying and lamentation without stint, laying the blame
upon Mardonios: and this the Persians did not so much because they were
grieved about the ships, as because they feared for Xerxes himself.

100. As regards the Persians this went on for all the time which
intervened, until the coming of Xerxes himself caused them to cease:
and Mardonios seeing that Xerxes was greatly troubled by reason of
the sea-fight, and suspecting that he was meaning to take flight from
Athens, considered with regard to himself that he would have to suffer
punishment for having persuaded the king to make an expedition against
Hellas, and that it was better for him to run the risk of either
subduing Hellas or ending his own life honourably, placing his safety in
suspense for a great end, 63 though his opinion was rather that he would
subdue Hellas;--he reckoned up these things, I say, and addressed his
speech to the king as follows: "Master, be not thou grieved, nor feel
great trouble on account of this thing which has come to pass; for it is
not upon a contest of timbers that all our fortunes depend, but of
men and of horses: and none of these who suppose now that all has been
achieved by them will attempt to disembark from the ships and stand
against thee, nor will any in this mainland do so; but those who did
stand against us paid the penalty. If therefore thou thinkest this good