ythians sent down a detachment of their forces to the banks of the
Danube, to see if they could not, in some way or other, obtain
possession of the bridge. They learned here what the orders were which
Darius had given to the Ionians who had been left in charge, in
respect to the time of their remaining at their post. The Scythians
told them that if they would govern themselves strictly by those
orders, and so break up the bridge and go down the river with their
boats as soon as the two months should have expired, they should not
be molested in the mean time. The Ionians agreed to this. The time was
then already nearly gone, and they promised that, so soon as it should
be fully expired, they would withdraw.

The Scythian detachment sent back word to the main army acquainting
them with these facts, and the army accordingly resolved on a change
in their policy. Instead of harassing and distressing the Persians as
they had done, to hasten their departure, they now determined to
improve the situation of their enemies, and encourage them in their
hopes, so as to protract their stay. They accordingly allowed the
Persians to gain the advantage over them in small skirmishes, and they
managed, also, to have droves of cattle fall into their hands, from
time to time, so as to supply them with food. The Persians were quite
elated with these indications that the tide of fortune was about to
turn in their favor.

While things were in this state, there appeared one day at the Persian
camp a messenger from the Scythians, who said that he had some
presents from the Scythian chief for Darius. The messenger was
admitted, and allowed to deliver his gifts. The gifts proved to be a
bird, a mouse, a frog, and five arrows. The Persians asked the bearer
of these strange offerings what the Scythians meant by them. He
replied that he had no explanations to give. His orders were, he said,
to deliver the presents and then return; and that they must,
accordingly, find out the meaning intended by the exercise of their
own ingenuity.

When the messenger had retired, Darius and the Persians consulted
together, to determine what so strange a communication could mean.
They could not, however, come to any satisfactory decision. Darius
said that he thought the three animals might probably be intended to
denote the three kingdoms of nature to which the said animals
respectively belonged, viz., the earth, the air, and the water; and as
the giving up of we