304 HERODOTUS
we go, we are sure enough of finding wives and chil- dren." Arrived in Ethiopia, they placed themselves at the disposal of the king. In return, he made them a present of a tract of land which belonged to certain Ethiopians with whom he was at feud, bidding them expel the inhabitants and take possession of their ter- ritory. From the time that this settlement was formed, their acquaintance with Egyptian manners has tended to civilize the Ethiopians.
Thus the course of the Nile is known, not only throughout Egypt, but to the extent of four months' journey either by land or water above the Egyptian boundary ; for on calculation it will be found that it takes that length of time to travel from Elephantine to the country of the Deserters. There the direction of the river is from west to east. Beyond, no one has any certain knowledge of its course, since the country is uninhabited by reason of the excessive heat. {Book II., Chcqjters 19-31.)
EGYPTIAN CUSTOMS
Concerning Egypt itself I shall extend my re- marks to a great length, because there is no country that possesses so many wonders, nor any that has such a number of works which defy description. Not only is the climate different from that of the rest of the world, and the rivers unlike any other rivers, but the jjeople also, in most of their manners and customs, exactly reverse the common practice of mankind. The women attend the markets and trade, while the men sit at home at the loom ; and here, while the rest of the world works the woof up the warp, the Egyptians work it down ; the women likewise carry burthens
