Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/108

84 fflSTORY OF GREECE. The first line of ships were moored to the land, but the larger number of this immense fleet swung at anchor in a depth of eight lines. In this condition they were overtaken the next morning by a sudden and desperate hurricane , — a wind called by the people of the country HeUespontias, which blew right upon the shore. The most active among the mariners found means to forestall the danger by beaching and hauling their vessels ashore; but a large number, unable to take such a precaution, were carried before the wind and dashed to pieces near Meliboea, Kasthanaea, and other points of this unfriendly region. Four hundred ships of war, according to the lowest estimate, together with a count- less heap of transports and provision craft, were destroyed : and the loss of life as well as property was immense. For three entire days did the terrors of the storm last, during which time the crews ashore, left almost without defence, and apprehensive that the inhabitants of the country might assail or plunder them, were forced to break up the ships driven ashore in order to make a palisade out of the timbers.^ Though the Magian priests who accompanied the armament were fervent in prayer and sacrifice, not merely to the Winds, but also to Thetis and the Nereids, the tutelary divinities of Sepias Akte, — they could obtain no mitigation until the fourth day :2 thus long did the prayers of Delphi and Athens, and the jealousy of the gods against super- human arrogance, protract the terrible visitation. At length, on the fourth day, calm weather returned, when all those ships which -were in condition to proceed, put to sea and sailed along the land, round the southern promontory of Magnesia, to Aphetae, at the entrance of the gulf of Pagas^e. Little, indeed, had Xerxes gained by the laborious cutting through mount Athos, in hopes to mentions it as aline of some extent {unaaa r} aKTr) {] ^TjTriclc, vii, 191), and notices separately ttjv uKp?]v ttjc Mayv7iaii}c, vii, 193. The geography of Apollonius Ehodius (i, 560-580) seems sadly in- accurate. * Herodot. vii, 189-191. ^ Herodot vii, 191. On this occasion, as in regard to the prayers ad- dressed by the Athenians to Boreas, Herodotus suffers a faint indication of skepticism to escape him: n/^Epac yap 6r) ix^iial^E rpelg- relog Shevrofid re ■KoievvTeg koI KaraeidovTec yooiac rij uvs/xu oi Mdyoi, •n-poc re rovrotat, kuI eirc Kal rym NTypT/iffj Movrei, enavaav TErdpry Tifiepy' v (i^^<^S ""C ai'Toc £-&e?i,uv kKonaae.