Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
102. Others however of the Indians are on the borders of the city of
Caspatyros and the country of Pactyïke, dwelling towards the North 91 of
the other Indians; and they have a manner of living nearly the same as
that of the Bactrians: these are the most warlike of the Indians, and
these are they who make expeditions for the gold. For in the parts where
they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and
sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but
larger than foxes, for 92 there are some of them kept at the residence
of the king of Persia, which are caught here. These ants then make their
dwelling under ground and carry up the sand just in the same manner as
the ants found in the land of the Hellenes, which they themselves
93 also very much resemble in form; and the sand which is brought up
contains gold. To obtain this sand the Indians make expeditions into the
desert, each one having yoked together three camels, placing a female in
the middle and a male like a trace-horse to draw by each side. On this
female he mounts himself, having arranged carefully that she shall be
taken to be yoked from young ones, the more lately born the better. For
their female camels are not inferior to horses in speed, and moreover
they are much more capable of bearing weights.
103. As to the form of the camel, I do not here describe it, since the
Hellenes for whom I write are already acquainted with it, but I shall
tell that which is not commonly known about it, which is this:—the camel
has in the hind legs four thighs and four knees, 94 and its organs of
generation are between the hind legs, turned towards the tail.
104. The Indians, I say, ride out to get the gold in the manner and with
the kind of yoking which I have described, making calculations so that
they may be engaged in carrying it off at the time when the greatest
heat prevails; for the heat causes the ants to disappear underground.
Now among these nations the sun is hottest in the morning hours, not
at midday as with others, but from sunrise to the time of closing the
market: and during this time it produces much greater heat than at
midday in Hellas, so that it is said that then they drench themselves
with water. Midday however has about equal degree of heat with the
Indians as with other men, while after midday their sun becomes like the
morning sun with other men, and after this, as it goes further away, it
produces still greater coolness, until at last at sunset it makes the
air very cool indeed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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