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Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

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232 THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.<br />

"and girt round about her thighs, so that whenever<br />

"a woman eoeth to war and findeth herself en-<br />

"gaged in fighting she can lay hold upon a knife<br />

"from any place she desireth on her body, and<br />

"stab with it any one who [wisheth] to stab her.<br />

Dress and "Whether it be her child, or husband, or daughter,<br />

Huns.° °"the clothing of all these nations is dressed skins;<br />

"they never cook their meat, but they eat it raw<br />

"without any cooking whatsoever. When they<br />

"find the blood of a man which hath been shed<br />

"they drink it, and their food [consists] of the<br />

"flesh of reptiles." The men never go down into<br />

"the towns and cities, and they never mix with<br />

"their fellow-creatures, but their habitations are<br />

"booths and tents. Their running is as swift as<br />

"the flight of stags, and is as that of goats, and<br />

Theirtactics "they are as fleet in their courses as horses. None<br />

"> war.<br />

,,^|. j.]^gjj. ^^^ fights unless many of their number<br />

"are mounted, and they fly about hither and thither<br />

"like wild goats; and God Almighty sendeth them<br />

"against the nation which is to be punished, for<br />

"they are merciless. And when the time cometh<br />

"for them to go forth to war they take a pregnant<br />

"woman, and strip off her apparel, and kindle a<br />

"huge fire, and set her in front of the fire until<br />

"her child is cooked in her womb. Then they rip<br />

' These are clearly the people described in Pseudo-Cal-<br />

listhenes, Bk. iii. chap. 29: e9vr| TToXXd ecreiovTa ffdpKac; dv-<br />

GpiXiTTLUv Kai TTivovTac; ai|aa Cubov Kai Giipiuuv oiaTrep u&aip-<br />

TOU5 ydp veKpoiJs auroiv ouk eGaTiTOv dX\d iiaOiov.

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