§3.25.1τὴν δὲ ἑξῆς χώραν τῶν Αἰθιόπων ἐπέχουσιν οἱ καλούμενοι Κυνηγοί, σύμμετροι μὲν κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος, βίον δʼ οἰκεῖον ἔχοντες τῇ προσηγορίᾳ.
And the neighboring country of the Ethiopians is occupied by those called the Kynegoi (Hunters), who are moderate in number, but lead a life appropriate to their name.
θηριώδους γὰρ οὔσης τῆς χώρας καὶ παντελῶς λυπρᾶς, ἔτι δὲ ὑδάτων ῥύσεις ναματιαίων ἐχούσης ὀλίγας, καθεύδουσι μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν δένδρων διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν θηρίων φόβον, ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν ἑωθινὴν πρὸς τὰς συρρύσεις τῶν ὑδάτων μεθʼ ὅπλων φοιτῶντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀποκρύβουσιν εἰς τὴν ὕλην καὶ σκοπεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν δένδρων.
For since their land is full of wild beasts and utterly barren, and moreover has few streams of spring water, they sleep in the trees out of fear of the wild beasts, and around dawn they go with weapons to the places where the waters meet, hide themselves in the forest, and keep watch from the trees.
§3.25.2κατὰ δὲ τὸν τοῦ καύματος καιρόν, ἐρχομένων βοῶν τε ἀγρίων καὶ παρδάλεων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων θηρίων πλήθους πρὸς τὸ ποτόν, ταῦτα μὲν διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ τε καύματος καὶ δίψους λάβρως προσφέρεται τὸ ὑγρόν, μέχρι ἂν ἐμπλησθῇ, οἱ δʼ Αἰθίοπες, γενομένων αὐτῶν βαρέων καὶ δυσκινήτων, καταπηδῶντες ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων καὶ χρώμενοι ξύλοις πεπυρακτωμένοις καὶ λίθοις, ἔτι δὲ τοξεύμασι, ῥᾳδίως καταπονοῦσι.
During the time of the heat, when wild oxen, leopards, and a multitude of other wild beasts come to drink, these beasts, because of the excessive heat and thirst, greedily drink the water until they are filled; but the Ethiopians, when the beasts have become heavy and slow-moving, leaping down from the trees and using fire-hardened clubs and stones, and furthermore arrows, easily overpower them.
§3.25.3κατὰ δὲ συστήματα ταύταις χρώμενοι ταῖς κυνηγίαις σαρκοφαγοῦσι τὰ ληφθέντα, καὶ σπανίως μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλκιμωτάτων ζῴων αὐτοὶ διαφθείρονται, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ δόλῳ τὴν ἐκ βίας ὑπεροχὴν χειροῦνται.
Employing these methods of hunting in packs, they feed on the flesh of what they have caught; and though they themselves are rarely destroyed by the most powerful beasts, for the most part they master by cunning the superiority of sheer force.
§3.25.4ἐὰν δέ ποτε τῶν κυνηγουμένων ζῴων σπανίζωσι, τὰς δορὰς τῶν πρότερον εἰλημμένων βρέξαντες ἐπιτιθέασιν ἐπὶ πῦρ ἁπαλόν· σποδίσαντες δὲ τὰς τρίχας τὰ δέρματα διαιροῦσι, καὶ κατεσθίοντες βεβιασμένως ἀναπληροῦσι τὴν ἔνδειαν.
But if they ever run short of the animals they hunt, they soak the hides of those previously caught and place them over a gentle fire; then, after singeing off the hair, they divide the skins, and by eating them under compulsion, they satisfy their need.
§3.25.5τοὺς δὲ ἀνήβους παῖδας γυμνάζουσιν ἐπὶ σκοπὸν βάλλειν, καὶ μόνοις διδόασι τροφὴν τοῖς ἐπιτυχοῦσι.
They train their under-age children to shoot at a mark, and give food only to those who hit it.
διὸ καὶ θαυμαστοὶ ταῖς εὐστοχίαις ἄνδρες γίνονται, κάλλιστα διδασκόμενοι ταῖς τοῦ λιμοῦ πληγαῖς.
For this reason, when they become men, they are wonderful for their accuracy of aim, being most excellently taught by the blows of hunger.