§3.37.1οὐ μὴν ἀπέγνωσαν τὴν θήραν, ὑπερβαλλούσης τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως χάριτος καὶ δωρεᾶς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας ἐγνωσμένους κινδύνους, φιλοτεχνίᾳ δὲ καὶ δόλῳ τὸ τῇ βίᾳ δυσκαταγώνιστον ἐχειρώσαντο, τοιάνδε τινὰ μηχανὴν πορισάμενοι.
Yet they did not give up the hunt, since the king's favor and reward far surpassed the dangers known from experience; and by skill and cunning they subdued what was difficult to overcome by force, having devised a device of the following sort.
κατεσκεύασαν ἀπὸ σχοίνου πυκνῆς περιφερὲς πλόκανον, τῷ μὲν τύπῳ τοῖς κύρτοις ἐμφερές, τῷ δὲ μεγέθει καὶ τῇ διαλήψει τῆς χώρας δυνάμενον δέξασθαι τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ θηρίου.
They constructed a circular basket made of thick rope, resembling a fish-trap in its shape, but capable in its size and the capacity of its space of receiving the bulk of the beast.
§3.37.2κατοπτεύσαντες οὖν τὸν φωλεὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ὥραν τῆς τε ἐπὶ τὴν νομὴν ἐξόδου καὶ πάλιν τῆς ἐπανόδου, ὡς τάχισθʼ ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄγραν τὴν συνήθη τῶν ἑτερογενῶν ζῴων, τὸ μὲν προϋπάρχον τοῦ φωλεοῦ στόμα λίθοις εὐμεγέθεσι καὶ γῇ συνῳκοδόμησαν, τὸν δὲ πλησίον τῆς λόχμης τόπον ὑπόνομον ποιήσαντες καὶ τὸ πλόκανον εἰς αὐτὸν ἐνθέντες ἐναντίον ἐποίησαν τὸ στόμιον, ὥστε ἐξ ἑτοίμου τῷ θηρίῳ τὴν εἴσοδον ὑπάρχειν.
Therefore, having reconnoitered its lair and the time of both its departure for pasture and its return, as soon as it hastened to its accustomed prey of other kinds of animals, they blocked the existing mouth of the lair with large stones and earth, and having dug a passage near the thicket and placed the basket into it, they made its mouth face the path, so that an entrance was readily available for the beast.
§3.37.3κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπάνοδον τοῦ ζῴου παρεσκευασμένοι τοξότας καὶ σφενδονήτας, ἔτι δὲ ἱππεῖς πολλούς, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις σαλπικτὰς καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν χορηγίαν, ἅμα τῷ προσπελάζειν τὸ μὲν θηρίον μετεωρότερον τῶν ἱππέων ἐξῆρε τὸν αὐχένα, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν θήραν ἠθροισμένοι προσεγγίσαι μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμων, νενουθετημένοι ταῖς προγεγενημέναις συμφοραῖς, πόρρωθεν δὲ πολλαῖς χερσὶν ἐφʼ ἕνα καὶ μέγαν σκοπὸν βάλλοντες ἐτύγχανον, καὶ τῇ τε τῶν ἱππέων ἐπιφανείᾳ καὶ πλήθει κυνῶν ἀλκίμων, ἔτι δὲ τῷ διὰ τῶν σαλπίγγων ἤχῳ, κατέπληττον τὸ ζῷον.
And during the return of the animal, having prepared archers and slingers, and also many horsemen, and furthermore trumpeters and all other necessary equipment, as it approached, the beast raised its neck higher than the horsemen; but those gathered for the hunt did not dare to draw near, having been warned by the past disasters, but from afar with many hands they kept hitting a single large target, and with the appearance of the horsemen and the multitude of strong dogs, and furthermore with the sound of the trumpets, they terrified the animal.
διόπερ ὑποχωροῦντος αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν λόχμην τοσοῦτον ἐπεδίωκον ὥστε μὴ παροξύνειν ἐπὶ πλέον.
Therefore, as it retreated toward its own thicket, they pursued it only so far as not to provoke it further.
§3.37.4ὡς δὲ τῆς ἐνῳκοδομημένης φάραγγος ἤγγισεν, ἀθρόως ψόφον μὲν πολὺν διὰ τῶν ὅπλων ἐποίησαν, ταραχὴν δὲ καὶ φόβον διὰ τῆς τῶν ὄχλων ἐπιφανείας καὶ σαλπίγγων.
When it drew near the blocked passage, they suddenly made a great noise with their weapons, and created confusion and fear by the appearance of the crowds and the trumpets.
τὸ δὲ θηρίον τὴν μὲν εἴσοδον οὐχ ηὕρισκε, τὴν δὲ τῶν κυνηγῶν ὁρμὴν καταπληττόμενον κατέφυγεν εἰς τὸ πλησίον κατεσκευασμένον στόμιον.
The beast could not find the entrance, and being terrified by the rush of the hunters, it fled into the mouth prepared nearby.
§3.37.5πιμπλαμένου δὲ τοῦ πλοκάνου τῇ διαλύσει τῆς σπείρας, ἔφθασαν τῶν κυνηγῶν τινες προσιπτάμενοι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ στραφῆναι τὸν ὄφιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἔξοδον κατελάβοντο δεσμοῖς τὸ στόμιον πρόμηκες ὂν καὶ πεφιλοτεχνημένον πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ὀξύτητα· ἐξελκύσαντες δὲ τὸ πλόκανον καὶ φάλαγγας ὑποθέντες μετέωρον ἐξῆραν.
As the basket was being filled by the uncoiling of its body, some of the hunters quickly rushed forward, and before the snake could turn toward the exit, they secured the mouth with ropes, which was elongated and skillfully made for this rapid task; and dragging out the basket and placing rollers underneath, they raised it aloft.
§3.37.6τὸ δὲ θηρίον ἀπειλημμένον ἐν ἀπεστενωμένῳ τόπῳ παρὰ φύσιν συριγμὸν ἐξαίσιον ἠφίει καὶ τοῖς ὀδοῦσι τὴν περιέχουσαν σχοῖνον κατέσπα, πάντῃ δὲ διασειόμενον προσδοκίαν ἐποίησε τοῖς φέρουσιν ὡς ἐκπηδῆσον ἐκ τοῦ περιέχοντος αὐτὸ φιλοτεχνήματος.
But the beast, enclosed in a narrow space against its nature, emitted an extraordinary hiss and tore at the surrounding rope with its teeth, and by shaking itself violently in every direction, it made those carrying it expect that it would leap out of the device enclosing it.
διὸ καὶ καταπλαγέντες ἔθεσαν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὸν ὄφιν, καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὴν οὐρὰν τόπους κατακεντοῦντες ἀντιπεριέσπων τοῦ θηρίου τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀδόντων σπαραγμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν τῶν ἀλγούντων μερῶν.
Therefore, being terrified, they set the snake upon the ground, and by pricking the areas around its tail, they diverted the beast's biting from its teeth to the sensation in its painful parts.
§3.37.7ἀπενέγκαντες δʼ εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἐδωρήσαντο τῷ βασιλεῖ, παράδοξον θέαμα καὶ τοῖς ἀκούσασιν ἀπιστούμενον.
And having brought it to Alexandria, they presented it to the king, a marvelous sight and unbelievable to those who heard of it.
τῇ δʼ ἐνδείᾳ τῆς τροφῆς καταπονήσαντες τὴν ἀλκὴν τοῦ θηρίου τιθασὸν ἐκ τοῦ κατʼ ὀλίγον ἐποίησαν, ὥστε θαυμαστὴν αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν ἐξημέρωσιν.
But by wearing down the strength of the beast through lack of food, they gradually made it tame, so that its domestication became wonderful.
§3.37.8ὁ δὲ Πτολεμαῖος τοῖς μὲν κυνηγοῖς τὰς ἀξίας ἀπένειμε δωρεάς, τὸν δʼ ὄφιν ἔτρεφε τετιθασευμένον καὶ τοῖς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν παραβάλλουσι ξένοις μέγιστον παρεχόμενον καὶ παραδοξότατον θέαμα.
And Ptolemy assigned to the hunters their worthy rewards, and kept the snake tamed, providing a greatest and most marvelous spectacle to the strangers who visited the kingdom.
§3.37.9διόπερ τηλικούτου μεγέθους ὄφεως εἰς ὄψιν κοινὴν κατηντηκότος οὐκ ἄξιον ἀπιστεῖν τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν οὐδὲ μῦθον ὑπολαμβάνειν τὸ θρυλούμενον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν.
Therefore, since a snake of such great size has come into public view, it is not proper to disbelieve the Ethiopians or to consider what is rumored by them as a myth.
ἀποφαίνονται γὰρ ὁρᾶσθαι κατὰ τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν ὄφεις τηλικούτους τὸ μέγεθος ὥστε μὴ μόνον βοῦς τε καὶ ταύρους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων τὰ τηλικαῦτα τοῖς ὄγκοις ἀναλίσκειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐλέφασιν εἰς ἀλκὴν συνίστασθαι, καὶ διὰ μὲν τῆς σπείρας ἐμπλεκομένους τοῖς σκέλεσιν ἐμποδίζειν τὴν κατὰ φύσιν κίνησιν, τὸν δʼ αὐχένα μετεωρίσαντας ὑπὲρ τὴν προβοσκίδα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐναντίαν ποιεῖν τοῖς τῶν ἐλεφάντων ὄμμασι, διὰ δὲ τοῦ πυρωποῦ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀστραπῇ παραπλησίας τὰς λαμπηδόνας προβάλλοντας ἀποτυφλοῦν τὴν ὅρασιν, καὶ σφήλαντας ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν σαρκοφαγεῖν τὰ χειρωθέντα τῶν ζῴων.
For they declare that snakes of such great size are seen in their country that they not only consume cows and bulls and other animals of such bulk, but also engage in combat with elephants, and by wrapping themselves in their coils around their legs, they impede their natural movement, and raising their neck above the trunk, they bring their head directly opposite the eyes of the elephants, and by projecting from their fiery eyes brightness resembling lightning, they blind their vision, and having cast them to the ground, they devour the flesh of the subdued animals.
Διευκρινηκότες δʼ ἀρκούντως τὰ περὶ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν
Having sufficiently clarified the matters concerning Ethiopia,