περὶ ταῦτα δέ που τὰ μέρη τῆς ὁμόρου τῇ Ἰνδικῇ καὶ τὴν Χααρηνὴν εἶναι συμβαίνει· ἔστι δὲ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῖς Παρθυαίοις αὕτη προσεχεστάτη τῇ Ἰνδικῇ· διέχει δὲ τῆς * Ἀριανῆς διʼ Ἀραχωτῶν καὶ τῆς λεχθείσης ὀρεινῆς σταδίους μυρίους * ἐνακισχιλίους. ταύτην δὲ τὴν χώραν διεξιὼν Κρατερὸς καταστρεφόμενος ἅμα τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας ᾔει συμμῖξαι τὴν ταχίστην σπεύδων τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ δὴ περὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους σχεδόν τι συνέδραμον εἰς τὴν Καρμανίαν αἱ πεζαὶ δυνάμεις ἀμφότεραι· καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον οἱ περὶ Νέαρχον εἰσέπλεον εἰς τὸν Περσικὸν κόλπον, πολλὰ ταλαιπωρήσαντες διὰ τὴν ἄλην καὶ τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν κητῶν.
Chaarene is situated somewhere about this part of the country bordering upon India. This, of all the places subject to the Parthians, lies nearest to India. It is distant 10,000 or 9000 stadia from Bactriana, through the country of the Arachoti, and the above-mentioned mountainous tract. Craterus traversed this country, subjugating those who refused to submit, and hastened with the greatest expedition to form a junction with the king. Nearly about the same time both armies, consisting of infantry, entered Carmania together, and at a short interval afterwards Nearchus sailed with his fleet into the Persian Gulf, having undergone great danger and distress from wandering in his course, and among other causes, from great whales.
εἰκὸς μὲν οὖν πρὸς ὑπερβολὴν ἠδολεσχηκέναι πολλὰ τοὺς πλεύσαντας, ὅμως δʼ οὖν εἰρήκασι παραδηλοῦντες ἅμα καὶ τὸ παραστὰν αὐτοῖς πάθος, διότι προσδοκία μᾶλλον ἢ κίνδυνος ὑπῆρχε τοῖς ἀληθέσι. τὸ δὲ μάλιστα ταράττον φυσητήρων μεγέθη ῥοῦν ἀπεργαζομένων μέγαν ἀθρόον καὶ ἀχλὺν ἐκ τῶν ἀναφυσημάτων, ὥστε τὰ πρὸ ποδῶν μέρη μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι· ἐπεὶ δʼ οἱ καθηγεμόνες τοῦ πλοῦ, δεδιότων ταῦτα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν δʼ αἰτίαν οὐχ ὁρώντων, ἐμήνυσαν ὅτι θηρία εἴη, τάχα δʼ ἀπαλλάττοιτο σάλπιγγος ἀκούσαντα καὶ κρότου, ἐκ τούτου Νέαρχος ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐπῆγε μὲν τὸ ῥόθιον καθʼ ἅπερ ἐκώλυον, καὶ ἅμα ταῖς σάλπιγξιν ἐφόβει, τὰ δὲ θηρία ἔδυνεν· εἶτʼ ἀνεφαίνετο κατὰ πρύμναν ὥστε ναυμαχίας ἀγωνίαν παρεῖχεν, ἀλλʼ αὐτίκα ἀφίστατο.
It is probable that those who sailed in the expedition greatly exaggerated many circumstances; yet their statements prove the sufferings to which they were exposed, and that their apprehensions were greater than the real danger. That which alarmed them the most was the magnitude of the whales, which occasioned great commotion in the sea from their numbers; their blowing was attended with so great a darkness, that the sailors could not see where they stood. But when the pilots informed the sailors, who were terrified at the sight and ignorant of the cause, that they were animals which might easily be driven away by the sound of a trumpet, and by loud noises, Nearchus impelled the vessels with violence in the direction of the impediment, and at the same time frightened the animals with the sound of trumpets. The whales dived, and again rose at the prow of the vessels, so as to give the appearance of a naval combat; but they soon made off.
λέγουσι μὲν οὖν καὶ οἱ νῦν πλέοντες εἰς Ἰνδοὺς μεγέθη θηρίων καὶ ἐπιφανείας, ἀλλʼ οὔτε ἀθρόων οὔτʼ ἐπιφερομένων πολλάκις, ἀλλʼ ἀποσοβηθέντα τῇ κραυγῇ καὶ τῇ σάλπιγγι ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. φασὶ δʼ αὐτὰ μὲν μὴ πλησιάζειν τῇ γῇ, τὰ δʼ ὀστᾶ διαλυθέντων ψιλωθέντα ἐκκυμαίνεσθαι ῥᾳδίως καὶ χορηγεῖν τὴν λεχθεῖσαν ὕλην τοῖς Ἰχθυοφάγοις περὶ τὰς καλυβοποιίας. μέγεθος δὲ τῶν κητῶν φησιν ὁ Νέαρχος τριῶν καὶ εἴκοσιν ὀργυιῶν. πιστευθέν τι δὲ ἱκανῶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῷ στόλῳ φησὶν ὁ Νέαρχος ἐξελέγξαι ψεῦδος ὄν, ὡς εἴη τις ἐν τῷ πόρῳ νῆσος ἡ ἀφανίζοι τοὺς προσορμισθέντας· κέρκουρον γάρ τινα πλέοντα, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὴν νῆσον ταύτην ἐγεγόνει, μηκέτι ὁραθῆναι· πεμφθέντας δέ τινας ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ἐκβῆναι μὲν μὴ θαρρεῖν εἰς τὴν νῆσον, * ἐκπλέοντας δʼ ἀνακαλεῖν κραυγῇ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, μηδενὸς δʼ ὑπακούοντος ἐπανελθεῖν. ἁπάντων δʼ αἰτιωμένων τὴν νῆσον αὐτὸς ἔφη πλεῦσαι καὶ προσορμισθεὶς ἐκβῆναι μετὰ μέρους τῶν συμπλευσάντων καὶ περιελθεῖν τὴν νῆσον· ὡς δʼ οὐδὲν εὕρισκεν ἴχνος τῶν ζητουμένων, ἀπογνόντα ἐπανελθεῖν καὶ διδάξαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς ἡ μὲν νῆσος ψευδῆ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔχοι (καὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς συνεκβᾶσιν ὁ αὐτὸς ὑπάρξαι φθόρος), ἄλλος δέ τις τῷ κερκούρῳ τρόπος τοῦ ἀφανισμοῦ συμβαίη, μυρίων ὄντων δυνατῶν.
Those who now sail to India speak of the size of these animals and their mode of appearance, but as coming neither in bodies nor frequently, yet as repulsed by shouts and by the sound of trumpets. They affirm that they do not approach the land, but that the bones of those which die, bared of flesh, are readily thrown up by the waves, and supply the Ichthyophagi with the above-mentioned material for the construction of their cabins. According to Nearchus, the size of these animals is three and twenty orguiae in length.
Nearchus says that he proved the confident belief of the sailors in the existence of an island situated in the passage, and destructive to those who anchored near it, to be false.
A bark in its course, when it came opposite to this island, was never afterwards seen, and some men who were sent in search did not venture to disembark upon the island, but shouted and called to the crew, when, receiving no answer, they returned. But as all imputed this disappearance to the island, Nearchus said that he himself sailed to it, went ashore, disembarked with a part of his crew, and went round it. But not discovering any trace of those of whom he was in search, he abandoned the attempt, and informed his men that no fault was to be imputed to the island (for otherwise destruction would have come upon himself and those who disembarked with him), but that some other cause (and innumerable others were possible) might have occasioned the loss of the vessel.
̔η δὲ Καρμανία τελευταία μέν ἐστι τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ παραλίας, ἀρκτικωτέρα δʼ ἐστὶ πολὺ τῆς τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ ἐκβολῆς· τὸ μέντοι πρῶτον αὐτῆς ἄκρον ἔκκειται πρὸς νότον εἰς τὴν μεγάλην θάλατταν, ποιήσασα δὲ τὸ στόμα τοῦ Περσικοῦ κόλπου πρὸς τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐδαίμονος Ἀραβίας ἄκραν ἐν ἀπόψει οὖσαν, κάμπτεται πρὸς τὸν Περσικὸν κόλπον ἕως ἂν συνάψῃ τῇ Περσίδι· πολλὴ δὲ κἀν τῇ μεσογαίᾳ ἐστὶν ἐκτεινομένη μεταξὺ τῆς Γεδρωσίας καὶ τῆς Περσίδος, παραλλάττουσα πλέον τῆς Γεδρωσίας πρὸς τὴν ἄρκτον. δηλοῖ δʼ ἡ εὐκαρπία· καὶ γὰρ πάμφορος καὶ μεγαλόδενδρος πλὴν ἐλαίας καὶ ποταμοῖς κατάρρυτος. ἡ δὲ Γεδρωσία διαφέρει μικρὸν τῆς τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων, ὥστʼ ἀκαρπία κατέχει πολλάκις· διὸ φυλάττουσι τὸν ἐνιαύσιον καρπὸν εἰς ἔτη πλείω ταμιευόμενοι. Ὀνησίκριτος δὲ λέγει ποταμὸν ἐν τῇ Καρμανίᾳ καταφέροντα ψήγματα χρυσοῦ· καὶ ὀρυκτοῦ δὲ εἶναι μέταλλον καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ μίλτου· ὄρη τε εἶναι δύο τὸ μὲν ἀρσενικοῦ τὸ δὲ ἁλός. ἔχει δέ τινα καὶ ἔρημον συνάπτουσαν ἤδη τῇ Παρθυαίᾳ καὶ τῇ Παραιτακηνῇ. γεώργια δʼ ἔχει παραπλήσια τοῖς Περσικοῖς τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ἄμπελον· ταύτης δʼ ἡ Καρμανία λεγομένη παρʼ ἡμῖν καὶ δίπηχυν ἔχει πολλάκις τὸν βότρυν πυκνορρῶγά τε ὄντα καὶ μεγαλορρῶγα, ἣν εἰκὸς ἐκεῖ εὐερνεστέραν εἶναι. χρῶνται δʼ ὄνοις οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ πρὸς πόλεμον σπάνει τῶν ἵππων· ὄνον τε θύουσι τῷ Ἄρει, ὅνπερ σέβονται θεῶν μόνον, καὶ εἰσὶ πολεμισταί· γαμεῖ δʼ οὐδεὶς πρὶν ἂν πολεμίου κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμὼν ἀνενέγκῃ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα· ὁ δὲ τὸ κρανίον μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλείων ἀνατίθησι, τὴν δὲ γλῶτταν λεπτοτομήσας καταμίξας ἀλεύρῳ γευσάμενος αὐτὸς δίδωσι τῷ ἀνενέγκαντι καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις κατασιτήσασθαι· ἐνδοξότατος δʼ ἐστὶν ᾧ πλεῖσται κεφαλαὶ ἀνηνέχθησαν. Νέαρχος δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα ἔθη καὶ τὴν διάλεκτον τῶν Καρμανιτῶν Περσικά τε καὶ Μηδικὰ εἴρηκε. τὸ δὲ στόμα τοῦ Περσικοῦ κόλπου μεῖζον διάρματος ἡμερησίου.
Carmania is the last portion of the sea-coast which begins from the Indus. Its first promontory projects towards the south into the Great Sea. After it has formed the mouth of the Persian Gulf towards the promontory, which is in sight, of Arabia Felix, it bends towards the Persian Gulf, and is continued till it touches Persia.
Carmania is large, situated in the interior, and extending itself between Gedrosia and Persia, but stretches more to the north than Gedrosia. This is indicated by its fertility, for it not only produces everything, but the trees are of a large size, excepting however the olive; it is also watered by rivers. Gedrosia also differs little from the country of the Ichthyophagi, so that frequently there is no produce from the ground. They therefore keep the annual produce in store for several years.
Onesicritus says, that a river in Carmania brings down gold-dust; that there are mines of silver, copper, and minium; and that there are two mountains, one of which contains arsenic, the other salt.
There belongs to it a desert tract, which is contiguous to Parthia and Paraetacene. The produce of the ground is like that of Persia; and among other productions the vine. The Carmanian vine, as we call it, often bears bunches of grapes of two cubits in size; the seeds are very numerous and very large; probably the plant grows in its native soil with great luxuriance.
Asses, on account of the scarcity of horses, are generally made use of even in war. They sacrifice an ass to Mars, who is the only deity worshipped by them, for they are a warlike people. No one marries before he has cut off the head of an enemy and presented it to the king, who deposits the scull in the royal treasury. The tongue is minced and mixed with flour, which the king, after tasting it, gives to the person who brought it, to be eaten by himself and his family. That king is the most highly respected, to whom the greatest number of heads are presented.
According to Nearchus, most of the customs and the language of the inhabitants of Carmania resemble those of the Persians and Medes.
The passage across the mouth of the Persian Gulf does not occupy more than one day.
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