104 MELPOMENE.

repair the structure, which the severity of the climate
is apt to destroy. Upon the summit of such a pil%j
each Scythian tribe places an ancient cimeter, whUfci
is considered as the shrine of Mars, and is annually
honoured by the sacrifice of sheep and horses; indeed
more victims are offered to this deity, than to all the '
other divinities. It is their custom also to sacrifice ,
every hundredth captive, but in a different manner
from their other victims. Having poured libations
upon their heads, they cut their throats into a vessel
placed for that purpose. With this, carried to tin
summit of the pile, they besmear the above-mention­
ed cimeter. Whilst this is doing above, the follow*
ing ceremony is observed below:—from these human
victims they cut off the right arms close to the shoul­
der, and throw them up into the air. This ceremony
being performed on each victim severally, they de­
part : the arms remain where they happen to fall, the
bodies elsewhere.

LXIII. The above is a description of their sacri­
fices. Swine are never used for this purpose, nor will
they suffer them to be kept in their country.

LXIV. Their military customs are these:—every
Scythian drinks the blood of the first person he slaye;
the heads of all the enemies who fall by his hand in
battle, he presents to his king: this offering entitles
him to a share of the plunder, which he could nol
otherwise claim. Their mode of stripping the skin
from the head is this:—they make a circular incision
behind the ears, then, taking hold of the head at the
top, they gradually flay it, drawing it towards them.
They next soften it in their hands, removing everj
fleshy part which may remain, by rubbing it with an
ox's hide; they afterwards suspend it, thus prepared,
from the bridles of their horses, when they both UBe
it as a napkin, and are proud of it as a trophy. Who­
ever possesses the greater number of these, is deemed
the most illustrious. Some there are who sew together
several of these portions of human skin, and convert
them into a kind of shepherd's garment. There are
others who preserve the skins of the right arms, naili
and all, of such enemies as they kill, and use them a»