This ineffective and interminable chase was too much for Darius, who at last dispatched a rider with a message for Idanthyrsus, the Scythian king. ‘Why on earth, my good sir,’ the message ran, ‘do you keep on running away? You have, surely, a choice of two alternatives; if you think yourself strong enough to oppose me, stand up and fight, instead of wandering all over the world in your efforts to escape me; or, if you admit that you are too weak, what is the good, even so, of running away? You should rather send earth and water to your master, as the sign of your submission, and come to a conference.’

‘You do not understand, me, my lord of Persia,’ Idanthyrsus replied. ‘I have never yet run from any man in fear; nor do I do so now from you. There is, for me, nothing unusual in what I have been doing; it is precisely the sort of life I always lead, even in times of peace. If you want to know why I will not fight, I will tell you: in our country there are no towns and no cultivated land; fear of losing a town or seeing crops destroyed might indeed provoke us to hasty battle – but we possess neither. If, however, you are determined upon bloodshed with the least possible delay, one thing there is for which we will fight – the tombs of our forefathers. Find those tombs, and try to wreck them, and you will soon know whether or not we are willing to stand up to you. Till then – unless the fancy – we shall continue to avoid a battle. This is my reply to your challenge; and as for your being my master, I acknowledge no masters but Zeus from whom I sprang, and Hestia the Scythian queen. I will send you no gifts of earth and water, but others mote suitable; and your claim to be my master is easily answered – be damned to you!’ This was the message which was carried back to Darius.

The mere suggestion of slavery filled the Scythian chieftains with rage, and they dispatched the division under Scopasis, which included the Sauromatae, with orders to seek a conference with the Ionians, who were guarding the bridge over the Danube. Those who remained decided to stop leading the Persians the usual dance, and to attack them whenever they found them at a meal. This policy they carried out, waiting for the proper opportunities to present themselves. On every occasion the Scythian cavalry proved superior to the Persian, which would give ground and fall back on the infantry for support; this checked the attack, for the Scythians knew the Persian infantry would be too much for them, and regularly turned tail after driving in the cavalry. Similar raids were made at night.