The fleet, departing from Therma, came to the country of Magnesia and there cast anchor. But ten of the swiftest ships sailed down the gulf of Therma straight to the island of Sciathos, which lies to the northward of Eubœa. Here were three ships of the Greeks, whereof one was from Athens, and one from Ægina, and one from Trœzen; these were looking out for the coming of the barbarians. And when they spied the ships of the barbarians they fled with all speed, and the barbarians pursued them, and overtook the ship of Trœzen. Then they took the most beautiful of the fighting men and sacrificed him at the prow of the ship, thinking that this was an omen of good to them, for the man was very beautiful, and was the first captive they had taken from the Greeks. Also his name was Leo, that is to say, Lion; and this was another cause for which they sacrificed him.
The ship of Ægina gave the Persians no small trouble, a certain Pytheas, who was a fighting man thereon, bearing himself very bravely. For when the ship was taken he did not cease to contend with the enemies, until he fell, being covered with wounds from head to foot. But the Persian soldiers, finding that he was not dead, but still breathed, made much of him, seeking to keep him alive. His wounds they dressed with myrrh and bound with bandages of cotton; and when they came back to their encampment they showed the man to the host, admiring him and dealing with him kindly. But with the rest of the crew they dealt as with slaves.
As for the Athenian ship, it was run aground at the mouth of the river Peneus. The men leaped ashore and escaped through Thessaly, but the ship was taken by the barbarians. When the rest of the Greeks knew of the coming of the barbarians they were sore afraid, and departed from Artemisium, intending to defend the Euripus. Now the Euripus lies to the southward, where the strait between the island of Eubœa and the mainland is the narrowest.