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having utterly disregarded their salvation and from there, I think, to have purchased this. “It is necessary to confirm this plan with oaths, so that when all have become of one mind, no one may be left behind from the attack against the Scythians, each man considering his own salvation and danger.” So Palaiologos, making a vigorous cavalry charge, strikes the one who first met him; and he, immediately overcome with dizziness, lay on the ground. But when the rest made their charge with hesitation, some fell, while others, turning back again as if into a den in the dense grove, saved themselves by hiding. 7.4.3 And while Palaiologos was seizing a certain ridge, being pursued again by the Patzinaks, it happened that his horse was struck and fell, and he at that moment slipped into the nearby mountain. But while searching for the road to safety, since it was not easy for him to find it, he wandered for eleven days and came upon the widow of a certain soldier, and was hosted by her for some days; and her sons, having been saved from the danger, show him the road to safety. 7.4.4 But such were the things that befell Palaiologos; and the leaders of the Scythians decided to kill the captives they held, but the common multitude did not at all permit this, wishing to sell them for a price. When this plan was therefore confirmed, notice was given to the emperor through a letter from Melissenos, who, though he was a captive, had greatly urged the Scythians to this. And the emperor, still staying at Beroe, brought sufficient money from the queen of cities and purchased the captives.

7.5.1 At that time Tatou also reached the Ister with the Komans he had won over, who, upon seeing so much booty and the multitude of captives, said to the leaders of the Scythians, “We, having left our homes, have come to your aid, having completed such a long journey, in order to be sharers in both the danger and the victory. Therefore, having contributed all that was ours, we ought not to be sent away empty-handed again. For it was not by choice that we arrived too late for the war, nor are we ourselves to blame for this, but the emperor who hastened the war. Either, then, divide all the booty in common with us, or you will have us as enemies instead of allies.” To this the Scythians refused; but since the Komans would not bear this, a fierce war broke out between them, and the Scythians, being utterly defeated, barely escaped to the so-called Ozolimne; and being hard-pressed by the Komans, they remained there for a considerable time, not daring to move on. 7.5.2 The lake now called by us Ozolimne is very large, both in its diameter and circumference, and is in no way lacking in size compared to any of the lakes celebrated by geographers. It lies above the Hundred Hills, and very large and beautiful rivers flow into it; and on its surface it supports many large cargo-ships, so that from this it is also clear how great the depth of the lake is. It is named Ozolimne, not because it gives off some bad and heavy-smelling vapor, but because when a Hunnish army once came to the lake (and the common tongue called these Huns 'Ouzoi') and encamped around the shores of the lake, they named such a lake 'Ouzolimne', with the addition, I think, of the vowel u. And from the ancient writings a Hunnish army has not yet been found to have been gathered there, but in the time of the Emperor Alexios, all who had then flocked together there from all quarters gave the place its name. 7.5.3 So let the matters concerning the lake stand thus, [as] now by us

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παντάπασιν ἀφειδήσαντας σωτηρίας κἀντεῦθεν οἶμαι ταύτην ὠνήσασθαι. «Χρὴ δὲ δι' ὅρκων ταυτηνὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἐμπεδῶσαι, ὡς τηνικαῦτα μιᾶς γνώμης ἁπάντων γεγονότων τῆς κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ὁρμῆς μηδένα ἀπολειφ θῆναι τὴν σωτηρίαν καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον ἴδιον ἑκάστου λογισα μένου.» Ὁ μὲν οὖν Παλαιολόγος σφοδρὰν τὴν ἱππασίαν ποιησάμενος παίει τὸν αὐτῷ πρώτως ὑπαντιάσαντα· ὁ δ' εὐθὺς σκοτοδινιάσας κατὰ γῆς ἔκειτο. Τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν μετὰ διψυχίας τὴν ἱππασίαν ποιησαμένων οἱ μὲν πεπτώκασιν, οἱ δὲ αὖθις ὡς εἰς φωλεὸν τῷ συνηρεφεῖ ἄλσει παλινοστή σαντες ἑαυτοὺς ἔσωσαν κρυπτόμενοι. 7.4.3 Ἐν δὲ τῷ τὸν Παλαιολόγον ἀκρολοφίαν τινὰ καταλαμβάνειν ὑπὸ τῶν Πατζινάκων αὖθις διωκόμενον συνέβη τὸν ἵππον πληγέντα καταπεσεῖν, αὐτὸν δὲ τηνικαῦτα εἰς τὸ παρακείμενον ὄρος εἰσδῦναι. Ἀναζητῶν δὲ τὴν σῴζουσαν ὁδόν, ἐπεὶ ῥᾳδίως μὴ ἐξῆν αὐτῷ ταύτην εὑρηκέναι, ἐπὶ ἕνδεκα ἡμέραις πλα νώμενος περιτυγχάνει γυναικί τινος στρατιώτου χήρᾳ καὶ ἐπιξενίζεται παρ' αὐτῆς ἡμέραις τισί· σωθέντες δὲ τοῦ κινδύνου οἱ ταύτης υἱεῖς τὴν σῴζουσαν τούτῳ ὁδὸν ὑπο δεικνύουσιν. 7.4.4 Ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ συμπεσόντα· οἱ δέ γε τῶν Σκυθῶν λογάδες οὓς κατεῖχον δορυαλώτους ἀποκτεῖναι ἐβουλεύοντο, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος τοῦ κοινοῦ τὸ παράπαν τοῦτο οὐ συνεχώρει βουλόμενοι ἀπεμ πολῆσαι τούτους τιμῆς. Ταύτης γοῦν τῆς βουλῆς κυρω θείσης δίδοται γνῶσις τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ γραμμάτων τοῦ Μελισσηνοῦ, ὃς πολλὰ πρὸς τοῦτο, κἂν δορυάλωτος ἦν, τοὺς Σκύθας ἠρέθιζεν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς εἰς Βερόην ἔτι ἐνδιατρίβων τῆς βασιλίδος τῶν πόλεων χρήματα ἱκανὰ μετακομίσας ἐπρίατο τοὺς δορυαλώτους.

7.5.1 Καταλαμβάνει δὲ τηνικαῦτα καὶ ὁ Τατοὺ τὸν Ἴστρον μεθ' ὧν ὑπεποιήσατο Κομάνων, οἳ τὴν τοσαύτην λείαν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν δορυαλώτων θεασάμενοι τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῶν Σκυθῶν ἔφασαν ὡς «Ἡμεῖς μὲν τὰ οἴκοι καταλιπόντες εἰς ὑμετέραν ἤλθομεν βοήθειαν τὴν τοσαύτην ὁδὸν διηνυ κότες ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ τοῦ κινδύνου καὶ τῆς νίκης συγκοινωνοὶ γενήσεσθαι. Τὸ γοῦν ἡμέτερον ἅπαν συνεισενεγκόντας οὐ χρὴ κενοὺς αὖθις ἀποπεμφθῆναι. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκ προαιρέσεως τοῦ πολέμου κατόπιν καιροῦ ἔφθημεν ἐληλυθότες οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ τούτου αἴτιοί ἐσμεν, ἀλλ' ὁ προαρπάσας τὸν πόλεμον βασιλεύς. Ἢ γοῦν κοινῇ μεθ' ἡμῶν τὴν λείαν πᾶσαν δια μερίσασθε ἢ ἀντὶ συμμάχων πολεμίους ἡμᾶς ἕξετε.» Πρὸς τοῦτο ἀνένευσαν οἱ Σκύθαι· τῶν δὲ Κομάνων τοῦτο μὴ φερόντων σφοδρὸς ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν ἀναρρήγνυται πόλε μος καὶ κατὰ κράτος οἱ Σκύθαι ἡττηθέντες εἰς τὴν καλου μένην Ὀζολίμνην μόλις ἐσώθησαν· στενούμενοι δὲ παρὰ τῶν Κομάνων ἐφ' ἱκανὸν ἐκεῖσε διέτριβον τὴν μετάβασιν μὴ ἀποθαρροῦντες. 7.5.2 Ἡ δὲ νῦν παρ' ἡμῖν Ὀζολίμνη κατονομαζομένη μεγίστη μέν ἐστι καὶ τὴν διάμετρόν τε καὶ περίμετρον καὶ τῶν ὅπου δήποτε φημιζομένων παρὰ τοῖς γεωγράφοις λιμνῶν μηδεμιᾶς εἰς μεγέθους λόγον ἐλλεί πουσα. Κεῖται δὲ τῶν Ἑκατὸν Βουνῶν ὕπερθεν καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν μέγιστοί τε καὶ κάλλιστοι συρρέουσι ποταμοί· καὶ κατὰ νώτου πολλάς τε καὶ μεγάλας καὶ φορτηγούς ἐστιν ἀνέχουσα νῆας, ὡς εἶναι κἀντεῦθεν δῆλον τὸ βάθος τῆς λίμνης ὁπόσον τί ἐστιν. Ὀζολίμνη δὲ κατωνόμασται, οὐχ ὅτι κακοῦ τινος καὶ βαρυόδμου ἀναδίδωσιν ἀποφοράν, ἀλλ' ὅτι Οὐννικῆς ποτε στρατιᾶς ἐπιφοιτησάσης τῇ λίμνῃ (τούτους δὲ τοὺς Οὔννους Οὔζους ἀπεκάλεσεν ἡ ἰδιῶτις γλῶσσα) καὶ περὶ τοὺς ὄχθους τῆς λίμνης αὐλισαμένης Οὐζολίμνην τὴν τοιαύτην προσηγορεύκασι λίμνην μετὰ προσ θήκης οἶμαι καὶ τοῦ υ φωνήεντος. Καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν παλαιῶν συγγραμμάτων οὐχ εὕρηταί πω συνελαθὲν ἐνταῦθα Οὐννι κὸν στράτευμα, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος Ἀλεξίου τότε πάντες ἁπανταχόθεν ἐκεῖσε συνερρωγότες τῷ τόπῳ δεδώ κασι τοὔνομα. 7.5.3 Τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς λίμνης ὧδέ πη ἐχέτω, [ὥσπερ] παρ' ἡμῶν νῦν