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in the themes, and having made sure that no plot would arise from within, as the occasion and the urgency of the task allowed, and having equipped the imperial triremes and not a few others from the well-rigged and light ships, and having filled them with men from the soldiers who happened to be in Byzantium at that time, he himself embarked on the imperial dromon and went out and met the Scythians at the mouth of the Pontus where they were anchored at the place called Pharos, having no small cavalry force accompanying him by land. But when the forces stood facing each other, neither side began the action. For the Scythians, standing in the harbor where they were moored, kept quiet, and the emperor waited patiently for their move. But since time was being wasted and it was getting late, the emperor again sends out envoys about peace, and again the barbarian sends them away dishonorably, having declared that if the emperor wanted to lay down his arms, he should give to every soldier following him three pounds of gold each. Since the reply seemed impossible, he decided it was necessary to take action. But as they remained still, the emperor summoned the magistros Basil Theodorokanos and ordered him to take three swift triremes and go and test the Scythians, to see if by skirmishing he might be able to draw them into battle. But he, having taken the triremes and come upon the Scythians, did not test their resolve by skirmishing, but thrusting himself into their midst, he burned up seven of their ships with the 2.553 prepared fire, and sank three, crews and all. And he captured one himself by leaping into it, and of those inside he slaughtered some and put others to flight, who were astonished at his daring. But the Scythians, seeing the emperor now approaching with the entire fleet, and reasoning, as was likely, if they had suffered such things standing against three warring triremes, what might they suffer if forced to engage the whole fleet, they turned to flight, and being cast into a place with reefs and submerged rocks, they lost most of their ships, as the soldiers marching alongside on land attacked and destroyed them, so that afterwards about 15,000 dead were found cast up on the shores. The emperor, therefore, after the defeat of the Scythians, having waited for two whole days, returned to the capital city on the third, leaving behind two tagmata and the so-called hetaireiai, placed under the command of Nicholas the parakoimomenos and Basil the magistros Theodorokanos, for the purpose of watching the shores and patrolling and guarding against any landing of the barbarians, and having ordered the entire fleet to wait at Pharos. And the emperor, having accomplished these things, entered Byzantium, but those with the parakoimomenos and Theodorokanos, going around the shores where after the rout the bodies of the barbarians had been cast ashore, became masters of much booty and spoils. And twenty-four triremes, detached from the rest of the fleet, 2.554 followed the fleeing barbarians. And while they were anchored in a certain gulf, these passed by in pursuit. And the Scythians, perceiving their small number, and understanding precisely that there were no more than appeared, having made outflanking movements from the headland on this side and that, and using vigorous rowing, they hastened to envelop the enemy. But the Romans, being weary from the previous rowing and pursuit, and having become cowardly at the multitude of the barbarian ships, turned to flight. But since the barbarian ships had managed to encircle and seize the mouth of the gulf, and the passage to the open sea was impossible, Constantine Kaballourios the patrikios, being strategos of the Kibyrrhaiotai, bravely stood for battle with his own trireme and ten others, and fighting vigorously was cut down, and four triremes were also captured

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ἐν τοῖς θέμασι, καὶ ἀσφαλισάμενος ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔνδον ἐπιβουλή τις ἀνεγερθῇ, ὡς ὁ καιρὸς ἐδίδου καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἔργου ὀξύρροπον, τάς τε βασιλικὰς ἐξαρτύσας τριήρεις καὶ ἄλλας οὐκ ὀλίγας ἀπὸ τῶν εὐσταλῶν καὶ κούφων, καὶ λαοῦ πληρώσας ἀπὸ τῶν παρατυχόντων ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τότε στρατιωτῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος τῷ βασιλικῷ ἐπιβὰς δρόμωνι ἔξεισι καὶ τοῖς Σκύθαις ὑπαντιάζει κατὰ τὸ τοῦ Πόντου στόμα ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ ναυλοχοῦσι Φάρῳ, παρεπομένην ἔχων διὰ τῆς ξηρᾶς καὶ ἱππικὴν στρατιὰν οὐκ ὀλίγην. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀντιμέτωποι ἔστησαν αἱ δυνάμεις, ἔργου μὲν οὐδέτερον μέρος ἥπτετο· οἵ τε γὰρ Σκύ θαι ἐπὶ τοῦ λιμένος ἔνθα προσώρμουν ἑστῶτες ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἐκείνων προσμένων κίνησιν ἐκαρτέρει. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ καιρὸς ἐτρίβετο καὶ ἡ ὥρα ἦν πρὸς ὀψέ, πρέσβεις ὁ βασιλεὺς πά λιν ἐκπέμπει περὶ εἰρήνης, καὶ πάλιν ἀτίμως ἀποπέμπει τούτους ὁ βάρβαρος, μηνύσας, εἰ βούλεται τῷ βασιλεῖ καταθέσθαι τὰ ὅπλα, δοῦναι παντὶ τῷ ἑπομένῳ αὐτῷ στρατῷ ἀνὰ χρυσίου λίτρας τρεῖς. ἀμηχάνου δὲ φανείσης τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ἔγνω δεῖν ἔργου ἔχεσθαι. ὡς δ' ἐκεῖνοι ἀτρέμας εἶχον, μεταστειλάμενος ὁ βασι λεὺς τὸν μάγιστρον Βασίλειον τὸν Θεοδωροκάνον τρεῖς εἰληφέναι προστάττει τριήρεις δρομάδας καὶ ἀπελθεῖν καὶ ἀποπειράσασθαι τῶν Σκυθῶν, εἴπερ δυνηθείη ἀκροβολιζόμενος πρὸς πόλεμον αὐ τοὺς ἐπισπάσασθαι. ὁ δὲ τὰς τριήρεις εἰληφὼς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Σκύθας γενόμενος οὐ δι' ἀκροβολισμοῦ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπεπειρᾶτο γνώμης, ἀλλ' εἰς μέσους ἑαυτὸν ὠθήσας ἑπτὰ μὲν σκάφη τῷ 2.553 σκευαστῷ καταφλέγει πυρί, τρία δὲ αὔτανδρα καταποντίζει. χει ροῦται δὲ καὶ ἓν αὐτὸς εἰσπηδήσας εἰς αὐτό, καὶ τῶν ἔνδον οὓς μὲν ἀποσφάξας οὓς δὲ καὶ τροπωσάμενος, τὴν τόλμην καταπλα γέντας αὐτοῦ. οἱ δὲ Σκύθαι καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἤδη ὁρῶντες ἐρχό μενον σὺν παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ, καὶ λογισάμενοι, ὅπερ ἦν εἰκός, εἰ τοιαῦτα πεπόνθασι τρισὶ τριήρεσιν ἀντιστάντες πολεμούσαις, τί ἂν πάθοιεν βιαζόμενοι παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ συμπλέκεσθαι, ἀπέβλεψαν πρὸς φυγήν, καὶ εἰς τόπον ἀπορριφέντες σκοπέλους ἔχοντα καὶ πέτρας ὑφάλους τὰ πλείω τῶν σκαφῶν ἀπεβάλοντο, ἐπιτιθεμένων τούτοις ἀπὸ τῆς ξηρᾶς καὶ τῶν παραπορευομένων στρατιωτῶν καὶ ἀπολλύντων αὐτούς, ὡς εὑρεθῆναι μετὰ ταῦτα νεκροὺς ἐρριμμέ νους ἐν τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς ἀμφὶ τὰς ιεʹ χιλιάδας. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς μετὰ τὴν τῶν Σκυθῶν ἧτταν ἐφ' ὅλας δύο προσμείνας ἡμέρας, κατὰ τὴν τρίτην ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα, δύο τάγματα κατα λιπὼν καὶ τὰς λεγομένας ἑταιρείας, ὑφ' ἡγεμόνι ταττόμενα Νι κολάῳ τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ καὶ Βασιλείῳ μαγίστρῳ τῷ Θεοδωρο κάνῳ, ἐφ' ᾧ τοὺς αἰγιαλοὺς ἐπισκοπεῖν καὶ παρατρέχειν καὶ φυλάττεσθαι, μή τις ἀπόβασις γένηται τῶν βαρβάρων, τὸν δὲ πάντα στόλον κατὰ τὸν Φάρον προσμένειν κελεύσας. καὶ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον, οἱ περὶ τὸν παρακοιμώμενον δὲ καὶ τὸν Θεοδωροκάνον τοὺς αἰγια λοὺς περιιόντες, ἔνθα μετὰ τὴν τροπὴν ἐξεβράσθη τὰ σώματα τῶν βαρβάρων, πολλῆς λείας καὶ σκύλων ἐγένοντο κύριοι. καὶ τριήρεις δὲ τέσσαρες ἐπὶ εἴκοσι τοῦ λοιποῦ διαιρεθεῖσαι στόλου 2.554 εἵποντο φεύγουσι τοῖς βαρβάροις· ἔν τινι δὲ κόλπῳ ναυλοχούντων αὐτῶν παρῆλθον αὗται διώκουσαι. καὶ γνόντες οἱ Σκύθαι τὴν ὀλιγότητα, καὶ ἀκριβῶς καταλαβόντες ὡς οὐ πλείους τῶν φαινο μένων εἰσίν, ὑπερκερώσεις ποιησάμενοι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν ἀκρωτηρίου καὶ συντόνῳ τῇ εἰρεσίᾳ χρώμενοι ἔσπευδον ἐγκολπώ σασθαι τοὺς ἐναντίους. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐκ τῆς προτέρας κωπηλα σίας καὶ τοῦ διωγμοῦ κατάκοποι ὄντες, καὶ πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν βαρβαρικῶν σκαφῶν ἀποδειλιάσαντες, ἔκλιναν πρὸς φυγήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔφθασαν τὰ τῶν βαρβάρων σκάφη στεφανώσαντα τὸ στόμα κατασχεῖν τοῦ κόλπου καὶ ἄπορος ἦν ἡ πρὸς τὸ πέλαγος διέξοδος, Κωνσταντῖνος μὲν πατρίκιος ὁ Καβαλλούριος, στρατηγὸς ὢν τῶν Κιβυρραιωτῶν, γενναίως ἔστη πρὸς πόλεμον μετὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τριήρους καὶ λοιπῶν δέκα, καὶ εὐρώστως μαχόμενος κατεκόπη, ἐλήφθησαν δὲ καὶ τέσσαρες τριήρεις