im to send ships to stop up the other end of the
strait, to cut off their retreat. This was done, to the horror of honest
Aristides, who, still exiled, was in AEgina, watching what to do for his
countrymen. In a little boat he made his way at night to the ship where
council was being held, and begged that Themistocles might be called out.
"Let us be rivals still," he said; "but let our strife be which can serve
our country best. I come to say that your retreat is cut off. We are
surrounded, and must fight." Themistocles said it was the best thing
that could happen, and led him into the council with his tidings.

They did fight. Ship was dashed against ship as fast as oars could bring
them, their pointed beaks bearing one another down. The women who were
made childless were Persian women. Two hundred Persian ships were sunk,
and only forty Greek ones; an immense number were taken; and Xerxes, from
his throne, saw such utter ruin of all his hopes and plans, that he gave
up all thought of anything but getting his land army back to the
Hellespont as fast as possible, for his fleet was gone!

[Picture: Xerxes]

CHAP. XVIII.--THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA. B.C. 479-460.

[Picture: Decorative chapter heading]

After being thus beaten by sea, and having learnt what Greeks were by
land, Xerxes himself, with a broken, sick, and distressed army, went back
to Sardis; but he left a satrap named Mardonius behind him, with his best
troops, in Thessaly, to see whether anything could still be done for his
cause. He did try whether the Athenians could be persuaded to desert the
other Greeks, and become allies of Persia, but they made a noble
answer--"So long as the sun held his course, the Athenians would never be
friends to Xerxes. Great as might be his power, Athens trusted to the
aid of the gods and heroes, whose temple he had burnt."

[Picture: Persian soldier] After this answer, Mardonius marched again
into Attica, and took possession of it; but as the Athenians were now all
safe in Salamis, or among their friends, he could not do them much harm;
and while he was finishing the ruin he had begun ten months before, the
Spartans had raised their army, under the command of their king,
Pausanias, nephew to Leonidas, and all the best soldiers from the other
Greek cities. They came up with the Persians near the city of Plataea.
Though a Spartan, Pausanias had rather not have fou