he form of a fine, for what he considered their
treason in taking part with the enemies of their countrymen. In order
to prevent the people of Paros from preparing for defense, Miltiades
intended to keep the object of his expedition secret for a time. He
therefore simply proposed to the Athenians that they should equip a
fleet and put it under his command. He had an enterprise in view, he
said, the nature of which he could not particularly explain, but he
was very confident of its success, and, if successful, he should
return, in a short time, laden with spoils which would enrich the
city, and amply reimburse the people for the expenses they would have
incurred. The force which he asked for was a fleet of seventy vessels.

So great was the popularity and influence which Miltiades had acquired
by his victory at Marathon, that this somewhat extraordinary
proposition was readily complied with. The fleet was equipped, and
crews were provided, and the whole armament was placed under
Miltiades's command. The men themselves who were embarked on board of
the galleys did not know whither they were going. Miltiades promised
them victory and an abundance of gold as their reward; for the rest,
they must trust, he said, to him, as he could not explain the actual
destination of the enterprise without endangering its success. The
men were all satisfied with these conditions, and the fleet set sail.

When it arrived on the coast of Paros, the Parians were, of course,
taken by surprise, but they made immediate preparations for a very
vigorous resistance. Miltiades commenced a siege, and sent a herald to
the city, demanding of them, as the price of their ransom, an immense
sum of money, saying, at the same time, that, unless they delivered up
that sum, or, at least, gave security for the payment of it, he would
not leave the place until the city was captured, and, when captured,
it should be wholly destroyed. The Parians rejected the demand, and
engaged energetically in the work of completing and strengthening
their defenses. They organized companies of workmen to labor during
the night, when their operations would not be observed, in building
new walls, and re-enforcing every weak or unguarded point in the line
of the fortifications. It soon appeared that the Parians were making
far more rapid progress in securing their position than Miltiades was
in his assaults upon it. Miltiades found that an attack upon a
fortified island in the AE