o much trouble to curl
and perfume their hair would not be hard to conquer. They soon found out
their mistake.

As they advanced, the archers shot a volley of arrows, and in such
numbers that they fairly darkened the sun. One of the allies, seeing
this, ran to warn Leonidas; but he received the startling news with
great coolness, and merely said, "Very well; then we can fight in the
shade."

When Xerxes saw that the Greeks would not yield without striking a blow,
he gave orders for the battle to begin. The Persians pressed forward,
under the eye of their king, who sat high up on the rocks to see them
conquer; but, to his surprise, they were driven back by that mere
handful of men.

Again and again they tried to force the pass, but all their attempts
proved vain. The Persian soldiers, amazed at the courage of the Greeks,
were filled with superstitious fears, and began to refuse to advance,
except when driven onward under the stinging blows of the lash.

The king was furious to see their close ranks give way time after time,
and finally ordered his own Immortals to march on and scatter the army,
which, although so small, was keeping millions of men at bay. He
expected that everything would of course give way at the very first
charge of these troops.

Imagine his wrath, therefore, when he saw the Immortals also retreat,
after many useless efforts to drive away the enemy. The Persians did not
know what to do. They could not advance, and were ashamed to retreat.

LI. DEATH OF LEONIDAS.

While the Persians were hesitating thus, a Greek shepherd, Eph-i-al'tes,
stole into their camp, and, vile traitor that he was, offered to show
them another way to get into Greece, if they would pay him well. This
man was led into the tent of a Persian general, where he explained that
he could easily lead a troop of Persians over the mountains.

By a goat path known to the Greeks only, it was possible not only to
cross the mountains, but also to come down upon the small Greek force
guarding the Pass of Thermopylae.

His offer as guide was accepted. Ephialtes, true to his promise, if not
to his country, led the Persian Immortals along this narrow way.
Leonidas, who could not imagine that any one of the Greeks would be base
enough to sell his country and honor for gold, had placed only a few of
the allies at this spot.

[Illustration: A Fighting Persian.]

The Immortals followed Ephialtes, easily cut these few men down, and