aying the guards without the alarm having spread. Then the others
rapidly mounted the wall.

At this critical moment one of them struck a loose tile with his foot
and sent it clattering down the wall. This unlucky accident gave the
alarm. In an instant shouts came from the towers, and the garrison below
sprang to arms and hurried to the top of the wall. But they knew not
where to seek the foe, and their perplexity was increased by the
garrison within the city, which made a false attack on the other side.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, the blockaders remained at their
posts, except a body of three hundred men, who were kept in readiness to
patrol the outside of the outer ditch. Fire-signals were raised to warn
their allies in Thebes, but the garrison in the town also kindled
fire-signals so as to destroy the meaning of those of the besiegers.

Meanwhile the escaping warriors were actively engaged. Some held with
spear and javelin the towers they had captured. Others drew up the
ladders and planted them against the outer wall. Then down the ladders
they hurried, waded across the outer ditch, and reached level ground
beyond. Each man, as he gained this space, stood ready with his weapons
to repel assault from without. When all the others were down, the men
who had held the towers fled to the ladders and safely descended.

The outer ditch was nearly full of water from the rain and covered with
thin ice. Yet they scrambled through it, and when the three hundred of
the outer guard approached with torches, they suddenly found themselves
assailed with arrows and javelins from a foe invisible in the darkness.
They were thus kept back till the last Plataean had crossed the ditch,
when the bold fugitives marched speedily away, leaving but one of their
number a prisoner in the hands of the foe.

They first marched towards Thebes, while their pursuers took the
opposite direction. Then they turned, struck eastward, entered the
mountains, and finally--two hundred and twelve in number--made their way
safely to Athens, to tell their families and allies the thrilling story
of their escape.

A few who lost heart returned from the inner wall to the town, and told
those within that the whole band had perished. The truth was only
learned within the town when on the next morning a herald was sent out
to solicit a truce for burial of the dead bodies. The herald brought
back the glad tidings that there were no dead to bury, that t