of mind, and fond of adventure, determined
to accompany the expedition. Not only her own vessels, but also those
from some neighboring islands, were placed under her charge, so that she
commanded quite an important division of the fleet. She proved, also, in
the course of the voyage, to be abundantly qualified for the discharge
of her duties. She became, in fact, one of the ablest and most efficient
commanders in the fleet, not only maneuvering and managing her own
particular division in a very successful manner, but also taking a very
active and important part in the general consultations, where what she
said was listened to with great respect, and always had great weight in
determining the decisions. In the great battle of Salamis she acted a
very conspicuous part, as will hereafter appear.

The whole number of galleys of the first class in Xerxes's fleet was
more than twelve hundred, a number abundantly sufficient to justify the
apprehensions of Artabanus that no harbor would be found capacious
enough to shelter them in the event of a sudden storm. The line which
they formed on this occasion, when drawn up side by side upon the shore
for review, must have extended many miles.

Xerxes moved slowly along this line in his barge, attended by the
officers of his court and the great generals of his army, who surveyed
the various ships as they passed them, and noted the diverse national
costumes and equipments of the men with curiosity and pleasure. Among
those who attended the king on this occasion was a certain Greek named
Demaratus, an exile from his native land, who had fled to Persia, and
had been kindly received by Darius some years before. Having remained in
the Persian court until Xerxes succeeded to the throne and undertook the
invasion of Greece, he concluded to accompany the expedition.

The story of the political difficulties in which Demaratus became
involved in his native land, and which led to his flight from Greece,
was very extraordinary. It was this:

The mother of Demaratus was the daughter of parents of high rank and
great affluence in Sparta, but in her childhood her features were
extremely plain and repulsive. Now there was a temple in the
neighborhood of the place where her parents resided, consecrated to
Helen, a princess who, while she lived, enjoyed the fame of being the
most beautiful woman in the world. The nurse recommended that the child
should be taken every day to this temple, and that pe