rning of the approach of the enemy. They agreed
upon signals, and raised piles of wood for beacon fires on every
commanding elevation along the coast; while all the roads leading from
the threatened provinces to other regions more remote from the danger
were covered with flying parties, endeavoring to make their escape, and
carrying, wearily and in sorrow, whatever they valued most and were most
anxious to save. Mothers bore their children, men their gold and silver,
and sisters aided their sick or feeble brothers to sustain the toil and
terror of the flight.

All this time Xerxes was sitting in his war chariot, in the midst of his
advancing army, full of exultation, happiness, and pride at the thoughts
of the vast harvest of glory which all this panic and suffering were
bringing him in.

The fleet, at length--which was under the command of Xerxes's brothers
and cousins, whom he had appointed the admirals of it--began to move
down the coast from Therma, with the intention of first sweeping the
seas clear of any naval force which the Greeks might have sent forward
there to act against them, and then of landing upon some point on the
coast, wherever they could do so most advantageously for co-operation
with the army on the land. The advance of the ships was necessarily
slow. So immense a flotilla could not have been otherwise kept together.
The admirals, however, selected ten of the swiftest of the galleys, and,
after manning and arming them in the most perfect manner, sent them
forward to reconnoiter. The ten galleys were ordered to advance rapidly,
but with the greatest circumspection. They were not to incur any
needless danger, but, if they met with any detached ships of the enemy,
they were to capture them, if possible. They were, moreover, to be
constantly on the alert, to observe every thing, and to send back to
the fleet all important intelligence which they could obtain.

The ten galleys went on without observing any thing remarkable until
they reached the island of Sciathus. Here they came in sight of three
Greek ships, a sort of advanced guard, which had been stationed there to
watch the movements of the enemy.

The Greek galleys immediately hoisted their anchors and fled; the
Persian galleys manned their oars, and pressed on after them.

They overtook one of the guard-ships very soon, and, after a short
conflict, they succeeded in capturing it. The Persians made prisoners of
the officers and crew, and then