is the strongest, as, in
the darkness and confusion which then prevail, the assailants can not
ordinarily distinguish friends from foes, and so are in great danger,
amid the tumult and obscurity, of slaying one another. That difficulty
was obviated in this case by the strange disguise which the Phocaeans had
assumed. They knew that all were Thessalians who were not whitened like
themselves. The Thessalians were totally discomfited and dispersed by
this encounter.

The other stratagem was of a different character, and was directed
against a troop of cavalry. The Thessalian cavalry were renowned
throughout the world. The broad plains extending through the heart of
their country contained excellent fields for training and exercising
such troops, and the mountains which surrounded it furnished grassy
slopes and verdant valleys, that supplied excellent pasturage for the
rearing of horses. The nation was very strong, therefore, in this
species of force, and many of the states and kingdoms of Greece, when
planning their means of internal defense, and potentates and conquerors,
when going forth on great campaigns, often considered their armies
incomplete unless there was included in them a corps of Thessalian
cavalry.

A troop of this cavalry had invaded Phocis, and the Phocaeans, conscious
of their inability to resist them in open war, contrived to entrap them
in the following manner. They dug a long trench in the ground, and then
putting in baskets or casks sufficient nearly to fill the space, they
spread over the top a thin layer of soil. They then concealed all
indications that the ground had been disturbed, by spreading leaves over
the surface. The trap being thus prepared, they contrived to entice the
Thessalians to the spot by a series of retreats, and at length led them
into the pitfall thus provided for them. The substructure of casks was
strong enough to sustain the Phocaeans, who went over it as footmen, but
was too fragile to bear the weight of the mounted troops. The horses
broke through, and the squadron was thrown into such confusion by so
unexpected a disaster, that, when the Phocaeans turned and fell upon
them, they were easily overcome.

These things had irritated and vexed the Thessalians very much. They
were eager for revenge, and they were very ready to guide the armies of
Xerxes into the country of their enemies in order to obtain it.

The troops advanced accordingly, awakening every where, as they cam