driven up upon the beach on
the coast of Africa, at a barbarous country called Colias. The savages
dragged the fragments up out of the sand to use as fuel for their
fires, pleased with their unexpected acquisitions, but wholly ignorant,
of course, of the nature of the dreadful tragedy to which their coming
was due. The circumstance, however, explained to the Greeks an ancient
prophecy which had been uttered long before in Athens, and which the
interpreters of such mysteries had never been able to understand. The
prophecy was this:

The Colian dames on Afric's shores
Shall roast their food with Persian oars.

CHAPTER XII.

THE RETURN OF XERXES TO PERSIA.

B.C. 480

Mardonius.--His apprehensions after the battle.--Depression of
Xerxes.--Mardonius's address to him.--Mardonius offers to complete the
conquest of Greece.--Effect of Mardonius's address.--Xerxes consults
Artemisia.--Artemisia hesitates.--Her advice to Xerxes.--Xerxes adopts
Artemesia's advice.--His anxiety increases.--Xerxes commences his
retreat.--He sends his family to Ephesus.--Excitement in the Greek
fleet.--The Persians pursued.--Debate among the generals.--Themistocles
outvoted.--Another stratagem of Themistocles.--His message to
Xerxes.--Duplicity of Themistocles.--Retreat of Xerxes.--Horrors of the
retreat.--Sufferings from hunger.--Famine and disease.--Xerxes crosses
the Hellespont.--Fate of Mardonius.--Xerxes arrives at Susa.--Xerxes's
dissolute life.--His three sons.--Artabanus, captain of the guard.--He
assassinates Xerxes.--Artaxerxes kills his brother.--He succeeds to the
throne.

Mardonius, it will be recollected, was the commander-in-chief of the
forces of Xerxes, and thus, next to Xerxes himself, he was the officer
highest in rank of all those who attended the expedition. He was, in
fact, a sort of prime minister, on whom the responsibility for almost
all the measures for the government and conduct of the expedition had
been thrown. Men in such positions, while they may expect the highest
rewards and honors from their sovereign in case of success, have always
reason to apprehend the worst of consequences to themselves in case of
failure. The night after the battle of Salamis, accordingly, Mardonius
was in great fear. He did not distrust the future success of the
expedition if it were allowed to go on; but, knowing the character of
such despots as those who ruled great nations in that age of the world,
he was well awar