CHAPTER XLII
MILTIADES SAILS TO THE ISLAND OF PAROS
Until the Greeks won their great victory at Marathon, in
490 B.C., they had always feared the Persians. Now their
fear was forgotten. They had still a long struggle before the
Persians were banished from their land, but, inspired by
the memory of Marathon, the Greeks fought bravely and
were sure always that they would be the victors. 'It was
as though on the day of Marathon the gods had said to the
Athenians, "Go on and prosper."'
Among those who fought on this famous field was Themistocles. He was young then and fought in the ranks, but he was yet to become one of the greatest men that Athens ever knew. Aristides too was there, of whom as of Themistocles there are many things to tell; Æschylus, the great tragic poet, also bore arms at Marathon.
When the battle was over, it was found that the Athenians had lost only one hundred and ninety-two men, while of the Persians six thousand four hundred lay dead upon the field. In spite of this the army of the Persians was still large enough to attack the unwalled city of Athens.
Soon after the battle a bright shield was hung on one of the heights of the city, and it was said that a traitor had signalled to the enemy that now was the time to attack her. But Miltiades saw the light as well as the Persians, and guessing what it meant, he took his army back to Athens by a forced march. He arrived in time to see the fleet of the enemy as it approached the harbour.
But when the Persian general saw that he need not hope
