my
saddle, until we had to take fresh horses at Bagis. Just as I was in the
very act of mounting, I lost my senses and strength, and fell down on the
ground in a dead faint."

"Yes, a pretty fright you gave us," interrupted Zopyrus, "by dropping
down in that fashion. It was fortunate that Gyges was there, for I lost
my wits entirely; he, of course, kept his presence of mind, and after
relieving his feelings in words not exactly flattering to us two, he
behaved like a circumspect general.--A fool of a doctor came running up
and protested that it was all over with poor Bart, for which I gave him a
good thrashing."

"Which he didn't particularly object to," said the satrap, laughing,
"seeing that you told them to lay a gold stater on every stripe."

"Yes, yes, my pugnacity costs me very dear sometimes. But to our story.
As soon as Bartja had opened his eyes, Gyges sent me off to Sardis to
fetch a good physician and an easy travelling-carriage. That ride won't
so soon be imitated. An hour before I reached the gates my third horse
knocked up under me, so I had to trust to my own legs, and began running
as fast as I could. The people must all have thought me mad. At last I
saw a man on horseback--a merchant from Kelaenze--dragged him from his
horse, jumped into the saddle, and, before the next morning dawned, I was
back again with our invalid, bringing the best physician in Sardis, and
Oroetes' most commodious travelling-carriage. We brought him to this
house at a slow footpace, and here a violent fever came on, he became
delirious, talked all the nonsense that could possibly come into a human
brain, and made us so awfully anxious, that the mere remembrance of that
time brings the big drops of perspiration to my forehead."

Bartja took his friend's hand: "I owe my life to him and Gyges," said he,
turning to Darius. "Till to-day, when they set out to meet you, they have
never left me for a minute; a mother could not have nursed her sick child
more carefully. And Oroetes, I am much obliged to you too; doubly so
because your kindness subjected you to annoyance."

"How could that be?" asked Darius.

"That Polykrates of Samos, whose name we heard so often in Egypt, has the
best physician that Greece has ever produced. While I was lying here ill,
Oroetes wrote to this Democedes, making him immense promises, if he would
only come to Sardis directly. The Sainian pirates, who infest the whole
Ionian coast, took the messenger ca