his expenses as the consequence of it.

He was angry with himself, and angry with Megabates, and angry with
Artaphernes. He presumed, too, that Megabates would denounce him to
Artaphernes, and, through him, to Darius, as the cause of the failure
of the expedition. A sudden order might come at any moment, directing
that he should be beheaded. He began to consider the expediency of
revolting from the Persian power, and making common cause with the
Greeks against Darius. The danger of such a step was scarcely less
than that of remaining as he was. While he was pondering these
momentous questions in his mind, he was led suddenly to a decision by
a very singular circumstance, the proper explaining of which requires
the story to return, for a time, to Histiaeus at Susa.

Histiaeus was very ill at ease in the possession of his forced
elevation and grandeur at Susa. He enjoyed great distinction there, it
is true, and a life of ease and luxury, but he wished for independence
and authority. He was, accordingly, very desirous to get back to his
former sphere of activity and power in Asia Minor. After revolving in
his mind the various plans which occurred to him for accomplishing
this purpose, he at last decided on inducing Aristagoras to revolt in
Ionia, and then attempting to persuade Darius to send him on to quell
the revolt. When once in Asia Minor, he would join the rebellion, and
bid Darius defiance.

The first thing to be done was to contrive some safe and secret way to
communicate with Aristagoras. This he effected in the following
manner: There was a man in his court who was afflicted with some
malady of the eyes. Histiaeus told him that if he would put himself
under _his_ charge he could effect a cure. It would be necessary, he
said, that the man should have his head shaved and scarified; that is,
punctured with a sharp instrument, previously dipped in some medicinal
compound. Then, after some further applications should have been made,
it would be necessary for the patient to go to Ionia, in Asia Minor,
where there was a physician who would complete the cure.

The patient consented to this proposal. The head was shaved, and
Histiaeus, while pretending to scarify it, pricked into the skin--as
sailors tattoo anchors on their arms--by means of a needle and a
species of ink which had probably no great medicinal virtue, the words
of a letter to Aristagoras, in which he communicated to him fully,
though very concisely, the