ee forth from the land and making thee homeless, dost
thou not dare to take any revenge, though they are so exceedingly easy
to be overcome? Nay, but if in truth thou art afraid of them, give me
thy mercenaries and I will take vengeance on them for their coming here;
and thyself I am willing to let go out of the island."

146. Thus spoke Charilaos, and Maiandrios accepted that which he said,
not, as I think, because he had reached such a height of folly as to
suppose that his own power would overcome that of the king, but rather
because he grudged Syloson that he should receive from him the State
without trouble, and with no injury inflicted upon it. Therefore he
desired to provoke the Persians to anger and make the Samian power as
feeble as possible before he gave it up to him, being well assured that
the Persians, when they had suffered evil, would be likely to be as
bitter against the Samians as well as against those who did the wrong,
129 and knowing also that he had a safe way of escape from the island
whenever he desired: for he had had a secret passage made under ground,
leading from the fortress to the sea. Maiandrios then himself sailed out
from Samos; but Charilaos armed all the mercenaries, and opening wide
the gates sent them out upon the Persians, who were not expecting any
such thing, but supposed that all had been arranged: and the mercenaries
falling upon them began to slay those of the Persians who had seats
carried for them 130 and were of most account. While these were thus
engaged, the rest of the Persian force came to the rescue, and the
mercenaries were hard pressed and forced to retire to the fortress.

147. Then Otanes the Persian commander, seeing that the Persians had
suffered greatly, purposely forgot the commands which Dareios gave him
when he sent him forth, not to kill any one of the Samians nor to sell
any into slavery, but to restore the island to Syloson free from all
suffering of calamity,--these commands, I say, he purposely forgot, and
gave the word to his army to slay every one whom they should take, man
or boy, without distinction. So while some of the army were besieging
the fortress, others were slaying every one who came in their way, in
sanctuary or out of sanctuary equally.

148. Meanwhile Maiandrios had escaped from Samos and was sailing to
Lacedemon; and having come thither and caused to be brought up to the
city the things which he had taken with him when he departed, he di