wagons following their army, and no special officer to
furnish food, they had to depend entirely upon the provisions they could
get on their way.

Whenever an army came in sight, the people hid not only their wealth,
but also their food; and, had not the Spartan soldiers been trained to
steal, they would often have suffered much from hunger when they were at
war.

To test the courage of the Spartan boys, their teachers never allowed
them to have a light, and often sent them out alone in the middle of the
night, on errands which they had to do as best they could.

Then, too, once a year all the boys were brought to the Temple of Diana,
where their courage was further tried by a severe flogging; and those
who stood this whipping without a tear or moan were duly praised. The
little Spartan boys were so eager to be thought brave, that it is said
that some let themselves be flogged to death rather than complain.

The bravery of one of these boys was so wonderful that you will find it
mentioned in nearly every Greek history you read. This little fellow had
stolen a live fox, and hidden it in the bosom of his dress, on his way
to school.

The imprisoned fox, hoping to escape, began to gnaw a hole in the boy's
chest, and to tear his flesh with his sharp claws; but, in spite of the
pain, the lad sat still, and let the fox bite him to death.

It was only when he fell lifeless to the floor that the teachers found
the fox, and saw how cruelly he had torn the brave little boy to pieces.
Ever since then, when boys stand pain bravely and without wincing, they
have been called little Spartans, in memory of this lad.

In order that the boys should be taught to behave well under all
circumstances, they were never allowed to speak except when spoken to,
and then their answers were expected to be as short and exact as
possible.

This style of speaking, where much was said in few words, was so usual
in the whole country of Laconia, that it is still known as the laconic
style.

To train them in this mode of speech, the elders daily made the boys
pass an oral examination, asking them any questions they could think of.
The boys had to answer promptly, briefly, and carefully; and if they
failed to do so, it was considered a great disgrace.

These daily questionings were meant to sharpen their wits, strengthen
their memories, and teach them how to think and decide quickly and
correctly.

The Spartan youths were further taught to t