lding faith in the
decision of the gods.

Mardonius at length grew impatient. He asked his officers if they knew
of any prophecy saying that the Persians would be destroyed in Greece.
They were all silent, though many of them knew of such prophecies.

"Since you either do not know or will not tell," he at length said, "I
well know of one. There is an oracle which declares that Persian
invaders shall plunder the temple of Delphi, and shall afterwards all be
destroyed. Now we shall not go against that temple, so on that ground we
shall not be destroyed. Doubt not, then, but rejoice, for we shall get
the better of the Greeks." And he gave orders to prepare for battle on
the morrow, without waiting longer on the sacrifices.

That night Alexander of Macedon, who was in the Persian army, rode up to
the Greek outposts and gave warning of the coming attack. "I am of Greek
descent," he said, "and ask you to free me from the Persian yoke. I
cannot endure to see Greece enslaved."

During the night Pausanias withdrew his army to a new position in front
of the town of Plataea, water being wanting where they were. One Spartan
leader, indeed, refused to move, and when told that there had been a
general vote of the officers, he picked up a huge stone and cast it at
the feet of Pausanias, crying, "This is _my_ pebble. With it I give my
vote not to run away from the strangers."

Dawn was at hand, and the Spartans still held their ground, their leader
disputing in vain with the obstinate captain. At length he gave the
order to march, it being fatal to stay, since the rest of the army had
gone. Amompharetus, the obstinate captain, seeing that his general had
really gone, now lost his scruples and followed.

When day dawned the Persians saw with surprise that their foes had
disappeared. The Spartans alone, detained by the obstinacy of
Amompharetus, were still in sight. Filled with extravagant confidence at
this seeming flight. Mardonius gave orders for hasty pursuit, crying to
a Greek ally, "There go your boasted Spartans, showing, by a barefaced
flight, what they are really worth."

Crossing the shallow stream, the Persians ran after the Greeks at full
speed, without a thought of order or discipline. The foe seemed to them
in full retreat, and shouts of victory rang from their lips as they
rushed pell-mell across the plain.

The Spartans were quickly overtaken, and found themselves hotly
assailed. They sent in haste to the Athenia