ns for aid. The Athenians
rushed forward, but soon found themselves confronted by the Greek allies
of Persia, and with enough to do to defend themselves. The remainder of
the Greek army had retreated to Plataea and took no part in the battle.

The Persians, thrusting the spiked extremities of their long shields in
the ground, formed a breastwork from which they poured showers of arrows
on the Spartan ranks, by which many were wounded or slain. Yet, despite
their distress, Pausanias would not give the order to charge. He was at
the old work again, offering sacrifices while his men fell around him.
The responses were unfavorable, and he would not fight.

At length the victims showed favorable signs. "Charge!" was the word.
With the fury of unchained lions the impatient hoplites sprang forward,
and like an avalanche the serried Spartan line fell on the foe.

Down went the breastwork of shields. Down went hundreds of Persians
before the close array and the long spears of the Spartans. Broken and
disordered, the Persians fought bravely, doing their utmost to get to
close quarters with their foes. Mardonius, mounted on a white horse, and
attended by a body-guard of a thousand select troops, was among the
foremost warriors, and his followers distinguished themselves by their
courage.

At length the spear of Aeimnestus, a distinguished Spartan, brought
Mardonius dead to the ground. His guards fell in multitudes around his
body. The other Persians, worn out with the hopeless effort to break
the Spartan phalanx, and losing heart at the death of their general,
turned and fled to their fortified camp. At the same time the Theban
allies of Persia, whom the Athenians had been fighting, gave ground, and
began a retreat, which was not ended till they reached the walls of
Thebes.

On rushed the victorious Spartans to the Persian camp, which they at
once assailed. Here they had no success till the Athenians came to their
aid, when the walls were stormed and the defenders slain in such hosts
that, if we can believe Herodotus, only three thousand out of the three
hundred thousand of the army of Mardonius remained alive. It is true
that one body of forty thousand men, under Artabazus, had been too late
on the field to take part in the fight. The Persians were already
defeated when these troops came in sight, and they turned and marched
away for the Hellespont, leaving the defeated host to shift for itself.
Of the Greeks, Plutarch tells