in your honor--to bring the father of two Olympic victors back to his
native land."

The old man's limbs trembled visibly at these words, his eyes filled
with tears and he murmured a prayer. Then smiting his forehead, he cried
in a voice trembling with feeling: "Now it is fulfilled! now it has
become a fact! If I doubted the words of thy priestess, O Phoebus
Apollo! pardon my sin! What was the promise of the oracle?

"If once the warrior hosts from the snow-topped mountains
descending,
Come to the fields of the stream watering richly the plain,
Then shall the lingering boat to the beckoning meadows convey thee,
Which to the wandering foot peace and a home can afford.
When those warriors come, from the snow-topped mountains descending,
Then will the powerful Five grant thee what long they refused."

"The promise of the god is fulfilled. Now I may return home, and I will;
but first I raise my hands to Dice, the unchanging goddess of justice,
and implore her not to deny me the pleasure of revenge."

"The day of vengeance will dawn to-morrow," said Phanes, joining in
the old man's prayer. "Tomorrow I shall slaughter the victims for the
dead--for my son--and will take no rest until Cambyses has pierced
the heart of Egypt with the arrows which I have cut for him. Come, my
friend, let me take you to the king. One man like you can put a whole
troop of Egyptians to flight."

.......................

It was night. The Persian soldiers, their position being unfortified,
were in order of battle, ready to meet any unexpected attack. The
foot-soldiers stood leaning on their shields, the horsemen held their
horses saddled and bridled near the camp-fires. Cambyses was riding
through the ranks, encouraging his troops by words and looks. Only one
part of the army was not yet ranged in order of battle--the centre. It
was composed of the Persian body-guard, the apple-bearers, Immortals,
and the king's own relatives, who were always led into battle by the
king in person.

The Ionian Greeks too had gone to rest, at Phanes' command. He wanted to
keep his men fresh, and allowed them to sleep in their armor, while he
kept watch. Aristomachus was welcomed with shouts of joy by the Greeks,
and kindly by Cambyses, who assigned him, at the head of one half the
Greek troops, a place to the left of the centre attack, while Phanes,
with the other half, had his place at the right. The king himself was to
take the