120 HISTORICAL TALES.

was in a desperate strait. Leaving the sick and
weak part of his army encamped with the asses he
had brought,—animals unknown to the Scythians,
who were alarmed by their braying,—he began a
hasty retreat towards his bridge of boats. But
rapidly as he could march, the swifter Scythians
reached the bridge before him, and counselled with
the Ionian Greeks, who had been left in charge,
and who were conquered subjects of the Persian
king, to break down the bridge and leave Darius
and his army to their fate.

And now we get back into real history again.
The story of what happened in Scythia is all
romance. All we really know is that the expedition
failed, and what was left of the army came back
to the Danube in hasty retreat. And here comes
in an interesting part of the narrative. The fleet
of Darius was largely made up of the ships of the
Jonians of Asia Minor, who had long been Persian
subjects. It was they who had bridged the Danube,
and who were left to guard the bridge. After
Darius had crossed the bridge, on his march north,
he ordered the Ionians to break it down and follow
him into Seythia, leaving only the rowers and sea-
men in the ships. But one of his Greek generals
advised him to let the bridge stand under guard of
its builders, saying that evil fortune might come to
the king’s army through the guile and shrewdness
of the Scythians.

Darius found this advice good, and promised to
reward its giver after his return. He then took a
cord and tied sixty knots in it, This he left with