132 HISTORICAL TALES.

who favored this action gave up to Miltiades their
days of command, making him sole leader for that
length of time. Herodotus says that he refused to
fight till his own day came regularly round,—but we
can scarcely believe that a general of his ability
would risk defeat on such a childish point of honor.
If so, he should have been a Spartan, and waited for
the passing of the full moon.

To Marathon, then, the men of Athens marched,
and from its surrounding hills looked down on the
great Persian army that lay encamped beneath, and
on the fleet which seemed to fill the sea. Of those
brave men there were no more than ten thousand.
And from all Greece but one small band came to join
them, a thousand men from the little town of Plata.
The numbers of the foe we do not know. They may
have been two hundred thousand in all, though how
many of these landed and took part in the battle
no one can tell. Doubtless they outnumbered the
Athenians more than ten to one.

Far along the plain stretched the lines of the Per-
sians, with their fleet behind them, extended along
the beach. On the high ground in the rear were
marshalled the Greeks, spread out so long that their
line was perilously thin. The space of a mile sepa-
rated the two armies.

And now, at the command of Miltiades, the valiant
Athenians crossed this dividing space at a full run,
sounding their pean or war-cry as they advanced.
Miltiades was bent on coming to close quarters at
once, so as to prevent the enemy from getting their
bowmen and cavalry at work.