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12. After this he delivered the place into the hands of the people called Chalcideans, having first appointed Critobulus of Torone to be governor.

13. Such was the way in which the Chalcideans got Olynthus.

14. When Olynthus had fallen, Artabazus pressed the siege of Potidaea even more vigorously; and was aided by one Timoxenus, captain of the Scionaeans, who entered into a plot to betray the town to him.

15. Whenever Timoxenus wished to send a letter to Artabazus, or Artabazus to send one to Timoxenus, the letter was written on a strip of paper,

16. And rolled round the notched end of an arrow-shaft; the feathers were then put on over the paper, and the arrow shot to some agreed place.

17. But after a while the plot was discovered, in this way: Artabazus shot an arrow, intending to send it to the accustomed place, but, missing his mark, hit one of the Potidaeans in the shoulder.

18. A crowd gathered about the wounded man, as commonly happens in war; and when the arrow was pulled out, they noticed the paper,

19. And straightway carried it to the captains who were present from the various cities of the peninsula.

20. The captains read the letter, and, finding who the traitor was, nevertheless resolved, out of regard for the city of Scione, that as they did not wish the Scionaeans to be thenceforth branded with the name of traitors, they would not bring any charge of treachery against him.

21. After Artabazus had continued the siege for three months, it happened that there was an unusual ebb of the tide, which lasted a long time.

22. When the barbarians saw that what had been sea was now no more than a swamp, they determined to push across it into Palline.

23. When the troops had already made two-fifths of their passage, and three-fifths still remained before they could reach Palline, the tide came in with a very high flood.

24. All who were not able to swim perished immediately; the rest were slain by the Potidaeans, who bore down on them in their ships.

Chapter 92

1. As for that part of the Persian fleet which had survived Salamis and reached the coast of Asia,

2. After it had taken the king and his army across the Hellespont to Abydos, it passed the winter at Cyme.

3. On the first approach of spring, there was an early muster of the ships at Samos, where some of them had remained throughout the winter.

4. Most of the men-at-arms who served on board were Persians or Medes,

5. And the command of the fleet had been taken by Mardontes, son of Bagaeus, and Artayntes son of Artachaeus;

6. While there was likewise a third commander, Ithamitres, the nephew of Artayntes, whom his uncle had appointed to the post.

7. They did not dare to venture further west than Samos, however, remembering what a defeat they had suffered,

8. And there was no one to compel them to approach any nearer to Greece.

9. They therefore remained at Samos, and kept watch over Ionia, to hinder it from breaking into revolt.

10. The whole number of their ships, including those furnished by the Ionians, was three hundred.

11. It did not enter into their thoughts that the Greeks would attack Ionia;

12. On the contrary, they supposed that Salamis would content the Greeks, more especially as they had not pursued the Persian fleet when it fled that battle.

13. The Persian sailors despaired, however, of gaining any success by sea themselves, though by land they thought that Mardonius was sure of victory.

14. So they remained at Samos, and discussed how they might harass the enemy, at the same time as they eagerly waited to hear how Mardonius fared.

15. As for the Greeks, the approach of spring, and the knowledge that Mardonius was in Thessaly, roused them.

16. Their land force was not yet come together, but their fleet, consisting of one hundred and ten ships, proceeded to Egina, under the command of Leotychides.

17. This Leotychides, who was both general and admiral, was the son of Menares, the son of Agesilaus, the