The histories of Herodotus;

ii6-I2o] FATE OF ARTAYCTES 533
pecting the Greeks ; so that they fell upon him somewhat unawares.
But when autumn came on, as they were engaged
in the siege, and the Athenians were impatient at being absent
from their own country, and not able to take the fortification,
they besought their leaders to take them back ; they, however,
refused, until either they should take the place or the people
of Athens should recall them; accordingly, they acquiesced
in the present state of things.
In the meanwhile those who were within the fortification
were reduced to the last extremity, so that they boiled and ate
the cords of their beds ; and when they had these no longer,
then the Persians, and Artayctes and CEobazus, made their
escape by night, descending by the back of the fortification,
where it was most deserted by the enemy. When it was day,
the Chersonesians from the towers made known to the Athenians
what had happened and opened the gates; and the
greater part of them went in pursuit, but some took possession
of the city. As CEobazus was fleeing into Thrace, the
Apsinthian Thracians seized him and sacrificed him to Plistorus,
a god of the country, according to their custom ; but
those who were with him they slaughtered in another manner.
Those with Artayctes, who had taken to flight the last,
when they were overtaken a little above iEgos-Potami, having
defended themselves for a considerable time, some were killed,
and others taken alive, and the Greeks, having put them in
bonds, conveyed them to Sestos ; and with them they took
Artayctes bound, himself and his son. It is related by the
Chersonitae that the following prodigy occurred to one of
the guards as he was broiling salt fish : the salt fish lying on
the fire leaped and quivered like fish just caught; and the persons
who stood around were amazed ; but Artayctes, when
he saw the prodigy, having called the man who was broiling
the salt fish, said : " Athenian friend, be not afraid of this
prodigy, for it has not appeared to you ; but Protesilaus, who
is in Elaeus, intimates to me that, though dead and salted, he
has power from the gods to avenge himself on the person that
has injured him. Now, therefore, I wish to make him reparation,
and instead of the riches which I took out of his temple,
to repay one hundred talents to the god ;
and for myself and
my children, I will pay two hundred talents to the Athenians
if I survive." By offering this he did not persuade the general
Xanthippus; for the Elaeans, wishing to avenge Protesilaus,
begged that he might be put to death, and the mind of the
general himself inclined that way. Having, therefore, conducted
him to that part of the shore where Xerxes bridged