BABYLON AND PERSIA

292 - .MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA.her child in his power, and when that child, the littleKyros, is born, the king immediately orders his kins¬man and trusty servant Harpagos to carry him to hishome and slay him. Harpagos has not the heart todo the cruel thing himself, but makes over the babeto one of the royal herdsmen, whose range of pasturelandlay among mountains infested with wild beasts,with the order to expose him " in the wildest part ofthe hills, where he should be sure to die speedily."The herdsman's wife, whose own babe had just died,persuaded her husband to exchange the two, andthree days later the dead child, arrayed in all theother's costly attire, is shown to the men sent byHarpagos, while the royal infant is brought up bythe herdsman's wife, whose name is Spaka (whichnieans " bitch, female dog "), as her own and underan assumed name.4. When he reached his tenth year Kyros madehimself conspicuous by his masterful ways amonghis comrades, with whom he used to play at beingtheir king, making them obey him in real earnestand punishing severely any act of insubordination.This led to complaints from the parents of the otherboys, some of whom were of noble birth and resent¬ed the supposed little plebeian's insolence, and thematter ended by being brought before the king, whohad Kyros and his playfellows summoned to hispresence.Something in the demeanor of the boy,his free and haughty manner of answering questionsand accusations, a certain family likeness, too,roused Astyages' suspicions, and the herdsman waseasily frightened into confession. Astyages, who