A Victor of Salamis. William Stearns Davis

man? Then truly would your mother Atossa have given Darius an heir right worthy the twenty kingdoms!”

      She gave a gentle laugh.

      “The Most High ordains the best. Have I not the noblest kingdom? Am I not your wife?”

      His laugh answered her.

      “Then I am greater than Xerxes. I love my empire the best!”

      He leaned again from the lattice, “O, fairest of cities, and we shall win it! See how the tawny rock turns to silver beneath the moonbeams! How clearly burn the stars over the plain and the mountain! And these Greeks, clever, wise, beautiful, when we have mastered them, have taught them our Aryan obedience and love of truth, what servants will they not become! For we are ordained to conquer. Mazda has given us empire without limit, from the Indus to the Great Ocean of the West—all shall be ours; for we are Persians, the race to rule forever.”

      “We will conquer,” she said dreamily, as enchanted as was he by the beauties of the night.

      “From the day Cyrus your grandfather flung down Cambyses the Mede, the High God has been with us. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon—have all bowed under our yoke. The [pg 104]Lydian at golden Sardis, the Tartar on the arid steppes, the Hindoo by his sacred river, all send tribute to our king, and Hellas—” he held out his arms confidently—“shall be the brightest star in the Persian tiara. When Darius your father lay dying, I swore to him, ‘Master, fear not; I will avenge you on Athens and on all the Greeks.’ And in one brief year, O fravashi, soul of the great departed, I may make good the vow. I will make these untamed Hellenes bow their proud necks to a king.”

      Her own eyes brightened, looking on him, as he spoke in pride and power.

      “And yet,” she could not keep back the question, “as we have moved through this Hellas, and seen its people, living without princes, or with princes of little power, sometimes a strange thought comes. These perverse, unobedient folk, false as they are, and ununited, have yet a strength to do great things, a strength which even we Aryans lack.”

      He shook his head.

      “It cannot be. Mazda ordained a king to rule, the rest to obey. And all the wits of Hellas have no strength until they learn that lesson well. But I will teach it them.”

      “For some day you will be their king?” spoke the woman. He did not reprove, but stood beside her, gazing forth upon the night. In the moonlight the columns and sculptures of the great temple on the Acropolis stood out in minute tracery They could see all the caverns and jagged ledges on the massy Rock. The flat roofs of the sleeping city lay like a dark and peaceful ocean. The mountains spread around in shadow-wrapped hush. Far away the dark stretch of the sea sent back a silver shimmering in answer to the moon. A landscape only possible at Athens! The two sensitive Orientals’ souls were deeply touched. For long they were silent, then the husband spoke.

      [pg 105]

      “Twenty days more; we are safe in Sardis, the adventure ended. The war only remains, and the glory, the conquest—and thou. O Ahura-Mazda,” he spoke upward to the stars, “give to thy Persians this land. For when Thou hast given this, Thou wilt keep back nothing of all the world.”

      [pg 106]

CHAPTER X

       Table of Contents

DEMOCRATES RESOLVES

       Table of Contents

      Democrates surpassed himself when arraigning the knavish contractor. “Nestor and Odysseus both speak to us,” shouted Polus in glee, flinging his black bean in the urn. “What eloquence, what righteous fury when he painted the man’s infamy to pillage the city in a crisis like this!”

      So the criminal was sent to death and Democrates was showered with congratulations. Only one person seemed hardly satisfied with all the young orator did—Themistocles. The latter told his lieutenant candidly he feared all was not being done to apprehend the Persian emissary. Themistocles even took it upon himself to send Sicinnus to run down several suspects, and just on the morning of the day preceding the Panathenæa—the great summer festival—Democrates received a hint which sent him home very thoughtful. He had met his chief in the Agora as he was leaving the Government-House, and Themistocles had again asked if he had smelt aught of the Persian agent. He had not.

      “Then you would well devote more time to finding his scent, and less to convicting a pitiful embezzler. You know the Alopece suburb?”

      “Certainly.”

      [pg 107]

      “And the house of Phormio the fishmonger?” to which Democrates nodded.

      “Well, Sicinnus has been watching the quarter. A Babylonish carpet-seller has rooms opposite Phormio. The man is suspicious, does no trading, and Phormio’s wife told Sicinnus an odd tale.”

      “What tale?” Democrates glanced at a passing chariot, avoiding Themistocles’s gaze.

      “Why, twice the Barbarian, she swears, has had an evening visitor—and he our dear Glaucon.”

      “Impossible.”

      “Of course. The good woman is mistaken. Still, question her. Pry into this Babylonian’s doings. He may be selling more things than carpets. If he has corrupted any here in Athens—by Pluto the Implacable, I will make them tell out the price!”

      “I’ll inquire at once.”

      “Do so. The matter grows serious.”

      Themistocles caught sight of one of the archons and hastened across the Agora to have a word with him. Democrates passed his hand across his forehead, beaded with sudden sweat-drops. He knew—though Themistocles had said not a word—that his superior was beginning to distrust his efforts, and that Sicinnus was working independently. Democrates had great respect for the acuteness of that Asiatic. He was coming perilously near the truth already. If the Cyprian and Hiram were arrested, the latter at least would surely try to save his life by betraying their nocturnal visitor. To get the spy safely out of Athens would be the first step—but not all. Sicinnus once upon the scent would not readily drop it until he had discovered the emissary’s confederate. And of the fate of that confederate Themistocles had just given a grim hint. There was [pg 108]one other solution possible. If Democrates could discover the confederate himself, Sicinnus would regard the matter as cleared up and drop all interest therein. All these possibilities raced through the orator’s head, as does the past through one drowning. A sudden greeting startled him.

      “A fair morning, Democrates.” It was Glaucon. He walked arm-in-arm with Cimon.

      “A fair morning, indeed. Where are you going?”

      “To the Peiræus to inspect the new tackling of the Nausicaä. You will join us?”

      “Unfortunately I argue a case before the King Archon.”

      “Be as eloquent as in your last speech. Do you know, Cimon declares I am disloyal too, and that you will soon be prosecuting me?”

      “Avert it, gods! What do you mean?”

      “Why, he is sending a letter to Argos,” asserted Cimon. “Now I say Argos has Medized, therefore no good Hellene should correspond with a traitorous Argive.”

      “Be jury on my treachery,” commanded Glaucon. “Ageladas the master-sculptor sends me a bronze Perseus in honour of my victory. Shall I churlishly send him no thanks because he lives in Argos?”

      “ ‘Not guilty’ votes the jury; the white beans prevail. So the letter goes to-day?”

      “To-morrow afternoon. You know Seuthes of