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The barbarians who escaped from the battle - a scanty remnant - took
refuge in the heights of Mycale, whence they made good their retreat
to Sardis. During the march, Masistes, the son of Darius, who
had been present at the disaster, had words with Artayntes, the
general, on whom he showered many reproaches. He called him, among
other things, "worse than a woman," for the way in which he had
exercised his command, and said there was no punishment which he did
not deserve to suffer for doing the king's house such grievous hurt.
Now with the Persians there is no greater insult than to call a man
"worse than a woman." So when Artayntes had borne the reproaches
for some while, at last he fell in a rage, and drew his scymitar upon
Masistes, being fain to kill him. But a certain Halicarnassian,
Xenagoras by name, the son of Praxilaus, who stood behind Artayntes
at the time, seeing him in the act of rushing forward, seized him
suddenly round the waist, and, lifting him from his feet, dashed him
down upon the ground; which gave time for the spearmen who guarded
Masistes to come to his aid. By his conduct here Xenagoras gained
the favour, not of Masistes only, but likewise of Xerxes himself,
whose brother he had preserved from death; and the king rewarded his
action by setting him over the whole land of Cilicia. Except this,
nothing happened upon the road; and the men continued their march and
came all safe to Sardis. At Sardis they found the king, who had
been there ever since he lost the sea-fight and fled from Athens to Asia.
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