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And now Aristagoras found himself quite unable to make good his
promises to Artaphernes; nay, he was even hard pressed to meet the
claims whereto he was liable for the pay of the troops; and at the same
time his fear was great, lest, owing to the failure of the expedition
and his own quarrel with Megabates, he should be ousted from the
government of Miletus. These manifold alarms had already caused him
to contemplate raising a rebellion, when the man with the marked head
came from Susa, bringing him instructions on the part of Histiaeus to
revolt from the king. For Histiaeus, when he was anxious to give
Aristagoras orders to revolt, could find but one safe way, as the
roads were guarded, of making his wishes known; which was by taking
the trustiest of his slaves, shaving all the hair from off his head,
and then pricking letters upon the skin, and waiting till the hair grew
again. Thus accordingly he did; and as soon as ever the hair was
grown, he despatched the man to Miletus, giving him no other message
than this - "When thou art come to Miletus, bid Aristagoras shave
thy head, and look thereon." Now the marks on the head, as I have
already mentioned, were a command to revolt. All this Histiaeus did
because it irked him greatly to be kept at Susa, and because he had
strong hopes that, if troubles broke out, he would be sent down to the
coast to quell them, whereas, if Miletus made no movement, he did
not see a chance of his ever again returning thither.
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