|
Fifteen ships, which had lagged greatly behind the rest, happening to
catch sight of the Greek fleet at Artemisium, mistook it for their
own, and sailing down into the midst of it, fell into the hands of the
enemy. The commander of this squadron was Sandoces, the son of
Thamasius, governor of Cyme, in Aeolis. He was of the number of
the royal judges, and had been crucified by Darius some time before,
on the charge of taking a bribe to determine a cause wrongly; but while
he yet hung on the cross, Darius bethought him that the good deeds of
Sandoces towards the king's house were more numerous than his evil
deeds; and so, confessing that he had acted with more haste than
wisdom, he ordered him to be taken down and set at large. Thus
Sandoces escaped destruction at the hands of Darius, and was alive at
this time; but he was not fated to come off so cheaply from his second
peril; for as soon as the Greeks saw the ships making towards them,
they guessed their mistake, and putting to sea, took them without difficulty.
|
|