The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-25

and again repulsed. kept it up for two
days. On the second day favorite body
of household troops of the king, called the
Immortals, because their ranks of 10000
were always maintained to the maximum,
were sent in under the personal direction
of Xerxes. They, too, were cut to pieces
and driven back by the Greeks, who con-
stantly supplied fresh men to defend the
narrow pass.
On the second night citizen of the re-
gion occupied by the Persians revealed to
Xerxes the secret mountain path, and q
detachment of soldiers crossed over and at
daybreak attacked the Phocian guard with
a shower of arrows. The guard, more
scared by the surprising attack than
harmed by the missiles, fled down the
mountain, and the Persians pushed on to
the rear of Leonidas. Warning reached
the defenders Of the pass through scouts,
and opinion was divided whether to stay
and fight it out or retreat The Spartans
were firm, their king holding that his own
honor and that of Sparta was at stake, and
that the pass they had been sent to defend
must not be yielded to an enemy. The
warriors of two tribes, 200 Thespians ard
400 Thebans, volunteered to remain, and
the others retired.
Leonidas told his men to take some nour-
ishment, promising them that they should
sup with Pluto that night, and then
marched them outside the pass to assail
the advance guard of the Persians. So
furious was the onslaught that many Of
Xerxes soldiers threw themselves into the
sea to escape the deadly Grecian spears,
and the Persian officers resorted TO the
lash to keep the soldiers up to the rack.
In the heat of the hand to hand struggle
Leonidas was killed, and desperate COM
bat was waged around his body, until
finally the remnant of his band drew it
back along the pass behind a cross wall
that effectually blocked up the way, and
there calmly awaited the end. The Per
sian detachment on the mountain side
quickly closed in on the rear and cut OFF
all means of escape. Then the work of
slaughter began. The Greeks fought TO
the last like wild beasts at bay, and when
their spears, swords and dagccrs were lost
or broken, struggled with natures weap-
ons so long as the power remained.
The Greek dead is placed by the his
torians Of the time at 1000, and this num-
Der includes the slaves attending the war
riors. In the last struggle !, 400 persisted,
during the previous days of course some
were killed. The Persian loss is estimated
at 10000, number fairly proportional to
the circumstances, where one Greek was
fully equal to ten of the assailants when it
came to close quarters
On the day Of the last struggle at Their
mopylae the Grecian feet retreated before
the Persian, and it required another cam
paign to arrest the career Of the mighty
invader. This was efTectually done during
the year at the naval battle OF Salamis, oil
the shores of Attica-
The defense of the pass proved useless
sacrifice, though possibly the result would
have been different had toe entire Greek
forces been on hand TO cover the TheT-
mopyle gates and the mountain path as
well But people who worshiped martial
valor doubtless found some compensation
in being able to hand down TO later genera
tons the wonderful story q the Spartans,
whose deeds they oomnemorased On the
spot by this legeDd, 'tSsranger, tell 70 the
Lzscedarnoniens that we lie hez in obedi-
elee 90 their orders"
GEORGE l. KrlEEE-