The fleet and the army separate.--The Chersonesus.--Sufferings from thirst.--The Hebrus.--Plain of Doriscus.--Preparations for the great review.--Mode of taking a census.--Immense numbers of the troops.--The cavalry.--Corps of Arabs and Egyptians.--Sum total of the army.--Various nations.--Dress and equipments.--Uncouth costumes.--Various weapons.--The lasso.--Dresses of various kinds.--The Immortals.--Privileges of the Immortals.--The fleet.--Xerxes reviews the troops.--He reviews the fleet.--A lady admiral.--Her abilities.--Number of vessels in the fleet.--Demaratus the Greek.--Story of Demaratus.--Childhood of his mother.--The change.--Ariston, king of Sparta.--The agreement.--Birth of Demaratus.--Demaratus disowned.--His flight.--Question of Xerxes.--Perplexity of Demaratus.--Demaratus describes the Spartans.--Surprise of Xerxes.--Reply of Xerxes.--His displeasure.--Demaratus's apology.--His gratitude to Darius.--Demaratus's defense of the Spartans.--They are governed by law.--Xerxes resumes his march.--Division of the army.--The Strymon.--Human sacrifices.--Arrival at the canal.--Death of the engineer.--Burial of the engineer.--A grand feast.--Scene of revelry.--Desolation and depopulation of the country.
As soon as the expedition of Xerxes had crossed the Hellespont and arrived safely on the European side, as narrated in the last chapter, it became necessary for the fleet and the army to separate, and to move, for a time, in opposite directions from each other. The reader will observe, by examining the map, that the army, on reaching the European shore, at the point to which they would be conducted by a bridge at Abydos, would find themselves in the middle of a long and narrow peninsula called the Chersonesus, and that, before commencing its regular march along the northern coast of the Ægean Sea, it would be necessary first to proceed for fifteen or twenty miles to the eastward, in order to get round the bay by which the peninsula is bounded on the north and west. While, therefore, the fleet went directly westward along the coast, the army turned to the eastward, a place of rendezvous having been appointed on the northern coast of the sea, where they were all soon to meet again.