THE BRAVE THREE HUNDRED

THE BRAVE THREE HUNDRED
ALL Greece was in danger. A mighty army, led by the great King of
Persia, had come from the east. It was marching along the seashore, and
in a few days would be in Greece. The great king had sent messengers
into every city and state, bidding them give him water and earth in token
that the land and the sea were his. But they said,—
"No: we will be free."
And so there was a great stir throughout all the land. The men armed
themselves, and made haste to go out and drive back their foe; and the
women staid at home, weeping and waiting, and trembling with fear.
There was only one way by which the Persian army could go into Greece
on that side, and that was by a narrow pass between the mountains and
the sea. This pass was guarded by Leonidas, the King of the Spartans,
with three hundred Spartan soldiers.
Soon the Persian soldiers were seen coming. There were so many of them
that no man could count them. How could a handful of men hope to
stand against so great a host?
And yet Leonidas and his Spartans held their ground. They had made up
their minds to die at their post. Some one brought them word that there
were so many Persians that their arrows darkened the sun.
"So much the better," said the Spartans; "we shall fight in the shade."
Bravely they stood in the narrow pass. Bravely they faced their foes. To
Spartans there was no such thing as fear. The Persians came forward,
only to meet death at the points of their spears.
But one by one the Spartans fell. At last their spears were broken; yet
still they stood side by side, fighting to the last. Some fought with
swords, some with daggers, and some with only their fists and teeth.
All day long the army of the Persians was kept at bay. But when the sun
went down, there was not one Spartan left alive. Where they had stood
there was only a heap of the slain, all bristled over with spears and
arrows.
Twenty thousand Persian soldiers had fallen before that handful of men.
And Greece was saved.
Thousands of years have passed since then; but men still like to tell the
story of Leonidas and the brave three hundred who died for their
country's sake.