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174 HISTORY OF GREECE. Athenians on the left), when the hour arrived for retiring to the island, commenced their march indeed, but forgot or disregarded the preconcerted plan and the orders of Pausanias, in their im- patience to obtain a complete shelter against the attacks of the cavalry. Instead of proceeding to the island, they marched a distance of twenty furlongs directly to the town of Platsea, and took up a position in front of the Heraeum, or temple of Here, where they were protected partly by the buUdings, partly by the comparatively high ground on which the town with its temple stood. Between the position which the Greeks were about to leave and that which they had resolved to occupy (i. e. between the course of the Asopus and that of the Oeroe), there appear to have been a range of low hills: the Lacedaemonians, starting from the right wing, had to march directly over these hills, while the Athenians, from the left, were to turn them and get into the plain on the other side.i Pausanias, apprized that the divisions of the centre had commenced their night-march, and concluding of course that they would proceed to the island according to orders, allowed a certain interval of time in order to prevent confusion, and then directed that the Lacedaemonians and Tege- ans should also begin their movement towards that same position. But here he found himself embarrassed by an unexpected obsta- cle. The movement was retrograde, receding from the enemy, and not consistent with the military honor of a Spartan ; never- theless, most of the taxiarchs, or leaders of companies, obeyed without murmuring ; but Amompharetus, lochage or captain of that band which Herodotus calls the lochus of Pitana,^ obsti- nately refused. Not having been present at the meeting in which the resolution had been taken, he now heard it for the first time ' Herodot. ix, 56. Uavcraviac — arjfi^vag air^ye SlcL tuv ko^uvuv rovg AoiTvovi nuvrag ■ einovTO 6e aal Teyer/rai. ^A-&7]valot Je rax^ivrec fj'iaav TtJL Eji-naVuv f) AaKcdaifiovioc. 01 fiev yap tuv re ox'&c^v uvreixovTo kol ttj^ VTiupELTjg Tov Kid^aipiJvoQ, ^A-&r]vaioi 6e, Karu Tpa(})d-£VTec ec rb izEdiov. With which -Nve must combine another passage, c. 59, intimating that the track of the Athenians led them to turn and get behind the hills, which prevented Mardonius from seeing them, though they were marching along the plain: Mapdovioc — enelxE t'^l AaKtdaLjioviovg koI Teyerj-ag ftovvovc 'A'^Tivai.ovg yap rpaTTOfiivovg ig rd tteSiov invd tHiv ox^o^v ov narEupa. ® There is on this point a difference between Thucydides and Herodo-