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T HERE was once a famous Greek general whose name was Aristomenes. He was brave and wise; and his countrymen loved him.
Once, however, in a great battle with the Spartans, his army was beaten and he was taken prisoner.
In those days, people had not learned to be kind to their enemies. In war, they were savage and cruel; for war always makes men so.
The Spartans hated Aristomenes. He had given them a great deal of trouble, and they wished to destroy him.
On a mountain near their city, there was a narrow chasm or hole in the rocks. It was very deep, and there was no way to climb out of it.
The Spartans said to one another, "Let us throw this fellow into the rocky chasm. Then we may be sure that he will never trouble us again."
So a party of soldiers led him up into the mountain and placed him on the edge of the yawning hole in the rocks. "See the place to which we send all our enemies," they said. And they threw him in.
No one knows how he escaped being dashed to pieces. Some of the Greeks said that an eagle caught him in her beak and carried him unharmed to the bottom. But that is not likely.
I think that he must have fallen upon some bushes and vines that grew in some parts of the chasm. At any rate he was not hurt much.
He groped around in the dim light, but could not find any way of escape. The rocky walls surrounded him on every side. There was no place where he could set his foot to climb out.
For three days he lay in his strange prison. He grew weak from hunger and thirst. He expected to die from starvation.
Suddenly he was startled by a noise close by him. Something was moving among the rocks at the bottom of the chasm. He watched quietly, and soon saw a large fox coming towards him.
He lay quite still till the animal was very near. Then he sprang up quickly and seized it by the tail.
The frightened fox scampered away as fast as it could; and Aristomenes followed, clinging to its tail. It ran into a narrow cleft which he had not seen before, and then through a long, dark passage which was barely large enough for a man's body.
Aristomenes held on. At last he saw a ray of light far ahead of him. It was the sunlight streaming in at the entrance to the passage. But soon the way became too narrow for his body to pass through. What should he do?
He let go of the fox, and it ran out. Then with great labor he began to widen the passageway. Here the rocks were smaller, and he soon loosened them enough to allow him to squeeze through. In a short time he was free and in the open air.
Some days after this the Spartans heard strange news: "Aristomenes is again at the head of the Greek army."
They could not believe it.