In his alarm--he was luckily unknown to the people in the vessel--he told the master who he was and what he was flying for, and said that, if he refused to save him, he would declare that he was taking him for a bribe.

Meanwhile their safety consisted in letting no one leave the ship until a favourable time for sailing should arise.

If he complied with his wishes, he promised him a proper recompense.

The master acted as he desired, and, after lying to for a day and a night out of reach of the squadron, at length arrived at Ephesus.
After having rewarded him with a present of money, as soon as he received some from his friends at Athens and from his secret hoards at Argos, Themistocles started inland with one of the coast Persians, and sent a letter to King Artaxerxes, Xerxes's son, who had just come to the throne.

Its contents were as follows: "I, Themistocles, am come to you, who did your house more harm than any of the Hellenes, when I was compelled to defend myself against your father's invasion--harm, however, far surpassed by the good that I did him during his retreat, which brought no danger for me but much for him.