History of The Peloponnesian War - Book VII   

by land and sea at once. The town force Gylippus led out a little
the first and brought them up to the wall of the Athenians, where it
looked towards the city, while the force from the Olympieum, that is
to say, the heavy infantry that were there with the horse and the
light troops of the Syracusans, advanced against the wall from the
opposite side; the ships of the Syracusans and allies sailing out
immediately afterwards. The Athenians at first fancied that they
were to be attacked by land only, and it was not without alarm that
they saw the fleet suddenly approaching as well; and while some were
forming upon the walls and in front of them against the advancing
enemy, and some marching out in haste against the numbers of horse and
darters coming from the Olympieum and from outside, others manned
the ships or rushed down to the beach to oppose the enemy, and when
the ships were manned put out with seventy-five sail against about
eighty of the Syracusans.
After spending a great part of the day in advancing and retreating
and skirmishing with each other, without either being able to gain any
advantage worth speaking of, except that the Syracusans sank one or
two of the Athenian vessels, they parted, the land force at the same
time retiring from the lines. The next day the Syracusans remained
quiet, and gave no signs of what they were going to do; but Nicias,
seeing that the battle had been a drawn one, and expecting that they
would attack again, compelled the captains to refit any of the ships
that had suffered, and moored merchant vessels before the stockade
which they had driven into the sea in front of their ships, to serve
instead of an enclosed harbour, at about two hundred feet from each
other, in order that any ship that was hard pressed might be able to
retreat in safety and sail out again at leisure. These preparations
occupied the Athenians all day until nightfall.
The next day the Syracusans began operations at an earlier hour, but
with the same plan of attack by land and sea. A great part of the
day the rivals spent as before, confronting and skirmishing with
each other; until at last Ariston, son of Pyrrhicus, a Corinthian, the
ablest helmsman in the Syracusan service, persuaded their naval
commanders to send to the officials in the city, and tell them to move
the sale market as quickly as they could down to the sea, and oblige
every one to bring whatever eatables he had and sell them there,
thus enabling the commanders to land the crews and dine at once
close to the ships, and shortly afterwards, the selfsame day, to
attack the Athenians again when they were not expecting it.
In compliance with this advice a messenger was sent and the market
got ready, upon which the Syracusans suddenly backed water and
withdrew to the town, and at once landed and took their dinner upon
the spot; while the Athenians, supposing that they had returned to the
town because they felt they were beaten, disembarked at their
leisure and set about getting their dinners and about their other
occupations, under the idea that they done with fighting for that day.
Suddenly the Syracusans had manned their ships and again sailed
against them; and the Athenians, in great confusion and most of them
fasting, got on board, and with great difficulty put out to meet them.
For some time both parties remained on the defensive without engaging,
until the Athenians at last resolved not to let themselves be worn out
by waiting where they were, but to attack without delay, and giving
a cheer, went into action. The Syracusans received them, and
charging prow to prow as they had intended, stove in a great part of
the Athenian foreships by the strength of their beaks; the darters
on the decks also did great damage to the Athenians, but still greater
damage was done by the Syracusans who went about in small boats, ran
in upon the oars of the Athenian galleys, and sailed against their
sides, and discharged from thence their darts upon the sailors.
At last, fighting hard in this fashion, the Syracusans gained the
victory, and the Athenians turned and fled between the merchantmen
to their own station. The Syracusan ships pursued them as far as the
merchantmen, where they were stopped by the beams armed with