Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/166

144 HISTORY OF GREECE. the moment when the hand of the Peloponnesian devastator was first felt there in 431 B.C.I With such plentiful quarters for his soldiers, Mnasippus en- camped on a hill near the city -walls, cutting off those within from supplies out of the country, while he at the same time blocked up the harbor with his fleet The Korkyrseans soon began to be in want. Yet they seemed to have no chance of safety except through aid from the Athenians ; to whom they had sent envoys with pressing entreaties, 2 and who had now reason to regret their hasty consent (in the preceding year) to summon home the fleet of Timotheus from the island. However, Timotheus was again appointed admiral of a new fleet to be sent thither ; while a division of six hundred peltasts, under Stesikles, was directed to be despatched by the quickest route, to meet the immediate necessi- ties of the Korkyraeans, during the delays unavoidable in the pre- paration of the main fleet and its circumnavigation of Peloponne- sus. These peltasts were conveyed by land across Thessaly and Epirus, to the coast opposite Korkyra ; upon which island they were enabled to land through the intervention of Alketas solicited by the Athenians. They were fortunate enough to get into the town ; where they not only brought the news that a large Athenian fleet might be speedily expected, but also contributed much to the defence. Without such encouragement and aid, the Korkyraeans would hardly have held out ; for the famine within the walls increased daily ; and at length became so severe, that 1 Thucyd. i, 82. (Speech of Archidamus) /z^ yap uXTio TL vopiffjjTe TTJV yqv avruv (of the Athenians) $ dfirjpov e%eiv, nal ov% f/aaov OCTCJ apeivov l^eipyaorai. Compare the earlier portion of the same speech (c. 80), and the second ipeech of the same Archidamus (ii, 11). To the same purpose Thucydides speaks, respecting the properties of the wealthy men established throughout the area of Attica.. ol <Je Swarol Kdl.a KTrj^ara narti. TTJV wpav oiKodofiiaif re KOI Tro/.VTefaat KaraaKevalf uiro?MfaKOTf ('. e. by the invasion) Thucyd. ii, 65. 2 The envoys from Korkyra to Athens (mentioned I) 7 Xenophon, v, 2, 9) would probably cross Epirus and Thessaly, through the aid of Alketas. This would be a much quicker way for them than the < ircumnavigation of Peloponnesus ; and it would suggest the same way for the detachment of Stesikles presently to be mentioned.