94 fflSTOEY OF GREECE. ninety-four triremes, 1 having remained not less than eigLty days idle at Ehodes, had come back to Miletus towards the end of March ; with the intention of proceeding to the rescue of Chios, which a portion of the Athenian armament under Strombichides had been for some time besieging, and which was now in the greatest distress. The main Athenian fleet at Samos, however, prevented Astyochus from effecting this object, since he did not think it advisable to hazard a general battle. He was influenced partly by the bribes, partly by the delusions, of Tissaphernes, who sought only to wear out both parties by protracted war, and who now professed to be on the point of bringing up the Pheni- cian fleet to his aid. Astyochus had in his fleet the ships which had been brought over for cooperation with Pharnabazus it the Hellespont, and which were thus equally unable to reach their destination. To meet this difficulty, the Spartan Derkyllidas was sent with a body of troops by land to the Hellespont, there to join Pharnabazus, in acting against Abydos and the neighbor ing dependencies of Athens. Abydos, connected with Miletus by colonial ties, set the example of revolting from Athens to Derkyllidas and Pharnabazus ; an example followed, two days afterwards, by the neighboring town of Lampsakus. It does not appear that there was at this time any Athenian force in the Hellespont ; and the news of this danger to the em- pire in a fresh quarter, when conveyed to Chios, alarmed Strom- bichides, the commander of the Athenian besieging armament. Though the Chians driven to despair by increasing famine aa well as by want of relief from Astyochus, and having recently increased their fleet to thirty-six triremes against the Athenian thirty-two, by the arrival of twelve ships under Leon, obtained from Miletus during the absence of Astyochus at Rhodes had sallied out and fought an obstinate naval battle against the Athe- nians, with some advantage, 2 yet Strombichides felt compelled immediately to carry away twenty-four triremes and a body of hoplites for the relief of the Hellespont. Hence the Chiang became sufficiently masters of the sea to provision themselves 1 Tliucyd. viii, 44, 45.
- Thucyd. viii, 61, 62 owe D.aaoov l^oiref means a certain success, not
i-ery decisive.
