Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/119

DISCONTENT IN THE SPARTAN FLEET. 97 jEgean. Encountering severe storms, he was forced with the greater part of his squadron to seek shelter at Delos, and even suffered so much damage as to return to Miletus, from whence he himself marched to the Hellespont by land. Ten of his triremes, however, under the Megarian Helixus, weathered the storm and pursued their voyage to the Hellespont, which was at this moment unguarded, since Strombichides seems to have brought back all his squadron. Helixus passed on unopposed to Byzantium, a Doric city and. Megarian colony, from whence secret invitations had already reached him, and which he now induced to revolt from Athens. This untoward news admonished the Athenian generals at Samos, whose vigilance the circuitous route of Klear- chus had eluded, of the necessity of guarding the Hellespont, whither they sent a detachment, and even attempted in vain to recapture Byzantium. Sixteen fresh triremes afterwards pro- ceeded from Miletus to the Hellespont and Abydos, thus enabling the Peloponnesians to watch that strait as well as the Bosphorus and Byzantium, 1 and even to ravage the Thracian Chersonese. Meanwhile, the discontents of the fleet at Miletus broke out into open mutiny against Astyochus and Tissaphernes. Unpaid, and only half-fed, the seamen came together in crowds to talk over their grievances ; denouncing Astyochus as having betrayed them for his own profit to the satrap, who was treacherously ruining the armament under the inspirations of Alkibiades, Even some of the officers, whose silence had been hitherto pur- chased, began to hold the same language ; perceiving that the mischief was becoming irreparable, and that the men were ac- tually on the point of desertion. Above all, the incorruptible Hermokrates of Syracuse, and Dorieus the Thurian commander, zealously espoused the claims of their seamen, who being mostly freemen (in greater proportion than the crews of the Pelopon nesian ships), went in a body to Astyochus, with loud complaints and demand of their arrears of pay. But the Peloponnesian general received them with haughtiness and even with menace, lifting up his stick to strike the commander Dorieus while advo- cating their cause. Such was the resentment of the seamen that they rushed forward to pelt Astyochus with missiles : he took 1 Thucyd. viii, 80-90. VOL. VIII. 5 7nc.