Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/207

HIKETAS IS SLALV. 181 pnsing four hundred men, being cut to pieces. But such partial reverses were, in the religious appreciation of the time, proofs more conspicuous than ever of the peculiar favor shown by the gods towards Timoleon. For the soldiers thus slain had been concerned in the pillage of the Delphian temple, and were there- fore marked out for the divine wrath ; but the gods suspended the sentence during the time when the soldiers were serving under Timoleon in person, in order that he might not be the sufferer ; and executed it now in his absence, when execution would occa- eion the least possible inconvenience to him. 1 Mamerkus and Hiketas, however, not adopting this interpretn tion of their recent successes against Timoleon, were full of hope and confidence. The former dedicated the shields of the slain mercenaries to the gods, with an inscription of insolent triumph : the latter taking advantage of the absence of Timoleon, who had made an expedition against a place not far off called Kalauria undertook an inroad into the Syracusan territory. Not con- tent with inflicting great damage and carrying off an ample booty, Hiketas, in returning home, insulted Timoleon and the small force along with him by passing immediately under the walls of Kalau- ria. Suffering him to pass by, Timoleon pursued, though his force consisted only of cavalry and light troops, with few or no hoplites. He found Hiketas posted on the farther side of the Damurias ; a river with rugged banks and a ford of considerable difficulty. Yet notwithstanding this good defensive position, the troops of Timoleon were so impatient to attack, and each of his cavalry officers was so anxious to be first in the charge, that he was obliged to decide the priority by lot. The attack was then valiantly made, and the troops of Hiketas completely defeated. One thousand of them were slain in the action, while the re- mainder only escaped by flight and throwing away of (heir shields. 2 1 Plutarch, Timoleon, c. 30. 'E uv ical fiuTiiara TTJV Tip.n'keovTof kvrv- av auvf,3f] yevea&ai diuvv/iov ...... Tijv ftev ovv irpbf Tip.o'XeovTa TW ewv evpivEiav, ovx IJTTOV iv alf npoaexpovae npu^eaiv rj Kepi <2f KctTup&ov Compare Plutarch, De Ser& Num. Vind. p 552 F. Plutarch, Timoleon, c. 31. VOL. XI 16