24,25] SKIRMISHING IN THE HARBOUR 279 hastened to Peloponnesus conveying envoys who were to report their improved prospects, and The Syracusans send to urge more strongly than ever the a third embassy to Peh- .• r J.U • Ti 11 'rx pan itesus, a)id despatch prosecution of the war in Hellas. 1 he ^ , ' , ■ , ■ ,
- a squadron ivhtcn tnter-
remaining eleven sailed to Italy, hear- cepts some Atheman ing that ships laden with supplies were supplies. on their way to the Athenians. They fell in with and destroyed most of these ships, and burnt a quantity of ship-timber which was lying ready for the Athenians in the territory of Caulonia. Then they came to Locri, and while they were at anchor there, one of the merchant- vessels from Peloponnesus sailed in, bringing some Thespian hoplites ". These the Syracusans took on board, and sailed homewards. The Athenians watched for thein near Megara with twenty ships and took one ship with the crew, but the rest made their escape to Syracuse. There was some skirmishing in the harbour about the palisades which the Syracusans had „ , . , • r <- 1 • 1 1 The Athenians pidl nxed in the sea in front of their old „^ „,^ ^^^,^^^, ^/„-,/, dock-houses, that their ships might ride the Syracusans had at anchor in the enclosed space, where '^'^'^'"^ '« to protect their they could not be struck by the enemy, and would be out of harm's way. The Athenians brought up a ship of ten thousand talents burden, which had wooden towers and bulwarks ; and from their boats they tied cords to the stakes and c wrenched and tore them up « ; or dived and sawed them through underneath the water. Meanwhile the Syracusans kept up a shower of missiles from the dock-houses, which the men in the ship returned. At length the Athenians succeeded in pulling up most of the palisade. The stakes which were out of sight were the most dangerous of all, there being some which were so fixed that they did not appear above the " Cp. vii. 19 med. *• About 250 tons. " Or, 'wrenched them up and broke them off.' VOL. II. U
