Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/326

3l8 FINAL STRUGGLE IN THE HARBOUR [vil foremost among his fellows. Many vessels meeting— and never did so many fight in so small a space, for the two fleets together amounted to nearly two hundred— they were seldom able to strike in the regular manner, because they had no opportunity of first retiring or breaking the line ; they generally fouled one another as ship dashed against ship in the hurry of flight or pursuit. All the time that another vessel was bearing down, the men on deck poured showers of javelins and arrows and stones upon the enemy ; and when the two closed, the marines fought hand to hand, and endeavoured to board. In many places, owing to the want of room, they who had struck another found that they were struck themselves; often two or even more vessels were unavoidably entangled about one, and the pilots had to make plans of attack and defence, not against one adversary only, but against several coming from different sides. The crash of so many ships dashing against one aiother took away the wits of the crews, and made it impossible to hear the boatswains, whose voices in both fleets rose high, as they gave direc- tions to the rowers, or cheered them on in the excitement of the struggle. On the Athenian side they were shouting to their men that they must force a passage and seize the opportunity now or never of returning in safety to their native land. To the Syracusans and their allies was represented the glory of preventing the escape of their enemies, and of a victory by which every man would exalt the honour of his own city. The commanders too, when they saw any ship backing without necessity, would call the captain by his name, and ask, of the Athenians, whether they were retreating because they expected to be more at home upon the land of their bitterest foes than upon that sea "which had been their own so long"; on the Syracusan side, whether, when they knew per- " Or, reading TTui'on after <jXi'7fn : 'which by the labour of years thej' had made thtir own.'