Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/422

414 LACEDAEMONIANS AT THE HELLESPONT [vill the open sea"*, lest they should fall in with the ships blockading Eresus, but making directly for the mainland and keeping Lesbos on the left. They touched at the harbour of the island Carteria, which belongs to Phocaea, ■ and there taking their midday meal, sailed past the Cymaean territory, and supped at Argennusae on the mainland over against Mytilene. They sailed away some time before dawn, and at Harmatus, which is opposite Methymna on the mainland, they again took their midday meal ; they quickly passed by the promontory of Lectum, Larissa, Hamaxitus, and the neighbouring towns, and finally arrived at Rhoeteum in the Hellespont before midnight. Some of the ships also put into Sigeum and other places in the neighbourhood. 102 The Athenians, who lay with eighteen ships at Sestos^, 7., .,, , knew from the beacons which their I he Atheman squad- ron at Scstos escapes scouts kindled, and from the sudden from them ivith some blaze of many watch-fircs which ap- ^' peared in the enemy's country, that the Peloponnesians were on the point of sailing into the strait. That very night, getting close under the Chersonese, they moved towards Elaeus, in the hope of reaching the open sea before the enemy's ships arrived. They passed un- seen the sixteen Peloponnesian ships which were at Abydos, and had been told by J their now approaching friends to keep a sharp look-out if the Athenians tried to get away. At dawn of day they sighted the fleet of Mindarus, which immediately gave chase; most of them escaped in the direction of Imbros and Lemnos, but the four which were hindermost were caught off Elaeus. One which ran ashore near the temple of Protesilaus the Pelo- ponnesians took, together with the crew ; two others without the crews ; a fourth they burnt on the shore of Imbros; the crew escaped. " Inserting oil before »r*Aa7iai wiUi Ilaacke, and most editors. Cp. viii. 80 fin. "^ Cp. viii. 99 fiii. •* Or 'had told.'