A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

Disaster 221
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and bodies of the dead, and sailing back to the city, :^««e«/
orld, 230-
erected a trophy. The Athenians, overwhelmed by their 232; Greece,
miser}', never so much as thought of recovering their ^^^
wrecks or of asking leave to collect their dead.
Their intention
was to retreat that ver}' night. Demosthenes
came to Nicias and proposed that they should once more
man their remaining vessels and endeavor to force the
passage at daybreak, saying that they had more ships fit
for service than the enemy. For the Athenian fleet still
numbered sixty but the enemy had less than fift)-. Nicias
approved of his proposal, and they would have manned
the ships, but the sailors refused to embark; for they were
paralyzed by their defeat, and had no longer any hope of
succeeding.
So the Athenians all made up their minds to
escape by land. . . .
Meanwhile the Svracusans and Gylippus, going forth The Athebefore
them with their land forces, blocked the roads m treat is
the country by which the Athenians were likely to pass,
guarded the fords of the rivers and streams, and posted Thucydides
themselves at the best points for receiving and stopping
them. Their sailors rowed up to the beach and dragged J^spP^t^n'^Tn
away the Athenian ships. The Athenians themselves command of
burnt a few of them, as they had intended, but the rest
the Syracusans towed away, unmolested and at their
leisure, from the places where they had severally run
^'^'^"^^•
aground, and conveyed them to the city. . . .
The Syracusans and their allies collected their forces The retreat-
•^
iDg army is
.
and returned with the spoil, and as many prisoners as taken capthey
could take with them into the city. The captive
Athenians and allies they deposited in the quarries, which
vii.^86.
they thought would be the safest place of confinement. ^^.^ J^^"?
Nicias and Demosthenes they put to the sword against count of the
disastrous
the will of Gyhppus.
,.
For Gylippus thought that to carry retreat of the