Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/396

 374 HISTORY OF GREECE. pied by the Athenians under Pamphilus to be itself blocked up, insomuch that after an interval of four months, a special decree was passed at Athens to send a numerous squadron and fetch away the garrison. As the JEginetan privateers, aided by the squadron of Gorgopas, now recommenced their annoyances against Attica, thirteen Athenian triremes were put in equipment under Eunomus as a guard-squadron against JEgina. But Gorgopas and his squad- ron were now for the time withdrawn, to escort Antalkidas, the new Lacedaemonian admiral sent to Asia chiefly for the purpose of, again negotiating with Tiribazus. On returning back, after landing Antalkidas at Ephesus, Gorgopas fell in with Eunomus, whose pursuit, however, he escaped, landing at JEgina just before sunset. The Athenian admiral, after watching for a short time until he saw the Lacedaemonian seamen out of their vessels and ashore, departed as it grew dark to Attica, carrying a light to pre- vent his ships from parting company. But Gorgopas, causing his men to take a hasty meal, immediately reembarked and pursued ; keeping on the track by rne? r s of the light, and taking care not to betray himself eitner >r tn- ^12^ of oars or by the chant of the Keleustes. Eunomns had nc suspicion of the accompanying enemy. Just after he had touched land near cape Zoster in Attica, when his men were in the act of disembarking, Gorgopas gave signal by trumpet to attack. After a short action by moonlight, four of the Athenian squadrons were captured, and carried off to ^Egina; with the remainder, Eunomus escaped to Peiraeus. 1 This victory, rendering both Gorgopas and the JEginetans con- fident, laid them open to a stratagem skilfully planned by the Athenian Chabrias. That officer, who seems to have been dis- missed from Corinth as Iphikrates had been before him, was now about to conduct a force of ten triremes and eight hundred peltasts to the aid of Evagoras ; to whom the Athenians were thus paying their debt of gratitude, though they could ill-spare any of their forces from home. Chabrias, passing over from Peiraeus at night, landed without being perceived in a desert place of the coast of JEgina, and planted himself in ambush with his peltasts at some little distance inland of the Herakleion or temple of Herakles, amidst hollow ground suitable for concealment. He had before 1 Xen. Hellen. y, 1, 6-10.