Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/233

 SECOND AND THIRD YEARS OF THE WAR. remaining nine ships were caught and driven ashore with serious damage, their crews being partly slain, partly escaping by swimming. The Peloponnesians towed off one trireme with its entire crew, and some others empty ; but more than one of them was rescued by the bravery of the Messenian hoplites, who, in spite of their heavy panoply, rushed into the water and got aboard them, fighting from the decks and driving off the enemy even after the rope had been actually made fast, and the process of dragging off had begun. 1 The victory of the Peloponnesians seemed assured, and while their left and centre were thus occupied, the twenty ships of their right wing parted company with the rest, in order to pursue the eleven fugitive Athenian ships which they had failed in cut- ting off. Ten of these got clear away into the harbor of Nau- paktus, and there posted themselves in an attitude of defence near the temple of Apollo, before any of the pursuers could come near ; while the eleventh, somewhat less swift, was neared by the Lacedaemonian admiral ; who, on board a Leukadian trireme, pushed greatly ahead of his comrades, in hopes of overtaking at least this one prey. There happened to lie moored a merchant vessel, at the entrance of the harbor of Naupaktus ; and the Athenian captain in his flight, observing that the Leukadian pursuer was for the moment alone, seized the opportunity for a bold and rapid manoeuvre. He pulled swiftly round the mer- chant vessel, directed his trireme so as to meet the advancing Leukadian, and drove his beak against her midships with an impact so violent as to disable her at once ; her commander, the Lacedaemonian admiral, Timokrates, was so stung with anguish at this unexpected catastrophe, that he slew himself forthwith, and fell overboard into the harbor. The pursuing vessels coming up behind, too, were so astounded and dismayed by it, that the men, dropping their oars, held water, and ceased lo advance ; while some even found themselves half aground, from ignorance of the coast. On the other hand, the ten Athenian triremes in the harbor were beyond measure elated by the incident, so that a single word from Phormio sufficed to put them in active forward 1 Compare the like bravery on the part of the Lacedaemonian hoplites al Pyltis (Thucyd iv 14).