Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/322

 300 HISTORY OF GREECE. the Athenians advanced forward to charge them, resuming their aggression the moment that the pursuers, who could never advance far in consequence of the ruggedness of the ground, began to return to the main body. The small number of bowmen along with Demosthenes for some time kept their unshielded assailants at bay ; but the officer commanding the bowmen was presently slain, and the stock of arrows became nearly exhausted ; and what was still worse, Chromon, the Messenian, the only man who knew the country, and could serve as guide, was slain also. The bowmen became thus either ineffective or dispersed ; while the hoplites exhausted themselves in vain attempts to pursue and beat off an active enemy, who always returned upon them, and in every successive onset thinned and distressed them more and more. At length the force of Demosthenes was completely broken, and compelled to take flight ; but without beaten roads', without guides, and in a country not only strange to them, but impervious from continual mountain, rock, and forest. Many of them were slain in the flight by pursuers, superior uot less in rapidity of movement than in knowledge of the country : some even lost themselves in the forest, and perished miserably in flames kindled around them by the JEtolians : and the fugitives were at length reassembled at CEneon, near the sea, with the loss of Prokles, the colleague of Demosthenes in command, as well as of one hundred and twenty hoplites, among the best-armed and most vigorous in the Athenian muster-roll. 1 The remaining force was soon transported back from Naupaktus to Athens, but Demosthenes remained behind, being too much afraid of the displeasure of his countrymen to return at such a moment. It is certain that his conduct was such as justly to incur their displeas ure ; and that the expedition against JEtolia, alienating an estab- lished ally and provoking a new enemy, had been conceived with a degree of rashness which nothing but the unexpected favor of fortune could have counterbalanced. The force of the new enemy whom his unsuccessful attack had raised into activity, soon made itself felt. The .ZEtolian envoys despatched to Sparta and Corinth found it easy to obtain the promise of a considerable force to join them in an expedition 1 Thucvd iii, 98