Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/87

 ATHENS BEFORE THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR 65 the attack against the Korkyrasans on their own coast. The latter got together as 'many of their ships as were seawoithy, together with the small reserve which had remained in haibor, in order to prevent at any rate a landing on the coast : and the Athenian ships, now within the strict letter of their instructions, prepared to cooperate with full energy in the defence. It was already late in the afternoon : but the Corinthian fleet, though their pcean had already been shouted for attack, were suddenly seen to back water instead of advancing ; presently they headed round, and sailed directly away to the Epirotic coast. Nor did the Korkyraeans comprehend the cause of this sudden retreat, until at length it was proclaimed that an unexpected relief of twenty fresh Athenian ships was approaching, under Glaukon and Andokides, which the Corinthians had been the first to descry, and had even believed to be the forerunners of a larger fleet. It was already dark when these fresh ships reached Cape Leukimme, having traversed the waters covered with wrecks and dead bodies j 1 and at first the Korkyraeans even mistook them for enemies. The reinforcement had been sent from Athens, probably after more accurate information of the com- parative force of Corinth and Kork^ra, under the impression that the original ten ships would prove inadequate for the pur- pose of defence, an impression more than verified by the reality. Though the twenty Athenian ships were not, as the Corin- thians had imagined, the precursors of a larger fleet, they were found sufficient to change completely the face of affairs. In the preceding action, the Korkyraeans had had seventy ships sunk or disabled, the Corinthians only thirty, so that the superiority of numbers was still on the side of the latter, who were, how- ever, encumbered with the care of one thousand prisoners, eight hundred of them slaves, captured, not easy either to lodge or to guard in the narrow accommodations of an ancient trireme. Even apart from this embarrassment, the Corinthians were in no temper to hazard a second battle against thirty Athenian ships, in addition to the remaining Korkyraean : and when their enemies 2 Thucyd. i, 51. dia TUV veKpuv Kal vavayiuv TrooaKopiodciaai /career Von lc TO aTparoTredov. VOL. VI. 500