Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/151

133 FIRST EXPEDITION OK VTHKNS. lOJ contracted an alliance with the non-1-iellenic city of Egesta, ir the northwest portion of Sicily, and he invaded the territory of Lokri, capturing one of the country forts on the river Halex : ' after which, in a second debarkation, he defeated a Lokrian de- tachment under Proxenus. But he was unsuccessful in an expe- dition into the interior of Sicily against Inessus. This was a native Sikel township, held in coercion by a Syracusan garrison in the acropolis ; which the Athenians vainly attempted to storm, being repulsed with loss. 9 Laches concluded his operations in the autumn by an ineffective incursion on the territory of Himera and on the Lipari isles. On returning to Rhegium at the begin- ning of the ensuing year (B.C. 425), he found Pythodorus already arrived from Athens to supersede him. 3 That officer had come as the forerunner of a more considerable expedition, intended to arrive in the spring, under Eurymedon and Sophokles, who were to command in conjunction with himself. The Ionic cities in Sicily, finding the squadron under Laches insufficient to render them a match for their enemies at sea, had been emboldened to send a second embassy to Athens, with re- quest for farther reinforcements, at the same time making in- creased efforts to enlarge their own naval force. It happened that at this moment the Athenians had no special employment elsewhere for their fleet, which they desired to keep in constant practice. They accordingly resolved to send to Sicily forty addi- tional triremes, in full hopes of bringing the contest to a speedy close. 4 Early in the ensuing spring, Eurymedon and Sophokles started from Athens for Sicily in command of this squadron, with in- structions to afford relief at Korkyra in their way, and with Demosthenes on board to act on the coast of Peloponnesus. I was this fleet which, in conjunction with the land-forces under the command of Kleon, making a descent almost by accident or the Laconian coast at Pylos, achieved for Athens the most signal success of the whole war, the capture of the Lacedaemonian hop- lites in Sphakteria. 5 But the fleet was so long occupied, first in 1 Thucyd. iii, 99. 2 Thucyd. iii, 103. 3 Thucyd. iii, 115. 4 Thucyd. iii, 1 1 5.
 * See the preceding vol. vi. ch. Iii.