Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/212

194 194 HISTORY OF GREECE. v.'hile an advanced squadron of ten triremes were even despat-nrd into the Great Harbor, south of the town, for the purpose oJ sur- veying on this side the city with its docks and fortifications, and for the farther purpose of proclaiming from shipboard bj* the voice of the herald : " The Leontines now in Syracuse are hereby invited to come forth without apprehension and join their friends and benefactors, the Athenians." After this empty display, they returned back to Katana. 1 We may remark that this proceeding was completely at vari- ance with he judicious recommendation of Lamachus. It tended to familiarize the Syracusans with the sight of the, armament piece-meal, without any instant action, and thus to abate in their minds the terror-striking impression of its first arrival. At Katana, Alkibiades personally was admitted into the town, and allowed to open his case before the public assembly, as he had been at Messen. Accident alone enabled him to carry his point, for the general opinion was averse to his propositions. While most of the citizens were in the assembly listening to his discourse, some Athenian soldiers without, observing a po^tern- gate carelessly guarded, broke it open and showed themselves in the market-place. The town was thus in the power of the Athe nians, so that the leading men who were friends of Syracuse thought themselves lucky to escape in safety, while the general assembly came to a resolution accepting the alliance proposed by Alkibiades. 2 The whole Athenian armament was now conducted from Rhegium to Katana, which was established as head-quarters. Intimation was farther received from a party at Kamarina, that the city might be induced to join them, if the armament showed itself: accordingly, the whole armament proceeded thither, and took moorings off the shore, "while a herald was sent up to the city. But the Kamarinscans declined to admit the army, and declared that they would abide by the existing treaty ; which bound them to receive at any time one single ship, but no mors, unless they themselves should ask for it. The Athenians were 1 Thucyd vi, 50. of accident, but of a preconcerted plot. I follow the account as given 1>? Thncydidts
 * Polysenus (i, 40. 4) treats this acquisition of Katana as the result, not