Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/213

195 K AT ANA AND KAMABEIA. 193 therefore obliged to return to Katana. Passing by Syracuse both going and reluming, they ascertained the falsehood of a re- port that the Syracusans were putting a naval force afloat ; moreover, they landed near the city and ravaged some of the neighboring lands. The Syracusan cavalry and light troops soon appeared, and a skirmish with trifling loss ensued, before the in- vaders retired to their ships, 1 the first blood shed in this impor tant struc^le, and again at variance with the advice of Lama oo f o chus. Serious news awaited them on their return to Katana. They found the public ceremonial trireme, called the Salaminian, just arrived from Athens, the bearer of a formal resolution of the assembly, requiring Alkibiades to come home and stand his trial for various alleged matters of irreligion combined with treason- able purposes. A few other citizens specified by name wei-e commanded to come along with him under the same charge ; but the trierarch of the Salaminian was especially directed to serve him only with the summons, without any guard or coercion, so that he might return home in his own trireme. 2 Iliis summons, pregnant with momentous results both to Athens and to her enemies, arose out of the mutilation of the Herman, described a few pages back, and the inquiries instituted into the authorship of that deed, since the departure of the arma- ment. The extensive and anxious sympathies connected with so large a body of departing citizens, combined with the solemnity of the scene itself, had for the moment suspended the alarm caused by that sacrilege ; but it speedily revived, and the people could not rest without finding out by whom the deed had been done. Considerable rewards, one thousand and even ten thousand drachms, were proclaimed to informers ; of whom others soon appeared, in addition to the slave Andromachus, before men- tioned. A metic named Teukrus had fled from Athens, immedi- ately after the event, to Megara, from whence he 'sent intimation to the senate at Athens that he had himself been a party con- cerned in the recent sacrilege concerning the mysteries, as well as cognizant of the mutilation of the Hermse, and that, if impu- nity were guaranteed to him, he would come back and give full ' Thitcyd. vi, 52. 2 Thucytl. vi. 53-G)