Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/235

217 NIK1AS IN COMMAND. 21? enemy's camp an angry exile, to make known her weak points, and to rouse the sluggishness of Sparta. It offended a portion of the Sicilian armament, most of all probably the Argeians and Mantineians, and slackened their zeal in the cause. 1 And what was worst of all, it left the armament altogether under the para- lyzing command of Nikias. For Lamachus, though still equal in nominal authority, and now invested with the command of one- half instead of one-third of the army, appears to have had no real influence except in the field. Nikias now proceeded to execute that scheme which he had first suggested, to sail round from Katana to Selinus and Egesta, with'the view of investigating the quarrel between the two as well as the financial means of the latter. Passing through the strait and along the north coast of the island, he first touched at Himera, where admittance was refused to him ; he next captured a Sikanian maritime town named Hykkara, together with many prisoners ; among them the celebrated courtezan Lai's, then a very young girl. 2 Having handed over this place to the Eges- taeans, Nikias went in person to inspect their city and condition ; but could obtain no more money than the thirty talents which had been before announced on the second visit of the commis- sioners. He then restored the prisoners from Hykkara to their Sikanian countrymen, receiving a ransom of one hundred and twenty talents, 3 and conducted the Athenian land-force across the centre of the island, through the territory of the friendly Sikels to Katana ; making an attack in his way upon the hostile Sikel 1 Thucyd. ii, 65. TO. TE ev r aTpa-rcmedy d/z/3Aiirfpa EKO'IOW, etc. 2 The statements respecting the age and life of La'is appear involved in inextricable confusion. See the note of Gb'ller ad Philisti, Fragment. Y. 3 Diodor. viii, 6; Thucyd. vi, 62. Kal ruvSpuirofia airidooav, Kal tyevovTo e aiiruv eiKoai nal enarov ruAavra. The word unifioGav seems to mean that the prisoners were handed over to their fellow-countrymen, the natural persons to negotiate for their release, upon private contract of a definite sum. Had Thucydides said u^edovro, it would have meant that they were put up to auction for what they would fetch. This distinction is at least possible, and, in my judgment, more admissible than that proposed in the note of Dr. Arnold. If, however, we refer to Thucyd. vi, 88, with Duker's note, we shall sea ,hat iHTant-ftTreiv is sometimes, though rarely, used in the sense of /neTairen- ifotfat. The case may perhi ps be the same with uTredocav for airedovm TOL. VII. 10