Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/265

247 IMPORTANCE OF EPIPOL.E. 247 liave made this discovery earlier than the Syracusan generals, who having been occupied in augmenting their defences on another point, where they were yet more vulnerable did not make it until immediately before the opening of the spring cam- paign. It was at that critical moment that they proclaimed a full muster, for break of day, in the low mead on the left bank of the Anapus. After an inspection of arms, and probably final distri- bution of forces for the approaching struggle, a chosen regiment .?f six hundred hoplites was placed under the orders of an Andrian exile named Diomilus, in order to act as garrison of Epipolas, as well as to be in constant readiness wherever they might be wanted. 1 These men were intended to occupy the strong ground on the summit of the hill, and thus obstruct all the various approaches to it, seemingly not many in number, and all narrow. But before they had yet left their muster, to march to the sum- mit, intelligence reached them that the Athenians were already in possession of it. Nikias and Lamachus, putting their troops on board at Katana, had sailed during the preceding night to a landing-place not far from a place called Leon, or the Lion, which was only six or seven furlongs from Epipolas, and seems to have lain between Megara and the peninsula of Thapsus. They here landed their hoplites, and placed their fleet in safety under cover of a palisade across the narrow isthmus of Thapsus, before day and before the Syracusans had any intimation of their arrival. Their hoplites immediately moved forward with rapid step to ascend Epipola), mounting seemingly from the northeast, by the side towards Megara and farthest removed from Syracuse ; so that they first reached the summit called Euryalus, near the apex of the triangle above described. From hence they commanded the slope of Epipola? beneath them, and the town of Syracuse to the eastward. They were presently attacked by the Syracusans, who broke up their muster in the mead as soon as they heard the news. But as the road by which they had to march, approaching Euryalus from the southwest, was circuitous, and hardly less than three English miles in length, they had the mortification of seeing that the Athenians were already masters of the position ; and when they hastened up to retake it, the rapid pace had so 1 Thucyd. vi, 93.