Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/389

371 ULVOLT Ui'' CRi'.'S. ; tbe five triremes to Chios. Nothing less than his energy and ascendency could have extorted from men both dull and back- ward, a determination apparently so rash, yet, in spite of such appearance, admirably conceived, and of the highest importance. Had the Chians waited for the fleet now blocked up at Peiraeuna, their revolt would at least have been long delayed, and perhaps might not have occurred at all: the accomplishment of that revolt by the little squadron of Alkibiades was the proximate cause of all (lie Spartan successes in Ionia, and was ultimately the means even of disengaging the fleet at Peiraeum, by distracting the attention of Athens. So well did this unprincipled exile, while playing the game of Sparta, know where to inflict the dangerous wounds upon his country ! There was, indeed, little danger in crossing the ./Egean to Ionia, with ever so small a squadron ; for Athens in her present destitute condition had no fleet there, and although Strombichi- des was .detached with eight triremes from the blockading fleet off Peiraeum, to pursue Chalkideus and Alkibiades as soon as their departure was known, he was far behind them, and soon returned without success. To keep their voyage secret, they detained the boats and vessels which they met, and did not lib- erate them, until they reached Korykus in Asia Minor, the mountainous land southward of Erythrae. They were here visited by their leading partisans from Chios, who urged then to sail thither at once before their arrival could be proclaimed. Accordingly, they reached the town of Chios on the eastern coast of the island, immediately opposite to Erythra3 on the con- tinent to the astonishment and dismay of every one, except the oligarchical plotters who had invited them. By the contriv- ance of these latter, the council was found just assembling, so that Alkibiades was admitted without delay, and invited to state his case. Suppressing all mention of the defeat at Peiraeum, he- represented his squadron as the foremost of a large Lacedaemonian fleet actually at sea and approaching, and affirmed Athens to be now helpless by sea as well as by land, incapable of maintaining any farther hold upon her allies. Under these impressions, and while the population were yet under their first impulse of surprise and alarm, the oligarchical council took the resolution of revolt- Ing. The example vras followed by Erjthrre, and soon after-