Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/124

 102 HISTORY OF GREECE. by two triremes from the Hellespont, and by others from Me- thymna, so that his entire fleet reached the number of sixty-seven triremes, with which he proceeded to lay siege to Eresus ; trust- ing to his scouts for timely warning, in case the enemy's fleet should move northward. The course which Thrasyllus expected the Peloponnesian fleet to take, was to sail from Chios northward through the strait which separates the northeastern portion of that island from Mount Mimas on the Asiatic mainland : after which it would probably sail past Eresus on the western side of Lesbos, as being the shortest track to the Hellespont, though it might also go round on the eastern side between Lesbos and the continent, by a some- what longer route. The Athenian scouts were planted so as to descry the Peloponnesian fleet, if it either passed through this strait or neared the island of Lesbos. But Mindarus did neither ; thus eluding their watch, and reaching the Hellespont without the knowledge of the Athenians. Having passed two days in pro- visioning his ships, receiving besides from the Chians three tes- serakosts, a Chian coin of unknown value, for each man among his seamen, he departed on the third day from Chios, but took a southerly route and rounded the island in all haste on its western or sea-side. Having reached and passed the northern latitude of Chios, he took an eastward course, with Lesbos at some distance to his left hand, direct to the mainland ; which he touched at a harbor called Karterii, in the Phokaean territory. Here he stopped to give the crew their morning meal : he then crossed the arc of the gulf of Kyme to the little islets called Arginusas, close on the Asiatic continent opposite Mitylene, where he again halted for supper. Continuing his voyage onward during most part of the night, he was at Harmatus, on the continent, directly northward and opposite to Methymna, by the next day's morning meal : then still hastening forward after a short halt, he doubled Cape Lektum, sailed along the Troad and passed Tenedos, and reached the entrance of the Hellespont before midnight ; when his ships were distributed at Sigeium, Rhoeteium, and othei neighboring places. 1 1 Thucyd. viii, 101. The latter portion of this voyage is sufficiently distinct ; the earlier portion less so. I describe it in the text differently