Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/208

 186 HISTORY OF GREECE. that, first, a fatal interval was allowed to elapse between the close of the battle and the giving of such order ; next, that the forty- eight triremes talked of for the service, and proposed to be fur- nished by drafts of three out of each general's division, were prob- ably never assembled; or, if they assembled, were so little zealous in the business as to satisfy themselves very easily that the storm was too dangerous to brave, and that it was now too late. For when we read the version of the transaction, even as given by Euryptolemus, we see plainly that none of the generals, except Diomedon, was eager in the performance of the task. It is a memorable fact, that of all the eight generals, not one of them undertook the business in person, although its purpose was to save more than a thousand drowning comrades from death. 1 In a proceeding where every interval even of five minutes was pre- cious, they go to work in the most dilatory manner, by determin- ing that each general shall furnish three ships, and no more, from his division. Now we know from the statement of Xenophon, that, towards the close of the battle, the ships on both sides were much dispersed. 2 Such collective direction therefore would not be quickly realized ; nor, until all the eight fractions were united, together with the Samians and others, so as to make the force complete, would Theramenes feel bound to go out upon his pre- serving visitation. He doubtless disliked the service, as we see that most of the generals did ; while the crews also, who had just got to land after having gained a victory, were thinking most about rest and refreshment, and mutual congratulations. 3 All 1 The total number of ships lost with all their crews was twenty-five, of which the aggregate crews, speaking in round numbers, would be five thou- sand men. Now we may fairly calculate that each one of the disabled ships would have on board half her crew, or one hundred men, after the action ; not more than half would have been slain or drowned in the combat. Even ten disabled ships would thus contain one thousand living men, wounded and unwounded. It will be seen, therefore, that I have undo -stated the number of lives in danger. 3 We read in Thucydides (vii. 73) how impossible it was to prevail on the Syracnsans to make any military movement after their last maritime victory in the Great Harbor, when they were full of triumph, felicitation, nd enjoyment. They bad visited the wrecks and picked up both the living men on board
 * Xenoph. Hellen. i, 6, 33.