Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/172

 150 HISTORY OF GREECE. Meanwliile Ipliikrates adopted the most strenuous measures foi accelerating the equipment of his fleet. In the present temper of the public, and in the known danger of Korkyra, he was allowed (though perhaps Timotheus, a few weeks earlier, would not have been allowed) not only to impress seamen in the port, but even to coerce the trierarchs with severity, 1 and to employ all the triremes reserved for the coast-guard of Attica, as well as the two sacred triremes called Paralus and Salaminia. He thus completed a fleet of seventy sail, promising to send back a large portion of it directly, if matters took a favorable turn at Korkyra. Expecting to find on the watch for him a Lacedaemonian fleet fully equal to lu's own, he arranged his voyage so as to combine the maximum of speed with training to his seamen, and with preparation for naval combat. The larger sails of an ancient trireme were habitually taken out of the ship previous to a battle, as being inconvenient aboard : Iphikrates left such sails at Athens, employed even the smaller sails sparingly, and kept his seamen constantly at the oar; which greatly accelerated his progress, at the same time that it kept the men in excellent training. Every day he had to stop, for meals and rest, on an enemy's shore ; and these halts were conducted with such extreme dexterity as well as precision, that the least possible time was consumed, not enough for any local hostile force to get together. On reaching Sphakteria, Iphikrates learnt for the first time the defeat and death of Mnasippus. Yet not fully trusting the correctness of his information, he still per- severed both in his celerity and his precautions, until he reached Kephallenia, where he first fully satisfied himself that the danger of Korkyra was past. The excellent management of Iphikrates throughout this expedition is spoken of in terms of admiration by Xenophon. 2 Having no longer any fear of the Lacedaamonian fleet, the Athenian commander probably now sent back the home-squadron of Attica which he had been allowed to take, but which could ill be spared from the defence of the coast. 3 After making himself master of some of the Kephallenian cities, he then proceeded 1 Xen. Hellen. vi, 2, 14. 'O Je (Iphikrates) eim KarecTr] arparr]^, /zuAa ifewf ruf vavg k^ripovTO, nal roi>c ToiTjpupxovf fyvd-yKa&.
 * Xen. Hellen. vi, 2, 27, 32. 3 Compare vi, 2, 14 with vi, 2, 39.