Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/88

 66 HISTORY OF GREECE. sitions on his part, a body of Olynthian cavalry showed themselves one morning, passed the river near their city, and advanced in calm array towards the Lacedaemonian camp. Indignant at such an appearance of daring, Teleutias directed Tlemonidas with the peltasts to disperse them ; upon which the Olynthians slowly re- treated, while the peltasts rushed impatiently to pursue them, even when they recrossed the river. No sooner did the Olynthians see that half the peltasts had crossed it, than they suddenly turned, charged them vigorously, and put them to flight with the loss of their commander Tlemonidas and a hundred others. All this passed in sight of Teleutias, who completely lost his temper. Seizing his arms, he hurried forward to cover the fugitives with the hoplites around him, sending orders to all his troops, hoplites, peltasts, and horsemen, to advance also. But the Olynthians, again retreating, drew him on towards the city, with such incon- siderate forwardness, that many of his soldiers ascending the emi- nence on which the city was situated, rushed close up to the walls. 1 Here, however, they were received by a shower of missiles which forced them to recede in disorder; upon which the Olynthians again sallied forth, probably, from more than one gate at once, and charged them first with cavalry and peltasts, next with hop- lites. The Lacedaemonians and their allies, disturbed and dis- tressed by the first, were unable to stand against the compact charge of the last ; Teleutias himself, fighting in the foremost ranks, was slain, and his death was a signal for the flight of all around. The whole besieging force dispersed and fled in different directions, to Akanthus, to Spartolus, to Potidaea, to Apollonia. So vigorous and effective was the pursuit of the Olynthians, that the loss of the fugitives was immense. The whole army was in fact ruined ; 2 for probably many of the allies who escaped became discouraged and went home. At another time, probably, a victory so decisive might have de- terred the Lacedaemonians from farther proceedings, and saved Olynthus, But now, they were so completely masters everywhere else, that they thought only of repairing the dishonor by a still 3 Thucyd. i, 63 with the Scholiast. 8 Xen. Hellen. v, 3, 4-6. ira/j.'KA.ij&eis uTtiKTEivav uv&puirovf KOI OTI Tret tyc^.of j/v TOVTOV rov OT/Daret'/zarof. Diodorus (xv. 21) states the loss at twelve hundred men.