Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/136

 HO HISTORY OF GREECE. But the events of the next morning speedily undeceived Jiem. Nypsius renewed his attack with greater ferocity than before, completed the demolition of the wall of blockade before Ortygia, and let loose his soldiers with merciless hand throughout all the streets of Syracuse. There was on this day less of pillage, but more of wholesale slaughter. Men, women, and children perished indiscriminately, and nothing was thought of by these barbarians except to make Syracuse a heap of ruins and dead bodies. To accelerate the process, and to forestall Dion's arrival, which they fully expected they set fire to the city in several places, with torches and fire-bearing arrows. The miserable inhabitants knew not where to flee, to escape the flames within their houses, or the sword without. The streets were strewed with corpses, while the fire gained ground perpetually, threatening to spread over the greater part of the city. Under such terrible circumstances, neither Herakleides, himself wounded, nor the other generals, could hold out any longer against the admission of Dion; to whom even the brother and uncle of Herakleides were sent, with pressing entreaties to accelerate his march, since the smallest de- lay would occasion ruin to Syracuse. 1 Dion was about seven miles from the gates when these last cries of distress reached him. Immediately hurrying forward his soldiers, whose ardor was not inferior to his own, at a running pace, he reached speedily the gates called Hexapyla, in the northern wall of Epipolas. "When once within these gates, he halted in an interior area called the Hekatompedon.2 His light-armed were Bent forward at once to arrest the destroying enemy, while he kept back the hoplites until he could form them into separate columns under proper captains, along with the citizens who crowded round him with demonstrations of great reverence. He distributed them so as to enter the interior portion of Syracuse, and attack the troops of Nypsius, on several points at once. 3 Being now within the exterior fortification formed by the wall of Epipoke, Plutarch, Dion, c. 45. E$uirv/.a, etc. Plutarch, Dion, c. 45. eiaepahe <5tu TUV TTVA&V elr r^t RKaroftireSov fayouevrjv, etc. 3 Plutarch, Dion, c. 45. bp'&iovf Ao^ovf iroiuv KCU 6iaipiJi nif r>yf.p<n<ia( tirur bpov no/J.axodev u/na Trpoaipfpoiro
 * Piodor. xvi. 20. diavvaaf bl-ewg TTJV tlf Zvpanotczf uddv, fjKf ffbf rH