Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/442

 410 HISTORY OF GREECE. of ittost part of the island, retaining little besides Gela and Syra- cuse. Even the harbor of Syracuse was "watched by a Cartha* ginian fleet, placed to intercept foreign supplies. Returning to Syracuse after Hamilkar had renounced all attempts on Gela, Agathokles collected the corn from the neighborhood, and put the fortifications in the best state of defence. He had every reason to feel assured that the Carthaginians, encouraged by their recent success, and reinforced by allies from the whole island, would soon press the siege of Syracuse with all their energy ; while for himself, hated by all, there was no hope of extraneous support, and little hope of a successful defence.^ In this apparently desperate situation, he conceived the idea of a novelty alike daring, ingenious, and effective ; surrounded indeed with difficulties in the execution, but promising, if suc- cessfully executed, to change altogether the prospects of the war. He resolved to carry a force across from Syracuse to Africa, and attack the Carthaginians on their own soil. ISo Greek, so far as we know, had ever conceived the like scheme before ; no one certainly had ever executed it. In the memory of man, the African territory of Carthage had never been visited by hostile foot. It was known that the Carthaginians would be not only unprepared to meet an attack at home, but unable even to im- agine it as practicable. It was known that their territory was rich, and their African subjects harshly treated, discontented, and likely to seize the first opportunity for revolting. The land- ing of any hostile force near Carthage would strike such a blow, as at least to cause the recall of the Carthaginian armament in Sicily, and thus relieve Syracuse ; perhaps the consequences of it might be yet greater. How to execute the scheme was the grand difficulty — for the Carthaginians were superior not merely on land, but also at sea. Agathokles had no chance except by keeping his purpose secret, and even unsuspected. He fitted out an armament, announced as about to sail forth from Syracuse on a secret expedition, against some unknown town on the Sicilian coast. He selected for this purpose his best troops, especially his horsemen, few of whom had been slain at the battle of the Himera ; he could not 'Diodor. xix. 113.