Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/466

 431 HISTORY OF GREECE. nothing to eat except the fruit of the lotus, which there abound- ed.^ Ophelias met with no enemies ; but the sufferings of every kind endured by his soldiers — still more of course by the less hardy colonists and their families — were most distressing. After miseries endured for more than two months, he joined Agatho- kles in the Carthaginian territory ; with what abatement of num- ber, we do not know, but his loss must liaA'e been considerable.^ Ophelias little knew the man whose invitation and alliance lie had accepted. Agathokles at first received him with the warm- est protestations of attachment, welcoming the new-comers with profuse hospitality, and supplying to them full means of refresh- ment and renovation after their past sufferings. Having thus gained the confidence and favorable sympathies of all, he pro- ceeded to turn it to his own purposes. Convening suddenly the most devoted among his own soldiers, he denounced Ophelias as guilty of plotting against his life. They listened to him with the same feelings of credulous rage as the Macedonian soldiers ex hibited when Alexander denounced Philotas before them. Aga- thokles then at once called them to arms, set upon Ophelias unawares, and slew him with his more immediate defenders. Among the soldiers of Ophelias, this act excited horror and in- dignation, no less than surprise ; but Agathokles at length succeeded in bringing them to terms, partly by deceitful pretexts, partly by intimidation : for this unfortunate army, left Avithout any commander of fixed purpose, had no resource except to enter into his service.^ He thus found himself (like Antipater 1 Theophrastus, Hist. Plant, iv. 3. p. 127, cd. Sclineiflcr. The pliilosoplier would hear tliis fact from some of the Athenians con- cerned in the expedition. ' Diodor. xx. 42. Sec the striking description of the miseries of ihis same march, made by Cato and his Roman troops after tlie death of Pompcy, in Lucan, Pliarsalia, ix. 3S2-940 : — " Vadimus in campos stcriles, exustaquc mnndi. Quii nimius Titan, et raras in fontibus undje, Siccaque letiferis squalent serpentibus arva, Durum iter." Tiic entire march of 0})hellas must (I think) have lasted looi^er tlian two months : probably Diodorus speaks only of the more distressing or middlo portion of it when he says — Kara r;)v odonropiav TrAcioi' y 6io ulvnc koko- ta&^aavTe^, etc.,(xx. 42). ' Diodor. xx. 42 ; Justin, xxii. 7.