Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/153

 51-54] RETURN OF CORINTHIANS 37 more disposed to consider how they should get home than to fight. For they feared that the Athenians, deem- ing the peace, now that blows had been exchanged, to be already broken, v/ould intercept their return. They therefore determined to send a few men in a boat 53 without a flag of truce to the Athenians, They hold a parky and so test their intentions. The men ""' ^^'^ Athemans. were to deliver the following message : ' You do wrong, Athenians, to begin war and violate the treaty. We were only chastising our enemies, and you come with a hostile force and place yourselves between us and them. If it is your intention to hinder us from sailing to Corcyra, or whithersoever we choose, and you are going to break the treaty, take us first and deal with us as enemies.' Where- upon all the Corcyraeans who were within hearing cried out 'Take and kill them.' But the Athenians replied: 'Men of Peloponnesus, we are not beginning war, and we are not violating the treaty ; we are only aiding the Corcy- raeans here, who are our allies. If you mean to sail against Corcyra or any place belonging to the Corcyraeans, we will do our utmost to prevent you, but, if you want to go anywhere else, you may.' Reassured by this reply, the Corinthians prepared to 54 sail home, first setting up a trophy at j^^^ Corinthians re- the Sybota which is on the mainland, utm home, capturing The Corcyraeans took up the wrecks Anadonum on the and dead bodies which were carried '"°y"S^- towards them, the current and the wind which had risen during the night having scattered them in all directions. They then set up a rival trophy on the island of Sybota. Both parties claimed the victory, but on different grounds. The Corinthians had retained the advantage in the sea- fight until nightfall, and had thus secured a greater number of wrecks and dead bodies; they had taken not less than a thousand prisoners and had disabled about seventy ships. The Corcyraeans, on the other hand, had destroyed some thirty sail, and when reinforced by the Athenians had