Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/367

 93,94] FAILURE OF THE NEW COLONY 251 that part of the country, and fearing that Heraclea, which was built to control them, would be a powerful and dangerous neighbour, they carried on uninterrupted war against the young colony until they completely wore the settlers out, although originally they had been very numerous. For every one joined without hesitation, encouraged by the promise of security which a Lacedae- monian colony seemed to offer. But another great cause of the ruin and depopulation of the place was the conduct of the governors sent out from Lacedaemon, who frightened the people away by their severe and often unjust adminis- tration ^ Thus the Heracleans fell an easy prey to their neighbours. During the same summer, and just about the same time 94 when the Athenians were engaged at Attack upon Leucas. Melos, the troops which were cruising Demosthenes, instead of, ,. A 1 • 1 • T, i_ i^ completing the blockade, in the thirty Athenian ships i' about .^ ;„.,irf by the Peloponnesus set an ambuscade at Messenians to invade Ellomenus in Leucadia and killed a ^etoba. few of the guards of the country. They next attacked Leucas itself with a larger armament, consisting of the Acarnanians, who followed them with their whole forces, all but the inhabitants of Oeniadae c, and some Zacynthians and Cephallenians, together with fifteen ships from Corcyra. The Leucadians saw their territory both on the mainland and within the isthmus, where the town of Leucas and the temple of Apollo are situated, ravaged by the enemy; but being powerless against a superior force, they remained inactive. The Acarnanians begged Demosthenes, the Athenian general, to cut Leucas off by a wall, thinking that they could easily take the city and so rid themselves of an old enemy. But just then he was persuaded by the Messen- ians that, having such an army in the field, it would be a great thing to attack the Aetolians : they were the enemies of Naupactus, and if he defeated them he would r- • -t b Pr. ;;; ot init *^ Cp. ii. 102 init. Cp, V. 52 init, *-P- 11'- 91 '""•• '