Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/370

 254 DISASTER OF AEGITIUM [ill heights at a distance of about nine miles from the sea. The other Aetolians, who had by this time come to the rescue of Aegitium, attacked the Athenians and their allies. Some ran down from one hill and some from another and hurled darts at them ; when the Athenian army advanced they retired, and when the Athenians re- treated they pressed upon them. The battle, which lasted long, was nothing but a series of pursuits and retreats, and in both the Athenians were at a disadvantage, 98 While their archers had arrows and were able to use The Aetoliaus press ^^^m, the Athenians maintained their upon the Athenians, ground, for the Aetolians, being light- who at length fly. The armed, Were driven back by the arrows. survivors •with difficulty -d, , 1 .1 1.1. 1. • r ti. l return to Na,fpactus, ^""^ ^t length the Captain of the archers and thence to Athens, was slain, and the forces under his Demosthenes remains command no longer kept together. The Athenians themselves grew weary of the long and tedious struggle. The Aetolians came closer and closer, and never ceased hurling darts at them. At last they turned and fled, and falling into ravines, out of which there was no way, or losing themselves in a strange country, they perished. Their guide, Chromon the Messenian, had been killed. The Aetolians, who were light-armed and swift of foot, followed at their heels, hurl- ing darts, and caught and slew many of them in the actual rout. The greater number missed their way and got into the woods, out of which no path led ; and their enemies brought fire and burnt the wood about them. So the Athenian army tried every means of escape and perished in all manner of ways. The survivors with difficulty made their way to the sea at Oeneon in Locris, whence they had set out. Many of the allies fell, and of the Athenian heavy- armed about a hundred and twenty, all in the flower of their j^outh ; they were the very finest men whom the city of Athens lost during the war. Procles, one of the two generals, was also killed. When tLey had received the bodies of their dead under a flag of truce from the Aetol-