Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/235

 62,63] ATHENIANS IN THE NORTH OF SICILY 227 the island. But they were not received, and passed on. On their voyage they tooic Hyccara, a city on the sea-shore which, although of Sicanian origin, was hostile to the Egestaeans*. They reduced the inhabitants to slavery, and handed the place over to the Egestaeans, whose cavalry had now joined them. The Athenian troops then marched back through the country of the Sicels until they arrived at Catana ; the ships which conveyed the prisoners going round the coast to meet them. Nicias had sailed straight from Hyccara to Egesta, where he did his business, and having obtained thirty talents^ of silver, rejoined the army at Catana. The Athenians on their return disposed of their slaves ^ ; the sum realised by the sale was about a hundred and twenty talents ''. They next sailed round to their Sicel allies and bade them send reinforcements. Then with half of their army they marched against Hybla Geleatis, a hostile town, which they failed to take. And so ended the summer. Early in the ensuing winter the Athenians made pre- 63 parations for an attack upon Syracuse ; TheSyracusans begin the Syracusans likewise prepared to to despise the Athen- take the offensive. For when they found '""''• that their enemies did not assail them at once, as in their first panic they had expected, day by day their spirits rose. And now the Athenians, after cruising about at the other end of Sicily, where they seemed to be a long way off, had gone to Hybla, and their attack upon it had failed. So the Syracusans despised them more than ever. After the manner of the populace when elated, they insisted that since the Athenians would not come to them, their generals should lead them against Catana. Syracusan horsemen, who were always riding up to the Athenian army and watching their movements, would ask insultingly whether, instead of resettling the Leontines in their old home, they » Cp. vi. 2 med. ^ Cp. vi. 46 init. * Cp. vii, 13 fin. ^ /C24,ooo.