Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/263

 96-98] THE WALL AND THE FIRST CROSS-WALL 255 them or could come up to them from the meadow where the review was going on. Nevertheless Diomilus with his six hundred hurried to the spot, accompanied by the rest of the army, each man running as fast he could ; but the distance from the meadow which they had to traverse before they could engage was not less than three miles ; consequently they were in disorder when they closed with the Athenians. They were defeated in the engagement which ensued on Epipolae, and retired into the city. Diomilus and about three hundred others were slain. The Athenians erected a trophy, and gave up to the Syracusans the bodies of the dead under a flag of truce. On the following day they went down to the city itself, but as the Syracusans did not come out against them, they retired and built a fort upon Labdalum, at the edge of the cliffs of Epipolae looking towards Megara, in order that when they advanced either to fight or to construct lines, the place might serve as a depository for their baggage and their propert}'. Not long afterwards the Athenians were joined by three 98 hundred Egestaean horsemen, and ^, ^,. ° r • 1 J u I -^"^ Athenians iww about a hundred more furnished by the ,nustcr six Inmdred mid Sicels, Naxians, and others. They fifty horse. They begin had two hundred and fifty of their own, toconstnutaivallnmnd -11 Syracuse. 1 lie Syra- lor some of whom they received liorses atsans go out to tneet from the Egestaeans and Catanaeans ; than, but retire, and other horses they bought. The whole '°" / *" '"""y ■' °. are defeated. number of their cavalry was now raised to six hundred and fifty. They placed a garrison in Labdalum and went down to Syce, where they took up a position and immediately commenced building '^a wall round the city''. The Syracusans were amazed at the celerity of the work. They saw that they must interfere, and made up their minds to go out and fight. The two armies were already preparing to engage when the Syra- " Or ' a circular fort.' See n te.