Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/273

 3,4] FORTIFICATION OF PLEMMYRIUM 265 wall was now completed, and their forces had come up to the high ground. Gylippus, knowing that a part of the wall was weak, instantly went by night with his army to attack it. But the Athenians, who happened to be passing the night outside the walls, perceived this movement and marched to oppose him ; whereupon he at once withdrew. They then raised the weak portion of their wall higher; and guarded it themselves, while they posted the allies on the other parts of the fortification in the places severally assigned to them. Nicias now determined to fortify Plemmyrium, a pro- montory which runs out opposite the _, ,„. ■' '^^ Ihe Athcutans by City and narrows the entrance to the the foriificaUon of Great Harbour. He thought that this Plemmyrium obtain measure would facilitate the introduc- ercakr <ommaud of the harbour; but the tion of supplies ^ His forces would removal of the army then be able to watch the harbour of exposes their foragers to the Syracusans from a nearer point, *f'<^ Syracusau cavalry'. whereas they had hitherto been obliged to put out from the further corner of the Great Harbour whenever a Syracusan ship threatened to move. He was inclined to pay more attention than hitherto to naval operations ; for since the arrival of Gylippus the Athenian prospects by land were not so encouraging. Having therefore transferred his ships and a portion of his army to Plemmyrium, he built three forts in which the greater part of the Athenian stores were deposited ; and the large boats as well as the ships of war were now anchored at this spot. The removal was a first and main cause of the deterioration of the crews. For when the sailors went out to procure forage and water, of which there was little, and that only to be obtained from a distance, they were constantly cut off by the Syracusan cavalry, who were masters of the country, a third part of their force having been posted in a village at the Olym- pieum ^ expressly in order to prevent the enemy at Plem- " Cp. vii. 13 init., 24 fm. ^ Op. vi. 75 init. T 2