Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/338

 330 NI€IAS ATTEMPTS NEGOTIATION [vil only a few cities accepted the offer. At length an agree- ment was made for the entire force under Demosthenes. Their arms were to be surrendered, but no one was to suffer death, either from violence or from imprisonment, or from want of the bare means of life. So they all sur- rendered, being in number six thousand, and gave up what money they had. This they threw into the hollows of shields and filled four. The captives were at once taken to the city. On the same day Nicias and his division reached the river Erineus, which he crossed, and halted his army on a rising ground. 83 On the following day he was overtaken by the Syracus- -,..,. . ^, ans, who told him that Demosthenes Niciasoeiugtit/onttea of the surrender of had Surrendered, and bade him do the Demosthenes tries in same. He, not believing them, pro- r'rl' "%f"i'. '"'!!' cured a truce while he sent a horseman GylippHS. He attempts to steal away by night, to go and scc. Upon the return of the but fails. Three hun- horscman bringing assurance of the dredescapein the dark- ^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ j^^^^jj ^^ Gylippus and ncss. 10 • -z rr the Syracusans, saymg that he would agree, on behalf of the Athenian state, to pay the expenses which the S3Tacusans had incurred in the war, on condition that they should let his army go ; until the money was paid he would give Athenian citizens as hostages, a man for a talent. Gylippus and the Syracusans would not accept these proposals, but attacked and surrounded this division of the army as they had the other, and hurled missiles at them from every side until the evening. They too were grievously in want of food and necessaries. Nevertheless they meant to wait for the dead of the night and then to proceed. They were just resuming their arms, when the Syracusans discovered them and raised the Paean. The Athenians, perceiving that they were detected, laid down their arms again, with the exception of about three hundred men who broke through the enemy's guard, and made their escape in the darkness as best they could.