s with scaling-ladders. Presently the
scouts from the Trikaranon signalled to the city that the enemy was
advancing. The citizens were all attention; their eyes fixed upon their
scouts. Meanwhile the traitors within were likewise signalling to those
seated under lee of the walls "to scale"; and these, scaling up, seized
the arms of the guards, which they found abandoned, and fell to pursuing
the day sentinels, ten in number (one out of each squad of five being
always left on day duty). (6) One of these was put to the sword as he
lay asleep, and a second as he was escaping to the Heraion; but the
other eight day-pickets leapt down the wall on the side towards the
city, one after another. The scaling party now found themselves in
undisputed possession of the citadel. But the shouting had reached the
city below: the citizens rallied to the rescue; and the enemy began by
sallying forth from the citadel, and did battle in the forefront of the
gate leading down to the city. By and by, being strongly beleaguered
by the ever-increasing reinforcements of the citizens, they retired,
falling back upon the citadel; and the citizens along with the enemy
forced their way in. The centre of the citadel was speedily deserted;
for the enemy scaled the walls and towers, and showered blows and
missiles upon the citizens below. These defended themselves from the
ground, or pressed the encounter home by climbing the ladders which led
to the walls. Once masters of certain towers on this side and the other
of the invaders, the citizens came to close quarters with them with
reckless desperation. The invaders, pushed and pommelled by dint of such
audacity and hard hitting, were cooped up like sheep into narrower
and narrower space. But at that critical moment the Arcadians and the
Argives were circling round the city, and had begun to dig through the
walls of the citadel from its upper side. (7) Of the citizens inside
some were beating down their assailants on the wall; (8) others,
those of them who were climbing up from outside and were still on the
scaling-ladders, whilst a third set were delivering battle against
those who had mounted the towers. These last had found fire in the
men's quarters, and were engaged in setting the towers and all ablaze,
bringing up sheaves of corn and grass--an ample harvesting, as luck
would have it, garnered off the citadel itself. Thereupon the occupants
of the towers, in terror of the flames, leapt down one by o