This spot he strengthened and constructed walls from it down to Comarus,
the outer harbor, so that he commanded Actium with his camp and his
fleet, by land and sea. I have heard the report that he transferred
triremes from the outer sea to the gulf through the fortifications, using
newly flayed hides smeared with olive oil instead of hauling-engines.
However, I can find no exploit recorded of these ships in the gulf and
therefore I am unable to trust the tradition; for it was certainly no
small task to draw triremes on hides over a long and uneven tract of
land. Still, it is said to have been performed. Actium is a place sacred
to Apollo and is located in front of the mouth of the narrows leading
into the Ambracian Gulf opposite the harbors at Nicopolis. These narrows
are of uniform breadth, though closely confined, for a long distance, and
both they and all the waters outside the entrance are fit for ships to
come to anchor in and lie in wait. This space the adherents of Antony had
occupied in advance, had built towers on each side of the mouth, and had
taken up the intervening space with ships so that they could both sail
out and retreat with security. The men were bivouacked on the farther
side of the narrows, along by the sanctuary, on an extensive level area
quite suitable for either battle or encampment. The nature of the place
made them far more subject to disease both in winter and in summer.

[-13-] As soon as Antony ascertained Caesar's arrival, he did not delay,
but hastened to Actium with his followers. He reached there in a short
time but did not at once risk an encounter, though Caesar was constantly
marshaling his infantry in front of the camp, often making dashes at them
with his ships and beaching their transports; for his object was to join
battle with only such as were present, before Antony's entire command
assembled. For this very reason the latter was unwilling to risk his all,
and he had recourse for several days to trials and skirmishes until he
had gathered his legions. With these, especially since Caesar no longer
displayed an equal readiness to assail them, he crossed the narrows and
encamped not far from him, after which he sent cavalry around the gulf
and besieged him on both sides. Caesar himself remained quiet, and did not
take any risks which he could avoid, but sent a detachment into Greece
and Macedonia with the intention of drawing Antony off in that direction.
While they were so engage