son of the Athenians;
and he therefore calculated that by weakening the Athenians he should
get the tribute better paid, and should also draw the Lacedaemonians
into alliance with the King; and by this means, as the King had
commanded him, take alive or dead Amorges, the bastard son of
Pissuthnes, who was in rebellion on the coast of Caria.

While the Chians and Tissaphernes thus joined to effect the same
object, about the same time Calligeitus, son of Laophon, a Megarian,
and Timagoras, son of Athenagoras, a Cyzicene, both of them exiles from
their country and living at the court of Pharnabazus, son of Pharnaces,
arrived at Lacedaemon upon a mission from Pharnabazus, to procure a
fleet for the Hellespont; by means of which, if possible, he might
himself effect the object of Tissaphernes' ambition and cause the cities
in his government to revolt from the Athenians, and so get the
tribute, and by his own agency obtain for the King the alliance of the
Lacedaemonians.

The emissaries of Pharnabazus and Tissaphernes treating apart, a keen
competition now ensued at Lacedaemon as to whether a fleet and army
should be sent first to Ionia and Chios, or to the Hellespont. The
Lacedaemonians, however, decidedly favoured the Chians and Tissaphernes,
who were seconded by Alcibiades, the family friend of Endius, one of the
ephors for that year. Indeed, this is how their house got its Laconic
name, Alcibiades being the family name of Endius. Nevertheless the
Lacedaemonians first sent to Chios Phrynis, one of the Perioeci, to
see whether they had as many ships as they said, and whether their city
generally was as great as was reported; and upon his bringing word that
they had been told the truth, immediately entered into alliance with the
Chians and Erythraeans, and voted to send them forty ships, there being
already, according to the statement of the Chians, not less than sixty
in the island. At first the Lacedaemonians meant to send ten of these
forty themselves, with Melanchridas their admiral; but afterwards,
an earthquake having occurred, they sent Chalcideus instead of
Melanchridas, and instead of the ten ships equipped only five in
Laconia. And the winter ended, and with it ended also the nineteenth
year of this war of which Thucydides is the historian.

At the beginning of the next summer the Chians were urging that the
fleet should be sent off, being afraid that the Athenians, from whom all
these embassies were kept a secr