thenians below, who had put to flight the troops opposed to
them; and the fleet also, according to orders, was sailing from Thapsus
into the great harbour. Seeing this, the troops on the heights retired
in haste, and the whole army of the Syracusans re-entered the city,
thinking that with their present force they would no longer be able to
hinder the wall reaching the sea.

After this the Athenians set up a trophy and restored to the Syracusans
their dead under truce, receiving in return Lamachus and those who had
fallen with him. The whole of their forces, naval and military, being
now with them, they began from Epipolae and the cliffs and enclosed
the Syracusans with a double wall down to the sea. Provisions were now
brought in for the armament from all parts of Italy; and many of the
Sicels, who had hitherto been looking to see how things went, came as
allies to the Athenians: there also arrived three ships of fifty oars
from Tyrrhenia. Meanwhile everything else progressed favourably for
their hopes. The Syracusans began to despair of finding safety in arms,
no relief having reached them from Peloponnese, and were now proposing
terms of capitulation among themselves and to Nicias, who after the
death of Lamachus was left sole commander. No decision was come to, but,
as was natural with men in difficulties and besieged more straitly than
before, there was much discussion with Nicias and still more in the
town. Their present misfortunes had also made them suspicious of
one another; and the blame of their disasters was thrown upon the
ill-fortune or treachery of the generals under whose command they had
happened; and these were deposed and others, Heraclides, Eucles, and
Tellias, elected in their stead.

Meanwhile the Lacedaemonian, Gylippus, and the ships from Corinth
were now off Leucas, intent upon going with all haste to the relief of
Sicily. The reports that reached them being of an alarming kind, and all
agreeing in the falsehood that Syracuse was already completely invested,
Gylippus abandoned all hope of Sicily, and wishing to save Italy,
rapidly crossed the Ionian Sea to Tarentum with the Corinthian, Pythen,
two Laconian, and two Corinthian vessels, leaving the Corinthians to
follow him after manning, in addition to their own ten, two Leucadian
and two Ambraciot ships. From Tarentum Gylippus first went on an embassy
to Thurii, and claimed anew the rights of citizenship which his father
had enjoyed; failing to