e attacked by a strong force and captured. So that the
besieger in name has become, at least from the land side, the besieged
in reality; as we are prevented by their cavalry from even going for any
distance into the country.

"Besides this, an embassy has been dispatched to Peloponnese to procure
reinforcements, and Gylippus has gone to the cities in Sicily, partly
in the hope of inducing those that are at present neutral to join him in
the war, partly of bringing from his allies additional contingents for
the land forces and material for the navy. For I understand that they
contemplate a combined attack, upon our lines with their land forces and
with their fleet by sea. You must none of you be surprised that I say by
sea also. They have discovered that the length of the time we have now
been in commission has rotted our ships and wasted our crews, and that
with the entireness of our crews and the soundness of our ships the
pristine efficiency of our navy has departed. For it is impossible
for us to haul our ships ashore and careen them, because, the
enemy's vessels being as many or more than our own, we are constantly
anticipating an attack. Indeed, they may be seen exercising, and it lies
with them to take the initiative; and not having to maintain a blockade,
they have greater facilities for drying their ships.

"This we should scarcely be able to do, even if we had plenty of ships
to spare, and were freed from our present necessity of exhausting all
our strength upon the blockade. For it is already difficult to carry
in supplies past Syracuse; and were we to relax our vigilance in the
slightest degree it would become impossible. The losses which our crews
have suffered and still continue to suffer arise from the following
causes. Expeditions for fuel and for forage, and the distance from
which water has to be fetched, cause our sailors to be cut off by the
Syracusan cavalry; the loss of our previous superiority emboldens our
slaves to desert; our foreign seamen are impressed by the unexpected
appearance of a navy against us, and the strength of the enemy's
resistance; such of them as were pressed into the service take the
first opportunity of departing to their respective cities; such as were
originally seduced by the temptation of high pay, and expected little
fighting and large gains, leave us either by desertion to the enemy
or by availing themselves of one or other of the various facilities of
escape which the