tity of timber
for shipbuilding, which had been got ready for the Athenians, the
Syracusan squadron went to Locri, and one of the merchantmen from
Peloponnese coming in, while they were at anchor there, carrying
Thespian heavy infantry, took these on board and sailed alongshore
towards home. The Athenians were on the look-out for them with twenty
ships at Megara, but were only able to take one vessel with its crew;
the rest getting clear off to Syracuse. There was also some skirmishing
in the harbour about the piles which the Syracusans had driven in the
sea in front of the old docks, to allow their ships to lie at anchor
inside, without being hurt by the Athenians sailing up and running them
down. The Athenians brought up to them a ship of ten thousand talents
burden furnished with wooden turrets and screens, and fastened ropes
round the piles from their boats, wrenched them up and broke them, or
dived down and sawed them in two. Meanwhile the Syracusans plied them
with missiles from the docks, to which they replied from their large
vessel; until at last most of the piles were removed by the Athenians.
But the most awkward part of the stockade was the part out of sight:
some of the piles which had been driven in did not appear above water,
so that it was dangerous to sail up, for fear of running the ships upon
them, just as upon a reef, through not seeing them. However divers went
down and sawed off even these for reward; although the Syracusans drove
in others. Indeed there was no end to the contrivances to which they
resorted against each other, as might be expected between two hostile
armies confronting each other at such a short distance: and skirmishes
and all kinds of other attempts were of constant occurrence. Meanwhile
the Syracusans sent embassies to the cities, composed of Corinthians,
Ambraciots, and Lacedaemonians, to tell them of the capture of
Plemmyrium, and that their defeat in the sea-fight was due less to the
strength of the enemy than to their own disorder; and generally, to let
them know that they were full of hope, and to desire them to come to
their help with ships and troops, as the Athenians were expected with a
fresh army, and if the one already there could be destroyed before the
other arrived, the war would be at an end.

While the contending parties in Sicily were thus engaged, Demosthenes,
having now got together the armament with which he was to go to the
island, put out from Aegina, and m