eing finished by about the rising
of Arcturus, they left men enough to man half the wall, the rest being
manned by the Boeotians, and drawing off their army dispersed to their
several cities. The Plataeans had before sent off their wives and
children and oldest men and the mass of the non-combatants to Athens; so
that the number of the besieged left in the place comprised four hundred
of their own citizens, eighty Athenians, and a hundred and ten women
to bake their bread. This was the sum total at the commencement of the
siege, and there was no one else within the walls, bond or free. Such
were the arrangements made for the blockade of Plataea.

The same summer and simultaneously with the expedition against Plataea,
the Athenians marched with two thousand heavy infantry and two hundred
horse against the Chalcidians in the direction of Thrace and the
Bottiaeans, just as the corn was getting ripe, under the command
of Xenophon, son of Euripides, with two colleagues. Arriving before
Spartolus in Bottiaea, they destroyed the corn and had some hopes of the
city coming over through the intrigues of a faction within. But those
of a different way of thinking had sent to Olynthus; and a garrison of
heavy infantry and other troops arrived accordingly. These issuing
from Spartolus were engaged by the Athenians in front of the town: the
Chalcidian heavy infantry, and some auxiliaries with them, were beaten
and retreated into Spartolus; but the Chalcidian horse and light troops
defeated the horse and light troops of the Athenians. The Chalcidians
had already a few targeteers from Crusis, and presently after the battle
were joined by some others from Olynthus; upon seeing whom the light
troops from Spartolus, emboldened by this accession and by their
previous success, with the help of the Chalcidian horse and the
reinforcement just arrived again attacked the Athenians, who retired
upon the two divisions which they had left with their baggage. Whenever
the Athenians advanced, their adversary gave way, pressing them with
missiles the instant they began to retire. The Chalcidian horse also,
riding up and charging them just as they pleased, at last caused a
panic amongst them and routed and pursued them to a great distance. The
Athenians took refuge in Potidaea, and afterwards recovered their dead
under truce, and returned to Athens with the remnant of their army;
four hundred and thirty men and all the generals having fallen. The
Chalc