o sail for Himera, especially as the
four Athenian ships which Nicias had at length sent off, on hearing that
they were at Locris, had not yet arrived at Rhegium. Accordingly, before
these reached their post, the Peloponnesians crossed the strait and,
after touching at Rhegium and Messina, came to Himera. Arrived there,
they persuaded the Himeraeans to join in the war, and not only to go
with them themselves but to provide arms for the seamen from their
vessels which they had drawn ashore at Himera; and they sent and
appointed a place for the Selinuntines to meet them with all their
forces. A few troops were also promised by the Geloans and some of the
Sicels, who were now ready to join them with much greater alacrity,
owing to the recent death of Archonidas, a powerful Sicel king in that
neighbourhood and friendly to Athens, and owing also to the vigour shown
by Gylippus in coming from Lacedaemon. Gylippus now took with him about
seven hundred of his sailors and marines, that number only having arms,
a thousand heavy infantry and light troops from Himera with a body of
a hundred horse, some light troops and cavalry from Selinus, a few
Geloans, and Sicels numbering a thousand in all, and set out on his
march for Syracuse.

Meanwhile the Corinthian fleet from Leucas made all haste to arrive; and
one of their commanders, Gongylus, starting last with a single ship, was
the first to reach Syracuse, a little before Gylippus. Gongylus found
the Syracusans on the point of holding an assembly to consider whether
they should put an end to the war. This he prevented, and reassured
them by telling them that more vessels were still to arrive, and that
Gylippus, son of Cleandridas, had been dispatched by the Lacedaemonians
to take the command. Upon this the Syracusans took courage, and
immediately marched out with all their forces to meet Gylippus, who they
found was now close at hand. Meanwhile Gylippus, after taking Ietae, a
fort of the Sicels, on his way, formed his army in order of battle, and
so arrived at Epipolae, and ascending by Euryelus, as the Athenians had
done at first, now advanced with the Syracusans against the Athenian
lines. His arrival chanced at a critical moment. The Athenians had
already finished a double wall of six or seven furlongs to the great
harbour, with the exception of a small portion next the sea, which they
were still engaged upon; and in the remainder of the circle towards
Trogilus on the other sea,