Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/392

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374
374

374 HISTORY OF GREECE. of approprial ion ; after which the resolution was taken to levot* this money t) present necessities. 1 By means of this new fund, they were enabled to find pay and equipment for all the triremes ready or nearly ready in their harbor, and thus to spare a portion from their blockading fleet off Peiraeum ; out of which Strombichides with his squadron of eight triremes was despatched immediately to Ionia ; followed, after a short interval, by Thrasykles, with twelve others. At the same time, the seven Chian triremes which also formed part of this fleet, were cleared of their crews ; among whom such as were slaves were liberated, while the freemen were put in cus- tody. Besides fitting out an equal number of fresh ships to keep up thfc numbers of the blockading fleet, the Athenians worked with the utmost ardor to get ready thirty additional triremes. The extreme exigency of the situation, since Chios had revolted, was felt by every one : yet with all their efforts, the force which they were enabled to send was at first lamentably inadequate. Strombichides, Hi-riving at Samos, and finding Chios, Erytb.ro 1 , and KlazomensB already in revolt, reinforced his little squadron with one Samian trireme, and sailed to Teos, on the continent, at the southern coast of that isthmus, of which Klazomence is on the northern, in hopes of preserving that place. But he had not been long there when Chalkideus arrived from Chios with twenty-three triremes, all or mostly Chian ; while the forces of Erythne and Klazomenai approached by land. Strombichide3 was obliged to make a hasty flight back to Samos, vainly pursued by the Chian fleet. Upon this evidence of Athenian weakness, and the superiority of the enemy, the Teians admitted into their town the land-force without ; by the help of which, they now- demolished the wall formerly built by Athens to protect the city against attack from the interior. Some of the troops of Tissa- phernes lending their aid in the demolition, the town was laid altogether open to the satrap ; who, moreover, came himself shortly afterwards to complete the work. 2 Having themselves revolted from Athens, the Chian govern- ment were prompted by considerations of their own safety to insti- gate revolt in all other Athenian dependencies ; and Alkibiades

1 Thui-yd viii, 15. 'Thucyd. riii, Ifi