178 THE CALL OF THE SEA 



Greeks sailed out to meet them, and engaged. In 

 this battle they were nearly equal to one another ; 

 for the fleet of Xerxes, by reason of its magnitude 

 and number, imjocded itself, as the ships incom- 

 moded and ran foul of one another ; however, they 

 continued to fight and would not yield, for they 

 were ashamed to be put to flight by a few ships. 

 Accordingly many ships of the Grecians perished 

 and many men ; and of the barbarians a much 

 greater number of both ships and men. Having 

 fought in this manner, they separated from each 

 other. In this engagement the Egyptians sig- 

 nalised themselves among the forces of Xerxes ; 

 for they both achieved other great actions and 

 took five Grecian ships with their crews. On the 

 part of the Greeks, the Athenians signalised them- 

 selves on this day, and, among the Athenians, 

 Clinias, son of Alcibiades ; who at his own expense 

 joined the fleet with two hundred men and a ship 

 of his own. . . . 



The barbarians being turned to flight, and sail- 

 ing away towards Phalerus, the ^^iginitae, waylay- 

 ing them in the strait, performed actions worthy of 

 record. For the Athenians in the rout ran down 

 both those ships that resisted and those that fled ; 

 and the JEg\n\t?e, those that sailed away from the 

 battle : so that when any escaped, the Athenians, 

 being borne violently on, they fell into the hands 

 of the ^ginitie. At this time there happened to 



