THUCYDIDES 1S7 



great agony and conflict of feelings ; those of the 

 country being ambitious now of still greater 

 honour, while their invaders were afraid of faring 

 even worse than at present. For, since the 

 Athenians' all was staked on their fleet, their fear 

 for the future was like none they had ever felt 

 before ; and from the unequal nature of the 

 engagement they were also compelled to have an 

 unequal view of it from the beach. . . . 



After the battle had been thus obstinately dis- 

 puted, and many ships and men destroyed on both 

 sides, the Syracusans and allies, having gained 

 the victory, took up their wrecks and dead, and 

 then sailed away to the city, and erected a trophy. 

 The Athenians, from the extent of their present 

 misery, did not so much .is think about their dead 

 or their wrecks, or of asking permission to take 

 them up, but wished to retreat immediately during 

 the night. Demosthenes, however, went to Nicias, 

 and expressed it as his opinion that they should 

 still man their remaining ships, and force their 

 passage out, if they could, in the morning ; 

 alleging that they still had left more ships fit for 

 service than the enemy ; for the Athenians had 

 about sixty remaining, while their adversaries had 

 less than fifty. But when Nicias agreed with this 

 opinion, and they wished to man them, the seamen 

 would not embark, through being dismayed at 

 their defeat, and thinking that they could not now 



