194 HISTORY OF GREECE. invaders on their frontier, did not dare to leave their own sep arate homes, so that Stratus was left altogether to its own citizens, Nor was Phormio, though they sent an urgent message to him. in any condition to help them ; since he could not leave Naupak tus unguarded, when the large fleet from Corinth was known to be approaching. Under such circumstances, Knemus and his army indulged the most confident hopes of overpowering Status without difficulty. They marched in three divisions : the Epirots in the centre, the Leukadians and Anaktorians on the right, the Peloponnesians and Ambrakiots, together with Knemus himself, on the left. So little expectation was entertained of resistance, that these three divisions took no pains to keep near or even in sight of each other. Both the Greek divisions, indeed, maintained a good order of march, and kept proper scouts on the look out ; but the Epirots advanced without any care or order whatever ; especially the Chaonians, who formed the van. These men, accounted the most warlike of all the Epirotic tribes, were so full of conceit and rashness, that when they approached near to Stratus, they would not halt to encamp and assail the place conjointly with the Greeks ; but marched along with the other Epirots right forward to the town, intending to attack it single-handed, and confident that they should carry it at the first assault, before the Greeks came up, so that the entire glory would be theirs. The Stratians watched and profited by this impru- dence. Planting ambuscades in convenient places, and suffering the Epirots to approach without suspicion near to the gates, they then suddenly sallied out and attacked them, while the troops in ambuscade rose up and assailed them at the same time. The Chaonians who formed the van, thus completely surprised, were routed with great slaughter ; while the other Epirots fled, after but little resistance. So much had they hurried forward in advance of their Greek allies, that neither the right nor the left division were at all aware of the battle, until the flying bar- barians, hotly pursued by the Akarnanians, made it known to them. The two divisions then joined, protected the fugitives, and restrained farther pursuit, the Stratians declining to come to hand-combat with them until the other Akarnanians should arrive. They seriously annoyed the forces of Knemus
however, by distant slinging, in which the Akarnanians vjra
