240 HISTORY OF GREECE. had established themselves at Anoea, 1 on the Asiatic continent, and acted as zealous enemies of Athens, nevertheless, instead of sailing straight to Lesbos, lingered first near Pelopohnesus, next at the island of Delos, making capture of private vessels with their crews ; until at length, on reaching the islands of Ikarus and Mj konus, he heard the unwelcome tidings that the besieged town had capitulated. Not at first crediting the report, he sailed onward to Embaton, in the Erythraean territory on the coast of Asia Minor, where he found the news confirmed. As only seven days had elapsed since the capitulation had been con- cluded, Teutiaplus, an Eleian captain in the fleet, strenuously urged the daring project of sailing on forthwith, and surprising Mitylene by night in its existing unsettled condition : no prep- aration would have been made for receiving them, and there was good chance that the Athenians might be suddenly overpowered, the Mitylenaeans again armed, and the town recovered. Such a proposition, which was indeed something more than daring, did not suit the temper of Alkidas. Nor could he be induced by the solicitation of the exiles to fix and fortify himself either in any port of Ionia, or in the .2Eolic town of Kyme, so as to aft'ord support and countenance to such subjects of the A*the- nian empire as were disposed to revolt ; though he was confi- dently assured that many of them would revolt on his proclama- tion, and that the satrap Pissuthnes of Sardis would help him to defray the expense. Having been sent for the express pur- pose of relieving Mitylene, Alkidas believed himself interdicted from any other project, and determined to return to Pelopon- nesus at once, dreading nothing so much as the pursuit of Paches and the Athenian fleet. From Embaton, accordingly, he started on his return, coasting southward along Asia Minor as far as Ephesus. But the prisoners taken in his voyage were now an encumbrance to his flight ; and their number was not inconsid- erable, since all the merchant-vessels in his route had approached x lie fleet without suspicion, believing it to be Athenian : a Pelo- ponesian fleet near the coast of Ionia was as yet something unheard of and incredible. To get rid of his prisoners, Alkidas stopped at Myonnesus, near Teos, and there put to death the
- Thacyd. iv, 75.
