272 HISTORY OF GREECE. therefore ranged in battle order on the open space beyond the walls, higher up the slope of Epipolce ; Gylippus placing his cavalry and darters to the right of his line, on the highest and most open ground. In the midst of the action between the hop- lites on both sides, these troops on the right charged the left flank of the Athenians with such vigor, that they completely broke it. The whole Athenian army underwent a thorough defeat, and only found shelter within its fortified lines. And in the course of the very next night, the Syracusan counter-wall was pushed so far as to traverse and get beyond the projected line of Athe- nian blockade, reaching presently as far as the edge of the northern cliff: so that Syracuse was now safe, unless the enemy should not only recover their superiority in the field, but also become strong enough to storm and carry the new-built wall. 1 Farther defence was also obtained by the safe arrival of the Corinthian, Ambrakiotic, and Leukadiau fleet of twelve triremes, under Erasinides, which Nikias had vainly endeavored to inter- cept. He had sent twenty sail to the southern coast of Italy ; but the new-comers had had the good luck to avoid them. Erasinides and his division lent their hands to the execution of a work which completed the scheme of defence for the city. Gylippus took the precaution of constructing a fort or redoubt on the high ground of Epipolae, so as to command the approach to Syracuse from the high ground of Euryalus ; a step which Her- mokrates had not thought of until too late, and which Nikias had never thought of at all, during his period of triumph and mastery. He erected a new fort on a suitable point of the high ground, backed by three fortified positions or encampments at proper dis- tances in the rear of it, intended for bodies of troops to support the advanced post in case it was attacked. A continuous wall was then carried from this advanced post down the slope of Epipolag, so as to reach and join the counter-wall recently constructed ; whereby this counter-wall, already traversing and cutting the Athenian line of circumvallation, became in fact prolonged up the whole slope of EpipoliM, and barred all direct access from the Athenians in their existing lines up to the summit of that emi- nence, as well as up to the northern cliff. The Syracusans had now one continuous and uninterrupted line of defence; along
1 Thucyil. vii, 5, G.
