308 HISTORY OF GREECE. abliag thiMi .aid damaging several others. But presently the dispersed vessels of the main fleet came in sight and closed round him, so that he was forced to make the best speed in escaping, first to the island called Teutlussa, next to Halikarnas- ftus. He did not effect his escape without the loss of six ships ; tfhile the victorious Peloponnesians, after erecting their trophy MI the island of Syme, returned to Knidus, where the entire fleet, including the twenty-seven triremes newly arrived, was now united. 1 The Athenians in Samos whose affairs were now in xmfusion, from causes which will be explained in the ensuing chapter had kept no watch on the movements of the main Peloponnesian fleet at Miletus, and seem to have been ignorant of its departure until they were apprized of the defeat of Char- minus. They then sailed down to Syme, took up the sails and rigging belonging to that squadron, which had been there depos- ited, and then, after an attack upon Loryma, carried back their whole fleet, probably including the remnant of the squadron of Charminus, to Samos. 2 Though the Peloponnesian fleet now assembled at Knidus consisted of ninety-four triremes, much superior in number to the Athenian, it did not try to provoke any general action. The time of Lichas and his brother commissioners was at first spent in negotiations with Tissaphernes, who had joined them at Kni dus, and against whom they found a strong feeling of discontent prevalent in the fleet. That satrap now acting greatly under the advice of Alkibiades, of which also more in the coming chapter had of late become slack in the Peloponnesian cause, and irregular in furnishing pay to their seamen, during the hist weeks of their stay at Miletus. He was at the same time full of promises, paralyzing all their operations by assurances that he was bringing up the vast fleet of Phenicia to their aid : but in reality his object was, under fair appearances, merely to prolong the contest and waste the strength of both parties. Arriving in the midst of this state of feeling, and discussing with Tissapher- nes the future conduct of the war, Lichas not only expressed dis- 1 Tlmcyd. viii, 42.
- Thucyd. viii, 43. This defeat of Charminus is made the subject of a
jest by Aristophanes, Thesmophor. 810, with the note of Faulmier.
