With such inducements the rowers toiled day and
night, taking their meals, which consisted of barley-meal kneaded with
wine and oil, at the oar, and sleeping and rowing by turns. Happily
there was no contrary wind to retard their progress, and the crew of
the first vessel, bearing that savage mandate, made no efforts to
shorten their passage. As it was, they were not an hour too soon: for
when they arrived, Paches had already received the decree, and was
preparing to carry it out. Thus Mytilene escaped destruction by a
hair's-breadth, and Athens was saved from committing a great crime.
But even the modified sentence, which was passed directly afterwards
on the motion of Cleon, condemning more than a thousand Mytilenaean
citizens to death, was sufficiently ferocious, and was remembered
against the tyrant city in the days of her humiliation.
ESCAPE OF TWO HUNDRED PLATAEANS FALL OF PLATAEA
I
The siege of Plataea had now lasted for more than a year, and the
brave garrison began to be in sore straits, for their supplies were
giving out, and they had no hope of rescue from outside. In this
desperate situation they resolved to make an attempt to break through
the besieging lines, and make their escape to Athens. All were to take
part in the adventure, leaving the Peloponnesians in possession of an
empty town.
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