At first all seemed to
promise success to the Athenians unobserved by the enemy, Demosthenes
ascended the hill, stormed the fort, and, drove the garrison back on
the three fortified camps which flanked the Syracusan counterwall on
its northern side. The fugitives raised the alarm, and the call was
promptly answered by a picked troop of six hundred hoplites, who were
stationed nearest to the point of danger. These men made a gallant
stand, but they were overpowered by superior numbers, and thrust back
on the main body of the Syracusans, who were now advancing under
Gylippus to the rescue. They in their turn were forced to give ground
before the impetuous charge of Demosthenes, and a general panic seemed
about to spread through the whole Syracusan army. Already the
Athenians had begun to throw down the battlements of the counterwall,
and if they were allowed to proceed, Syracuse would once more be
exposed to imminent danger.
But now occurred one of those sudden turns of fortune which were so
common in Greek warfare. As the soldiers of the Athenian van rushed
forward too hotly, wishing to complete the rout of the enemy they fell
into disorder, and in this condition they were confronted by a stout
little troop of Boeotian hoplites, who had found their way to Syracuse
earlier in the summer.
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