History of the Peloponnesian War

Meanwhile the Mantineans, and those to whom tile truce had been granted, going out under the pretext of gathering herbs and fire-wood, secretly went away in small parties, picking up at the same time the things for which they professed to have left the camp:

but when they had now proceeded some distance from Olpae, they began to retreat at a quicker pace. The Ambraciots and the rest, as many as happened thus to have gone out with them in [*](ʼἀθρόοι seems to be in opposition to κατ᾽ ὀλίγους in the preceding section. Or it may signify, as Arnold takes it, in such numbers as would justify the experiment, which small parties might think too hazardous.) a body, when they found that they were gone away, themselves also pushed forward, and began running, on purpose to overtake them.

But the Acarnanians at first thought that all alike were flying without permission, and began to pursue the Peloponnesians; and when some even of their generals tried to stop them, and said that permission had been granted to the Peloponnesians, one or two men threw their darts at them, believing that they were being betrayed.

Afterwards, however, they let the Mantineans and Peloponnesians go away, but killed the Ambraciots. And there was much contention and difficulty in distinguishing whether a man was an Ambraciot or a Peloponnesian. They killed some two hundred of them; the rest escaped into Agraea, a bordering territory, and Salaethus, king of the Agraeans, being their friend, received them.