History of the Peloponnesian War

They send a person who was a faithful friend to them, and no less in the interest of the Syracusans, according to their opinion. The man was a Catanian, and said that he was come from certain individuals in Catana, with whose names they were acquainted, and whom they knew to be still left in the town amongst those who were well affected to them. He stated, then, that the Athenians passed the night at some distance from their arms, within the walls of the city;

and that if the Syracusans would come with all their force early in the morning of an appointed day to attack their armament, the Catanians would close the gates on the men who were with them, and would fire their ships; while the Syracusans would easily take [*](τὸ στράτευμα.] I see no reason at all for altering this, as Arnold proposes, into τῷ στρατεύματι; as it evidently refers to all the other forces of the Athenians left behind in their camp, in opposition to the heavy infantry represented as being in the town. Compare 63. 3, where the term is undoubtedly used with reference to the encampment of the Athenians.) the armament by an attack on their stockade. There were many too of the Catanians, he said, who would co-operate with them in this, and were already prepared to do so; namely, the party from which he had himself come.

The generals of the Syracusans, besides feeling confident in other respects, and intending, even without this, to make their preparations for marching to Catana, gave far too inconsiderate credence to the man, and immediately fixing a day on which they would be there, dismissed him; while they themselves (for by this time the Selinuntines and some other of their allies had also come) gave orders for all the Syracusans to march forth in a body. When their preparations were made, and the time at which they had agreed to come was near at hand, they set out for Catana, and bivouacked on the river Symaethus, in the Leontine territory.