History of the Peloponnesian War

On the same day, too, a trireme of the Athenians, moored off the harbour, was taken by the Syracusans.

After this, the Syracusans and their allies, commencing at the city, began to build upwards along Epipolae a single wall in a cross direction, that the Athenians, if they could not stop their progress, might no longer be able to invest them.

The Athenians had by this time gone up to the heights, after completing their wall down to the sea; and there being one weak part in the Athenian wall, Gylippus took his forces by night and made an attack upon it. When the Athenians were aware of his approach, (for they happened to be bivouacking outside,) they advanced to meet him;

on observing which, he led back the troops on his side as quickly as he could. The Athenians having then raised it higher, themselves kept guard at this point, and now disposed the other allies along the rest of the works as they were severally to man them.