§6.102.1ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν τὸ πρῶτον καταφυγόντες ὡς ἑώρων ταῦτα γιγνόμενα, αὐτοί τε πάλιν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀναθαρσήσαντες ἀντετάξαντο πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ σφᾶς Ἀθηναίους, καὶ μέρος τι αὑτῶν πέμπουσιν ἐπὶ τὸν κύκλον τὸν ἐπὶ ταῖς Ἐπιπολαῖς, ἡγούμενοι ἐρῆμον αἱρήσειν.
In the meantime, those of the Syracusans who had at first fled into the city, when they saw what was happening, took courage again from the city and drew up in battle array against the Athenians opposite them, and also sent a part of their forces against the circle wall on Epipolae, thinking they would capture it empty.
§6.102.2καὶ τὸ μὲν δεκάπλεθρον προτείχισμα αὐτῶν αἱροῦσι καὶ διεπόρθησαν, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν κύκλον Νικίας διεκώλυσεν· ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ δι’ ἀσθένειαν ὑπολελειμμένος.
And they captured and destroyed their ten-plethron outwork, but Nicias prevented them from taking the circle wall itself; for he happened to have been left behind in it because of illness.
τὰς γὰρ μηχανὰς καὶ ξύλα ὅσα πρὸ τοῦ τείχους ἦν καταβεβλημένα, ἐμπρῆσαι τοὺς ὑπηρέτας ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς ἔγνω ἀδυνάτους ἐσομένους ἐρημίᾳ ἀνδρῶν ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ περιγενέσθαι.
Indeed, when he realized that they would otherwise be unable to survive owing to the lack of men, he ordered the servants to set fire to the siege engines and all the timber that had been laid down in front of the wall.
§6.102.3καὶ ξυνέβη οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι προσῆλθον οἱ Συρακόσιοι διὰ τὸ πῦρ, ἀλλὰ ἀπεχώρουν πάλιν.
And so it turned out; for the Syracusans, because of the fire, did not advance any further, but withdrew again.
καὶ γὰρ πρός τε τὸν κύκλον βοήθεια ἤδη κάτωθεν τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀποδιωξάντων τοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐπανῄει, καὶ αἱ νῆες ἅμα αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς Θάψου, ὥσπερ εἴρητο, κατέπλεον ἐς τὸν μέγαν λιμένα.
For, on the one hand, reinforcements for the circle wall were already coming back up from below, the Athenians having routed the enemy there, and at the same time their fleet, as has been said, was sailing from Thapsus into the Great Harbor.
§6.102.4ἃ ὁρῶντες οἱ ἄνωθεν κατὰ τάχος ἀπῇσαν καὶ ἡ ξύμπασα στρατιὰ τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐς τὴν πόλιν, νομίσαντες μὴ ἂν ἔτι ἀπὸ τῆς παρούσης σφίσι δυνάμεως ἱκανοὶ γενέσθαι κωλῦσαι τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τειχισμόν.
Seeing these things, those on the heights and the entire army of the Syracusans retreated in haste into the city, thinking that with their present strength they would no longer be able to prevent the wall of circumvallation from being built to the sea.