§7.51.1οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦτο πυθόμενοι πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπηρμένοι ἦσαν μὴ ἀνιέναι τὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν κατεγνωκότων ἤδη μηκέτι κρεισσόνων εἶναι σφῶν μήτε ταῖς ναυσὶ μήτε τῷ πεζῷ (οὐ γὰρ ἂν τὸν ἔκπλουν ἐπιβουλεῦσαι), καὶ ἅμα οὐ βουλόμενοι αὐτοὺς ἄλλοσέ ποι τῆς Σικελίας καθεζομένους χαλεπωτέρους εἶναι προσπολεμεῖν, ἀλλ’ αὐτοῦ ὡς τάχιστα καὶ ἐν ᾧ σφίσι ξυμφέρει ἀναγκάσαι αὐτοὺς ναυμαχεῖν.
The Syracusans themselves, on learning this, were much more encouraged not to slacken their efforts against the Athenians, seeing that the Athenians themselves had already acknowledged that they were no longer superior to them either by sea or by land (for otherwise they would not have planned their secret departure); and at the same time they did not want them to establish themselves elsewhere in Sicily and so be more difficult to make war upon, but wished to force them to fight a sea-battle there as quickly as possible and where it was advantageous for themselves.
§7.51.2τὰς οὖν ναῦς ἐπλήρουν καὶ ἀνεπειρῶντο ἡμέρας ὅσαι αὐτοῖς ἐδόκουν ἱκαναὶ εἶναι.
Accordingly they manned their ships and practiced for as many days as they thought sufficient.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ καιρὸς ἦν, τῇ μὲν προτέρᾳ πρὸς τὰ τείχη τῶν Ἀθηναίων προσέβαλλον, καὶ ἐπεξελθόντος μέρους τινὸς οὐ πολλοῦ καὶ τῶν ὁπλιτῶν καὶ τῶν ἱππέων κατά τινας πύλας ἀπολαμβάνουσί τε τῶν ὁπλιτῶν τινὰς καὶ τρεψάμενοι καταδιώκουσιν· οὔσης δὲ στενῆς τῆς ἐσόδου οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἵππους τε ἑβδομήκοντα ἀπολλύασι καὶ τῶν ὁπλιτῶν οὐ πολλούς.
And when the proper moment came, on the first day they made an attack on the walls of the Athenians; and when a certain part, not very large, both of the hoplites and of the cavalry, came out against them through some gates, they cut off some of the hoplites and, having routed them, pursued them; and as the entrance was narrow, the Athenians lost seventy horses and a few of their hoplites.