§7.73.1καὶ οἱ μὲν ὡς κατὰ γῆν ἀναχωρήσοντες ἤδη ξύμπαντες τὴν γνώμην εἶχον, Ἑρμοκράτης δὲ ὁ Συρακόσιος ὑπονοήσας αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ νομίσας δεινὸν εἶναι εἰ τοσαύτη στρατιὰ κατὰ γῆν ὑποχωρήσασα καὶ καθεζομένη ποι τῆς Σικελίας βουλήσεται αὖθις σφίσι τὸν πόλεμον ποιεῖσθαι, ἐσηγεῖται ἐλθὼν τοῖς ἐν τέλει οὖσιν ὡς οὐ χρεὼν ἀποχωρῆσαι τῆς νυκτὸς αὐτοὺς περιιδεῖν, λέγων ταῦτα ἃ καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόκει, ἀλλὰ ἐξελθόντας ἤδη πάντας Συρακοσίους καὶ τοὺς ξυμμάχους τάς τε ὁδοὺς ἀποικοδομῆσαι καὶ τὰ στενόπορα τῶν χωρίων προδιαλαβόντας φυλάσσειν.
Thus the Athenians, on their part, were already fully resolved to retreat by land. But Hermocrates the Syracusan, suspecting their intention and thinking it would be a serious matter if so large an army, having retreated by land and settled somewhere in Sicily, should wish to wage war against them again, went to those in authority and suggested that they ought not to allow the Athenians to slip away by night, stating what he himself also believed; rather, he argued, all the Syracusans and their allies should go out immediately, block the roads, and guard the narrow passes by occupying them beforehand.
§7.73.2οἱ δὲ ξυνεγίγνωσκον μὲν καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐχ ἧσσον ταῦτα ἐκείνου, καὶ ἐδόκει ποιητέα εἶναι, τοὺς δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἄρτι ἀσμένους ἀπὸ ναυμαχίας τε μεγάλης ἀναπεπαυμένους καὶ ἅμα ἑορτῆς οὔσης (ἔτυχε γὰρ αὐτοῖς Ἡρακλεῖ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν θυσία οὖσα) οὐ δοκεῖν ἂν ῥᾳδίως ἐθελῆσαι ὑπακοῦσαι·
The authorities themselves agreed with this no less than he did, and thought it ought to be done; however, they believed that the men, who had just gladly rested after a great sea-fight and were moreover celebrating a festival (for it happened to be a day of sacrifice to Heracles for them), would not easily be willing to obey.
ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ περιχαροῦς τῆς νίκης πρὸς πόσιν τετράφθαι τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ, καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ἐλπίζειν ἂν σφῶν πείθεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἢ ὅπλα λαβόντας ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἐξελθεῖν.
For owing to their excessive joy over the victory, most of them had turned to drinking during the festival, and the leaders expected that the men would obey any other command rather than take up arms and march out at the present moment.
§7.73.3ὡς δὲ τοῖς ἄρχουσι ταῦτα λογιζομένοις ἐφαίνετο ἄπορα καὶ οὐκέτι ἔπειθεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἑρμοκράτης, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις τάδε μηχανᾶται, δεδιὼς μὴ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καθ’ ἡσυχίαν προφθάσωσιν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ διελθόντες τὰ χαλεπώτατα τῶν χωρίων.
Since this seemed impossible to the officers on reflection, and Hermocrates could no longer persuade them, he himself devised the following plan, fearing that the Athenians might get ahead of them by passing through the most difficult places undisturbed during the night.
πέμπει τῶν ἑταίρων τινὰς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μετὰ ἱππέων πρὸς τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατόπεδον, ἡνίκα ξυνεσκόταζεν·
He sent some of his own companions with horsemen to the Athenian camp just as it was getting dark.
οἳ προσελάσαντες ἐξ ὅσου τις ἔμελλεν ἀκούσεσθαι καὶ ἀνακαλεσάμενοί τινας ὡς ὄντες τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπιτήδειοι (ἦσαν γάρ τινες τῷ Νικίᾳ διάγγελοι τῶν ἔνδοθεν) ἐκέλευον φράζειν Νικίᾳ μὴ ἀπάγειν τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ στράτευμα ὡς Συρακοσίων τὰς ὁδοὺς φυλασσόντων, ἀλλὰ καθ’ ἡσυχίαν τῆς ἡμέρας παρασκευασάμενον ἀποχωρεῖν.
Riding up to within hearing distance, and calling out to some of the men as if they were friends of the Athenians (for there were indeed some inside who sent messages to Nicias), they told them to bid Nicias not to lead his army away by night, as the Syracusans were guarding the roads, but to retreat quietly by day after making his preparations.
§7.73.4καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰπόντες ἀπῆλθον, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες διήγγειλαν τοῖς στρατηγοῖς τῶν Ἀθηναίων·
Having said this, they departed, and those who heard them reported it to the Athenian generals.