§8.39.1ἐκ δὲ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χειμῶνι αἱ τῷ Φαρναβάζῳ [ὑπὸ] Καλλιγείτου τοῦ Μεγαρέως καὶ Τιμαγόρου τοῦ Κυζικηνοῦ πρασσόντων παρασκευασθεῖσαι ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι νῆες ἄρασαι ἔπλεον ἐπὶ Ἰωνίας περὶ ἡλίου τροπάς, καὶ ἄρχων ἐπέπλει αὐτῶν Ἀντισθένης Σπαρτιάτης.
In the same winter, the twenty-seven ships from the Peloponnese, which had been prepared by the Lacedaemonians at the instigation of Calligeitus the Megarian and Timagoras the Cyzicene acting on behalf of Pharnabazus, set sail and began to voyage toward Ionia about the winter solstice; and Antisthenes, a Spartan, sailed with them as commander.
§8.39.2ξυνέπεμψαν δὲ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ ἕνδεκα ἄνδρας Σπαρτιατῶν ξυμβούλους Ἀστυόχῳ, ὧν εἷς ἦν Λίχας ὁ Ἀρκεσιλάου· καὶ εἴρητο αὐτοῖς ἐς Μίλητον ἀφικομένους τῶν τε ἄλλων ξυνεπιμέλεσθαι ᾗ μέλλει ἄριστα ἕξειν, καὶ τὰς ναῦς ταύτας ἢ αὐτὰς ἢ πλείους ἢ καὶ ἐλάσσους ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ὡς Φαρνάβαζον, ἢν δοκῇ, ἀποπέμπειν, Κλέαρχον τὸν Ῥαμφίου, ὃς ξυνέπλει, ἄρχοντα προστάξαντας, καὶ Ἀστύοχον, ἢν δοκῇ τοῖς ἕνδεκα ἀνδράσι, παύειν τῆς ναυαρχίας, Ἀντισθένη δὲ καθιστάναι· πρὸς γὰρ τὰς τοῦ Πεδαρίτου ἐπιστολὰς ὑπώπτευον αὐτόν.
The Lacedaemonians also sent along eleven Spartan men as advisers for Astyochus, one of whom was Lichas, the son of Arcesilaus; and instructions had been given to them that, upon arriving at Miletus, they should co-operate in superintending general affairs in the way that would be best, and, if it seemed good, dispatch these ships—either just these, or more, or even fewer—to the Hellespont to Pharnabazus, appointing Clearchus, the son of Ramphias, who sailed with them, as commander, and, if it seemed good to the eleven men, depose Astyochus from his command as admiral and appoint Antisthenes; for, in consequence of the letters of Pedaritus, they were suspicious of him.
§8.39.3πλέουσαι οὖν αἱ νῆες ἀπὸ Μαλέας πελάγιαι Μήλῳ προσέβαλον, καὶ περιτυχόντες ναυσὶ δέκα Ἀθηναίων τὰς τρεῖς λαμβάνουσι κενὰς καὶ κατακαίουσιν.
So the ships, sailing from Malea across the open sea, touched at Melos, and falling in with ten Athenian ships, they captured three of them empty and burned them.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο δεδιότες μὴ αἱ διαφυγοῦσαι τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐκ τῆς Μήλου νῆες, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, μηνύσωσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ Σάμῳ τὸν ἐπίπλουν αὐτῶν, πρὸς τὴν Κρήτην πλεύσαντες καὶ πλείω τὸν πλοῦν διὰ φυλακῆς ποιησάμενοι ἐς τὴν Καῦνον τῆς Ἀσίας κατῆραν.
After this, fearing lest the Athenian ships which had escaped from Melos should report their approach to those at Samos—which indeed actually happened—they sailed toward Crete, and making their voyage longer by keeping on their guard, they put in at Caunus in Asia.
§8.39.4ἐντεῦθεν δὴ ὡς ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ ὄντες ἀγγελίαν ἔπεμπον ἐπὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ Μιλήτῳ ναῦς τοῦ ξυμπαρακομισθῆναι.
From there, feeling themselves to be in safety, they sent a message to the ships at Miletus in order to be escorted and join forces.