§20.16.1προαποστείλαντος δʼ αὐτοῦ πρεσβείαν καὶ διδόντος Ἀντάνδρῳ καὶ τοῖς μετʼ αὐτοῦ, εἰ παραδιδόασι τὴν πόλιν, ἀσφάλειαν συνήδρευσαν τῶν ἡγεμόνων οἱ μάλιστα ἀξίωμα δοκοῦντες ἔχειν.
\nAfter Hamilcar had sent envoys ahead and offered to Antander and those with him that, if they would surrender the city, he would guarantee their safety, those of the leaders who seemed to have the highest prestige held a council.
ῥηθέντων οὖν πολλῶν λόγων Ἄντανδρος μὲν ᾤετο δεῖν παραδιδόναι τὴν πόλιν, ὢν ἄνανδρος φύσει καὶ τῆς τἀδελφοῦ τόλμης καὶ πράξεως ἐναντίαν ἔχων διάθεσιν· Ἐρύμνων δʼ ὁ Αἰτωλός, παρακαθεσταμένος ὑπʼ Ἀγαθοκλέους τἀδελφῷ σύνεδρος, τὴν ἐναντίαν δοὺς γνώμην ἔπεισεν ἅπαντας διακαρτερεῖν μέχρι ἂν πύθωνται τἀληθές. §20.16.2Ἀμίλκας δὲ μαθὼν τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει συνεπήγνυε μηχανὰς παντοίας, διεγνωκὼς προσβάλλειν. §20.16.3Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ δύο τριακοντόρους μετὰ τὴν μάχην νεναυπηγημένος τὴν ἑτέραν ἀπέστειλεν εἰς Συρακούσσας, ἐρέτας ἐμβιβάσας τοὺς κρατίστους καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν πιστευομένων φίλων ἕνα Νέαρχον, ἀπαγγελοῦντα τοῖς ἰδίοις τὴν νίκην. §20.16.4ἔπειτʼ εὐπλοίας γενομένης πεμπταῖοι ταῖς Συρακούσσαις νύκτωρ προσεπέλασαν καὶ στεφανωσάμενοι καὶ παιανίσαντες κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν ἅμʼ ἡμέρᾳ κατέπλεον ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν.
When many opinions had been expressed, Antander for his part thought they ought to surrender the city, being by nature cowardly and possessing a disposition contrary to his brother's boldness and action; but Erymnon the Aetolian, who had been appointed by Agathocles as a councillor to his brother, gave the opposite opinion and persuaded everyone to hold out until they should learn the truth.\n\nAnd Hamilcar, having learned what had been decided by those in the city, began to construct all kinds of siege engines, having resolved to attack.\n\nMeanwhile, Agathocles, having built two thirty-oared galleys after the battle, dispatched one of them to Syracuse, having embarked the best oarsmen and one of his trusted friends around him, Nearchus, to report the victory to his people.\n\nThen, a fair wind having arisen, they approached Syracuse by night on the fifth day, and having put on wreaths and sung a paean during their voyage, they sailed into the city at daybreak.\n\nBut the guard ships of the Carthaginians, perceiving them, gave chase in great haste, and as those fleeing had not gained much of a start, a race of rowing took place.
§20.16.5αἱ δὲ φυλακίδες τῶν Καρχηδονίων αἰσθόμεναι κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐπεδίωκον καὶ οὐ πολὺ προειληφότων τῶν ὑποφευγόντων ἀγὼν τῆς εἰρεσίας ἐγίνετο. ἅμα δὲ τῇ τούτων φιλοτιμίᾳ συνέβη τούς τε ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας αἰσθομένους συνδραμεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἑκατέρους συναγωνιῶντας ἀναβοᾶν θαρρεῖν. §20.16.6ἤδη δὲ τῆς τριακοντόρου καταλαμβανομένης οἱ βάρβαροι μὲν ἐπηλάλαξαν, οἱ δʼ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἀδυνατοῦντες βοηθεῖν τοῖς θεοῖς ηὔχοντο περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν καταπλεόντων.
At the same time as their struggle, it happened that both those from the city and the besiegers, having noticed it, ran together to the harbor, and each side, anxiously sharing the struggle of their own men, shouted to them to take courage.\n\nAnd when the thirty-oared galley was already being overtaken, the barbarians raised a battle cry, while those from the city, being unable to help, prayed to the gods for the safety of those sailing in.
τῆς πρῴρας δὲ τῶν διωκόντων εἰς ἐμβολὴν ἤδη φερομένης οὐκ ἄπωθεν τῆς γῆς ἔφθασε τὸ διωκόμενον σκάφος ἐντὸς βέλους γενόμενον καὶ τῶν Συρακοσίων προσβοηθησάντων ἐξέφυγε τὸν κίνδυνον. §20.16.7Ἀμίλκας δʼ ὁρῶν τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως διὰ τὴν ἀγωνίαν καὶ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς προσδοκωμένης ἀγγελίας ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα συνδεδραμηκότας, ὑπολαβὼν εἶναι μέρος τι τοῦ τείχους ἀφύλακτον, ἔπεμψε τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοὺς κρατίστους μετὰ κλιμάκων.
When the prow of the pursuers was already being borne down for a ramming, not far from the land, the pursued vessel succeeded in getting within missile range first, and since the Syracusans came to their aid, it escaped the danger.\n\nAnd Hamilcar, seeing that those from the city had run together to the harbor because of their anxiety and the unexpectedness of the awaited news, and supposing that some part of the wall was unguarded, sent the best of his soldiers with ladders.
οὗτοι δʼ εὑρόντες ἐκλελειμμένας τὰς φυλακὰς ἔλαθον προσαναβάντες· καὶ σχεδὸν αὐτῶν μεσοπύργιον ἤδη κατειληφότων ἡ κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες ἐφοδία παραγενομένη κατενόησε. §20.16.8γενομένης δὲ μάχης οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως συνέδραμον καὶ φθάσαντες τοὺς μέλλοντας τοῖς ἀναβεβηκόσι προσβοηθεῖν οὓς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν, οὓς δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπάλξεων κατεκρήμνισαν. §20.16.9ἐφʼ οἷς Ἀμίλκας περιαλγὴς γενόμενος ἀπήγαγε τὴν δύναμιν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῖς εἰς Καρχηδόνα βοήθειαν ἐξέπεμψε μετὰ στρατιωτῶν πεντακισχιλίων.
These, finding the guard-posts abandoned, ascended without being detected; and when they had already almost occupied the space between the towers, the usual patrol arrived and noticed them.\n\nWhen a battle took place, those from the city ran together and, anticipating those who were about to aid the men who had ascended, killed some of them, and threw others down from the battlements.\n\nAt these events, Hamilcar was deeply grieved and led his army away from the city, and dispatched five thousand soldiers to Carthage as a reinforcement.