THE RETREAT FROM SYRACUSE 345
cepted the offer. At length an agreement was made for the entire force under Demosthenes. Their arms were to be surrendered, but no one was to suffer death, either from violence or from imprisonment, or from want of the bare means of life. So they all sur- rendered, being in number six thousand, and gave up what money they had. This they threw into the hol- lows of shields and filled four. The captives were at once taken to the city. On the same day Nicias and his division reached the river Erineus, which he crossed, and halted his army on a rising ground.
On the following day he was overtaken by the Syr- acusans, who told him that Demosthenes had surren- dered, and bade him do the same. He, not believing them, procured a truce while he sent a horseman to go and see. Upon the return of the horseman bring- ing assurance of the fact, he sent a herald to Gylip- pus and the Syracusans, saying that he would agree, on behalf of the Athenian state, to pay the expenses which the Syracusans had incurred in the war, on condition that they should let his army go ; until the money was paid he would give Athenian citizens as hostages, a man for a talent. Gylippus and the Syra- cusans would not accept these proposals, but attacked and surrounded this division of the army as well as the other, and hurled missiles at them from every side until the evening. They too were grievously in want of food and necessaries. Nevertheless they meant to wait for the dead of the night and then to proceed. They were just resuming their arms, when the Syracusans dis- covered them and raised the Paean. The Athenians, perceiang that they were detected, laid down their arms again, with the exception of about three hun- dred men who broke through the enemy's guard, and
