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a decree to cut off the right thumb of the captives in the war, that they should not be able to hold the spear, though they might the oar. Then they all rested themselves, hoping they should have battle the next morning. But Lysander had other things in his head ; he commanded the mariners and pi- lots to go on board at dawn, as if there should be a bat- tle as soon as it was day, and to sit there in order, and without any noise, expecting what should be commanded, and in like manner that the land army should remain quietly in their ranks by the sea. But the sun rising, and the Athenians sailing up with their whole fleet in line, and challenging them to battle, he, though he had had his ships all drawn up and manned before daybreak, nev- ertheless did not stir. He merely sent some small boats to those who lay foremost, and bade them keep still and stay in their order ; not to be disturbed, and none of them to sail out and offer battle. So about evening, the Athe- nians sailing back, he would not let the seamen go out of the ships before two or three, which he had sent to espy, were returned, after seeing the enemies disembark. And thus they did the next day, and the third, and so to the fourth. So that the Athenians grew extremely con- fident, and disdained their enemies, as if they had been afraid and daunted. At this time, Alcibiades, who was in his castle in the Chersonese, came on horseback to the Athenian army, and found fault with their captains, first of all that they had pitched their camp neither well nor safely, on an exposed and open beach, a very bad land- ing for the ships, and, secondly, that where they were, they had to fetch all they wanted from Sestos, some con- siderable way off; whereas if they sailed round a little way to the town and harbor of Sestos, they would be at a safer distance from an enemy, who lay watching their movements, at the command of a single general, terror VOL. III. 8