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358 THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR

and the land army was compelled to retreat into the interior
of the island, where it was partly destroyed and partly cap-
tured in September, 413. Among the prisoners were the two
generals, whose lives Gylippus made every effort to save, so
that they might adorn by their presence his triumphant re-
turn to Sparta ; but the Syracusans condemned them to death.
The good and brave Hermokrates for a long time vehemently
opposed this decision, but to no purpose ; and finally, seeing
all his efforts abortive, he furnished the unfortunate men with
the means of destroying themselves. The remaining prison-
ers, to the number of about seven thousand, fared still worse.
They were confined in the quarries, where usually only male-
factors worked ; and there, suffering from the heat of the
day, the chills of the night, hunger, thirst, and countless
other torments, these unhappy men perished. At the expira-
tion of seventy days the survivors were sold as slaves, with
the exception of the Athenians and the few Greeks from
Sicily and Italy who had joined them. It is not known
what becanie of these, but a very small number of the Athe-
nians succeeded in returning home.
