About the same time arrived a reinforcement from Camarina1
of five hundred hoplites, three hundred javelin-men, and three2
hundred archers. The Geloans also sent five ships with four hundred javelin-men and two hundred horsemen.
Hitherto the Sicilian cities had only watched the course of events, but now the whole island, with the exception of Agrigentum, which was neutral, united with the Syracusans against the Athenians.
After their misfortune in the Sicel country, the Syracusans deferred their intended attack3
for a time.
The forces which Demosthenes and Eurymedon had collected from Corcyra and the mainland were now ready, and they passed over the Ionian Sea to the promontory of Iapygia. Proceeding onwards, they touched at the Iapygian islands called Choerades, and took on board a hundred and fifty Iapygian javelin-men of the Messapian tribe.
After renewing an ancient friendship with Artas, a native prince who had furnished the javelinmen, they went on to Metapontium in Italy. They persuaded the Metapontians, who were their allies, to let them have two triremes and three hundred javelin-men; these they took with them and sailed to Thurii.
At Thurii they found that the party opposed to the Athenians had just been driven out by a revolution.
Wishing to hold another muster and inspection of their whole army, and to be sure that no one was missing, they remained there for some time. They also did their best to gain the hearty co-operation of the Thurians, and to effect an offensive and defensive alliance with them, now that they had succeeded in expelling the anti-Athenian party.