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It chanced here that there was a meeting between the ship of
Themistocles, which was hasting in pursuit of the enemy, and that of
Polycritus, son of Crius the Eginetan, which had just charged a
Sidonian trireme. The Sidonian vessel was the same that captured the
Eginetan guard-ship off Sciathus, which had Pythias, the son of
Ischenous, on board - that Pythias, I mean, who fell covered with
wounds, and whom the Sidonians kept on board their ship, from
admiration of his gallantry. This man afterwards returned in safety to
Egina; for when the Sidonian vessel with its Persian crew fell into
the hands of the Greeks, he was still found on board. Polycritus no
sooner saw the Athenian trireme than, knowing at once whose vessel it
was, as he observed that it bore the ensign of the admiral, he shouted
to Themistocles jeeringly, and asked him, in a tone of reproach, if
the Eginetans did not show themselves rare friends to the Medes. At
the same time, while he thus reproached Themistocles, Polycritus
bore straight down on the Sidonian. Such of the barbarian vessels as
escaped from the battle fled to Phalerum, and there sheltered
themselves under the protection of the land army.
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