as they were ill manned.  After they had been something less than five days at sea they put into the harbor of Pachynus.  The crews were driven to satisfy their hunger on the roots of the dwarf palm, which grew, and indeed still grows, in abundance on that spot.  Cleomenes meanwhile was following the example of his patron.  He had his tent pitched on the shore, and sat in it drinking from morning to night.  While he was thus employed tidings were brought that the pirate fleet was approaching.  He was ill prepared for an engagement.  His hope had been to complete the manning of his ships from the garrison of the fort.  But Verres had dealt with the fort as he had dealt with the fleet.  The soldiers were as imaginary as the sailors.  Still a man of courage would have fought.  His own ship was fairly well manned, and was of a commanding size, quite able to overpower the light vessels of the pirates; and such a crew as there was was eager to fight.  But Cleomenes was as cowardly as he was incompetent.  He ordered the mast of his ship to be hoisted, the sails to be set, and the cable cut, and made off with all speed.  The rest of his fleet could do nothing but follow his example.  The pirates gave chase, and captured two of the ships as they fled.  Cleomenes reached the port of Helorus, stranded his ship, and left it to its fate.  His colleagues did the same.  The pirate chief found them thus deserted and burned them.  He had then the audacity to sail into the inner harbor of Syracuse, a place into which, we are told, only one hostile fleet, the ill-fated Athenian expedition, three centuries and a half before, had ever penetrated.  The rage of the inhabitants at this spectacle exceeded all bounds, and Verres felt that a victim must be sacrificed.  He was, of course, himself the chief culprit.  Next in guilt to him was Cleomenes.  But Cleomenes was spared for the same scandalous reason which had caused his appointment to the command.  The other captains, who might indeed have shown more courage, but who were comparatively blameless, were ordered to execution.  It seemed all the more necessary to remove them because they could have given inconvenient testimony as to the inefficient condition of the ships.

The cruelty of Verres was indeed as conspicuous as his avarice.  Of this, as of his other vices, it would not suit the purpose of this book to speak in detail.  One conspicuous example will suffice.  A certain Gavius had given offense, how we know not, and had been confined in the disused stone quarries which served for the public prison of Syracuse.  From these he contrived to escape, and made his way to Messana.  Unluckily for himself, he did not know that Messana was the one place in Sicily where it would not be safe to speak against the governor.  Just as he was about to embark for Italy he was heard to complain of the treatment which he had received, and was arrested and brought before the chief magistrate of the town.  Verres happened to come to the town