Reinforcements Sent to Various Cities
Just then intelligence reached him that Attalus had
crossed the sea and, dropping anchor at Peparethos, had
occupied the island. He therefore despatched a body of men
to the islanders to garrison their city; and at the same time
despatched Polyphontes with an adequate force into Phocis and
Boeotia; and Menippus, with a thousand peltasts and five
hundred Agrianes to Chalcis and the rest of Euboea; while he
himself advanced to Scotusa, and sent word at the same time
to the Macedonians to meet him at that town. But when he
learnt that Attalus had sailed into the port of Nicaea, and that
the leaders of the Aetolians were collecting at Heraclea, with
the purpose of holding a conference together on the immediate
steps to be taken, he started with his army from Scotusa, eager
to hurry thither and break up their meeting. He arrived too
late to interrupt the conference: but he destroyed or carried
off the corn belonging to the people along the Aenianian gulf,
and then returned. After this he left his army in Scotusa
once more; and, with the light-armed troops and the royal
guard, went to Demetrias, and there remained, waiting to see
what the enemy would attempt. To secure that he should be
kept perfectly acquainted with all their movements, he sent
messengers to the Peparethii, and to his troops in Phocis and
Euboea, and ordered them to telegraph to him everything
which happened, by means of fire signals directed to Mount
Tisaeum, which is a mountain of Thessaly conveniently situated
for commanding a view of those places.
