The troops that were at Chios under
									Eteonicus See I. vi. 36
									f. 406 B.C. subsisted, so long as
								the summer lasted, upon the produce of the season and by working for
								hire up and down the island; when winter came on, however, and they
								were without food and poorly clad and unshod, they got together and
								agreed to make an attack upon Chios; and it was decided that those
								who approved this plan should carry a reed, so that they could tell
								how numerous they were. Now when Eteonicus learned of the plot, he was uncertain how to deal
								with the matter on account of the great number of the reed-bearers.
								To attack them openly seemed to him to be dangerous, for he feared
								that they might rush to their arms, gain possession of the city,
								turn enemies, and so ruin everything, in case they should prevail;
								while, in the other case, to be putting allied soldiers to death in
								such numbers was also clearly a serious matter, for in this way the
								Lacedaemonians might incur harsh criticism among the other Greeks as
								well, and the troops might be disaffected toward the cause. Accordingly he took with him fifteen men armed with daggers and
								proceeded through the city, and meeting a man suffering from
								ophthalmia as he was leaving a physician’s house, a reed in his
								hand, he put him to death. And when an uproar resulted and people asked why the man had been put
								to death, Eteonicus ordered his followers to give out word that 406
										B.C. it was because he had the reed. As a
								result of this announcement all those who were carrying reeds threw
								them away, each man as he heard the report being afraid that he
								might be seen with one. After this Eteonicus called together the Chians and bade them
								contribute money, in order that the sailors might get their pay and
								not attempt anything seditious; and the Chians did so. At the same
								time he ordered his men to embark upon their ships; and going along
								past each ship in its turn he encouraged and advised them at length,
								as though he knew nothing of what had happened, and distributed a
								month’s pay to all hands.