καὶ ἔδοξεν—cf. VIII. 8 ἐβουλεύοντο, καὶ ἔδοξε πρῶτον ἐς Χῖον πλεῖν αὐτοῖς.
ὅμως—in spite of his previous indifference; VI. 104 ὑπερεῖδε τὸ πλῆθος . . . καὶ οὐδεμίαν φυλακήν πω ἐποιεῖτο.
ἃς . . . ἀπέστειλε—aor. for plup. in dependent clause, as constantly.
πυνθανόμενος . . . εἶναι—generally πυνθάνομαι and αἰσθάνομαι take the partic.
φυλακὴν—concrete, as in φυλακὰς καθίστασθαι II. 24.
περαιοῦνται διὰ—cf. I. 107 διὰ τοῦ κόλπου περαιοῦσθαι. The accus. is the ordinary constr.
τοῦ πορθμοῦ—IV. 24 ἔστι δὲ ὁ πορθμὸς ἡ μεταξὺ Ῥηγίου θἀλασσα καὶ Μεσσήνης.
σχόντες Ῥηγίῳ—σχεῖν is also constructed with ἐς and κατά. (Bekker Anecd. I. 173 σχών, δοτικῇ: Θουκυδίδης ἑβδόμῳ.)
Μεσσήνῃ—its older name was Zancle, from Sicel Danklon, a reaping-hook, = ἀγκών.
