οὔπω γοῦν ἐδεδύκει ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ἀπό τινος ἐρήμου νήσου προσήλαυνον ἡμῖν ὅσον εἴκοσι ἄνδρες ἐπὶ δελφίνων μεγάλων ὀχούμενοι, λῃσταὶ καὶ οὗτοι· καὶ οἱ δελφῖνες αὐτοὺς ἔφερον ἀσφαλῶς, καὶ ἀναπηδῶντες ἐχρεμέτιζον ὥσπερ ἵπποι. ἐπεὶ δὲ πλησίον ἦσαν, διαστάντες οἱ μὲν ἔνθεν, οἱ δὲ ἔνθεν ἔβαλλον ἡμᾶς σηπίαις ξηραῖς καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς καρκίνων. τοξευόντων δὲ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀκοντιζόντων οὐκέτι ὑπέμενον, ἀλλὰ τρωθέντες οἱ πολλοὶ αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν νῆσον κατέφυγον.
notes
ἐδεδύκει: plupl. of δύω, “had set”
προσήλαυνον: impf. of προσ-ἐλαύνω, “they drove toward us”
ὅσον εἴκοσι: “about twenty”
λῃσταὶ καὶ οὗτοι: “these were pirates too”
ἀναπηδῶντες: ao. part. of ἀνα-πηδάω, “having lept up”
διαστάντες: ao. part. intrans. of δια-ἵστημι, “dividing themselves”
ἔβαλλον: impf. “they were casting”
σηπίαις ξηραῖς καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς: dat. of means, “with dry cuttlefish and the eyes of crabs”
τοξευόντων δὲ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀκοντιζόντων: gen. abs., “when we started firing”
τρωθέντες: ao. part. pas. of τρωματίζω, “having been wounded”
κατέφυγον: ao. of κατα-φεύγω, “they fled”
vocabulary
οὔπω: not yet
γοῦν: at least then, at any rate, any way
δύω: sink into
ἐρήμος, -ον: deserted
προσελαύνω: drive to
δελφίς, -ῖνος, ὁ: a dolphin
ὀχέω: uphold, sustain
λῃστής, -οῦ, ὁ: a robber, plunderer
ἀσφαλής, -ές: not liable to fall, steadfast, firm
ἀναπηδάω: leap up, start up
χρεμετίζω: neigh, whinny
πλήσιος , -α, -ον: near, close to
διίστημι: set apart, separate
ἔνθεν: on the one side
σηπία, ἡ: the cuttle-fish
ξηρός, -ά, -όν: dry
καρκίνος, ὁ: a crab
τοξεύω: shoot with the bow
ἀκοντίζω: hurl a javelin
ὑπομένω: stay behind, survive
τιτρώσκω: wound
καταφεύγω: flee for refuge