"…I posed as an envoy from Thurii, and after much effort, I finally reached Sparta. In the Gerousia, I explained to the Spartan elders the calamities Thurii had suffered and requested reinforcements from them."
"Brilliant!" exclaimed Phrynis, unable to hold back his admiration as Bourkos recounted this part of his journey. Several other generals visibly relaxed, reassured that Sparta did not seem overly concerned about Thurii's past assistance to Athens.
"Fortunately, we acted promptly, or Sparta wouldn't have treated us this way," Kunogorata interjected, and the other generals nodded in agreement. Whether Sparta's attitude shifted due to Thurii's expulsion of Athenian descendants or because they simply didn't care about Thurii, the generals—many of whom had supported the expulsion—needed this pretense of justification to quell their lingering guilt.
