Passage 4.25.8
οἱ δὲ ὁπότε ἀνακοπεῖεν, κατʼ ἄλλο αὖθις πειρώμενοι διακόψαι τὴν Ἀκαρνάνων φάλαγγα τὸ αὐτὸ ἂν ἔπασχον· ὅτῳ μὲν προσβάλλοιεν, διέσειόν τε καὶ τροπὴν ἐπὶ βραχὺ ἐποίουν, ἐπιρρεόντων δὲ αὖθις κατὰ τοῦτο σπουδῇ τῶν Ἀκαρνάνων ἀπετρέποντο ἄκοντες. γενομένου δὲ ἰσορρόπου τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἄχρι ἑσπέρας καὶ Ἀκαρνᾶσιν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα ἐπελθούσης δυνάμεως ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων, οὕτω τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις περιειστήκει πολιορκία.
Whenever the Messenians pressed forward and were held back, then made fresh attempts elsewhere to break through the Acarnanian line, they suffered the same outcome again and again. At whichever point they moved to attack, they shook their adversaries and momentarily forced them into retreat; yet whenever the Acarnanians swiftly reinforced the threatened spot, the Messenians were unwillingly repulsed. When the struggle remained indecisive until evening, and during the following night the Acarnanians received reinforcements from their cities, the Messenians found themselves surrounded and under siege.