Passage 4.8.11
καὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἅμα εἶργε μὴ πρόσω τοῖς ἀποχωροῦσιν ἐπακολουθεῖν οὐχ ἥκιστα καὶ ἡ ἀπειρία τῶν τόπων. ἦν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἄλλως πάτριον σχολαιοτέρας τὰς διώξεις ποιεῖσθαι, μὴ διαλῦσαι τὴν τάξιν πλείονα ἔχοντας πρόνοιαν ἤ τινα ἀποκτεῖναι φεύγοντα. τὰ δὲ μέσα ἀμφοτέροις, ᾗ Λακεδαιμονίων ὁ Εὐρυλέων, Μεσσηνίοις δὲ Κλέοννις ἡγεῖτο, ἰσοπαλῶς μὲν ἠγωνίζοντο, διέλυσε δὲ ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων καὶ τούτους ἐπελθοῦσα ἡ νύξ.
And what prevented the Lacedaemonians particularly from pursuing further those who retreated was their unfamiliarity with the region. Moreover, it was their ancestral custom in any case to carry out pursuits rather slowly, believing it more important to preserve their formation than to kill a fleeing enemy. As for the central divisions on both sides, where Euryleon commanded the Lacedaemonians and Cleonnis the Messenians, they fought on equal terms, until night came upon them and separated these forces as well.