We left Philip at Thermus. Taking all the booty which it was possible to drive or carry off he started from Thermus, returning by the same road as that by which he had come, and placing the booty and heavy-armed troops in front, and the Acarnanians and mercenaries in the rear.
He was in great haste to get though the difficult pass, as he expected that the Aetolians, relying on the strength of the positions near it, would fall on his rear, as they actually did at once.
They had gathered to defend their country to the number of about three thousand, and as long as Philip was on the heights did not approach him, but remained in certain hidden strongholds under the command of Alexander of Trichonium. As soon, however, as the rearguard had moved out of Thermus they entered the town at once and attacked the last ranks.
When the rearguard had thus been thrown into some confusion, the Aetolians fell on it with more determination and did some execution, being emboldened by the nature of the ground.
But Philip, having foreseen this, had concealed under a hill on the descent the Illyrians and a picked force of peltasts, and when they sprang up from their ambush and charged those of the enemy who had advanced farthest in the pursuit of the rearguard, the whole Aetolian force fled in complete route across country with the loss of one hundred and thirty killed and about as many prisoners.
After this success the rearguard, setting fire to Pamphium, soon got through the pass in safety and joined the Macedonians, Philip having encamped at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Metapa&groupId=762&placeId=1382">Metapa</a> to wait for them there.
Next day, after razing <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Metapa&groupId=762&placeId=1382">Metapa</a> to the ground, he continued his march and encamped near a town called Acrae,
and on the following day advanced laying the country waste, encamping that night at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Conope&groupId=489&placeId=919">Conope</a>, where he remained all the next day.
On the following day he broke up his camp and marched along the Achelous upon Stratus, on reaching which he crossed the river and halted his army out of range, challenging the defenders to attack him.
Walbank Commentary