CHAPTER XXVI.

THE AFRICAN WAR.

B.C. 46.

On the 25th of January about the first watch Caesar ordered the scouts to be ready and all who were necessary for the purpose which he had in view. Nobody knew his design. At the beginning of the third watch he ordered all the legions to leave the camp and to follow him towards Ruspina, in which town he had a garrison. He then descended a gentle slope and following the left part of the plain led his legions along the sea. This plain, which was about twelve miles in extent, was surrounded by a ridge of hills, not very high, which began at the coast and formed a kind of theatre. On this ridge were a few lofty eminences, on which stood several towers and ancient watch-posts, and in the furthest of them Scipio had placed a force. Caesar's object was to occupy part of the hills which surrounded the plain, for he was not yet strong enough to meet Scipio on level ground. After ascending the ridge Caesar began to form earth-works on every eminence and at every tower. When he had advanced nearly as far as the furthest hill and tower, which was nearest to the enemy's camp, which position, as it has been said, was occupied by the enemy, he halted awhile and after examining the ground and placing his cavalry to protect the legions, he ordered a ditch to be made on the plateau of the ridge, from the point to which he had advanced, to that from which he had set out.

As soon as the enemy saw what he was doing, all their

1 'Apparitores." I do not know who they were.

cavalry was brought out of the camp about a mile from the lines and arranged in fighting order: the infantry was placed in the rear about four hundred paces from the camp. Caesar commanded his men to continue their work; but when the enemy had approached within a mile and a half and he saw that their purpose was to drive his men away, and that it was necessary to withdraw them, he ordered a troop of Spanish cavalry to hurry to the nearest hill and dislodge the enemy, and a few light-armed men were sent to support them. The Numidians, who occupied the hill, were driven off; some were made prisoners, others were wounded and the hill was taken by Caesar's men. Observing what had happened, Labienus took almost all the right wing of his cavalry from the position which they occupied, and hastened to protect the flying Numidians. Caesar immediately seized the opportunity and sent the left wing of his cavalry to cut off Labienus from the main body of the enemy's cavalry.

In the plain there was a large country house defended by four towers, which prevented Labienus from seeing that he was intercepted by Caesar's horsemen; and in fact he only saw them when they began to fall on the rear of his troops. The Numidian cavalry turned round and fled in terror towards the camp; but the Gauls and Germans maintained their ground till being attacked from a higher position and surrounded they were all cut to pieces. The legions of Scipio bewildered at what they saw ran back to their camp and crowded into it by all the gates. When the hills and plain were cleared of Scipio's troops, Caesar gave the signal for retreat and placed all the cavalry within his lines on the ridge. Some of these Gauls and Germans had followed Labienus from Gallia through the great reputation which he had, and others were induced by money and promises: there were also some who had been taken at the defeat of Curio, and being spared were ready to prove their gratitude by their fidelity. The bodies of these horsemen, remarkable for their beauty and size, lay scattered over the plain. Labienus on this day learned by experience that he was no match for his old general, and he saved himself by precipitate flight.

Guischardt remarks that Caesar by his new position covered

the towns of Ruspina, Leptis and others from which he drew supplies he could watch the enemy closely and look out for opportunities of fighting with advantage. Caesar does not say how his lines to the sea from Ruspina and his camp were protected, but we have been told that they were so strong as hardly to require protection; and Scipio could not attack them without risk of being taken in the flank and rear by Caesar from his new lines.

On the next day Caesar led his troops from their position. and drew them up in the plain, but Scipio did not leave his camp. Caesar then advanced slowly along the foot of the hills, and approached nearer to Scipio's camp. The legions were now less than a mile from the town of Uzita, which was in the possession of Scipio, whence he got water and other supplies; and as he was afraid of losing the place he came out of his camp, and formed his troops in four lines: the first line was composed of companies of cavalry with intervals between them, which were filled up by the elephants which carried towers and armed men. Caesar thought that Scipio

intended to fight, but he halted before the town and covered his centre by it: his right and left wings, where the elephants were placed, stood in full sight of his opponents. Caesar waited till near sunset, but Scipio did not leave his ground, and it was clear that he intended to defend himself in this position, if it should be necessary, and not to fight in the open plain. Caesar therefore did not think it prudent to approach nearer to Uzita, for he knew that there was a large body of Numidians in the town and that it covered the enemy's centre; it would therefore be difficult at the same time to assault Uzita, and to fight on the right and left wings in an unfavourable position with his men, who had eaten nothing all day. Accordingly Caesar led back his troops, and on the next day he began to extend his lines further towards the enemy.

During this time Considius was besieging Acilla where Messius commanded. Considius brought his works up to the place several times, but they were burnt by the townsWhen he heard of the defeat of Scipio's cavalry, he destroyed all the corn, of which he had a great store in the

men.

camp, wasted the wine, oil, and other supplies, raised the siege, sent back part of the troops to Scipio and retired by a circuitous road through Juba's kingdom to Adrumetum.

The author (c. 44) gives another example of Scipio's savage character. A ship, which belonged to the second convoy and contained two Roman equites, was carried by the wind to Thapsus and taken by Vergilius. Another vessel was taken by the fleet of Varus and M. Octavius at the island Aegimurus, Zavamoore, in the gulf of Carthage. It contained some veterans with a centurion and some recruits, all of whom Varus sent to Scipio. The general offered them their lives and rewards, if they would join him; but the centurion, who belonged to the fourteenth legion, refused the offer: he would not fight against his old commander, but he was ready to give Scipio evidence of the kind of men who served Caesar. He proposed that Scipio should select his bravest cohort and allow him to take ten of his comrades who were now in Scipio's power, and they would show by their courage what he ought to expect from his own men. The story is rather strange, but if the centurion expected that he should certainly lose his life, we may suppose that he preferred being killed in the unequal contest to dying by the hands of the executioner. Scipio maddened by the taunt made a sign to his centurions, and the bold Roman was massacred in his presence. The rest of the veterans were put to death outside of the camp in a cruel manner, and the recruits were distributed among the legions. The two equites, who had been taken by Vergilius, were not allowed to appear before Scipio, from which we conclude that they were sent to him, but we are not told why they escaped death. Caesar was vexed at the negligence of those who were stationed off Thapsus in the ships of war to protect his transports: they were ignominiously dismissed from the army and he issued a general order in which they were severely censured.

During this time Caesar's army experienced one of those horrible storms which are common in this part of Africa. At the setting of the Pleiades, about the second watch of the night, there came a violent hurricane accompanied with hail as large as stones. The men were not in winter-quarters according to

2

custom, and it was now the third or fourth day that they were pushing their works forward towards the enemy, and as they were thus constantly employed on their entrenchments, they had no time to look after themselves. When they were brought over from Sicily, Caesar would not allow anything to be put on board the vessels except the soldier and his arms; and since their arrival in Africa they had not been able to furnish themselves with anything, and in consequence of the high price of food they had expended all the money that they had, and were reduced to such a condition that only a few had tents of skins to shelter them. The rest protected themselves under huts made of their own clothing and of reeds and thin branches interwoven. The rain and hail threw down the wretched coverings, the fires were extinguished, and all the food in the camp was spoiled. The men rambled about in confusion and could only protect their heads with their shields. The points of the pila of the fifth legion appeared to be in a blaze (c. 47).

The news of the defeat of Scipio's cavalry had reached Juba, who now left Saburra with part of his army to oppose Sittius, and came at Scipio's request to join him. He brought three legions, eight hundred horsemen who had bridles, a great number of Numidian horsemen who used no bridles and of light-armed troops, and thirty elephants. He made his camp near that of Scipio. The soldiers of Caesar had looked forward with alarm to the arrival of Juba, but when he came and they saw what kind of troops he had, their fears were dispelled. However it appeared that the king's troops gave Scipio confidence, for on the next day he brought out all his men with those of the king and the sixty elephants, and formed them in battle order in such way as to make the greatest possible display. He advanced from his entrenchments a little further than usual, but he soon returned to his camp.

Caesar knowing that nearly all the troops which Scipio expected had arrived and that there would soon be a battle, advanced with his forces along the plateau, and began to

2 "In tertio quartoque die." The text may not be quite correct. VOL. V.