ver, who had absolute trust in the young general, insisted
that he should have his way; and after a long and fierce debate, the
senate with almost inconceivable foolishness consented that Scipio
should sail for Carthage, as he so much desired it, but that he must do
so at the head of no more than thirty thousand or forty thousand men.

That so practical and sensible a nation should not have remembered the
lesson of the defeat of Regulus, and have known the dangers which must
be run by a small army in a foreign land, is truly surprising, and had
Massinissa, with his priceless Numidian horse, not joined the Romans,
Scipio's army would more than once have been almost certainly cut to
pieces.

* * * * *

When it became known that Scipio had landed and was besieging the old
town of Utica, the rich and pleasure-loving citizens of Carthage were
filled with despair. But this did not last long, for one of the leading
men of the city, called Hanno, collected a small force, while Hasdrubal
Gisco and Syphax the Numidian raised another, and between them both
Scipio was forced to retreat. If only Hannibal had been there----But
Hannibal was still in Italy, and no tidings of the struggle had reached
him.

Winter had now set in, and though it was only the mild winter of North
Africa, Scipio entrenched himself securely on rising ground, and
Hasdrubal Gisco with Syphax made their camps close by. The
Carthaginians, who had several times been defeated, now wished to make
peace, and Syphax, whom the Roman general was most anxious to gain over
to his side, was the messenger chosen. While discussing the terms,
Scipio suddenly learned that the Carthaginian and Numidian huts were
built solely of wood and reeds, covered with hastily woven
mats--materials which they had gathered from the woods and streams close
by.

'A spark would set them on fire, and _how_ they would burn,' said the
general to himself, and the evil thought took root, till one night
orders were given to surround the camps stealthily and put flaming
torches against the walls. In a few minutes the country round was
lighted up with a fierce blaze, and the Carthaginians, wakened from
their sleep and not knowing what was happening, were cut down on all
sides before they could defend themselves. This piece of wicked
treachery may be said to have turned the scales in favour of Rome. A
battle followed in a place called 'the great plains,' when Hasdrub