ongside. Then on the part of both alike the conflict became most
diverse and fierce. Caesar's men damaged the lower parts of the ships all
around, crushed the oars, knocked off the rudders, and climbed on the
decks, where they took hold of some and pulled them down, pushed off
others, and fought with still others, since they were now equal to them
in numbers. Antony's soldiers pushed them back with boathooks, cut them
down with axes, threw down upon them rocks and other masses of material
made ready for just this purpose, repulsed those that tried to climb up,
and joined issue with such as came close enough.

And one viewing the business might have compared it, likening small
things to great, to walls or many thickset islands being besieged by sea.
Thus the one party strove to scale the boats like some land or fortress
and eagerly brought to bear everything that contributed to this result.
The others tried to repel them, devising every means that is commonly
used in such, a case.

[-34-] As the fight continued equal, Caesar, at a loss what he should do,
sent for fire from the camp. Previously he had wished to avoid using
it, in order to gain possession of the money. Now he saw that it was
impossible for him to win in any other way, and had recourse to this, as
the only thing that would assist him. Thus another form of battle was
brought about. The assailants would approach their victims from many
directions at once, shoot blazing missiles at them, and hurl torches
fastened to javelins from their hands, and with the aid of engines threw
pots full of charcoal and pitch upon some boats from a distance. The
defenders tried to ward these off individually and when any of them flew
past and caught the timbers and at once started a great flame, as must be
the case in a ship, they used first the drinking-water which they carried
on board and extinguished some conflagrations: when that was gone they
dipped up the sea-water. And in case they could use great quantities of
it at once, they would stop the fire by main force: but they were unable
to do this everywhere, for they did not have many buckets or large ones,
and in their confusion brought them up half full, so that far from doing
any service they only quickened the flame. For salt water poured on
a fire in small quantities makes it burn up brightly. As they found
themselves getting the worst of it in this, they heaped on the blaze
their thick mantles and the corpses. For a t