the pick of the army came into conflict with John's men. And he
killed twelve of the best men who were fighting in the front rank, and
he himself fell, having shewn himself a brave man in this engagement.
And the rout, after Ammatas fell, became complete, and the Vandals,
fleeing at top speed, swept back all those who were coming from Carthage
to Decimum. For they were advancing in no order and not drawn up as for
battle, but in companies, and small ones at that; for they were coming
in bands of twenty or thirty. And seeing the Vandals under Ammatas
fleeing, and thinking their pursuers were a great multitude, they turned
and joined in the flight. And John and his men, killing all whom they
came upon, advanced as far as the gates of Carthage. And there was so
great a slaughter of Vandals in the course of the seventy stades that
those who beheld it would have supposed that it was the work of an enemy
twenty thousand strong.

At the same time Gibamundus and his two thousand came to Pedion Halon,
which is forty stades distant from Decimum on the left as one goes to
Carthage, and is destitute of human habitation or trees or anything
else, since the salt in the water permits nothing except salt to be
produced there; in that place they encountered the Huns and were all
destroyed. Now there was a certain man among the Massagetae, well gifted
with courage and strength of body, the leader of a few men; this man had
the privilege handed down from his fathers and ancestors to be the first
in all the Hunnic armies to attack the enemy. For it was not lawful for
a man of the Massagetae to strike first in battle and capture one of the
enemy until, indeed, someone from this house began the struggle with the
enemy. So when the two armies had come not far from each other, this man
rode out and stopped alone close to the army of the Vandals. And the
Vandals, either because they were dumbfounded at the courageous spirit
of the man or perhaps because they suspected that the enemy were
contriving something against them, decided neither to move nor to shoot
at the man. And I think that, since they had never had experience of
battle with the Massagetae, but heard that the nation was very warlike,
they were for this reason terrified at the danger. And the man,
returning to his compatriots, said that God had sent them these
strangers as a ready feast. Then at length they made their onset and the
Vandals did not withstand them, but breaking their