and that their pilots should not know which
of the ships that put to sea ahead of them it was better to follow. So
after considering the matter, he did as follows. The sails of the three
ships in which he and his following were carried he painted red from the
upper corner for about one third of their length, and he erected upright
poles on the prow of each, and hung lights from them, so that both by
day and by night the general's ships might be distinguishable; then he
commanded all the pilots to follow these ships. Thus with the three
ships leading the whole fleet not a single ship was left behind. And
whenever they were about to put out from a harbour, the trumpets
announced this to them.

And upon setting out from Abydus they met with strong winds which
carried them to Sigeum. And again in calm weather they proceeded more
leisurely to Malea, where the calm proved of the greatest advantage to
them. For since they had a great fleet and exceedingly large ships, as
night came on everything was thrown into confusion by reason of their
being crowded into small space, and they were brought into extreme
peril. At that time both the pilots and the rest of the sailors shewed
themselves skilful and efficient, for while shouting at the top of their
voices and making a great noise they kept pushing the ships apart with
their poles, and cleverly kept the distances between their different
vessels; but if a wind had arisen, whether a following or a head wind,
it seems to me that the sailors would hardly have preserved themselves
and their ships. But as it was, they escaped, as I have said, and put in
at Taenarum, which is now called Caenopolis.[41] Then, pressing on from
there, they touched at Methone, and found Valerian and Martinus with
their men, who had reached the same place a short time before. And since
there were no winds blowing, Belisarius anchored the ships there, and
disembarked the whole army; and after they were on shore he assigned the
commanders their positions and drew up the soldiers. And while he was
thus engaged and no wind at all arose, it came about that many of the
soldiers were destroyed by disease caused in the following manner.

The pretorian prefect, John, was a man of worthless character, and so
skilful at devising ways of bringing money into the public treasury to
the detriment of men that I, for my part, should never be competent to
describe this trait of his. But this has been said in the preceding
pa