beneath their coats of mail, quitting their
own party, and riding up to the enemy under the semblance of
deserters, with their bucklers behind them, suddenly leap down from
their horses; and, throwing down their bucklers and javelins at the
feet of their enemies, are received into their centre, and being
conducted to the rear, ordered to remain there; and there they
continued until the battle became general. But afterwards, when the
thoughts and attention of all were occupied with the contest,
snatching up the shields which lay scattered on all hands among the
heaps of slain, they fell upon the rear of the Roman line, and
striking their backs and wounding their hams, occasioned vast havoc,
and still greater panic and confusion. While in one part terror and
flight prevailed, in another the battle was obstinately persisted in,
though with little hope. Hasdrubal, who was then commanding in that
quarter, withdrawing the Numidians from the centre of the army, as the
conflict with their opponents was slight, sends them in pursuit of the
scattered fugitives, and joining the Africans, now almost weary with
slaying rather than fighting the Spanish and Gallic infantry.

49. On the other side of the field, Paulus, though severely wounded
from a sling in the very commencement of the battle, with a compact
body of troops, frequently opposed himself to Hannibal, and in several
quarters restored the battle, the Roman cavalry protecting him; who,
at length, when the consul had not strength enough even to manage his
horse, dismounted from their horses. And when some one brought
intelligence that the consul had ordered the cavalry to dismount, it
is said that Hannibal observed, "How much rather would I that he
delivered them to me in chains." The fight maintained by the
dismounted cavalry was such as might be expected, when the victory was
undoubtedly on the side of the enemy, the vanquished preferring death
in their places to flight; and the conquerors, who were enraged at
them for delaying the victory, butchering those whom they could not
put to flight. They at length, however, drove the few who remained
away, worn out with exertion and wounds. After that they were all
dispersed, and such as could, sought to regain their horses for
flight. Cneius Lentulus, a military tribune, seeing, as he rode by,
the consul sitting upon a stone and covered with blood, said to him:
"Lucius Aemilius! the only man whom the gods ought to regard as being