t the lake Avernus, either came themselves or sent any
letter or message, perceiving that he had carelessly followed delusive
promises, moved his camp thence. Even after this he did not offer any
violence to the Tarentine territory, not quitting the hope of shaking
their allegiance to the Romans, though his simulated lenity had
hitherto been of no advantage to him; but as soon as he came to
Salapia he collected stores of corn there from the Metapontine and
Heraclean lands; for midsummer was now past, and the situation pleased
him as a place for winter quarters. From hence the Moors and Numidians
were detached to plunder the territory of Sallentum, and the
neighbouring woods of Apulia, from which not much booty of any other
sort was obtained, but principally droves of horses, four thousand of
which were distributed among his horsemen to be broken.

21. The Romans, since a war by no means to be despised was springing
up in Sicily, and the death of the tyrant had furnished the Syracusans
with more enterprising leaders, rather than changed their attachment
to the Carthaginian cause, or the state of their minds, decreed that
province to Marcus Marcellus, one of their consuls. After the
assassination of Hieronymus, at first a tumult had taken place among
the soldiery in the territory of the Leontines. They exclaimed
furiously that the manes of the king should be appeased with the blood
of the conspirators. Afterwards the frequent repetition of the word
liberty, which was restored to them, a word so delightful to the ear,
the hopes they had conceived of largesses from the royal treasury, and
of serving in future under better generals, the relation of the horrid
crimes and more horrid lusts of the tyrant, effected such an
alteration in their sentiments, that they suffered to lie unburied the
corpse of the king, whom a little before they regretted. As the rest
of the conspirators remained behind, in order to keep the army on
their side, Theodotus and Sosis, mounted on the king's horses, rode
off to Syracuse with all possible speed, that they might surprise the
king's party, while unacquainted with all that had occurred. But they
were anticipated not only by report, than which nothing is swifter in
such affairs, but also by a messenger who was one of the royal
servants. In consequence, Andranodorus had occupied with strong
garrisons the Insula and the citadel, and every other convenient part
which he could. After sunset, when it