w enemy confronted the Romans.
[Sidenote: Bocchus joins Jugurtha.] Bocchus, king of Mauretania,
formed an alliance with his son-in-law, Jugurtha, and was induced by
him to march against Cirta, which was in the possession of the Romans.
About the same time Metellus heard that Marius was coming to supersede
him. The proud man shed tears of rage, and would not move further for
fear of hazarding his own reputation, or lessening the difficulties of
his successor.

[Sidenote: Marius succeeds to the command.] The African war now
promised hard work and little glory or profit to the soldiers, and
Jugurtha's bribing days were over. Hence it was hard to recruit the
legions, and Marius took men from the Proletarii and Capite Censi,
classes usually exempt from service. With these troops, who would be
more easily satisfied and more manageable, he filled up the gaps in
the legions in Africa, and set to work, as Metellus had done, taking
towns and forts and plundering the country. Bocchus had separated from
Jugurtha, for they hoped that the Romans having two foes to chase
would be the more easily harassed. But Marius was always on his guard,
and beat, though he could never capture, Jugurtha whenever he came
across him. [Sidenote: Capture of Capsa.] There is an oasis in the
south of Tunis, and a town, Gafsa, in it, which in those days was
called Capsa. This town Marius captured after a laborious march
of nine or ten days, and, though the inhabitants surrendered, he
ruthlessly massacred every adult Numidian in it, and sold the rest as
slaves. One other exploit of his is told by Sallust, but with
such blunders of geography as render identification of the place
impossible. Carrying fire and sword through the land, Marius reached
a fort in which the king's treasures were. It stood on a precipice,
which was considered inaccessible on all sides but one. For many days
he strove in vain to gain the walls by this road, and only an accident
saved him from failure in the end. A Ligurian in the army, while
gathering snails, unconsciously got nearly to the top of the hill.
Finding this out he clambered further and got a full view of the town.
[Sidenote: Capture of another stronghold.] Next day Marius sent ten
men with horns and trumpets and the Ligurian as guide, while he
himself assailed the town by the road. As soon as they were at the
top he ordered an assault on the walls. The men marched up with their
shields locked over their heads, and at th