hom carried a snake
in its talons, while the other flew along with loud and inspiriting
cries, pointed them out to the soldiers, who all began to pray and
invoke the gods.

XXVII. The time of year was the beginning of summer, near the solstice
at the end of the month Thargelion.[A] A thick mist rose from the river,
and all the plain was concealed in fog, so that nothing could be seen of
the enemy, but only a confused murmur from the movement of that great
host reached the hill. The Corinthians, when they had reached the
summit, paused and piled their arms. Now the sun shone out, and the mist
rose from the valley. Gathering together, it hung in clouds about the
hill-tops, while below, the river Krimesus appeared, with the enemy
crossing it.

[Footnote A: About May.]

First went the four-horse chariots in terrible pomp, all drawn up in
battle array, while next to them followed ten thousand hoplites with
white shields. These they conjectured to be native Carthaginians by the
splendour of their equipments and their slow and orderly march.
Following these came the other nations, turbulently and confusedly
struggling across. Timoleon, seeing that the river kept off the mass of
the enemy, and allowed them to fight with just so many as they chose,
pointed out to his soldiers how the enemy's array was broken by the
stream, some having crossed, and some being still crossing. He ordered
Demaretus to take the cavalry and charge the Carthaginians, to prevent
their having time to form in order of battle. But he himself marched
down to the plain, having drawn up his force with the other Sicilian
Greeks and a few strangers on each of the wings, but with his Syracusans
and the best of the paid force under his own command in the centre.

For a short time he held back, watching the effect of the cavalry
charge; but seeing that they were unable to come to blows with the
Carthaginians because of the chariots which careered about in front of
their ranks, and that they constantly had to fall back to avoid their
array being broken, and then to make short rushes as occasion served, he
himself took his shield, and called to the infantry to follow him and be
of good cheer. It seemed to them that his voice was more than man's,
and louder than was his wont, either from their faculties being strained
by the excitement of the contest, or else because, as most of them
believed, some god shouted with him. Quickly they raised their war-cry
in answe