o assist them. And while Pyrrhus saw
nothing in Sicily but disaffection and insurrection against his power,
he received despatches from the Tarentines and Samnites, informing him
that they were confined to the walls of their cities, and even so
could barely defend themselves against the Romans, while their lands
were all being laid waste, and they urgently needed help. This
intelligence prevented his withdrawal from Sicily being regarded as a
flight, but in reality he had failed in his attempt to conquer that
island, and was as eager to return to Italy as a shipwrecked sailor is
to reach the shore. It is said that as he was sailing away he looked
back at Sicily and said to his friends, "What a fair field we are
leaving for the Romans and Carthaginians to fight in." This prophecy,
as he expected, was soon afterwards fulfilled.

XXIV. The barbarians[46] combined to attack him as he retreated. He
fought a battle at sea with the Carthaginian fleet during his passage
to Italy, in which he lost many ships, while the Mamertines, ten
thousand strong, had crossed into Italy before he could reach it, and
although they did not dare to fight a pitched battle, yet harassed him
by attacking him when entangled in some rough ground, and threw his
entire army into confusion. Two elephants and many of his rear-guard
perished. Pyrrhus himself was at the head of the column of march, but
at once rode to the rear and restored the fight, but was in great
danger from the brave and warlike Mamertines. He received a blow upon
his head from a sword, which forced him to retire a little way from
the battle, and greatly elated the enemy. One of them, a powerful man,
splendidly armed, ran forward far beyond the rest, and boastfully
challenged him to come forward and fight, if he were alive. At this
Pyrrhus was so exasperated that he broke forcibly away from the
officers who tried to restrain him, and, with his face covered with
blood, and a savage expression of fury on his countenance, rushed upon
the barbarian, and struck him a blow on the head which showed both the
strength of his arm and the admirable temper of his sword, for it
clave him completely asunder, so that his body fell down in two
pieces. This checked the ardour of the barbarians, who admired and
feared Pyrrhus as a superior being. He was able to march unopposed for
the rest of the way to Tarentum, to which city he brought a force of
twenty thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry.