ng cities garrisoned by Carthaginians. They were repulsed from
all of them except Segesta, which they took without resistance. Its
inhabitants because of their relationship with the Romans (they
declare they are descended from AEneas) slew the Carthaginians and
joined the Roman alliance.

VIII, 10.--On account of the winter the consuls embarked again for
Rhegium. The Carthaginians conveyed most of their army to Sardinia in
the intention of attacking Rome from that quarter. They would thus
either rout them out of Sicily altogether or would render them weaker
after they had crossed. Yet they achieved neither the one object nor
the other. The Romans both kept guard over their own land and sent a
respectable force to Sicily with Postumius Albinus and Quintus
AEmilius.[15] [Sidenote: B.C. 262 (_a.u._ 492)] On arriving in Sicily
the consuls set out for Agrigentum and there besieged Hannibal the son
of Gisco. The people of Carthage, when apprised of it, sent Hanno,
with a powerful support, to aid him in the warfare. This leader
arrived at Heraclea, not far from Agrigentum, and was soon engaged in
war. A number of battles, but not great ones, took place. At first
Hanno challenged the consuls to fight, then later on the Romans
challenged him. For as long as the Romans had an abundance of food,
they did not venture to contend against a superior force, and were
hoping to get possession of the city by famine; when, however, they
encountered a permanent shortage of grain, they displayed a zeal for
taking risks, but Hanno showed hesitation; their eagerness led him to
suspect that he might be ambushed. Everybody therefore was satisfied
to revere the Romans as easy conquerors, and Hiero, who once
cooeperated with them sulkily, now sent them grain, so that even the
consuls took heart.

[Footnote 15: In Roman records these persons are known respectively as
L. Postumius L. F. L. N. Megellus and Q. Mamilius Q. F. M. N.
Vitulus.]

Hanno now undertook to bring on a battle, expecting that Hannibal
would fall upon the Romans in the rear, assailing them from the wall.
The consuls learned his plan but remained inactive, and Hanno in scorn
approached their intrenchments. They also sent some men to lie in
ambush behind him. When toward evening he fearlessly and
contemptuously led a charge, the Romans joined battle with him from
ambush and from palisade and wrought a great slaughter of the enemy
and of the elephants besides. Hannibal had in the