they were to meet the admiral, on board his own trireme. These men he
sent to Carthage: the rest he captured without their so much as
lifting a weapon.

[Footnote 16: This name should in both cases be Gnaeus.]

[Footnote 17: [See previous footnote.]]

VIII, 11.--Then Hannibal continued the ravaging of Italy, while
Hamilcar made a campaign against Segesta, where the Romans had most of
their infantry force. Gaius Caecilius, a military tribune, wanted to
assist them, but Hamilcar waylaid him and slaughtered many of his
followers. The people of Rome learning this at once sent out the
praetor urbanus and incited Duillius to haste. On coming to Sicily he
learned the fact that the ships of the Carthaginians were inferior to
his own in stoutness and size, but excelled in the quickness of their
rowing and variety of movement. Therefore he fitted out his triremes
with mechanical devices,--anchors and grappling irons with long spikes
and other such things,--in order that by laying hold of the hostile
ships with these they might pin them fast to their own vessels; then
by crossing over into them they might have a hand to hand conflict
with the Carthaginians and engage them just as in an infantry battle.
When the Carthaginians began the fight with the Roman ships, they
sailed round and round them using the oars rapidly and would make
sudden dashes. So for the time the conflict was an evenly matched one:
later the Romans got the upper hand and sank numbers of crews,
retaining possession also of large numbers. Hannibal conducted the
fight on a boat of seven banks, but when his own ship became entangled
with a trireme, he feared capture, hastily left the seven banked
affair, and transferring to another ship effected his escape.

This was the way, then, that the naval battle resulted, and much spoil
was taken. [Sidenote: FRAG. 43^13] THE CARTHAGINIANS WOULD HAVE PUT
HANNIBAL TO DEATH ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEFEAT, IF HE HAD NOT IMMEDIATELY
ENQUIRED OF THEM WHETHER, GRANTED THAT THE BUSINESS WERE STILL
UNTOUCHED, THEY WOULD BID HIM RISK A SEA-FIGHT OR NOT. THEY AGREED
THAT HE OUGHT TO FIGHT, FOR THEY PRIDED THEMSELVES UPON HAVING A
SUPERIOR NAVY. HE THEN ADDED: "I, THEN, HAVE DONE NO WRONG, FOR
I WENT INTO THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAME HOPES AS YOU. IT WAS THE
DECISION, BUT NOT THE FORTUNE OF THE BATTLE THAT HAPPENED TO BE
WITHIN MY POWER." So he saved his life, but was deprived of his
command.--Duillius after securing a reinforcement of