quiet) but by night all of those who held slaves arrested some of
them. And in this way the entire conspiracy was overthrown.

[Sidenote: B.C. 253 (_a.u._ 496)] The following summer the Romans and
the Carthaginians fought in Sicily and Sardinia at once. Somewhat
later Atilius Latinus[18] went to Sicily and finding a city named
Mytistratus being besieged by Florus he made use of the latter's
support. He made assaults upon the circuit of the wall which the
natives with the help of the Carthaginians at first withstood
vigorously, but when the women and children were moved to tears and
laments they abandoned resistance. The Carthaginians passed out
secretly by night and at daybreak the natives voluntarily swung the
gates wide open. The Romans went in and proceeded to slaughter them
all till Atilius made proclamation that the remainder of the booty
and the human beings belonged to him who might take them. Forthwith
they spared the lives of the remaining captives and after pillaging
the city burned it to the ground.

[Footnote 18: A. Atilius Calatinus is meant.]

VIII, 12.--Thence they proceeded heedlessly against Camarina and came
into a region where an ambuscade had already been set. They would have
perished utterly, had not Marcus Calpurnius, serving as military
tribune, matched the catastrophe by his cleverness. He saw that one
and one only of the surrounding hills had by reason of its steepness
not been occupied and he asked of the consul three hundred heavy-armed
men and with them he set out for that point. His purpose was to make
the enemy turn their attention to his detachment so that then the rest
of the Romans might make their escape. And so it happened; for when
the adversaries saw his project, they were thunderstruck and left the
consul and his followers as men already captured in order to make a
united rush upon Calpurnius. A fierce battle ensued in which many of
the opposing side and all the three hundred fell. Calpurnius alone
survived. He had been wounded and lay unnoticed among the heaps of
slain, being as good as dead by reason of his wounds; afterward he was
found alive and his life was saved. While the three hundred were
fighting, the consul got away; and after this escape he reduced
Camarina and other cities, some by force and some by capitulation.
Next Atilius set out against Lipara. But Hamilcar at night by stealth
occupied it in advance and by making a sudden sally killed many
Romans.

Gaius Sulp