other Mago accompanied by the horsemen and a few light troops to
cross at a point where the river is scattered over considerable
breadth, with branches separated by islands; he himself, of course,
proceeded by way of the natural ford, his object being that the Gauls
should be deceived and array themselves against him only, while they
set their guards with less care at other points along the river. This
object was accomplished. Mago had already got across the river when
Hannibal and his followers were crossing by the ford. On reaching the
middle of the stream they raised a war cry and the trumpeters joined
with the blare of their instruments, and Mago fell upon their
antagonists from the rear. In this way the elephants and all the rest
were ferried safely over. They had just finished crossing when
Scipio's own force arrived. Both sides, then, sent horsemen to
reconnoitre, after which they entered upon a cavalry battle with the
same results as attended the war as a whole. The Romans, that is,
after first seeming to get the worst of it and losing a number of men
were victorious.

Then Hannibal, in haste to set out for Italy but suspicious of the
more direct roads, turned aside from them and followed another, on
which he underwent bitter hardships. The mountains there are
exceedingly precipitous and the snow falling in great quantities was
driven by the winds and filled the chasms, and the ice was frozen to a
great thickness. These things conspired to cause them fearful
suffering, and many of his soldiers perished through the winter cold
and lack of food; many also returned home. There is a story to the
effect that he himself would also have turned back but for the fact
that the road already traversed was longer and more difficult than the
portion left before him. For this reason he did not retrace his steps,
but suddenly appearing south of the Alps spread astonishment and
terror among the Romans.

So he advanced taking possession of whatever lay before him. Scipio
sent his brother Gaius[29] Scipio, who was serving as a lieutenant
under him, into Spain to either seize and hold it or bring Hannibal
back, but he himself marched against Hannibal. They waited a few days;
then both moved into action. [Sidenote: FRAG. 56^4] BEFORE BEGINNING
OPERATIONS, HANNIBAL CALLED TOGETHER THE SOLDIERS AND BROUGHT IN THE
CAPTIVES WHOM HE HAD TAKEN BY THE WAY: HE ASKED THE LATTER WHETHER
THEY CHOSE TO UNDERGO IMPRISONMENT AND TO ENDURE A GRI