IBILITY OF IT BEING
SAID AGAINST HIM THAT HE HAD DETAINED ENVOYS. AND IN THE CASE OF
SYPHAX, WHO WAS STILL ENDEAVORING TO NEGOTIATE A RECONCILIATION ON THE
TERMS THAT SCIPIO SHOULD SAIL FROM LIBYA AND HANNIBAL FROM ITALY, HE
RECEIVED HIS PROPOSITION NOT IN A TRUSTFUL MOOD, BUT TO THE END THAT
HE MIGHT RUIN HIM. For on the excuse afforded by the postponed truce
he sent various bodies of soldiers at various times into the
Carthaginian camp and into that of Syphax; and when they had carefully
inspected everything on the side of their opponents, he put aside the
treaty on a plausible pretext, which was the more readily found
because Syphax had been detected in a plot against Masinissa. And
Scipio went by night to where their two camps were located, not very
far apart, and secretly set fire to Hasdrubal's camp at many points at
once. It rapidly blazed up--for their tents had been made of
corn-stalks and leafy branches--and the Carthaginians fared badly. The
followers of Syphax in attempting to aid them encountered the Romans,
who closed in the place, and were themselves destroyed; and their own
camp was set on fire in addition, and in it many men and horses
perished. The Romans escaped injury during the rest of the night
following the exploit, but just after daylight Spaniards who had
lately arrived as an accession to the Carthaginian alliance fell upon
them unexpectedly and killed a large number.

[Footnote 37: Dio probably wrote _Caepio_ here.]

As a result of all this Hasdrubal straightway retired to Carthage and
Syphax to his own country. Scipio set Masinissa and Gaius Laelius to
oppose Syphax while he himself marched against the Carthaginians. The
Carthaginians for their part sent ships toward the Roman stronghold,
which the enemy were using as winter quarters and as a storehouse for
all their goods. In this way they might either capture it or draw
Scipio away from themselves. Such also was the result. As soon as he
heard of the manoeuvre, he withdrew and hurried to the harbor, which
he placed under guard. And on the first day the Romans easily repulsed
their assailants, but on the next they had decidedly the worst of the
encounter. The Carthaginians even went so far as to take away Roman
ships by seizing them with grappling irons. They did not venture,
however, to disembark but finally sailed homewards, after which they
superseded Hasdrubal and chose a certain Hanno in his place. From this
time Hanno was the general,