+82.+ Alarmed by the recklessness displayed by the enemy, Hamilcar
summoned Hanno to join him, being convinced that a consolidation of
the two armies would give him the best chance of putting an end to
the whole war. Such of the enemy as he took in the field he put to
execution on the spot, while those who were made prisoners and brought
to him he threw to the elephants to be trampled to death; for he now
made up his mind that the only possibility of finishing the war was
to entirely destroy the enemy. But just as the Carthaginians were
beginning to entertain brighter hopes in regard to the war, a reverse
as complete as it was unexpected brought their fortunes to the lowest
ebb. For these two generals, when they had joined forces, quarrelled so
bitterly with each other, that they not only omitted to take advantage
of chances against the enemy, but by their mutual animosity gave the
enemy many opportunities against themselves. Finding this to be the
case, the Carthaginian government sent out instructions that one of the
generals was to retire, the other to remain, and that the army itself
was to decide which of them it should be. This was one cause of the
reverse in the fortunes of Carthage at this time. Another, which was
almost contemporaneous, was this. Their chief hope of furnishing the
army with provisions and other necessaries rested upon the supplies
that were being brought from a place to which they give the name of
Emporiae: but as these supplies were on their way, they were overtaken
by a storm at sea and entirely destroyed. This was all the more fatal
because Sardinia was lost to them at the time, as we have seen,
and that island had always been of the greatest service to them in
difficulties of this sort. But the worst blow of all was the revolt of
the cities of Hippo Zarytus and Utica, the only cities in all Libya
that had been faithful to them, not only in the present war, but also
at the time of the invasion of Agathocles, as well as that of the
Romans. To both these latter they had offered a gallant resistance;
and, in short, had never at any time adopted any policy hostile to
Carthage. But now they were not satisfied with simply revolting to
the Libyans, without any reason to allege for their conduct. With all
the bitterness of turncoats, they suddenly paraded an ostentatious
friendship and fidelity to them, and gave practical expression to
implacable rage and hatred towards the Carthaginians. They killed every
man of the force which had come from Carthage to their aid, as well as
its commander, and threw the bodies from the wall. They surrendered
their town to the Libyans, while they even refused the request of the
Carthaginians to be allowed to bury the corpses of their unfortunate
soldiers. Mathōs and Spendius were so elated by these events that
they were emboldened to attempt Carthage itself. But Barcas had now
got Hannibal as his coadjutor, who had been sent by the citizens
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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