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as the trench was being dug, the earth sent forth a gush of water from a chasm, though the place was waterless, and it was sufficient for every need of both the animals and the army. On the next day, the men went out for plunder. But the general chastised them, saying these things to them: "To use violence and to live off the property of others is unjust at all times, and especially in times of danger. For it was with confidence in this one thing alone that I landed you in this country, that by justice and good works we might both serve God and win over the Libyans to our side. But this lack of self-control of yours will turn out to the contrary for us, and will cause the Libyans to ally with the Vandals. But obey my word, procure your food by buying it, and neither seem to be unjust, nor change the friendship of the Libyans into enmity, 191 and appease God. Cease leaping upon the property of others, and cast away a profit full of dangers." And Belisarius, having sent an army against the city of Syllectum, took it without a struggle. For arriving at it by night, they entered with the incoming wagons of the country people and took it. And when day came, they took the priest and the leading men of the city and sent them to the general. On the same day the official in charge of the public post deserted, handing over the public horses. And the *veredarius* who carried the royal dispatches was also captured. And Belisarius, having arranged the army in order, marched on Carthage. And handing over three hundred chosen men to John the Armenian, he ordered him to follow always and not to be far distant from the army. And arriving at the city of Syllectum, with kindness and sweet words he won them over, so that the rest made their march as if in their own country, with the people neither withdrawing nor hiding, but even providing a market and serving the soldiers in other ways. And covering eighty stades each day, they continued on until Carthage. Thus they came through the city of Leptis and Hadrumetum to the place Grasse, three hundred and eight stades distant from Carthage, where there was a palace of the Vandals and most beautiful parks and very clear springs and an infinite abundance of all kinds of fruits; so that each of the soldiers pitched his hut amid fruit trees, and although the fruits were in season and everyone was enjoying them, there was no perception of them being diminished. But Gelimer, hearing that the Romans were present, wrote to Carthage to his brother Ammatas, to kill Hilderic and as many other of his relatives as he had in prison, and for Ammatas himself to arm the Vandals and whatever other fighting force was in the city for war. And Ammatas did what had been commanded him. And Belisarius instructed Archelaus the prefect and Calonymus the admiral to approach 192 Carthage and not to sail into it, until he should command them. And he himself arrived at Decimum, which is seventy stades away from Carthage. And Gelimer ordered his nephew Gibamund to go with two thousand men along the left-hand side, so that Ammatas from Carthage, Gelimer from behind, and Gibamund from the places on the left might encircle the enemy at the same time. And Belisarius ordered John, as I said before, to advance, and the Massagetae to go on the left of the army. But Ammatas did not arrive at the proper time, but also left the multitude of the Vandals in Carthage, and arrived at Decimum as quickly as possible with a few men, and not even with these gathered together. And encountering John, he came to blows, and is killed by John, and those with him turn in uncontrolled flight, and they were driving back all those going from Carthage to Decimum, thinking that their pursuers were very numerous. And John and those with him slaughtered so many whom * all the way to the gates of Carthage, that those who saw it conjectured it to be the work of twenty thousand enemies

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τι χάσμα τῆς τάφρου ὀρυττομένης ἡ γῆ ἀνῆκεν, τοῦ τόπου ἀνύδρου ὄντος, καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν χρείαν τοῖς τε ζώοις καὶ τῷ στρατῷ γέγονεν. τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ ὁ λαὸς πρὸς πραῖδαν ἐχώρει. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τούτους ᾐκίσατο λέγων πρὸς αὐτοὺς τάδε· "τὸ μὲν βιάζεσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις σιτίζεσθαι ἄδικόν ἐστιν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ μόνον τὸ θαρρεῖν ἔχων εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην ὑμᾶς ἀπεβίβασα, ὅπως τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀγαθοεργίᾳ τόν τε θεὸν θεραπεύσωμεν καὶ τοὺς Λίβυας πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπισπασώμεθα. αὕτη δὲ ὑμῶν ἡ ἀκράτεια εἰς τοὐναντίον ἡμῖν μεταβήσεται, καὶ τοὺς Λίβυας συμμαχεῖν τοῖς Οὐανδήλοις παρασκευάσει. ἀλλὰ πειθόμενοι τῷ ἐμῷ λόγῳ, ὠνούμενοι τὰς τροφὰς κομίζεσθε, καὶ μήτε ἄδικοι δόξητε εἶναι, μήτε τὴν φιλίαν τῶν Λιβύων εἰς ἔχθραν μεταβάλητε, 191 καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀναπαύσητε. παύσασθε τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιπηδῶντες, καὶ κέρδος ἀποσείσασθε κινδύνων μεστόν." ἀποστείλας τε Βελισάριος ἐπὶ Σύλλεκτον τὴν πόλιν στρατὸν ταύτην ἀπονητὶ παρέλαβεν. ἐν νυκτὶ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀφικόμενοι, σὺν ταῖς εἰσιούσαις ἁμάξαις τῶν ἀγροίκων εἰσελθόντες ταύτην ἔσχον. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο, τόν τε ἱερέα καὶ τοὺς ταύτης πρώτους λαβόντες πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν ἔπεμψαν. τῇ δὲ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὁ τοῦ δημοσίου δρόμου ἐπιμελούμενος ηὐτομόλησε παραδοὺς τοὺς δημοσίους ἵππους. συνελήφθη δὲ καὶ ὁ τὰς βασιλικὰς ἀποκρίσεις ποιῶν βεριδάριος. Βελισάριος δὲ διακοσμήσας τὸ στράτευμα ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα ἐβάδιζεν. Ἰωάννῃ δὲ τῷ Ἀρμενίῳ τριακοσίους ἐπιλέκτους παραδοὺς παρήγγειλε παρακολουθεῖν τε ἀεὶ καὶ τοῦ στρατεύματος μὴ πολὺ διεστάναι. εἰς δὲ Σύλλεκτον τὴν πόλιν ἀφικόμενος ἀγαθότητι καὶ γλυκολογίᾳ τούτους ἀνεκτήσατο, ὥστε τοὺς λοιποὺς καθάπερ ἐν χώρᾳ οἰκείᾳ τὴν πορείαν ποιήσασθαι, οὔτε ὑποχωρούντων, οὔτε κρυπτομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγορὰν παρεχομένων καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τοῖς στρατιώταις ὑπηρετούντων. ὀγδοήκοντα δὲ σταδίους ἀνύοντες ἡμέραν ἑκάστην ἄχρι Καρχηδόνος διετέλεσαν. οὕτως δὲ διὰ τῆς Λεπτῆς πόλεως καὶ Ἀδραμούτου εἰς Χράσιν τὸ χωρίον ἀφίκοντο, ὀκτὼ καὶ τριακοσίους σταδίους Καρχηδόνος ἀπέχον, ἔνθα ἦν καὶ βασίλεια τῶν Οὐανδήλων καὶ παράδεισοι κάλλιστοι καὶ κρῆναι διειδέσταται καὶ ὀπωρῶν παντοδαπῶν πλῆθος ἄπειρον· ὥστε τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἕκαστος τὴν καλύβην ἐν δένδροις ὀπώρας ἐπήξατο, καὶ τῶν καρπῶν ὡραίων ὄντων καὶ πάντων ἀπολαυόντων, αἴσθησις οὐ γέγονε ἐλαττουμένης ταύτης. ὁ δὲ Γελίμερ ἀκούσας παρεῖναι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους γράφει εἰς Καρχηδόνα πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἀματᾶν, Ἰλδέριχον μὲν καὶ ἄλλους ὅσους ἔχει συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ ἐν φυλακῇ ἀποκτεῖναι, αὐτὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς Οὐανδήλους καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο μάχιμον ἐν τῇ πόλει ἦν, ἐξοπλίσαι πρὸς πόλεμον. ὁ δὲ Ἀματᾶς τὰ κελευσθέντα αὐτῷ ἐποίησεν. Βελισάριος δὲ Ἀρχελάῳ τῷ ὑπάρχῳ καὶ Καλωνύμῳ τῷ ναυάρχῳ ἐπέστελλε πλησιάσαι τῇ 192 Καρχηδόνι καὶ μὴ εἰσβαλεῖν πρὸς αὐτήν, ἄχρις ἂν αὐτοὺς κελεύσῃ. αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς ∆έκιμον ἀφίκετο ἀπέχον Καρχηδόνος σταδίους ἑβδομήκοντα. ὁ δὲ Γελίμερ τὸν ἀνεψιὸν Κιβαμοῦνδον ἐκέλευσεν ἅμα δισχιλίων κατὰ τὸ εὐώνυμον μέρος ἰέναι, ὅπως Ἀματᾶς μὲν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος, Γελίμερ δὲ ὄπισθεν, Κιβαμοῦνδος δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἀριστερὰ χωρίων εἰς ταὐτὸ τὴν κύκλωσιν τῶν πολεμίων ποιήσωνται. Βελισάριος δὲ τὸν μὲν Ἰωάννην, ὡς προέφην, προάγειν ἐκέλευσεν, Μασσαγέτας δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἰέναι. Ἀματᾶς δὲ οὐκ ἐν δέοντι ἀφίκετο χρόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Οὐανδήλων ἐν Καρχηδόνι ἀπέλιπεν, καὶ ὡς τάχιστα εἰς τὸ ∆έκιμον ἀφίκετο σὺν ὀλίγοις, καὶ οὐδ' αὐτοῖς συνειλεγμένοις. συναντήσας δὲ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ εἰς χεῖρας ἦλθεν, καὶ κτείνεται ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου, καὶ τρέπονται οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ φεύγοντες ἀκρατῶς, καὶ ἀνεσόβουν πάντας τοὺς ἐκ Καρχηδόνος εἰς ∆έκιμον ἰόντας, οἰόμενοι τοὺς διώκοντας παμπληθεῖς εἶναι. Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ οὓς * ἔσφαζον ἕως τῶν πυλῶν Καρχηδόνος τοσούτους, ὥστε εἰκάζειν τοὺς ὁρῶντας δισμυρίων πολεμίων τὸ ἔργον