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Procopius said that he rejoiced at the abundance of water not because of the need, but because it seemed to him to be a symbol of a victory without toil and that the divine power was foretelling this to them; 3.15.36 which indeed also came to pass. So on that night all the soldiers bivouacked in the camp, setting watches and doing the other things as was their custom, except that Belisarius ordered five bowmen to remain in each ship for the purpose of guarding, and the dromons to be anchored in a circle around them, guarding lest anyone should go to them to do mischief. 3.16.1 On the next day, since some of the soldiers, going up into the fields, were taking some of the produce, the general punished their bodies severely 3.16.2 and calling everyone together, he spoke as follows: "To use violence and to live on the property of others seems in other times to be wicked for this reason alone, that it carries injustice in itself; but now so much difficulty attaches to it that, if it is not too bitter to say, we, considering the principle of justice of less account, must reckon how great is the danger that arises from it. 3.16.3 For I, feeling confident in this one thing alone, disembarked you on this land, that the Libyans, being Romans from of old, are both disloyal to the Vandals and ill-disposed toward them, and for this reason I thought that we would neither lack any of the necessities nor would the enemy do us any harm by a sudden attack. 3.16.4 But now this lack of self-control of yours has changed these things for us to the contrary. For you have doubtless reconciled the Libyans to the Vandals, having now turned 3.16.5 their hostility against yourselves. For hatred towards their oppressors is natural to those who are wronged, and it has come about for you that for your own safety and for an abundance of goods you have exchanged some bits of silver, when it was possible for you, by buying provisions from their willing owners, neither to seem unjust and to treat them as the greatest of friends. 3.16.6 Now, therefore, the war will be for you against both Vandals and Libyans, and I for my part say also against God himself, whom no one who does wrong calls upon for aid. 3.16.7 But cease from leaping upon the property of others, and shake off a profit full of dangers. 3.16.8 For this is that occasion on which self-control is especially able to save, but disorder leads to death. For if you take care of these things, God will be gracious, the Libyan people well-disposed, and the race of the Vandals will be easy to attack." 3.16.9 Having said these things, Belisarius dismissed the assembly, and when he heard that the city of Syllectum, a day's journey distant from the camp, was on the sea on the road leading to Carthage, whose wall happened to have been destroyed long ago, and that its inhabitants, having blocked up the walls of their houses on all sides because of the raids of the Maurusii, maintained the appearance of a circuit wall, he sent one of his guards, Boriades, along with some of his shield-bearers, instructing them to make an attempt on the city and, if they should take it, to do no harm in it, but to promise countless good things, and that they had come for their freedom, so that it might become accessible to the 3.16.10 army. And they, around lamplighting time, having come near the city, lay hidden in a ravine and passed the night. And at dawn, happening upon country-folk entering it with wagons, they entered with them in silence and 3.16.11 took the city with no trouble. And when day came, with no one leading a disturbance, calling together the priest and any man of note, they announced the general's commands, and taking the keys of the gates from them willingly, they sent them to the general. 3.16.12 On the same day also the man in charge of the public post deserted, handing over all the public horses. And one of those who were always sent on the imperial messages having been captured, whom they call veredarii, the general did him no harm, but presenting him with much gold and having received pledges, he entrusted to him the letters which Emperor Justinian had written to the Vandals, for the purpose of giving them to the Vandal 3.16.13 rulers.

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Προκόπιος ἔλεγεν ὡς οὐ διὰ τὴν χρείαν τῇ τοῦ ὕδατος περιουσίᾳ χαίροι, ἀλλ' ὅτι οἱ ξύμβολον εἶναι δοκεῖ νίκης ἀπόνου καὶ τοῦτο σφίσι 3.15.36 προλέγειν τὸ θεῖον· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. τὴν μὲν οὖν νύκτα ἐκείνην οἱ στρατιῶται ξύμπαντες ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ηὐλίσαντο, φυλακάς τε καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ᾗπερ εἰώθει ποιούμενοι, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι τοξότας πέντε ἐν νηὶ ἑκάστῃ Βελισάριος ἐκέλευσε μεῖναι φυλακῆς ἕνεκα, καὶ τοὺς δρόμωνας ἐν κύκλῳ αὐτῶν ὁρμίζεσθαι, φυλασσομένους μή τις ἐπ' αὐτὰς κακουργήσων ἴοι. 3.16.1 Τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τινες ἐς τοὺς ἀγροὺς ἀναβαίνοντες τῶν ὡραίων ἥπτοντο, αὐτῶν τε τὰ σώματα ὁ στρατηγὸς οὐ παρέργως ᾐκί3.16.2 σατο καὶ ξυγκαλέσας ἅπαντας ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Τὸ μὲν «βιάζεσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις σιτίζεσθαι ταύτῃ μόνον «ἔν γε τοῖς ἄλλοις καιροῖς μοχθηρὸν πεφυκέναι δοκεῖ, «ὅτι τὸ ἄδικον ἐν αὑτῷ φέρεται· νῦν δὲ τοσοῦτον «αὐτῷ τῆς δυσκολίας περίεστιν ὥστε, εἰ μὴ πικρὸν «εἰπεῖν, τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον περὶ ἐλάσσονος ποιη»σαμένους τὸν ἐντεῦθεν κίνδυνον ἡμᾶς ἡλίκος ποτέ 3.16.3 «ἐστιν ἐκλογίζεσθαι χρή. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ τὸ «θαρρεῖν ἔχων εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑμᾶς ἀπεβίβασα ταύτην, «ὅτι τοῖς Βανδίλοις οἱ Λίβυες, Ῥωμαῖοι τὸ ἀνέκαθεν «ὄντες, ἄπιστοί τέ εἰσι καὶ χαλεπῶς ἔχουσι, καὶ διὰ «τοῦτο ᾤμην ὡς οὔτ' ἄν τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἡμᾶς ἐπι»λείποι οὔτε τι ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς κακὸν ἐργάσονται ἡμᾶς 3.16.4 «οἱ πολέμιοι. ἀλλὰ νῦν αὕτη ὑμῶν ἡ ἀκράτεια ταῦτα «εἰς τοὐναντίον ἡμῖν μεταβέβληκε. τοὺς γὰρ Λίβυας «δήπου κατηλλάξατε τοῖς Βανδίλοις, εἰς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς 3.16.5 «ἤδη τὴν τούτων περιαγαγόντες δυσμένειαν. φύσει «γὰρ πρόσεστι τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ἡ πρὸς τοὺς βιαζο»μένους ἔχθρα, καὶ περιέστηκεν ὑμῖν τῆς τε ὑμῶν αὐ»τῶν ἀσφαλείας καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφθονίας ὀλίγα «ἄττα ἀργύρια ἀνταλλάξασθαι, παρὸν ὑμῖν παρ' ἑκόν»των ὠνουμένοις τὰ ἐπιτήδεια τῶν κυρίων μήτε ἀδί»κοις εἶναι δοκεῖν καὶ φίλοις ἐκείνοις ἐς τὰ μάλιστα 3.16.6 «χρῆσθαι. νῦν οὖν πρός τε Βανδίλους ὑμῖν καὶ «Λίβυας ὁ πόλεμος ἔσται, λέγω δὲ ἔγωγε καὶ τὸν «θεὸν αὐτὸν, ὃν οὐδεὶς ἀδικῶν ἐς ἐπικουρίαν παρα3.16.7 «καλεῖ. ἀλλὰ παύσασθε μὲν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιπη»δῶντες, κέρδος δὲ ἀποσείσασθε κινδύνων μεστόν. 3.16.8 «οὗτος γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ καιρός ἐστιν ἐν ᾧ μάλιστα σω»φροσύνη μὲν οἵα τε σώζειν, ἀκοσμία δὲ ἐς θάνατον «φέρει. τούτων γὰρ ἐπιμελομένοις ὑμῖν ἵλεως μὲν ὁ «θεὸς, εὔνους δὲ ὁ τῶν Λιβύων λεὼς, καὶ τὸ τῶν «Βανδίλων γένος εὐέφοδον ἔσται.» 3.16.9 Τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν Βελισάριος καὶ τὸν ξύλλογον διαλύσας, ἐπεὶ ἤκουσε Σύλλεκτον πόλιν ἡμέρας ὁδὸν τοῦ στρατοπέδου διέχουσαν ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ εἶναι ἐν τῇ ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα φερούσῃ, ἧς τὸ μὲν τεῖχος ἐκ παλαιοῦ καθῃρημένον ἐτύγχανεν, οἱ δὲ ταύτῃ ᾠκημένοι τοὺς τῶν οἰκιῶν τοίχους πανταχόθεν ἀποφράξαντες διὰ τὰς τῶν Μαυρουσίων ἐπιδρομὰς περιβόλου ἐφύλασσον σχῆμα, τῶν δορυφόρων ἕνα Βοριάδην ἅμα τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν τισιν ἔστελλεν, ἐπαγγείλας αὐτοῖς τῆς τε πόλεως ἀποπειρᾶσθαι καὶ, ἢν ἕλωσι, κακὸν μὲν μηδὲν ἐν αὐτῇ δρᾶσαι, ἐπαγγείλασθαι δὲ ἀγαθὰ μυρία, καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτῶν ἐλευθερίᾳ ἥκοιεν, ὥστε εἰσιτητὰ τῷ 3.16.10 στρατῷ ἐς αὐτὴν γενέσθαι. οἱ δὲ περὶ λύχνων ἁφὰς ἀγχοῦ τῆς πόλεως γενόμενοι ἐν φάραγγί τε λαθόντες διενυκτέρευσαν. ἕωθεν δὲ ἀγροίκων σὺν ἁμάξαις ἐς αὐτὴν εἰσιόντων ἐπιτυχόντες συνεισῆλθόν τε σιωπῇ καὶ 3.16.11 οὐδενὶ πόνῳ τὴν πόλιν ἔσχον. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο, οὐδενὸς θορύβου ἡγησαμένου, τόν τε ἱερέα καὶ εἴ τι δόκιμον ἦν ξυγκαλέσαντες τάς τε τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἐντολὰς ἀπήγγελλον, καὶ τὰς κλεῖς τῶν εἰσόδων παρ' ἑκόντων λαβόντες τῷ στρατηγῷ ἔπεμψαν. 3.16.12 Τῇ δὲ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὁ τοῦ δημοσίου δρόμου ἐπιμελούμενος ηὐτομόλησε παραδοὺς τοὺς δημοσίους ξύμπαντας ἵππους. ξυλληφθέντα δὲ καί τινα τῶν ἐς τὰς βασιλικὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἀεὶ στελλομένων, οὓς δὴ βεριδαρίους καλοῦσι, κακὸν μὲν οὐδὲν ὁ στρατηγὸς ἔδρασε, χρυσῷ δὲ πολλῷ δωρησάμενος καὶ πιστὰ λαβὼν τὰς ἐπιστολὰς ἐνεχείρισεν, ἅσπερ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς πρὸς Βανδίλους ἔγραψεν ἐφ' ᾧ τοῖς Βανδί3.16.13 λων ἄρχουσι δοῦναι.