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being his kinsman, and he killed Euagees and as many of the Libyans as were friendly to them. 3.17.13 For Hoamer had already disappeared from the world. And arming the Vandals, as if he would attack at a favorable moment, 3.17.14 he held them in readiness. But Gelimer was following behind, without our perceiving it, except, indeed, that on that night, on which we bivouacked at Grasse, scouts from both sides going out met each other, and after striking one another each retired to their own camp, and in this way it became clear to us that the enemy was not far off. 3.17.15 From there, as we marched, it was impossible for us to see the ships. For high rocks, extending far from the sea, make the voyage for sailors a long detour, and a promontory juts out, inside of which is the town of Hermes. 3.17.16 Belisarius therefore sent word to Archelaus the prefect and Calonymus the admiral not to put in at Carthage, but to remain about two hundred 3.17.17 stades away until he himself should call them. And setting out from Grasse on the fourth day we arrived at Decimum, seventy stades distant from Carthage. 3.18.1 On this very day Gelimer ordered his nephew Gibamundus with two thousand of the Vandals to go ahead of the rest of the army on the left side, so that Ammatas from Carthage, Gelimer himself from the rear, and Gibamundus from the regions on the left, coming together at the same point, might more easily and with less trouble accomplish the encirclement of the enemy. 3.18.2 And it came to me in this labour to marvel at both divine and human affairs, how God, seeing from afar what is to be, outlines how in his judgment events will turn out, while men, whether erring or planning what is needful, do not know that they have made some mistake, as it may happen, or have acted rightly, so that a path may be made for fortune, leading in any case to what has been previously decreed. 3.18.3 For if Belisarius had not arranged the battle line in this way, ordering the men of John to go ahead, and the Massagetae to go on the left of the army, we would never have been strong enough to escape the Vandals. 3.18.4 And though these things had been so planned by Belisarius, if Ammatas had kept to the appointed time and not arrived before it by about a quarter of a day, the Vandals' affairs would never have been ruined so; 3.18.5 but as it was, Ammatas arrived at Decimum about midday, having come on ahead, while both we and the army of the Vandals were left far behind, having made not only this mistake, that he did not arrive at the proper time, but also leaving the main body of the Vandals in Carthage, after announcing that they should come to Decimum as quickly as possible, he himself with a few men, and those not even gathered from the best, came to blows with the men of John. 3.18.6 And he killed twelve of the best men fighting in the front ranks, but he himself also fell, having proved a brave man in this action. 3.18.7 And the rout, when Ammatas fell, was spectacular, and the Vandals fleeing in haste drove back all those 3.18.8 who were coming from Carthage to Decimum. For they were marching with no order nor drawn up as for battle, but by companies, and these small; 3.18.9 for they went by thirties or twenties. And seeing the Vandals with Ammatas fleeing, and thinking that their pursuers were very numerous, they turned 3.18.10 their backs and fled with them. And John and those with him, killing whomever they met, arrived as far as the gates of Carthage. 3.18.11 And the slaughter of Vandals in those seventy stades was so great that those who saw it conjectured it to be the work of twenty thousand enemies. 3.18.12 At the same time Gibamundus and his two thousand came to Pedion Halon, which is forty stades from Decimum on the left as one goes to Carthage, and is destitute of men and trees and everything else, the saltiness of the water allowing nothing else to be produced there except salt; and there, falling in with the Huns, they were all destroyed. 3.18.13 Now there was a certain man among the Massagetae, well endowed with bravery and strength, but leading few men; this man held a prerogative from his fathers and ancestors among all the

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ξυγγενῆ ὄντα, καὶ Εὐαγέην ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τῶν Λιβύων ὅσοι αὐτοῖς ἐπιτήδειοι 3.17.13 ἦσαν. Ὁάμερ γὰρ ἤδη ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο. τούς τε Βανδίλους ἐξοπλίσας, ὡς εἰς καιρὸν ἐπιθησόμενος, 3.17.14 ἐν παρασκευῇ ἐποιήσατο. Γελίμερ δὲ ὄπισθεν, οὐ παρέχων ἡμῖν αἴσθησιν, εἵπετο, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ, ᾗ ἐν Γράσσῃ ηὐλισάμεθα, κατάσκοποι ἑκατέρωθεν ἰόντες ξυνέμιξαν, πλήξαντές τε ἀλλήλους ἐς τὸ σφέτερον στρατόπεδον ἑκάτεροι ἀπεχώρησαν, καὶ ταύτῃ γέγονεν ἡμῖν φανερὸν οὐ πόρρω εἶναι τοὺς 3.17.15 πολεμίους. ἐνθένδε ἡμῖν πορευομένοις τὰς ναῦς ἐσορᾶν ἀδύνατα ἦν. πέτραι γὰρ ὑψηλαὶ, πόρρω τῆς θαλάσσης διήκουσαι, περίοδον τοῖς πλέουσι πολλῷ μέτρῳ ἐργάζονται, καὶ ἄκρα ἀνέχει, ἧς ἐντὸς τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ πό3.17.16 λισμά ἐστι. Βελισάριος οὖν Ἀρχελάῳ τε τῷ ἐπάρχῳ καὶ Καλωνύμῳ τῷ ναυάρχῳ ἐπέστελλεν ἐς Καρχηδόνα μὲν μὴ καταίρειν, σταδίους δὲ ἀμφὶ τοὺς δια3.17.17 κοσίους ἀπέχοντας ἄχρι αὐτὸς καλέσῃ μένειν. ἐκ δὲ Γράσσης ἐξαναστάντες τεταρταῖοι ἐς ∆έκιμον ἀφικόμεθα, σταδίοις ἑβδομήκοντα Καρχηδόνος ἀπέχον. 3.18.1 Ἐν δὲ δὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ Γελίμερ τὸν ἀνεψιὸν Γιβαμοῦνδον ἐκέλευεν ἅμα Βανδίλων δισχιλίοις φθάνοντα τὸ ἄλλο στράτευμα κατὰ τὸ εὐώνυμον μέρος ἰέναι, ὅπως Ἀμμάτας μὲν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος, Γελίμερ δὲ αὐτὸς ὄπισθεν, Γιβαμοῦνδος δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ χωρίων ἐς ταὐτὸ ξυνιόντες ῥᾷον δὴ καὶ ἀπονώτερον 3.18.2 τὴν κύκλωσιν τῶν πολεμίων ποιήσονται. ἐμοὶ δὲ τά τε θεῖα καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ ἐπῆλθε θαυμάσαι, ὅπως ὁ μὲν θεὸς, πόρρωθεν ὁρῶν τὰ ἐσόμενα, ὑπογράφει ὅπη ποτὲ αὐτῷ τὰ πράγματα δοκεῖ ἀποβήσεσθαι, οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι ἢ σφαλλόμενοι ἢ τὰ δέοντα βουλευόμενοι οὐκ ἴσασιν ὅτι ἔπταισάν τι, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, ἢ ὀρθῶς ἔδρασαν, ἵνα γένηται τῇ τύχῃ τρίβος, φέρουσα πάντως ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερον δεδογμένα. 3.18.3 εἰ μὴ γὰρ Βελισάριος οὕτω διῳκήσατο τὴν παράταξιν, τοὺς μὲν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην προτερῆσαι κελεύσας, τοὺς δὲ Μασσαγέτας ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἰέναι, οὐκ ἄν ποτε διαφυγεῖν τοὺς Βανδίλους ἰσχύσαμεν. 3.18.4 καὶ τούτων δὲ οὕτω Βελισαρίῳ βεβουλευμένων, εἰ τὸν καιρὸν Ἀμμάτας διεφύλαξε καὶ μὴ τοῦτον τεταρτημορίῳ τῆς ἡμέρας μάλιστα ἔφθασεν, οὐκ ἄν ποτε οὕτω 3.18.5 Βανδίλοις διεφθάρη τὰ πράγματα· νῦν δὲ Ἀμμάτας προτερήσας ἀμφὶ μέσην ἡμέραν ἐς ∆έκιμον ἧκε, μακρὰν ἀπολελειμμένων ἡμῶν τε καὶ τοῦ Βανδίλων στρατεύματος, οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἁμαρτήσας, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν δέοντι ἀφίκετο χρόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ Βανδίλων πλῆθος ἐν Καρχηδόνι ἀπολιπὼν, ἀπαγγείλας τε ὡς τάχιστα ἐς τὸ ∆έκιμον ἥκειν, αὐτὸς ξὺν ὀλίγοις καὶ οὐδὲ ἀριστίνδην ξυνειλεγμένοις τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐς χεῖρας 3.18.6 ἦλθε. καὶ κτείνει μὲν τῶν ἀρίστων δώδεκα ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις ἀγωνιζομένους, πίπτει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς, ἀνὴρ 3.18.7 ἀγαθὸς ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τούτῳ γενόμενος. καὶ ἡ μὲν τροπὴ, ἐπεὶ Ἀμμάτας ἔπεσε, λαμπρὰ ἐγεγόνει, φεύγοντες δὲ κατὰ κράτος οἱ Βανδίλοι ἀνεσόβουν ἅπαντας 3.18.8 τοὺς ἐκ Καρχηδόνος ἐς ∆έκιμον ἰόντας. ἐπορεύοντο γὰρ οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ οὐδὲ ὡς ἐς μάχην ξυντεταγμένοι, ἀλλὰ κατὰ συμμορίας, καὶ ταύτας βραχείας· κατὰ 3.18.9 τριάκοντα γὰρ ἢ εἴκοσιν ᾔεσαν. ὁρῶντες δὲ Βανδίλους τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀμμάταν φεύγοντας, καὶ οἰόμενοι τοὺς διώκοντας παμπληθεῖς εἶναι, τρέψαντες 3.18.10 τὰ νῶτα συνέφευγον. Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ οἱ ξὺν αὐτῷ οἷς ἂν ἐντύχοιεν κτείνοντες ἄχρι ἐς τὰς Καρχηδόνος 3.18.11 πύλας ἀφίκοντο. καὶ γέγονε φόνος Βανδίλων ἐν τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα σταδίοις τοσοῦτος ὥστε εἰκάζειν τοὺς θεωμένους δισμυρίων πολεμίων τὸ ἔργον εἶναι. 3.18.12 Κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον Γιβαμοῦνδός τε καὶ οἱ δισχίλιοι ἧκον ἐς Πεδίον Ἁλῶν, ὅπερ τεσσαράκοντα μὲν σταδίοις τοῦ ∆εκίμου ἀπέχει ἐν ἀριστερᾷ εἰς Καρχηδόνα ἰόντι, ἀνθρώπων δὲ καὶ δένδρων καὶ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν ἔρημόν ἐστι, τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος ἅλμης ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα πλὴν τοὺς ἅλας ἐώσης γίγνεσθαι· ἔνθα δὴ τοῖς Οὔννοις περιπεπτωκότες ἀπώλοντο πάν3.18.13 τες. ἦν δέ τις ἐν τοῖς Μασσαγέταις ἀνὴρ, ἀνδρίας μὲν καὶ ἰσχύος εὖ ἥκων, ὀλίγων δὲ ἡγούμενος ἀνδρῶν· οὗτος εἶχε γέρας ἐκ πατέρων τε καὶ προγόνων ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς