Chapter 10

And so, leaving behind a legion under command of P. Saserna—brother of the man he had left in the nearby town of Leptis—with instructions that as much wood as possible should be conveyed into the town, he left the town of Ruspina and made for its harbour, which is two miles distant. With him he took seven cohorts which were drawn from veteran legions and had seen service aboard the fleet with Sulpicius and Vatinius; and having reached the harbour he went aboard his fleet with this force as evening was approaching. There was not a man in the army who knew the plans of the commander-in-chief, not a man but sought eagerly to know them: and in their ignorance they were all filled with anxiety, grave alarm and depression. For they saw themselves landed in Africa with a tiny force—and that too of recruits, and not all of it disembarked— pitted against large forces including the limitless cavalry of a treacherous race nor could they discern anything to console them in their present plight, no help in the counsels of their comrades—no help at all, save in the expression of their commander himself, and his energy and remarkable cheerfulness for he displayed a high and buoyant spirit. It was in him that his men found peace of mind: his skill and resolution would, they all hoped, make everything run smoothly for them.