5.
The toil of the descent and the damage to baggage-animals and their loads cannot be put into words. After they had advanced a mere four miles, they would have given anything to return as they had come, if they but could.
[
2]
The confusion of an attack by an enemy was caused by the elephants, which on arriving at the pathless places cast off their mahouts and with horrible trumpetings caused a great panic, especially among the horses, until a plan was devised for getting them through.
[
3]
On the steep hillside the slope was marked off, and at the lower end two long strong posts were set in the ground, separated by a distance slightly greater than the width of one of the beasts;
[
4]
on a cross-beam laid
[p. 105]upon these posts, planks, each thirty feet long, were
1 fastened together to form a runway, and earth thrown on top of them.
2
[
5]
Next, at a slight interval below, a second runway of the same sort was built, then a third, and others one after the other, where the cliffs were sheer.
[
6]
From firm ground an elephant would advance on to the runway; before he could proceed to its end, the posts were cut and the tilting of the runway forced the animal to slide gently to the head of the next runway.
[
7]
Some of the elephants would slide standing erect, others would squat on their haunches. Whenever they were met with the level expanse of another runway, they were again carried down by a like collapse of the lower structure, until they arrived at the more passable valley.
[8]
The Romans advanced on that day hardly more than seven miles. Very little of the journey did they accomplish on their feet. Usually they advanced by casting themselves down, arms, baggage, and all, while meeting with every kind of difficulty, so that even the leader who had chosen the route could not deny that a small force could have destroyed the whole army.
[9]
By nightfall they reached a scant level area, nor did men who had unexpectedly at long last found a place which offered sure footing, have the leisure to observe the unfriendly nature of the place, hemmed in as it was on all sides.
[10]
For the next day as well they were compelled to wait in the depths of this valley for Popilius and the troops left behind [p. 107]with him. These troops too, though threatened from3 no direction by the enemy, were harassed as by an enemy by the ruggedness of the terrain.
[11]
On the third day, they proceeded with the united forces through the pass called Callipeuce4 by the natives.
[12]
On the fourth day, they descended through country as pathless as before, but their skill was greater through practice, and their morale was higher, since the enemy had not showed himself anywhere and they were reaching the sea. On reaching the plains between Heracleum and Libethrum they pitched a camp, most of which occupied hills.
[13]
This was the infantry camp; they embraced part of the plain too within the rampart, where the cavalry might encamp.
