Roman Transports for the Camp
The result of this sea fight gave Adherbal a high reputation at
Carthage; for his success was looked upon as wholly
due to himself, and his own foresight and courage: while
at
Rome Publius fell into great disrepute, and was loudly censured as having acted without due caution or calculation, and
as having during his administration, as far as a single man
could, involved Rome in serious disasters. He was accordingly some time afterwards brought to trial, was heavily fined,
and exposed to considerable danger. Not that the Romans
gave way in consequence of these events.
The Romans not discouraged send the Consul L. Junius
with a large supply of provisions in 800 transports, convoyed by 60 ships of war to Lilybaeum. |
On the contrary,
they omitted nothing that was within their
power to do, and continued resolute to prosecute the campaign. It was now the time for
the Consular elections: as soon as they were
over and two Consuls appointed; one of them,
Lucius Junius,
1 was immediately sent to convey
corn to the besiegers of
Lilybaeum, and other
provisions and supplies necessary for the army,
sixty ships being also manned to convoy them.
Upon his arrival at
Messene, Junius took over such ships as he
found there to meet him, whether from the army or from the
other parts of
Sicily, and coasted along with all speed to
Syracuse, with a hundred and twenty ships, and his supplies on
board about eight hundred transports. Arrived there, he
handed over to the Quaestors half his transports and some of
his war-ships, and sent them off, being very anxious that
what the army needed should reach them promptly. He remained at
Syracuse himself, waiting for such of his ships as
had not yet arrived from
Messene, and collecting additional
supplies of corn from the allies in the central districts of the
island.
