The Romans Build More Ships
When the Carthaginians heard of the destruction which
had befallen the Roman fleet, they made up their minds that
as their late victory had made them a match for their enemy
on land, so now the Roman catastrophe had made them a
match for him at sea. Accordingly they devoted themselves
with still greater eagerness than before to their naval and military preparations.
The Carthaginians renew operations in Sicily. |
And first, they lost no time in
despatching Hasdrubal to
Sicily, and with him
not only the soldiers that they had already collected, but those also whom they had recalled
from Heracleia; and along with them they sent also a hundred
and forty elephants. And next, after despatching him, they
began fitting out two hundred ships and making all other
preparations necessary for a naval expedition. Hasdrubal
reached
Lilybaeum safely, and immediately set to work to
train his elephants and drill his men, and showed his intention of striking a blow for the possession of the open
country.
The Roman government, when they heard of this from the
B. C. 254. Coss. Gn. Cornelius Scipio Asina II., Aulus Atilius, Calatinus II. |
survivors of the wreck on their arrival home, felt it to be a
grievous misfortune: but being absolutely resolved not to give
in, they determined once more to put two hundred and twenty
vessels on the stocks and build afresh. These
were finished in three months, an almost incredibly short time, and the new Consuls Aulus
Atilius and Gnaeus Cornelius fitted out the
fleet and put to sea. As they passed through
the straits they took up from
Messene those of the vessels
which had been saved from the wreck; and having thus arrived with three hundred ships off
Panormus, which is the
strongest town of all the Carthaginian province in
Sicily, they
began to besiege it. They threw up works in two distinct
places, and after other necessary preparations brought up their
battering rams. The tower next the sea was destroyed with
case, and the soldiers forced their way in through the breach:
and so what is called the
New Town was carried by assault;
while what is called the
Old Town being placed by this event
in imminent danger, its inhabitants made haste to surrender
it. Having thus made themselves masters of the place,
the army sailed back to
Rome, leaving a garrison in the
town.