27.47
The
enemy were already standing in front of their camp, in battle order. But there
was a pause. Hasdrubal had ridden to the front with a handful of cavalry,
when he noticed in the hostile ranks some well-worn shields which he had
not seen before, and some unusually lean horses; the numbers, too, seemed
greater than usual. Suspecting the truth he hastily withdrew his troops into
camp and sent men down to the river from which the Romans obtained
water, to catch if they could some of the watering parties and see whether
they were especially sunburnt, as is generally the case after a long march. He
ordered, at the same time, mounted patrols to ride round the consul's camp
and observe whether the lines had been extended in any direction and to
notice at the same time whether the bugle-call was sounded once or twice in
the camp. They reported that both the camps -M. Livius' camp and that of
L. Porcius -were just as they had been, no addition had been made, and this
misled him. But they also informed him that the bugle-call was sounded once
in the praetor's camp and twice in the consul's, and this perturbed the veteran
commander, familiar as he was with the habits of the Romans. He concluded
that both the consuls were there and was anxiously wondering how the one
consul had got away from Hannibal. Least of all could he suspect what had
actually occurred, namely that Hannibal had been so completely outwitted
that he did not know the whereabouts of the commander and the army
whose camp had been so close to his own. As his brother had not ventured
to follow the consul, he felt quite certain that he had sustained a serious
defeat, and he felt the gravest apprehensions lest he should have come too
late to save a desperate situation, and lest the Romans should enjoy the same
good fortune in Italy which they had met with in Spain. Then again he was
convinced that his letter had never reached Hannibal, but had been
intercepted by the consul who then hastened to crush him. Amidst these
gloomy forebodings he ordered the camp fires to be extinguished, and gave
the signal at the first watch for all the baggage to be collected in silence. The
army then left the camp. In the hurry and confusion of the night march the
guides, who had not been kept under very close observation, slipped away;
one hid himself in a place selected beforehand, the other swam across the
Metaurus at a spot well known to him. The column deprived of its guides
marched on aimlessly across country, and many, worn out by sleeplessness
flung themselves down to rest, those who remained with the standards
becoming fewer and fewer. Until daylight showed him his route, Hasdrubal
ordered the head of the column to advance cautiously, but finding that owing
to the bends and turns of the river he had made little progress, he made
arrangements for crossing it as soon as daybreak should show him a
convenient place. But he was unable to find one, for the further he marched
from the sea, the higher were the banks which confined the stream, and by
thus wasting the day he gave his enemy time to follow him.