28.3
When
Scipio became aware of this breaking up of the hostile forces, he saw that to
carry his arms from city to city would involve a loss of time far greater than
the results gained, and consequently marched back again. Not wishing,
however, to leave that district in the enemy's hands, he sent his brother
Lucius with 10,000 infantry and 1000 cavalry to attack the richest city in that
part of the country; the natives call it Orongi. It is situated in the country of
the Maessesses, one of the tribes of Southern Spain; the soil is fertile, and
there are also silver mines. Hasdrubal had used it as his base from which to
make his incursions on the inland tribes. Lucius Scipio encamped in the
neighbourhood of the city, but before investing it, he sent men up to the
gates to hold a parley with the townsmen and endeavour to persuade them to
put the friendship rather than the strength of the Romans to the proof. As
nothing in the shape of a peaceable answer was resumed, he surrounded the
place with a double line of circumvallation and formed his army into three
divisions, so that one division at a time could be in action while the other
two were resting, and thus a continuous attack might be kept up. When the
first division advanced to the storm there was a desperate fight; they had the
utmost difficulty in approaching the walls and bringing up the scaling-ladders
owing to the rain of missiles showered down upon them. Even when they
had planted the ladders against the walls and began to mount them, they
were thrust down by forks made for the purpose, iron hooks were let down
upon others so that they were in danger of being dragged off the ladders and
suspended in mid-air. Scipio saw that what made the struggle indecisive was
simply the insufficient number of his men and that the defenders had the
advantage because they were fighting from their walls. He withdrew the
division which was engaged, and brought up the two others. In face of this
fresh attack the defenders, worn out with meeting the former assault,
retreated hastily from the walls, and the Carthaginian garrison, fearing that
the city had been betrayed, left their various posts and formed into one body.
This alarmed the townsmen, who dreaded lest the enemy when once inside
the city should massacre every one, whether Carthaginian or Spaniard. They
flung open one of the gates and burst out of the town, holding their shields in
front of them in case missiles should be hurled on them from a distance, and
showing their empty right hands to make it plain that they had thrown away
their swords. Their action was misinterpreted either owing to the distance at
which they were seen, or because treachery was suspected, and a fierce
attack was made upon the flying crowd, who were cut down as though they
were a hostile army. The Romans marched in through the open gate whilst
other gates were demolished with axes and mallets, and as each cavalry man
entered he galloped in accordance with instructions to the forum. The
cavalry were supported by a detachment of triarii; the legionaries occupied
the rest of the city. There was no plundering and, except in the case of armed
resistance, no bloodshed. All the Carthaginians and about a thousand of the
townsmen who had closed the gates were placed under guard, the town was
handed over to the rest of the population and their property restored to
them. About 2000 of the enemy fell in the assault upon the city; not more
than 90 of the Romans.