21.50
When
they had sailed out to sea the Romans were eager to come to close quarters
and make a hand-to-hand fight of it; the Carthaginians, on the other hand,
sought to avoid this and to succeed by maneuvering and not by direct attack;
they preferred to make it a battle of ships rather than of soldiers. For their
fleet was amply provided with seamen, but only scantily manned by soldiers,
and whenever a ship was laid alongside one of the enemy's they were very
unequally matched in fighting men. When this became generally known, the
spirits of the Romans rose as they realised how many of their military were
on board, whilst the Carthaginians lost heart when they remembered how
few they had. Seven of their ships were captured in a very short time, the
rest took to flight. In the seven ships there were 1700 soldiers and sailors,
amongst them three members of the Carthaginian nobility. The Roman fleet
returned undamaged into port, with the exception of one which had been
rammed, but even that was brought in. Immediately after this battle Tiberius
Sempronius, the consul, arrived at Messana before those in the town had
heard of it. King Hiero went to meet him at the entrance of the Straits with
his fleet fully equipped and manned, and went on board the consul's vessel to
congratulate him on having safely arrived with his fleet and his army, and to
wish him a prosperous and successful passage to Sicily. He then described
the condition of the island and the movements of the Carthaginians, and
promised to assist the Romans now in his old age with the same readiness
which he had shown as a young man in the former war; he should supply the
seamen and soldiers with corn and clothing gratis. He also told the consul
that Lilybaeum and the cities on the coast were in great danger, some were
anxious to effect a revolution. The consul saw that there must be no delay in
his sailing for Lilybaeum; he started at once and the king accompanied him
with his fleet.
