25.25
The
gates and walls of Achradina were mostly held by the deserters who were
hopeless of obtaining mercy on any terms, and they allowed no one to
approach the walls or to speak to them. So Marcellus, finding that his
project had failed, ordered the troops to return to Euryalus. This was a hill in
the furthest part of the city, away from the sea, and overlooking the road
which leads into the country and the inland part of the island. It was,
therefore, admirably adapted for the reception of supplies from the interior.
The command of the citadel here had been entrusted by Epicydes to
Philodemus an Argive. Sosis, one of the regicides, had been sent by
Marcellus to open up negotiations, but after a long conversation in which he
found himself put off with evasive replies he reported to Marcellus that
Philodemus was taking time for consideration. He continued to procrastinate
from day to day, to allow time for Hippocrates and Himilco to bring up their
legions, feeling quite sure that if he had them in his stronghold the Romans
would be shut up within the walls and annihilated. As Marcellus saw that
Euryalus could not be taken by either treachery or force, he established his
camp between Neapolis and Tycha -parts of the city, and almost cities in
themselves -as he was afraid if he entered the more populous parts he would
not be able to keep his soldiers from dispersing in their eagerness for
plunder. Envoys came to him from these two places with olive branches and
woollen fillets, imploring him that they might be spared from fire and sword.
Marcellus held a council of war to consider this request, or rather this
entreaty, and in accordance with the wish of all present he gave notice to the
soldiers that they were not to lay hands on any free citizen; everything else
they were at liberty to appropriate. Instead of fosse and rampart the camp
was protected by the private houses which served it for walls, and sentinels
and pickets were posted at the gates of the houses which stood open to the
street to secure the camp against attack while the soldiers were dispersed in
the city. After this the signal was given and the soldiers ran in all directions,
breaking open the house doors and filling everything with uproar and panic,
but they refrained from bloodshed. There was no limit to the work of rapine
until they had cleared the houses of all the goods and possessions which had
been accumulating during the long spell of prosperity. Whilst this was going
on, Philodemus saw that there was no hope of succour, and after getting the
promise of a safe conduct for him to return to Epicydes, he withdrew his
garrison and handed the position over to the Romans. Whilst everybody was
preoccupied with the tumult in the captured part of the city, Bomilcar seized
the opportunity to escape. The night was a tempestuous one, and the Roman
fleet were unable to keep their anchorage off the harbour, so he slipped out
with thirty-five ships, and finding the sea clear set sail for Carthage, leaving
fifty-five ships for Epicydes and the Syracusans. After making the
Carthaginians realise the critical state of affairs at Syracuse he returned with
a hundred ships a few days later and was rewarded -so they say -by
Epicydes with gifts from Hiero's treasury.
