21.49
.The
war on the Trebia had for the time being come to a standstill, but military
and naval actions were taking place around Sicily and the islands fringing
Italy, both under the conduct of Sempronius and also before his arrival.
Twenty quinqueremes with a thousand soldiers on board had been
despatched by the Carthaginians to Italy, nine of them to Liparae, eight to
the island of Vulcanus, and three had been carried by the currents into the
Straits of Messana. These were sighted from Messana, and Hiero, the King
of Syracuse, who happened to be there at the time waiting for the consul,
despatched twelve ships against them, and they were taken without any
opposition and brought into the harbour of Messana. It was ascertained from
the prisoners, that besides the fleet of twenty ships to which they belonged
which had sailed for Italy thirty-five quinqueremes were also on the way to
Sicily with the object of stirring up the old allies of Carthage. Their main
anxiety was to secure Lilybaeum, and the prisoners were of opinion that the
storm which had separated them from the rest had also driven that fleet up to
the Aegates. The king communicated this information just as he had received
it to M. Aemilius, the praetor, whose province Sicily was, and advised him
to throw a strong garrison into Lilybaeum. The praetor at once sent envoys
and military tribunes to the neighbouring states to urge them to take
measures for self-defence. Lilybaeum especially was engrossed in
preparations for war; orders were issued for the seamen to carry ten days'
rations on board that there might be no delay in setting sail when the signal
was given; and men were despatched along the coast to look out for the
approach of the hostile fleet. So it came to pass that although the
Carthaginians had purposely lessened the speed of their vessels, so that they
might approach Lilybaeum before daylight, they were descried in the offing
owing to there being a moon all night, and also because they were coming
with their sails set. Instantly the signal was given by the look-out men; in the
town there was the cry, "To arms," and the ships were manned. Some of the
soldiers were on the walls and guarding the gates, others were on board the
ships. As the Carthaginians saw that they would have to deal with people
who were anything but unprepared, they stood out from the harbour till
daylight, and spent the time in lowering their masts and preparing for action.
When it grew light they put out to sea that they might have sufficient room
for fighting, and that the enemy's ships might be free to issue from the
harbour. The Romans did not decline battle, encouraged as they were by the
recollection of their former conflicts in this very place, and full of confidence
in the numbers and courage of their men.