29.23
During
these occurrences in Rome, the Carthaginians had established look-out
stations on all the headlands and waited anxiously for the news which each
successive courier brought; the whole winter was passed in a state of alarm.
They formed an alliance with King Syphax, a step which they considered
would materially aid in protecting Africa against invasion, for it was in
reliance upon his cooperation that the Roman general would attempt a
landing Hasdrubal Gisgo had, as we have already mentioned, formed ties of
hospitality with the king when on his departure from Spain he met Scipio at
his court. There was some talk of a closer connection through the king's
marriage with Hasdrubal's daughter, and with a view to realising this project
and fixing a day for the nuptials -for the girl was of a marriageable age -Hasdrubal paid Syphax a visit. When he saw that the prince was passionately
desirous of the match -the Numidians are of all barbarians the most ardent
lovers -he sent for the maiden from Carthage and hastened on the wedding.
The gratification felt at the match was heightened by the action of the king in
strengthening his domestic tie with Carthage by a political alliance. A treaty
was drawn up and ratified on oath between Carthage and the king, in which
the contracting parties bound themselves to have the same friends and the
same enemies. Hasdrubal, however, had not forgotten the treaty which
Scipio had formed with Syphax, nor the capricious and fickle character of
the barbarians with whom he had to deal, and his great feat was that if once
Scipio landed in Africa this marriage would prove a very slight restraint upon
the king. So whilst the king was in the first transports of passion and
obedient to the persuasive endearments of his bride, he seized the
opportunity of inducing Syphax to send envoys to Scipio advising Scipio not
to sail to Africa on the faith of his former promises, as he was now
connected with a Carthaginian family through his marriage with Hasdrubal's
daughter; Scipio would remember meeting her father at his court. They were
to inform Scipio that he had also made a formal alliance with Carthage, and
it was his wish that the Romans should conduct their operations against
Carthage at a distance from Africa as they had hitherto done. Otherwise he
might be involved in the dispute and compelled to support one side and
abandon his alliance with the other. If Scipio refused to keep clear of Africa,
and led his army against Carthage, Syphax would feel himself under the
necessity of fighting in defence of the land of his birth, and in defence of his
wife's native city and her father and her home.
