§14.1.1οἱ μὲν οὖν ὕπατοι περὶ ταύτας ἐγίνοντο τὰς πράξεις, §14.1.2ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ κατὰ τὴν παραχειμασίαν πυνθανόμενος ἐξαρτύειν στόλον τοὺς Καρχηδονίους, ἐγίνετο μὲν καὶ περὶ ταύτην τὴν παρασκευήν, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ περὶ τὴν τῆς Ἰτύκης πολιορκίαν. §14.1.3οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Σόφακα τελέως ἐλπίδος ἀφίστατο, διεπέμπετο δὲ συνεχῶς διὰ τὸ μὴ πολὺ ἀφεστάναι τὰς δυνάμεις ἀλλήλων, πεπεισμένος μετακαλέσειν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Καρχηδονίων συμμαχίας· §14.1.4οὐ γὰρ ἀπεγίνωσκε καὶ τῆς παιδίσκης αὐτὸν ἤδη κόρον ἔχειν, διʼ ἣν εἵλετο τὰ Καρχηδονίων, καὶ καθόλου τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Φοίνικας φιλίας διά τε τὴν φυσικὴν τῶν Νομάδων ἁψικορίαν καὶ διὰ τὴν πρός τε τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀθεσίαν. §14.1.5ὢν δὲ περὶ πολλὰ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ ποικίλας ἔχων ἐλπίδας ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέλλοντος διὰ τὸ κατορρωδεῖν τὸν ἔξω κίνδυνον τῷ πολλαπλασίους εἶναι τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, ἐπελάβετό τινος ἀφορμῆς τοιαύτης. §14.1.6τῶν γὰρ διαπεμπομένων πρὸς τὸν Σόφακά τινες ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ διότι συμβαίνει τοὺς μὲν Καρχηδονίους ἐκ παντοδαπῶν ξύλων καὶ φυλλάδος ἄνευ γῆς ἐν τῇ παραχειμασίᾳ κατεσκευακέναι τὰς σκηνάς, §14.1.7τῶν δὲ Νομάδων τοὺς μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐκ καλάμων, τοὺς δʼ ἐπισυναγομένους ἐκ τῶν πόλεων κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς φυλλάδος σκηνοποιεῖσθαι, τοὺς μὲν ἐντός, τοὺς δὲ πλείους αὐτῶν ἐκτὸς τῆς τάφρου καὶ τοῦ χάρακος. §14.1.8νομίσας οὖν ὁ Πόπλιος παραδοξοτάτην μὲν τοῖς πολεμίοις, πραγματικωτάτην δὲ σφίσιν εἶναι τὴν διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπιβολήν, ἐγένετο περὶ ταύτην τὴν κατασκευήν. §14.1.9ὁ δὲ Σόφαξ ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὸν Πόπλιον διαποστολαῖς ἀεί πως ἐπὶ ταύτην κατήντα τὴν γνώμην ὅτι δέοι Καρχηδονίους μὲν ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀπαλλάττεσθαι, Ῥωμαίους δὲ παραπλησίως ἐκ τῆς Λιβύης, τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τούτων ἔχειν ἀμφοτέρους ὡς τότε κατεῖχον. §14.1.10ὧν ὁ Πόπλιος ἀκούων ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τοῦ χρόνοις οὐδαμῶς ἀνείχετο· τότε δὲ τῷ Νομάδι βραχεῖαν ἔμφασιν ἐποιήσατο διὰ τῶν ἀποστελλομένων ὡς οὐκ ἀδυνάτου τῆς ἐπιβολῆς οὔσης, ἧς ἐπιβάλλεται. §14.1.11διʼ οὗ συνέβη τὸν Σόφακα κουφισθέντα πολλαπλασίως ἐπιρρωσθῆναι πρὸς τὴν ἐπιπλοκήν. §14.1.12οὗ γινομένου πλείους ἦσαν οἱ διαπεμπόμενοι καὶ πλεονάκις· ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καί τινας ἡμέρας ἔμενον παρʼ ἀλλήλοις ἀπαρατηρήτως. §14.1.13ἐν αἷς ὁ Πόπλιος ἀεί τινας μὲν τῶν πραγματικῶν, οὓς δὲ καὶ στρατιωτικῶν, ῥυπῶντας καὶ ταπεινούς, εἰς δουλικὰς ἐσθῆτας διασκευάζων, μετὰ τῶν ἀποστελλομένων ἐξέπεμπε χάριν τοῦ τὰς προσόδους καὶ τὰς εἰσόδους τὰς εἰς ἑκατέραν τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἀσφαλῶς ἐξερευνῆσαι καὶ κατοπτεῦσαι. §14.1.14δύο γὰρ ἦσαν στρατοπεδεῖαι, μία μὲν ἣν Ἀσδρούβας εἶχε μετὰ πεζῶν τρισμυρίων καὶ τρισχιλίων ἱππέων, ἄλλη δὲ περὶ δέκα σταδίους ἀφεστῶσα ταύτης, ἡ τῶν Νομάδων, ἱππεῖς μὲν εἰς μυρίους ἔχουσα, πεζοὺς δὲ περὶ πεντακισμυρίους. §14.1.15ἣ δὴ καὶ μᾶλλον εὐέφοδος ἦν καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς εἶχε τελέως εὐφυεῖς πρὸς ἐμπυρισμὸν διὰ τὸ τοὺς Νομάδας, ὡς ἀρτίως εἶπον, μὴ διὰ ξύλων μηδὲ διὰ γῆς, ἁπλῶς δὲ κάνναις καὶ καλάμοις χρῆσθαι πρὸς τὰς σκηνοποιίας.
The consuls, then, were occupied with these matters,\n and Publius in Libya, learning during his wintering that the Carthaginians were fitting out a fleet, was occupied indeed with preparation for this as well, but no less also with the siege of Utica.\n However, he did not completely abandon his hope concerning Syphax, but kept sending messengers continuously because their forces were not stationed far from one another, convinced that he could recall him from his alliance with the Carthaginians.\n For he did not despair of his being already sated with the young girl, because of whom he had chosen the side of the Carthaginians, and in general with his friendship with the Phoenicians, both on account of the natural fickleness of the Numidians and because of their faithlessness towards both gods and men.\n Being occupied in mind with many things and having various expectations about the future because he dreaded the danger from without since the enemy was many times more numerous, he seized upon a certain opportunity of this kind.\n For some of those sent to Syphax reported to him that the Carthaginians had constructed their huts in their winter quarters out of all kinds of wood and foliage without any earth,\n and that of the Numidians, some from the beginning had made theirs of reeds, and others, who were assembling from the cities, were at present constructing theirs of foliage itself, some within, but the majority of them outside the trench and the palisade.\n Therefore, Publius, thinking that an attack by fire would be most unexpected for the enemy and most effective for themselves, set about this preparation.\n Syphax, in his communications with Publius, always came down to this opinion: that the Carthaginians must depart from Italy, and the Romans likewise from Libya, and that both should hold the territories between these as they then held them.\n Listening to these things, Publius in former times by no means tolerated them; but then he gave the Numidian a slight hint through his envoys that the proposal which he was attempting was not impossible.\n As a result, it happened that Syphax, being encouraged, became many times more eager for the negotiation.\n Since this was happening, the envoys sent were more numerous and more frequent; and sometimes they even remained with one another for some days without being watched.\n During these days, Publius always disguised some experienced men, and some soldiers, who were dirty and humble, in slaves' clothing, and sent them out with the envoys for the purpose of safely investigating and scouting the approaches and entrances into each of the camps.\n For there were two camps: one which Hasdrubal held with thirty thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry; and another about ten stades away from it, that of the Numidians, having about ten thousand cavalry and about fifty thousand infantry.\n This latter was indeed more easy to attack and had huts perfectly suited for conflagration, because the Numidians, as I said just now, did not use wood or earth, but simply reeds and rushes for their hut-building.