§14.4.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάντʼ ἦν εὐτρεπῆ τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν, ἀπολιπὼν τοὺς ἱκανοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους ἐπὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς, ἀναλαβὼν τὰς δυνάμεις προῆγεν ἄρτι ληγούσης τῆς πρώτης φυλακῆς· περὶ γὰρ ἑξήκοντα σταδίους ἀπεῖχον οἱ πολέμιοι.
When all things necessary for his present need were prepared for him, having left behind the sufficient and suitable force in the camp, he led out his forces just as the first watch was ending; for the enemy were about sixty stades away.
§14.4.2συνεγγίσας δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις περὶ τρίτην φυλακὴν λήγουσαν, Γαίῳ μὲν Λαιλίῳ καὶ Μασαννάσᾳ τοὺς ἡμίσεις ἀπονείμας τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ πάντας τοὺς Νομάδας ἐπέταξε ποιεῖσθαι τὴν προσβολὴν πρὸς τὸν τοῦ Σόφακος χάρακα, §14.4.3παρακαλέσας ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς γενέσθαι καὶ μηδὲν εἰκῇ πράττειν, σαφῶς εἰδότας ὅτι, καθʼ ὅσον ἐμποδίζει καὶ κωλύει τὰ τῆς ὁράσεως τὸ σκότος, κατὰ τοσοῦτον δεῖ συνεκπληροῦν τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τῇ τόλμῃ τὰς νυκτερινὰς ἐπιβολάς·
And having approached the enemy as the third watch was ending, he assigned half of the soldiers and all the Numidians to Gaius Lælius and Masinissa, and ordered them to make the assault on the palisade of Syphax, exhorting them to show themselves brave men and to do nothing at random, as they clearly knew that, in so far as the darkness obstructs and hinders sight, by so much must they supplement night operations with planning and daring.
§14.4.4αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν λοιπὴν στρατιὰν ἀναλαβὼν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀσδρούβαν.
And he himself, taking the rest of the army, made an advance against Hasdrubal.
ἦν δʼ αὐτῷ συλλελογισμένον μὴ πρότερον ἐγχειρεῖν, ἕως ἂν οἱ περὶ τὸν Λαίλιον πρῶτοι τὸ πῦρ ἐμβάλωσι τοῖς πολεμίοις.
His plan was not to attack before Lælius and his men had first set fire to the enemy's camp.
§14.4.5οὗτος μὲν τοιαύτας ἔχων ἐπινοίας βάδην ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν· οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Λαίλιον εἰς δύο μέρη σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διελόντες ἅμα προσέβαλλον τοῖς πολεμίοις.
He, with such intentions, made his march at a slow pace; but Lælius and his men, having divided themselves into two bodies, attacked the enemy at the same time.
§14.4.6τῆς δὲ τῶν σκηνῶν διαθέσεως οἷον ἐπίτηδες πρὸς ἐμπυρισμὸν κατεσκευασμένης, καθάπερ ἀνώτερον εἶπον, ὡς οἱ προηγούμενοι τὸ πῦρ ἐνέβαλλον, κατανεμηθὲν εἰς τὰς πρώτας σκηνὰς εὐθέως ἀβοήθητον ἐποίει τὸ κακὸν διά τε τὴν συνέχειαν τῶν σκηνῶν καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ὑποκειμένης ὕλης.
And since the arrangement of the tents was as if constructed on purpose for a conflagration, as I said before, as soon as the foremost men set fire to them, the fire, spreading to the first tents, immediately made the disaster irremediable, both because of the continuity of the tents and because of the quantity of combustible material underneath.
§14.4.7ὁ μὲν οὖν Λαίλιος ἔχων ἐφεδρείας τάξιν ἔμενεν· ὁ δὲ Μασαννάσας εἰδὼς τοὺς τόπους, καθʼ οὓς ἔμελλον οἱ φεύγοντες τὸ πῦρ ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἀποχώρησιν, ἐν τούτοις ἐπέστησε τοὺς αὑτοῦ στρατιώτας.
Lælius therefore remained, holding the position of a reserve; but Masinissa, knowing the places through which those fleeing from the fire were likely to make their retreat, stationed his own soldiers there.
§14.4.8τῶν δὲ Νομάδων οὐδεὶς ἁπλῶς συνυπώπτευσε τὸ γινόμενον, οὐδʼ αὐτὸς ὁ Σόφαξ, ἀλλʼ ὡς αὐτομάτως ἐμπεπρησμένου τοῦ χάρακος, ταύτην ἔσχον τὴν διάληψιν.
But none of the Numidians at all suspected what was happening, nor did Syphax himself, but they held the opinion that the palisade had caught fire by accident.
§14.4.9ὅθεν ἀνυπονοήτως οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῶν ὕπνων, οἱ δʼ ἀκμὴν ἔτι μεθυσκόμενοι καὶ πίνοντες ἐξεπήδων ἐκ τῶν σκηνῶν.
Hence, without any suspicion, some leapt out of their tents from sleep, and others while they were still getting drunk and drinking.
§14.4.10καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν ὑφʼ αὑτῶν περὶ τὰς τοῦ χάρακος ἐξόδους συνεπατήθησαν, πολλοὶ δὲ περικαταληφθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς φλογὸς κατεπρήσθησαν· οἱ δὲ καὶ διαφυγόντες τὴν φλόγα, πάντες εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐμπίπτοντες, οὔθʼ ὃ πάσχουσιν οὔθʼ ὃ ποιοῦσι γινώσκοντες διεφθείροντο.
And many were trampled to death by one another around the exits of the palisade, and many, being overtaken by the flame, were burnt to death; and those who did escape the flame, all falling into the hands of the enemy, and knowing neither what they were suffering nor what they were doing, perished.