§3.14.1γάσατο ταῖς δυνάμεσι.
eir forces.
τῷ δʼ ἐπιγινομένῳ θέρει πάλιν ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ τοὺς Οὐακκαίους Ἑλμαντικὴν μὲν ἐξ ἐφόδου ποιησάμενος προσβολὰς κατέσχεν, Ἀρβουκάλην δὲ διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς πόλεως καὶ τὸ πλῆθος, ἔτι δὲ τὴν γενναιότητα τῶν οἰκητόρων μετὰ πολλῆς ταλαιπωρίας πολιορκήσας κατὰ κράτος εἷλε. §3.14.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραδόξως εἰς τοὺς μεγίστους ἦλθε κινδύνους ἐπανάγων, συνδραμόντων ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τῶν Καρπησίων, ὃ σχεδὸν ἰσχυρότατόν ἐστιν ἔθνος τῶν κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς τόπους, §3.14.3ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων ἁθροισθέντων ἅμα τούτοις, οὓς ἠρέθισαν μάλιστα μὲν οἱ τῶν Ὀλκάδων φυγάδες, συνεξέκαυσαν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἑλμαντικῆς οἱ διασωθέντες. §3.14.4πρὸς οὓς εἰ μὲν ἐκ παρατάξεως ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι διακινδυνεύειν, ὁμολογουμένως ἂν ἡττήθησαν. §3.14.5νῦν δὲ πραγματικῶς καὶ νουνεχῶς ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς ἀναχωρήσαντος Ἀννίβου καὶ πρόβλημα ποιησαμένου τὸν Τάγον καλούμενον ποταμὸν καὶ περὶ τὴν τοῦ ποταμοῦ διάβασιν συστησαμένου τὸν κίνδυνον, ἅμα δὲ συγχρησαμένου συναγωνιστῇ τῷ ποταμῷ καὶ τοῖς θηρίοις οἷς εἶχε περὶ τετταράκοντα τὸν ἀριθμόν, συνέβη τὰ ὅλα παραδόξως καὶ κατὰ λόγον αὐτῷ χωρῆσαι. §3.14.6τῶν γὰρ βαρβάρων ἐπιβαλομένων κατὰ πλείους τόπους βιάζεσθαι καὶ περαιοῦσθαι τὸν ποταμόν, τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον αὐτῶν μέρος διεφθάρη περὶ τὰς ἐκβάσεις, παραπορευομένων τῶν θηρίων παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος καὶ τοὺς ἐκβαίνοντας ἀεὶ προκαταλαμβανόντων· §3.14.7πολλοὶ δὲ κατʼ αὐτὸν τὸν ποταμὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὸ κρατεῖν μὲν μᾶλλον τοῦ ῥεύματος τοὺς ἵππους, ἐξ ὑπερδεξίου δὲ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην τοὺς ἱππέας πρὸς τοὺς πεζούς. §3.14.8τέλος δὲ τοὔμπαλιν ἐπιδιαβάντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐτρέψαντο πλείους ἢ δέκα μυριάδας ἀνθρώπων. §3.14.9ὧν ἡττηθέντων οὐδεὶς ἔτι τῶν ἐντὸς Ἴβηρος ποταμοῦ ῥᾳδίως πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀντοφθαλμεῖν ἐτόλμα πλὴν Ζακανθαίων. §3.14.10ταύτης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐπειρᾶτο κατὰ δύναμιν ἀπέχεσθαι, βουλόμενος μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν ὁμολογουμένην δοῦναι τοῦ πολέμου Ῥωμαίοις, ἕως τἄλλα πάντα βεβαίως ὑφʼ αὑτὸν ποιήσαιτο κατὰ τὰς Ἀμίλκου τοῦ πατρὸς ὑποθήκας καὶ παραινέσεις.
In the following summer, setting out again against the Vaccaei, he captured Helmantice by making an immediate assault, and Arbucale, owing to the size of the city and the number of its inhabitants, and furthermore the bravery of its dwellers, he besieged with great hardship and took by storm. After this, on his return march, he unexpectedly fell into the greatest dangers, due to the assembly against him of the Carpetani, which is perhaps the strongest nation in those parts, and likewise of the neighboring peoples who gathered together with them, whom the refugees of the Olcades had especially stirred up, and those who survived from Helmantice also helped to inflame. Against whom, if the Carthaginians had been forced to fight in a pitched battle, they would admittedly have been defeated. But as it was, Hannibal having retreated with practical skill and wisdom by turning back, and having made the river called Tagus a barrier, and having staged the battle around the crossing of the river, and at the same time having used as allies both the river and the elephants he had, about forty in number, it turned out that the whole affair succeeded for him, unexpectedly and yet reasonably. For when the barbarians attempted to force their way and cross the river at several points, the greatest part of them was destroyed near the landing-places, as the elephants patrolled along the bank and intercepted those who were coming out. And many perished in the river itself at the hands of the cavalry, owing to the fact that the horses withstood the current better, and that the cavalry fought from a position of advantage against the infantry. Finally, Hannibal's men, crossing over in their turn against the barbarians, routed more than a hundred thousand men. Once these were defeated, no one of those within the river Ebro dared easily to face them, except the Saguntines. And from this city he tried to keep away as much as possible, wishing to give no obvious pretext for war to the Romans, until he should have securely brought all other things under his subjection, in accordance with the counsels and advices of his father Hamilcar.