§25.27.1deleto terrestri Punico exercitu Siculi, qui Hippocratis milites fuerant, ** occupaverant,haud magna oppida, ceterum et situ et munimentis tuta; tria milia alterum ab Syracusis, alterum quindecim abest.
The Carthaginian land army having been destroyed, the Sicilians, who had been the soldiers of Hippocrates, occupied some towns, which were not large, but safe both by position and by fortifications; one of them was three miles, the other fifteen, from Syracuse.
eo et commeatus e civitatibus suis comportabant et auxilia accersebant.
Thither they both carried provisions from their own states and summoned auxiliary forces.
§25.27.2interea Bomilcar iterum cum classe profectus Carthaginem ita exposita fortuna sociorum, ut spem faceret non ipsis modo salutarem. opem ferri posse, sed Romanos quoque in capta quodam modo urbe capi,
Meanwhile Bomilcar, having set out again with his fleet for Carthage, so set forth the fortune of their allies as to inspire a hope, not only that salutary help could be brought to themselves, but also that the Romans would be captured, in a manner, in the captured city.
§25.27.3perpulit, ut onerarias naves quam plurimas omni copia rerum onustas secum mitterent classemque suam augerent.
He persuaded them to send with him as many transports as possible, laden with every kind of supplies, and to increase their fleet.
§25.27.4igitur centum triginta navibus longis, septingentis onerariis profectus a Carthagine satis prosperos ventos ad traiciendum in Siciliam habuit.
Therefore, setting out from Carthage with one hundred and thirty warships and seven hundred transports, he had favorable enough winds for crossing to Sicily.
sed iidem venti superare eum Pachynum prohibebant.
But the same winds were preventing him from rounding Pachynus.
§25.27.5Bomilcaris adventus fama primo, dein praeter spem mora cum gaudium et metum in vicem Romanis Syracusanisque praebuisset, §25.27.6Epicydes metuens, ne, si pergerent iidem, qui tum tenebant, ab ortu solis flare per dies plures venti, §25.27.7classis Punica Africam repeteret, tradita Achradina mercennariorum militum ducibus ad Bomilcarem navigat.
When the rumor of Bomilcar's arrival at first, and then his unexpected delay, had caused joy and fear alternately to the Romans and the Syracusans, Epicydes, fearing lest, if the same winds which were then blowing from the east should continue to blow for several days, the Carthaginian fleet should return to Africa, handed over Achradina to the leaders of the mercenary soldiers and sailed to Bomilcar.
§25.27.8classem in statione versa in Africam habentem atque timentem navale proelium, non tam quod impar viribus aut numero navium esset — quippe etiam plures habebat —, quam quod venti aptiores Romanae quam suae classi flarent, perpulit tamen, ut fortunam navalis certaminis experiri vellet.
The fleet was holding its station turned toward Africa, and was fearing a naval battle—not so much because it was unequal in strength or number of ships (for indeed it had even more), as because winds more suitable for the Roman fleet than for its own were blowing; yet he persuaded them to be willing to try the fortune of a naval conflict.
§25.27.9et Marcellus, cum et Siculum exercitum ex tota insula conciri videret et cum ingenti commeatu classem Punicam adventare, ne simul terra marique inclusus urbe hostium urgeretur, quamquam impar numero navium erat, prohibere aditu Syracusarum Bomilcarem constituit.
And Marcellus, seeing both that the Sicilian army was being stirred up from the whole island and that the Carthaginian fleet was approaching with huge supplies, lest, shut in at the same time by land and sea, he should be pressed hard in the enemy's city, although he was unequal in the number of ships, determined to prevent Bomilcar from accessing Syracuse.
§25.27.10duae classes infestae circa promunturium Pachynum stabant, ubi prima tranquillitas maris in altum evexisset, concursurae.
The two hostile fleets were standing near the promontory of Pachynus, ready to clash as soon as the first calm of the sea should carry them out into the deep.
§25.27.11itaque cadente iam Euro, qui per dies aliquot saevierat, prior Bomilcar movit, cuius primo classis petere altum visa est, quo facilius superaret promunturium.
Therefore, as the east wind, which had raged for several days, was now falling, Bomilcar moved first, whose fleet at first seemed to head for the deep, so that it might more easily round the promontory.
§25.27.12ceterum postquam tendere ad se Romanas naves vidit, incertum, qua subita territus re, Bomilcar vela in altum dedit missisque nuntiis Heracleam, qui onerarias retro inde Africam repetere iuberent, ipse Siciliam praetervectus Tarentum petit.
But after he saw the Roman ships steering toward him, it being uncertain by what sudden thing he was terrified, Bomilcar gave his sails to the deep, and having sent messengers to Heraclea to order the transports to seek Africa back from there, he himself, having sailed past Sicily, headed for Tarentum.
§25.27.13Epicydes a tanta repente destitutus spe, ne in obsidionem magna ex parte captae urbis rediret, Agrigentum navigat, expectaturus — magis eventum quam inde quicquam moturus.
Epicydes, suddenly abandoned by so great a hope, lest he should return to the siege of a city that was largely captured, sailed to Agrigentum, rather to await the outcome than intending to move anything from there.