§29.30.1et Masinissa, audita morte patrui, dein nece fratris patruelis, ex Hispania in Mauretaniam — Baga ea tempestate rex Maurorum erat — traiecit.
And Masinissa, having heard of the death of his uncle, and then the murder of his cousin, crossed over from Spain into Mauretania—Baga was at that time the king of the Moors.
§29.30.2ab eo supplex intimis precibus auxilium itineri quoniam bello non poterat, quattuor milia Maurorum impetravit.
Having entreated him as a suppliant with the most earnest prayers for aid for his journey, since he could not obtain it for war, he obtained four thousand Moors.
§29.30.3cum iis, praemisso nuntio ad paternos suosque amicos, cum ad fines regni pervenisset, quingenti ferme Numidae ad eum convenerunt.
With these, having sent a messenger ahead to his father's friends and his own, when he had arrived at the borders of the kingdom, about five hundred Numidians assembled to him.
§29.30.4igitur Mauris inde, sicut convenerat, retro ad regem remissis, quamquam aliquanto minor spe multitudo nec cum qua tantam rem adgredi satis auderet, §29.30.5convenerat, ratus agendo ac moliendo vires quoque ad agendum aliquid conlecturum, proficiscenti ad Syphacem Lacumazae regulo ad Thapsum occurrit.
Therefore, the Moors having been sent back from there to their king, as had been agreed, although the multitude that had assembled was somewhat smaller than his hope, and not such with which he would sufficiently dare to undertake so great an enterprise, yet, thinking that by acting and striving he would also collect strength for achieving something, he encountered the young king Lacumazes at Thapsus, as he was setting out to Syphax.
§29.30.6trepidum agmen cum in urbem refugisset, et urbem Masinissa primo impetu capit et ex regiis alios tradentes se recipit, alios vim parantes occidit; pars maxima cum ipso puero inter tumultum ad Syphacem, quo primum intenderant iter, pervenerunt.
When the disordered column had fled into the city, Masinissa took the city at the first onset, and of the royal party, he received some who surrendered themselves, and killed others who were preparing resistance; the greatest part, along with the boy himself, arrived during the confusion at Syphax, where they had first intended their journey.
§29.30.7fama huius modicae rei in principio rerum prospere actae convertit ad Masinissam Numidas, adfluebantque undique ex agris vicisque veteres milites Galae et incitabant iuvenem ad reciperandum paternum regnum.
The report of this modest success, achieved prosperously at the beginning of his operations, turned the Numidians to Masinissa, and from all sides, out of the fields and villages, the old soldiers of Gala flocked to him, urging the youth to recover his father's kingdom.
§29.30.8numero militum aliquantum Mazaetullus superabat; nam et ipse eum exercitum, quo Capussam vicerat, et ex receptis post caedem regis aliquot habebat, et puer Lacumazes ab Syphace auxilia ingentia adduxerat.
In the number of soldiers Mazaetullus was somewhat superior; for he himself had both that army with which he had defeated Capussa, and some of those received after the death of the king, and the boy Lacumazes had brought huge reinforcements from Syphax.
§29.30.9quindecim milia peditum Mazaetullo, decem milia equitum erant, quibus cum Masinissa nequaquam tantum peditum equitumve habente acie conflixit.
Mazaetullus had fifteen thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry, with whom Masinissa, though by no means having so many infantry or cavalry, engaged in battle.
vicit tamen et veterum militum virtus et prudentia inter Romana et Punica arma exercitati ducis; §29.30.10regulus cum tutore et exigua Masaesuliorum manu in Carthaginiensem agrum perfugit.
Yet both the valor of the veteran soldiers and the prudence of the commander, trained between Roman and Carthaginian arms, conquered; the young king with his guardian and a small band of Masaesulians fled into the Carthaginian territory.
ita recuperato regno paterno Masinissa, quia sibi adversus Syphacem haud paulo maiorem restare dimicationem cernebat, optimum ratus cum fratre patruele gratiam reconciliare, §29.30.11missis qui et puero spem facerent, si in fidem Masinissae sese permisisset, futurum eum in eodem honore, quo apud Galam Oezalces quondam fuisset, §29.30.12et Mazaetullo praeter inpunitatem sua omnia cum fide restitui sponderent, ambo praeoptantes exilio modicam domi fortunam, §29.30.13omnia, ne id fieret, Carthaginiensibus de industria agentibus, ad sese perduxit.
Masinissa, having thus recovered his father's kingdom, because he saw that a by no means small struggle remained for him against Syphax, thought it best to reconcile with his cousin, and having sent those who would both give the boy hope that, if he committed himself to the protection of Masinissa, he would be in the same honor in which Oezalces had once been with Gala, and would promise Mazaetullus, besides impunity, the faithful restoration of all his property, since both preferred a modest fortune at home to exile, he brought them over to himself, despite the Carthaginians doing everything industriously to prevent this from happening.