§30.25.1nondum ab Roma reverterant legati, neque sciebatur, quae senatus Romani de bello aut pace sententia esset, necdum indutiarum dies exierat; §30.25.2eo indigniorem iniuriam ratus Scipio, ab iis, qui petissent pacem et indutias, et spem pacis et fidem indutiarum violatam esse, legatos Carthaginem L. Baebium, L. Sergium, L. Fabium extemplo misit. §30.25.3qui cum multitudinis concursu prope violati essent nec reditum tutiorem futurum cernerent, petierunt a magistratibus, quorum auxilio vis prohibita erat, ut naves mitterent, quae se prosequerentur. §30.25.4datae triremes duae cum ad Bagradam flumen pervenissent, unde castra Romana conspiciebantur, Carthaginem rediere.
The envoys had not yet returned from Rome, nor was it known what the opinion of the Roman senate was concerning war or peace, and the period of the truce had not yet expired. Scipio, considering the injury all the more shameful because the hope of peace and the pledge of the truce had been violated by those very people who had sought them, immediately sent Lucius Baebius, Lucius Sergius, and Lucius Fabius as envoys to Carthage. When they were almost violated by the rush of the crowd and saw that their return would not be any safer, they requested the magistrates, by whose assistance the violence had been prevented, to send ships to escort them. The two triremes that were granted returned to Carthage when they had reached the river Bagrada, from where the Roman camp was visible.
classis Punica ad Uticam stationem habebat. §30.25.5ex ea tres quadriremes — seu clam misso a Carthagine nuntio, ut id fieret, seu Hasdrubale, qui classi praeerat, sine publica fraude auso facinus — §30.25.6quinqueremem Romanam superantem promunturium ex alto repente adgressae sunt.
The Carthaginian fleet was stationed at Utica. From this fleet, three quadriremes — whether because a messenger had been secretly sent from Carthage to effect this, or because Hasdrubal, who commanded the fleet, dared the crime without public authorization — suddenly attacked from the deep sea a Roman quinquereme as it was doubling the promontory.
sed neque rostro ferire celeritate sua praeterlabentem poterant, §30.25.7neque transilire armati ex humilioribus in altiorem navem, et defendebatur egregie, quoad tela suppeditarunt.
But they could neither strike it with their rams as it slipped past by its own speed, nor could their armed men leap from their lower vessels into the higher ship, and it was defended outstandingly as long as weapons held out.
quis deficientibus iam nulla alia res eam quam propinquitas terrae multitudoque a castris in litus effusa tueri potuit. §30.25.8concitatam enim remis, quanto maximo impetu poterant, in terram cum immisissent, navis tantum iactura facta, incolumes ipsi evaserunt. §30.25.9ita alio super aliud scelere cum haud dubie indutiae ruptae essent, Laelius Fulviusque ab Roma cum legatis Carthaginiensibus supervenerunt. §30.25.10quibus Scipio, etsi non indutiarum modo fides a Carthaginiensibus sed ius etiam gentium in legatis violatum esset, tamen se nihil nec institutis populi Romani nec suis moribus indignum in iis facturum esse cum dixisset, dimissis legatis bellum parabat. §30.25.11Hannibali iam terrae adpropinquanti iussus e nauticis unus escendere in malum, ut specularetur, quam tenerent regionem, §30.25.12cum dixisset sepulchrum dirutum proram spectare, abominatus praetervehi iusso gubernatore ad Leptim adpulit classem atque ibi copias exposuit.
When these failed, nothing else could protect it except the proximity of the land and the multitude that had poured out from the camp onto the shore. For since they had run the ship onto the land, propelled by their oars with the greatest possible force, they themselves escaped unharmed, with only the loss of the ship. Thus, when the truce had undoubtedly been broken by one crime upon another, Laelius and Fulvius arrived from Rome with the Carthaginian envoys. To them, Scipio, although not only the pledge of the truce but also the law of nations regarding envoys had been violated by the Carthaginians, nevertheless declared that he would do nothing toward them that was unworthy of either the institutions of the Roman people or his own character; and having dismissed the envoys, he began to prepare for war. To Hannibal, who was now approaching land, one of the sailors was ordered to climb the mast to spy out which region they were holding. When he had said that a ruined tomb was in line with the prow, Hannibal, regarding this as a bad omen, ordered the helmsman to sail past, brought the fleet to Leptis, and there disembarked his forces.