here the
aqueduct chanced to be without a roof and where stood a building which
had entirely fallen into neglect. Inside this building a certain woman
had her dwelling, living alone with utter poverty as her only companion;
and an olive tree had grown out over the aqueduct. So when these men saw
the sky and perceived that they were in the midst of the city, they
began to plan how they might get out, but they had no means of leaving
the aqueduct either with or without their arms. For the structure
happened to be very high at that point and, besides, offered no means of
climbing to the top. But as the soldiers were in a state of great
perplexity and were beginning to crowd each other greatly as they
collected there (for already, as the men in the rear kept coming up, a
great throng was beginning to gather), the thought occurred to one of
them to make trial of the ascent. He immediately therefore laid down his
arms, and forcing his way up with hands and feet, reached the woman's
house. And seeing her there, he threatened to kill her unless she should
remain silent. And she was terror-stricken and remained speechless. He
then fastened to the trunk of the olive tree a strong strap, and threw
the other end of it into the aqueduct. So the soldiers, laying hold of
it one at a time, managed with difficulty to make the ascent. And after
all had come up and a fourth part of the night still remained, they
proceeded toward the wall; and they slew the garrison of two of the
towers before the men in them had an inkling of the trouble. These
towers were on the northern portion of the circuit-wall, where
Belisarius was stationed with Bessas and Photius, anxiously awaiting the
progress of events. So while the trumpeters were summoning the army to
the wall, Belisarius was placing the ladders against the fortifications
and commanding the soldiers to mount them. But it so happened that not
one of the ladders reached as far as the parapet. For since the workmen
had not made them in sight of the wall, they had not been able to arrive
at the proper measure. For this reason they bound two together, and it
was only by using both of them for the ascent that the soldiers got
above the level of the parapet. Such was the progress of these events
where Belisarius was engaged.

But on the side of the circuit-wall which faces the sea, where the
forces on guard were not barbarians, but Jews, the soldiers were unable
either to use the ladders or to scale