master of the sea off Italy, so that he made
descents upon the harbors, cut loose the boats, and engaged in pillage.
As matters went well with him and his activity supplied him with soldiers
and money, he sailed to Sicily, where he seized Mylae and Tyndaris without
effort but was repulsed from Messana by Pompeius Bithynicus, then
governor of Sicily. Instead of retiring altogether from the place, he
overran the country, prevented the importation of provisions, gained the
ascendancy over those who came to the rescue,--filling some with fear
of suffering a similar hardship, and damaging others by some form of
ambuscade,--won over the quaestor together with the funds, and finally
obtained Messana and also Bithynicus, by an agreement that the latter
should enjoy equal authority with him. The governor suffered no harm, at
least for the time being: the others had their arms and money taken from
them. His next step was to win over Syracuse and some other cities,
from which he gathered more soldiers and collected a very strong fleet.
Quintus Cornificius also sent him quite a force from Africa.

[-18-] While he was thus growing strong, Caesar for a time took no action
in the matter, both because he despised him and because the business in
hand kept him occupied.

[B.C. 42 (_a. u._ 712)]

But when owing to the famine the deaths in the City became numerous and
Sextus commenced to make attempts on Italy also, Caesar began to have a
small fleet equipped and sent Salvidienus Rufus with a large force ahead
to Rhegium. Rufus managed to repel Sextus from Italy and when the latter
retired into Sicily he undertook to manufacture boats of leather, similar
to those adapted to ocean sailing. He made a framework of light rods for
the interior and stretched on the outside an uncured oxhide, making an
affair like an oval shield. For this he got laughed at and decided that
it would be dangerous for him to try to use them in crossing the strait,
so he let them go and ventured to undertake the passage with the fleet
that had been equipped and had arrived. He was not able, however, to
accomplish his purpose, for the number and size of his ships were no
match for the skill and daring of the enemy. This took place in the
course of Caesar's expedition into Macedonia, and he himself was an
eye-witness of the battle; the result filled him with chagrin, most of
all because he had been defeated in this their first encounter. For this
reason he no longer