a gilded boot.
And Belisarius sent these things to them, and presented each one of them
with much money. However, they did not come to fight along with him,
nor, on the other hand, did they dare give their support to the Vandals,
but standing out of the way of both contestants, they waited to see what
would be the outcome of the war. Thus, then, matters stood with the
Romans.

But Gelimer sent one of the Vandals to Sardinia with a letter to his
brother Tzazon. And he went quickly to the coast, and finding by chance
a merchant-ship putting out to sea, he sailed into the harbour of
Caranalis and put the letter into the hands of Tzazon. Now the message
of the letter was as follows:

"It was not, I venture to think, Godas who caused the island to revolt
from us, but some curse of madness sent from Heaven which fell upon the
Vandals. For by depriving us of you and the notables of the Vandals, it
has seized and carried off from the house of Gizeric absolutely all the
blessings which we enjoyed. For it was not to recover the island for us
that you sailed from here, but in order that Justinian might be master
of Libya. For that which Fortune had decided upon previously it is now
possible to know from the outcome. Belisarius, then, has come against us
with a small army, but valour straightway departed and fled from the
Vandals, taking good fortune with her. For Ammatas and Gibamundus have
fallen, because the Vandals lost their courage, and the horses and
shipyards and all Libya and, not least of all, Carthage itself, are held
already by the enemy. And the Vandals are sitting here, having paid with
their children and wives and all their possessions for their failure to
play the part of brave men in battle, and to us is left only the plain
of Boulla, where our hope in you has set us down and still keeps us. But
do you have done with such matters as rebel tyrants and Sardinia and the
cares concerning these things, and come to us with your whole force as
quickly as possible. For when men find the very heart and centre of all
in danger, it is not advisable for them to consider minutely other
matters. And struggling hereafter in common against the enemy, we shall
either recover our previous fortune, or gain the advantage of not
bearing apart from each other the hard fate sent by Heaven."

When this letter had been brought to Tzazon, and he had disclosed its
contents to the Vandals, they turned to wailing and lamentation, not
openly