o urged on against Iaudas
by the other commanders of the Moors, Massonas and Ortaias, because of
their personal enmity; Massonas, because his father Mephanias, who was
the father-in-law of Iaudas, had been treacherously slain by him, and
Ortaias, because Iaudas, together with Mastinas, who ruled over the
barbarians in Mauretania, had purposed to drive him and all the Moors
whom he ruled from the land where they had dwelt from of old. So the
Roman army, under the leadership of Solomon, and those of the Moors who
came into alliance with them, made their camp on the river Abigas, which
flows along by Aurasium and waters the land there. But to Iaudas it
seemed inexpedient to array himself against the enemy in the plain, but
he made his preparations on Aurasium in such a way as seemed to him
would offer most difficulty to his assailants. This mountain is about
thirteen days' journey distant from Carthage, and the largest of all
known to us. For its circuit is a three days' journey for an
unencumbered traveller. And for one wishing to go upon it the mountain
is difficult of access and extremely wild, but as one ascends and
reaches the level ground, plains are seen and many springs which form
rivers and a great number of altogether wonderful parks. And the grain
which grows here, and every kind of fruit, is double the size of that
produced in all the rest of Libya. And there are fortresses also on this
mountain, which are neglected, by reason of the fact that they do not
seem necessary to the inhabitants. For since the time when the Moors
wrested Aurasium from the Vandals,[44] not a single enemy had until now
ever come there or so much as caused the barbarians to be afraid that
they would come, but even the populous city of Tamougadis, situated
against the mountain on the east at the beginning of the plain, was
emptied of its population by the Moors and razed to the ground, in order
that the enemy should not only not be able to encamp there, but should
not even have the city as an excuse for coming near the mountain. And
the Moors of that place held also the land to the west of Aurasium, a
tract both extensive and fertile. And beyond these dwelt other nations
of the Moors, who were ruled by Ortaias, who had come, as was stated
above, as an ally to Solomon and the Romans. And I have heard this man
say that beyond the country which he ruled there was no habitation of
men, but desert land extending to a great distance, and that bey