and his mother as hostages. So the army, under the leadership of
Artabanes, proceeded immediately against Antalas. And with Artabanes was
John also, the commander of the mutineers of Stotzas, and Ulitheus, the
body-guard of Gontharis; and there were Moors also following him, led by
Coutzinas. And after passing by the city of Hadrumetum, they came upon
their opponents somewhere near there, and making a camp a little apart
from the enemy, they passed the night. And on the day after that John
and Ulitheus, with a detachment of the army, remained there, while
Artabanes and Coutzinas led their army against their opponents. And the
Moors under Antalas did not withstand their attack and rushed off in
flight. But Artabanes of a sudden wilfully played the coward, and
turning his standard about marched off towards the rear. For this reason
Ulitheus was purposing to kill him when he came into the camp. But
Artabanes, by way of excusing himself, said he feared lest Marcentius,
coming to assist the enemy from the city of Hadrumetum, where he then
happened to be, would do his forces irreparable harm; but Gontharis, he
said, ought to march against the enemy with the whole army. And at first
he considered going to Hadrumetum with his followers and uniting with
the emperor's forces. But after long deliberation it seemed to him
better to put Gontharis out of the world and thus free both the emperor
and Libya from a difficult situation. Returning, accordingly, to
Carthage, he reported to the tyrant that he would need a larger army to
meet the enemy. And Gontharis, after conferring with Pasiphilus,
consented, indeed, to equip his whole army, but purposed to place a
guard in Carthage, and in person to lead the army against the enemy.
Each day, therefore, he was destroying many men toward whom he felt any
suspicion, even though groundless. And he gave orders to Pasiphilus,
whom he was intending to appoint in charge of the garrison of Carthage,
to kill all the Greeks[74] without any consideration.

XXVIII

And after arranging everything else in the very best way, as it seemed
to him, Gontharis decided to entertain his friends at a banquet, with
the intention of making his departure on the following day. And in a
room where there were in readiness three couches which had been there
from ancient times, he made the banquet. So he himself reclined, as was
natural, upon the first couch, where were also Athanasius and Artabanes,
and some of tho