est between Rome and Carthage was inaugurated.

Some soldiers of fortune, who had invaded Sicily and found themselves in
trouble, called upon Rome for help. Carthage, which held much of the
island, was also appealed to, and both sent armies. The result was a
collision between these armies. In two years' time most of Sicily
belonged to Rome, and Carthage retained hardly a foothold upon that
island.

This rapid success of the Romans in foreign conquest encouraged them
greatly. But they were soon to find themselves at a disadvantage. Being
an inland power, they knew nothing of ocean warfare, and possessed none
but small ships. Carthage, on the contrary, had a large and powerful
fleet, and now began to use it with great effect. By its aid the
Carthaginians took from Rome many towns on the coast of Sicily. They
also landed on and ravaged the coasts of Italy. It was made evident to
the Roman senate that if they looked for success they must meet the
enemy on their own element, and dispute with Carthage the dominion of
the sea.

How was this to be done? The largest ships they knew of had only three
banks of oars. Carthage possessed war vessels with five banks of oars,
and built on a plan different from that of the smaller vessels. Rome had
no model for these ships, and was at a loss what to do. Fortunately a
Carthaginian quinquereme (a ship with five banks of oars) ran ashore on
the coast of Italy, and was captured and sent to Rome. This served as a
model for the shipwrights of that city, and so energetically did they
set to work that in two months after the first cutting of the timber
they had built and launched more than a hundred ships of this class.

And while the ships were building the crews selected for the
quinqueremes were practising. Most of them had never even seen an oar,
and they were now placed on benches ashore, ranged like those in the
ships, and carefully taught the movements of rowing, so that when the
ships were launched they were quite ready to drive them through the
waves. The Romans, who could fight best hand to hand, added a new and
important device, providing their ships with wooden bridges attached to
the masts, and ready to fall on an enemy's vessel whenever one came
near. A great spike at the end was driven into the deck of the enemy's
ship by the weight of the falling bridge, and held her while the Romans
charged across the bridge.

The new fleet was soon tried. It met a Carthaginian fleet on th