emen, ride over to the Carthaginian camp, ascertain the
facts exactly, and report the result. Statilius did so. When he
reached the lines he ordered his troops to halt, and took with him two
horsemen on whose courage and strength he could rely, and rode in. The
three horsemen rode around the camp and examined every thing with a
view of ascertaining whether Hannibal had really abandoned his
position and fled, or whether some stratagem was intended.

When he came back he reported to the army that, in his opinion, the
desertion of the camp was not real, but a trick to draw the Romans
into some difficulty. The fires were the largest on the side toward
the Romans, which indicated that they were built to deceive. He saw
money, too, and other valuables strewed about upon the ground, which
appeared to him much more like a bait set in a trap, than like
property abandoned by fugitives as incumbrances to flight. Varro was
not convinced; and the army, hearing of the money, were excited to a
greater eagerness for plunder. They could hardly be restrained. Just
then, however, two slaves that had been taken prisoners by the
Carthaginians some time before, came into the Roman camp. They told
the consuls that the whole Carthaginian force was hid in ambush very
near, waiting for the Romans to enter their encampment, when they were
going to surround them and cut them to pieces. In the bustle and
movement attendant on this plan, the slaves had escaped. Of course,
the Roman army were now satisfied. They returned, chagrined and
disappointed, to their own quarters, and Hannibal, still more
chagrined and disappointed, returned to his.

He soon found, however, that he could not remain any longer where he
was. His provisions were exhausted, and he could obtain no more. The
Romans would not come out of their encampment to give him battle on
equal terms, and they were too strongly intrenched to be attacked
where they were. He determined, therefore, to evacuate that part of
the country, and move, by a sudden march, into Apulia.

Apulia was on the eastern side of Italy. The River Aufidus runs
through it, having a town named Cannae near its mouth. The region of
the Aufidus was a warm and sunny valley, which was now waving with
ripening grain. Being further south than the place where he had been,
and more exposed to the influence of the sun, Hannibal thought that
the crops would be sooner ripe, and that, at least, he should have a
new field to plund