er.

He accordingly decided now to leave his camp in earnest, and move into
Apulia. He made the same arrangements as before, when his departure
was a mere pretense. He left tents pitched and fires burning, but
marched his army off the ground by night and secretly, so that the
Romans did not perceive his departure; and the next day, when they saw
the appearances of silence and solitude about the camp, they suspected
another deception, and made no move themselves. At length, however,
intelligence came that the long columns of Hannibal's army had been
seen already far to the eastward, and moving on as fast as possible,
with all their baggage. The Romans, after much debate and uncertainty,
resolved to follow. The eagles of the Apennines looked down upon the
two great moving masses, creeping slowly along through the forests and
valleys, like swarms of insects, one following the other, led on by a
strange but strong attraction, drawing them toward each other when at
a distance but kept asunder by a still stronger repulsion when near.

The Roman army came up with that of Hannibal on the River Aufidus,
near Cannae, and the two vast encampments were formed with all the
noise and excitement attendant on the movements of two great armies
posting themselves on the eve of a battle, in the neighborhood of each
other. In the Roman camp, the confusion was greatly aggravated by the
angry disputes which immediately arose between the consuls and their
respective adherents as to the course to be pursued. Varro insisted on
giving the Carthaginians immediate battle. AEmilius refused. Varro said
that he must protest against continuing any longer these inexcusable
delays, and insist on a battle. He could not consent to be responsible
any further for allowing Italy to lie at the mercy of such a scourge.
AEmilius replied, that if Varro did precipitate a battle, he himself
protested against his rashness, and could not be, in any degree,
responsible for the result. The various officers took sides, some with
one consul and some with the other, but most with Varro. The
dissension filled the camp with excitement, agitation, and ill will.

In the mean time, the inhabitants of the country into which these two
vast hordes of ferocious, though restrained and organized combatants,
had made such a sudden irruption, were flying as fast as they could
from the awful scene which they expected was to ensue. They carried
from their villages and cabins what lit