of his design, sent a fleet to watch
the coast and intercept him; while the Mamertines, crossing the
Strait, marched to the place on the coast of Italy where they expected
he would land, intending to attack him as soon as he should set foot
upon the shore. Both these plans were successful. The Carthaginians
attacked his fleet, and destroyed many of his ships. Pyrrhus himself
barely succeeded in making his escape with a small number of vessels,
and reaching the shore. Here, as soon as he gained the land, he was
confronted by the Mamertines, who had reached the place before him
with ten thousand men. Pyrrhus soon collected from the ships that
reached the land a force so formidable that the Mamertines did not
dare to attack him in a body, but they blocked up the passes through
which the way to Tarentum lay, and endeavored in every way to
intercept and harass him in his march. They killed two of his
elephants, and cut off many separate detachments of men, and finally
deranged all his plans, and threw his whole army into confusion.
Pyrrhus at length determined to force his enemies to battle.
Accordingly, as soon as a favorable opportunity occurred, he pushed
forward at the head of a strong force, and attacked the Mamertines in
a sudden and most impetuous manner.

A terrible conflict ensued, in which Pyrrhus, as usual, exposed
himself personally in the most desperate manner. In fact, the various
disappointments and vexations which he had endured had aroused him to
a state of great exasperation against his tormenting enemies. He
pushed forward into the hottest part of the battle, his prodigious
muscular strength enabling him to beat down and destroy, for a time,
all who attempted to oppose him.

At last, however, he received a terrible wound in the head, which, for
the moment, entirely disabled him. He was rescued from his peril by
his friends, though stunned and fainting under the blow, and was borne
off from the scene of conflict with the blood flowing down his face
and neck--a frightful spectacle. On being carried to a place of safety
within his own ranks, he soon revived, and it was found that he was
not dangerously hurt. The enemy, however, full of rage and hatred,
came up as near as they dared to the spot where Pyrrhus had been
carried, and stood there, calling out to him to come back if he was
still alive, and filling the air with taunting and insulting cries,
and vociferations of challenge and defiance. Pyrrhus endur