more southern route, to meet the Roman consul who was coming through
Lucania. The name of this consul was Curius Dentatus.

Pyrrhus advanced into Lucania. The Roman general, when he found that
his enemy was coming, thought it most prudent to send for the other
division of his army--namely, the one which was marching through
Samnium--and to wait until it should arrive before giving Pyrrhus
battle. He accordingly dispatched the necessary orders to Lentulus,
who commanded the northern division, and, in the mean time, intrenched
himself in a strong encampment at a place called Beneventum. Pyrrhus
entered Lucania and advanced toward Beneventum, and, after
ascertaining the state of the case in respect to the situation of the
camp and the plans of Curius, he paused at some distance from the
Roman position, in order to consider what it was best for him to do.
He finally came to the conclusion that it was very important that his
conflict with the Romans under Curius should take place before
Lentulus should arrive to re-enforce them, and so he determined to
advance rapidly, and fall upon and surprise them in their
intrenchments before they were aware of his approach. This plan he
accordingly attempted to execute. He advanced in the ordinary manner
and by the public roads of the country until he began to draw near to
Beneventum. At the close of the day he encamped as usual; but,
instead of waiting in his camp until the following day, and then
marching on in his accustomed manner, he procured guides to lead his
troops around by a circuitous path among the mountains, with a view of
coming down suddenly and unexpectedly upon the camp of the Romans from
the hills very early in the morning. An immense number of torches were
provided, to furnish light for the soldiers in traversing the dark
forests and gloomy ravines through which their pathway lay.

Notwithstanding all the precautions which had been taken, the
difficulties of the route were so great that the progress of the
troops was very much impeded. The track was every where encumbered
with bushes, rocks, fallen trees, and swampy tracts of ground, so that
the soldiers made way very slowly. Great numbers of the torches failed
in the course of the night, some getting extinguished by accident, and
others going out from exhaustion of fuel. By these means great numbers
of the troops were left in the dark, and after groping about for a
time in devious and uncertain paths, became hopeles