allow) between it and the mainland he
made a clear stretch of solid ground and thus conducted with greater
facility his hostile operations against the wall, which was rather
weak at that point. Incidentally the Carthaginians caused the Romans
excessive annoyance by undertaking circuitous voyages to Sicily and
making trips across into Italy.--They exchanged each other's captives
man for man; those left over (since the numbers were not equal) the
Carthaginians got back for money.

In the subsequent period various persons became consuls but effected
nothing worthy of record. The Romans owed the majority of their
reverses to the fact that they kept sending out from year to year
different and ever different leaders, and took away their office from
them when they were just learning the art of generalship. It looked as
if they were choosing them for practice and not for service.

The Gauls, who were acting in alliance with the Carthaginians and
hated them because their masters treated them ill, abandoned to the
Romans for money a position with the guarding of which they had been
entrusted. The Romans secured for mercenary service the Gauls and
other of the Carthaginian allies who had revolted from their service;
never before had they supported foreigners in their army. Elated at
this accession and furthermore by the ravaging of Libya on the part of
the private citizens who were managing the ships, they were no longer
willing to neglect the sea, and they again got together a fleet.

[Sidenote: B.C. 241 (_a.u._ 513)] VIII, 17.--And Lutatius Catulus was
chosen consul and with him was sent out Quintus Valerius Flaccus as
praetor urbanus. On coming to Sicily they assailed Drepanum both by
land and by sea and demolished a section of the wall. They would have
captured the town but for the fact that the consul was wounded and the
soldiers were wholly engrossed in caring for him. During the delay
which ensued they learned that a body of the enemy had come from home
with a huge fleet commanded by Hanno, and they turned their attention
to these new arrivals. When the forces had been marshaled in hostile
array, a meteor like a star appeared above the Romans and after rising
high to the left of the Carthaginians plunged into their ranks. The
naval combat was a vigorous one on the part of both nations, and for
several reasons; especially were the Carthaginians anxious to drive
the Romans into complete despair of naval success, and the Rom