Numidia Occupied by the Romans

The two Roman columns, the one led by Metellus, the other by Marius—­ who, although by birth and rank the humblest, occupied since the battle on the Muthul the first place among the chiefs of the staff—­ traversed the Numidian territory, occupied the towns, and, when any place did not readily open its gates, put to death the adult male population.  But the most considerable among the eastern inland towns, Zama, opposed to the Romans a serious resistance, which the king energetically supported.  He was even successful in surprising the Roman camp; and the Romans found themselves at last compelled to abandon the siege and to go into winter quarters.  For the sake of more easily provisioning his army Metellus, leaving behind garrisons in the conquered towns, transferred it into the Roman province, and employed the opportunity of suspended hostilities to institute fresh negotiations, showing a disposition to grant to the king a peace on tolerable terms.  Jugurtha readily entered into them; he had at once bound himself to pay 200,000 pounds of silver, and had even delivered up his elephants and 300 hostages, as well as 3000 Roman deserters, who were immediately put to death.  At the same time, however, the king’s most confidential counsellor, Bomilcar—­who not unreasonably apprehended that, if peace should ensue, Jugurtha would deliver him up as the murderer of Massiva to the Roman courts—­was gained by Metellus and induced, in consideration of an assurance of impunity as respected that murder and of great rewards, to promise that he would deliver the king alive or dead into the hands of the Romans.  But neither that official negotiation nor this intrigue led to the desired result.  When Metellus brought forward the suggestion that the king should give himself up in person as a prisoner, the latter broke off the negotiations; Bomilcar’s intercourse with the enemy was discovered, and he was arrested and executed.  These diplomatic cabals of the meanest kind admit of no apology; but the Romans had every reason to aim at the possession of the person of their antagonist.  The war had reached a point, at which it could neither be carried farther nor abandoned.  The state of feeling in Numidia was evinced by the revolt of Vaga,(13) the most considerable of the cities occupied by the Romans, in the winter of 646-7; on which occasion the whole Roman garrison, officers and men, were put to death with the exception of the commandant Titus Turpilius Silanus, who was afterwards—­whether rightly or wrongly, we cannot tell—­condemned to death by a Roman court-martial and executed for having an understanding with the enemy.  The town was surprised by Metellus on the second day after its revolt, and given over to all the rigour of martial law; but if such was the temper of the easy to be reached and comparatively submissive dwellers on the banks of the Bagradas, what might be looked for farther inland and among the roving tribes of the desert?