marvelling greatly at what he was doing. And
three of the Moors, who had been stationed to guard
the approach, suspecting that the man was coming against
them, went on the run to confront him. But since
they were in a narrow way, they did not proceed in
orderly array, but each one went separately. And
Gezon struck the first one who came upon him and killed
him, and in this way he despatched each of the others.
And when those in the rear perceived this, they advanced
with much shouting and tumult against the enemy.
And when the whole Roman army both heard and saw what
was being done, without waiting either for the general
to lead the way for them or for the trumpets to give
the signal for battle, as was customary, nor indeed
even keeping their order, but making a great uproar
and urging one another on, they ran against the enemy’s
camp. There Rufinus and Leontius, the sons of
Zaunas the son of Pharesmanes, made a splendid display
of valorous deeds against the enemy. And by this
the Moors were terror-stricken, and when they learned
that their guards also had been destroyed, they straightway
turned to flight where each one could, and the most
of them were overtaken in the difficult ground and
killed. And Iaudas himself, though struck by
a javelin in the thigh, still made his escape and
withdrew to Mauretania. But the Romans, after
plundering the enemy’s camp, decided not to
abandon Aurasium again, but to guard fortresses which
Solomon was to build there, so that this mountain might
not be again accessible to the Moors.
Now there is on Aurasium a perpendicular rock which
rises in the midst of precipices; the natives call
it the Rock of Geminianus; there the men of ancient
times had built a tower, making it very small as a
place of refuge, strong and unassailable, since the
nature of the position assisted them. Here, as
it happened, Iaudas had a few days previously deposited
his money and his women, setting one old Moor in charge
as guardian of the money. For he could never
have suspected that the enemy would either reach this
place, or that they could in all time capture the
tower by force. But the Romans at that time, searching
through the rough country of Aurasium, came there,
and one of them, with a laugh, attempted to climb
up to the tower; but the women began to taunt him,
ridiculing him as attempting the impossible; and the
old man, peering out from the tower, did the same
thing. But when the Roman soldier, climbing with
both hands and feet, had come near them, he drew his
sword quietly and leaped forward as quickly as he
could, and struck the old man a fair blow on the neck,
and succeeded in cutting it through. And the
head fell down to the ground, and the soldiers, now
emboldened and holding to one another, ascended to
the tower, and took out from there both the women
and the money, of which there was an exceedingly great
quantity. And by means of it Solomon surrounded
many of the cities in Libya with walls.