the place where he was, Theudis received them with
friendliness and entertained them heartily, and during
the feast he pretended to enquire how matters stood
with Gelimer and the Vandals. Now since these
envoys had travelled to him rather slowly, it happened
that he had heard from others everything which had
befallen the Vandals. For one merchant ship sailing
for trade had put out from Carthage on the very same
day as the army marched into the city, and finding
a favouring wind, had come to Spain. From those
on this ship Theudis learned all that had happened
in Libya, but he forbade the merchants to reveal it
to anyone, in order that this might not become generally
known. And when Gothaeus and his followers replied
that everything was as well as possible for them,
he asked them for what purpose, then, they had come.
And when they proposed the alliance, Theudis bade
them go to the sea-coast; “For from there,”
he said, “you will learn of the affairs at home
with certainty.” And the envoys, supposing
that the man was in his cups and his words were not
sane, remained silent. But when on the following
day they met him and made mention of the alliance,
and Theudis used the same words a second time, then
at length they understood that some change of fortune
had befallen them in Libya, but never once thinking
of Carthage they sailed for the city. And upon
coming to land close by it and happening upon Roman
soldiers, they put themselves in their hands to do
with them as they wished. And from there they
were led away to the general, and reporting the whole
story, they suffered no harm at his hand. These
things, then, happened thus. And Cyril,[64] upon
coming near to Sardinia and learning what had happened
to Godas, sailed to Carthage, and there, finding the
Roman army and Belisarius victorious, he remained at
rest; and Solomon[65] was sent to the emperor in order
to announce what had been accomplished.
XXV
But Gelimer, upon reaching the plain of Boulla, which
is distant from Carthage a journey of four days for
an unencumbered traveller, not far from the boundaries
of Numidia, began to gather there all the Vandals
and as many of the Moors as happened to be friendly
to him. Few Moors, however, joined his alliance,
and these were altogether insubordinate. For
all those who ruled over the Moors in Mauretania and
Numidia and Byzacium sent envoys to Belisarius saying
that they were slaves of the emperor and promised
to fight with him. There were some also who even
furnished their children as hostages and requested
that the symbols of office be sent them from him according
to the ancient custom. For it was a law among
the Moors that no one should be a ruler over them,
even if he was hostile to the Romans, until the emperor
of the Romans should give him the tokens of the office.
And though they had already received them from the
Vandals, they did not consider that the Vandals held