of food, they did not venture to contend against a superior force, and were hoping to get possession of the city by famine; when, however, they encountered a permanent shortage of grain, they displayed a zeal for taking risks, but Hanno showed hesitation; their eagerness led him to suspect that he might be ambushed.  Everybody therefore was satisfied to revere the Romans as easy conquerors, and Hiero, who once cooeperated with them sulkily, now sent them grain, so that even the consuls took heart.

[Footnote 15:  In Roman records these persons are known respectively as L. Postumius L. F. L. N. Megellus and Q. Mamilius Q. F. M. N. Vitulus.]

Hanno now undertook to bring on a battle, expecting that Hannibal would fall upon the Romans in the rear, assailing them from the wall.  The consuls learned his plan but remained inactive, and Hanno in scorn approached their intrenchments.  They also sent some men to lie in ambush behind him.  When toward evening he fearlessly and contemptuously led a charge, the Romans joined battle with him from ambush and from palisade and wrought a great slaughter of the enemy and of the elephants besides.  Hannibal had in the meantime assailed the Roman tents, but was hurled back by the men guarding them.  Hanno abandoned his camp and made good his escape to Heraclea.  Hannibal then formed a plan to escape as runaways from Agrigentum by night, and himself eluded observation; the rest, however, were recognized and were killed, some by the Romans and many by the Agrigentinians.  For all that the people of Agrigentum did not obtain pardon, but their wealth was plundered and they themselves were all sold into servitude.

On account of the winter the consuls retired to Messana.  The Carthaginians were angry with Hanno and despatched Hamilcar the son of Barca in his stead, a man superior in generalship to all his countrymen save only Hannibal his son. [Sidenote:  B.C. 261 (a.u. 493)] Hamilcar himself guarded Sicily and sent Hannibal as admiral to damage the coast sections of Italy and so draw the consuls to his vicinity.  Yet he did not accomplish his aim, for they posted guards along both shores and then went to Sicily.  They effected nothing worthy of record, however.  And Hamilcar, becoming afraid that his Gallic mercenaries (who were offended because he had not given them full pay) might go over to the Romans, brought about their destruction.  He sent them to take charge of one of the cities under Roman sway, assuring them that it was in course of being betrayed and giving them permission to plunder it:  he then sent to the consuls pretended deserters to give them advance information of the coming of the Gauls.  Hence all the Gauls were ambuscaded and destroyed; many of the Romans also perished.