Chapter 3 Summary

Chapter three begins with Marius still in Africa, reduced to serving as an aide to Metellus's twenty-year-old son. Marius and Rufus, frustrated with Metellus's mishandling of the war, advises Metellus that he should capture Jugurtha as quickly as possible to end the war. They discover, through an informant, that the best way to capture Jugurtha is to employ Bomilcar as an agent. Bomilcar is unhappy with Jugurtha because the king will not make Bomilcar the regent of the kingdom because of Bomilcar's lack of royal blood.

Meanwhile, the man who claims to be the rightful king of Numidia, Gauda, is unhappy with Metellus and asks to see Marius. Marius prostrates himself before the African king and forges an alliance with the king in the event of Marius taking over Africa. Marius then goes to see the King's prophet, Martha. She reads his palm...