Bellum Africum 27

B. Afr. 27.1Scīpiō interim elephantōs hōc modō condocefacere īnstituit.

Meanwhile Scipio set about training his elephants in this way.

Note. condocefacere: 'to train', a rare compound of doceō and faciō. hōc modō looks forward to the next sentences.

B. Afr. 27.1Duās īnstrūxit aciēs, ūnam funditōrum contrā elephantōs, quae quasi adversāriōrum locum obtinēret et contrā eōrum frontem adversam lapillōs minūtōs mitteret;

He drew up two lines: one of slingers facing the elephants, to take the place of the enemy, as it were, and throw small stones against the elephants' fronts as they faced them;

Note. quae … obtinēret et … mitteret: relative clause of purpose. quasi adversāriōrum locum: 'as if in the place of the enemy'.

B. Afr. 27.1deinde in ōrdinem elephantōs cōnstituit, post illōs autem suam aciem īnstrūxit, ut, cum ab adversāriīs lapidēs mittī coepissent et elephantī perterritī sē ad suōs convertissent, rūrsus ab suā aciē lapidibus missīs eōs converterent adversus hostem.

then he drew up the elephants in a line, and behind them he drew up his own line, so that, when stones began to be thrown by the 'enemy' and the elephants, terrified, had turned back towards their own side, his own line would throw stones at them in turn and turn them back to face the enemy.

Note. ut … convertērent: purpose clause. mittī coepissent: 'had begun to be thrown'. eōs = the elephants.

B. Afr. 27.2Quod aegrē tardēque fīēbat;

This went on with difficulty and slowly;

Note. Quod: connecting relative, 'This'. aegrē tardēque: 'with difficulty and slowly'.

B. Afr. 27.2rudēs enim elephantī multōrum annōrum doctrīnā ūsūque vetustō vix ēdoctī tamen commūnī perīculō in aciem prōdūcuntur.

for elephants are untrained creatures, and even when they have been thoroughly trained by many years of teaching and long practice, they are still led into battle at a risk shared by both sides.

Note. A general reflection in the present tense. rudēs: 'untaught' by nature. commūnī perīculō: the risk is shared, since panicked elephants trample their own side.