Bellum Africum 3

B. Afr. 3.1Postquam ad Hadrūmētum accessit, ubi praesidium erat adversāriōrum, cui praeerat C. Cōnsidius, et ā Clupeīs secundum ōram maritimam cum equitātū Hadrūmētum petēns Cn. Pīsō cum Maurīs circiter tribus mīlibus appāruit, ibi paulisper Caesar ante portum commorātus, dum reliquae nāvēs convenīrent, expōnit exercitum, cuius numerus in praesentiā fuit peditum III mīlia, equitēs CL, castrīsque ante oppidum positīs sine iniūriā cuiusquam cōnsīdit cohibetque omnēs ā praedā.

After he had reached Hadrumetum, where the enemy had a garrison commanded by Gaius Considius, and Gnaeus Piso appeared with his cavalry from Clupea along the coast, heading for Hadrumetum with about three thousand Moors, Caesar stayed a short while in front of the harbour, waiting for the rest of the ships to gather, and then landed his army, whose strength at that moment was three thousand infantry and a hundred and fifty cavalry; and having pitched camp in front of the town he settled down without harming anyone and kept everyone from plunder.

Note. A long periodic sentence: Postquam … accessit … et … appāruit, then the main verbs expōnit, cōnsīdit, cohibet. C. Cōnsidius: Gaius Considius Longus, the Pompeian commander of Hadrumetum. Cn. Pīsō: Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, a Pompeian officer. Maurīs: 'Moors', horsemen from Mauretania. peditum III mīlia: 3,000 infantry (mīlia takes the genitive). sine iniūriā cuiusquam: 'without harm to anyone'.

B. Afr. 3.2Oppidānī interim mūrōs armātīs complent, ante portam frequentēs cōnsīdunt ad sē dēfendendum;

Meanwhile the townspeople filled the walls with armed men and gathered in large numbers in front of the gate to defend themselves;

Note. armātīs: 'with armed men', the adjective used as a noun. frequentēs: 'in large numbers'. ad sē dēfendendum: gerundive of purpose.

B. Afr. 3.2quōrum numerus duārum legiōnum īnstar erat.

their number was equal to two legions.

Note. īnstar: an indeclinable noun, 'the equivalent', with the genitive: 'their number was the equal of two legions'.

B. Afr. 3.3Caesar circum oppidum vectus nātūrā locī perspectā rediit in castra.

Caesar rode round the town, studied the nature of the ground and returned to camp.

Note. vectus: here 'riding' round the town. nātūrā locī perspectā: ablative absolute.

B. Afr. 3.4Nōnnēmō culpae eius imprūdentiaeque adsignābat, quod neque circum loca gubernātōribus praefectīsque, quid peterent, praecēperat neque, ut mōre omnium ipsīus cōnsuētūdō superiōribus temporibus fuerat, tabellās signātās dederat, ut in tempore hīs perlēctīs locum certum peterent ūniversī.

Some people blamed him for carelessness and lack of foresight, because he had neither told the helmsmen and captains in advance what places to make for, nor, as had been his own habit on earlier occasions as with everyone, given them sealed tablets, so that by reading these at the right moment they could all make for a fixed place.

Note. Nōnnēmō: 'not no one', i.e. 'some people'. culpae … imprūdentiaeque adsignābat: 'put it down to his fault and lack of foresight'. quid peterent: indirect question. ut mōre omnium ipsīus cōnsuētūdō … fuerat: 'as had been his own custom in earlier times, in the manner of all commanders'. tabellās signātās: sealed written orders, to be opened only at sea.

B. Afr. 3.5Quod minimē Caesarem fefellerat;

But this had not escaped Caesar at all;

Note. Quod: connecting relative, 'And this'. fefellerat: from fallō, 'had (not at all) escaped the notice of'. The author is defending Caesar.

B. Afr. 3.5namque nūllum portum terrae Āfricae, quō classēs dēcurrerent, prō certō tūtum ab hostium praesidiō fore suspicābātur, sed fortuītō oblātam occāsiōnem ēgressūs aucupābātur.

for he suspected that no harbour in the land of Africa where his fleets could put in would be certainly safe from an enemy garrison, but he was watching for an opportunity of landing to offer itself by chance.

Note. quō … dēcurrerent: relative clause of characteristic, 'to which his fleets could put in'. prō certō: 'for certain'. fortuītō oblātam occāsiōnem ēgressūs: 'an opportunity of landing offered by chance'. aucupābātur: deponent aucupor, literally 'go bird-catching', so 'lie in wait for'.