Bellum Africum 51

B. Afr. 51.1Hāc rē per equitēs gestā Caesar legiōnibus opera distribuit atque in eō colle, quō erat potītus, castra mūnīvit.

After this action by the cavalry, Caesar assigned the work to the legions and fortified a camp on the hill he had taken.

Note. quō erat potītus: potior here with the ablative (quō), the commoner construction in classical prose.

B. Afr. 51.2Deinde ab suīs maximīs castrīs per medium campum ē regiōne oppidī Uzitae, quod inter sua castra et Scīpiōnis in plānitiē positum erat tenēbāturque ab Scīpiōne, duo brachia īnstituit dūcere et ita dērigere, ut ad angulum dextrum sinistrumque eius oppidī convenīrent.

Then from his largest camp, across the middle of the plain, in the direction of the town of Uzita, which lay on level ground between his camp and Scipio's and was held by Scipio, he began to run two lines of fortification and to direct them so that they would meet at the right and left corners of that town.

Note. e regiōne + genitive: 'directly opposite, in line with'. quod … positum erat: quod picks up oppidī. dērigere: 'to lay out in a line', an alternative spelling of dīrigere.

B. Afr. 51.3Id hāc ratiōne opus īnstruēbat, ut, cum propius oppidum cōpiās admōvisset oppugnāreque coepisset, tēcta latera suīs mūnītiōnibus habēret, ne ab equitātūs multitūdine circumventus ab oppugnātiōne dēterrērētur, praetereā quō facilius conloquia fierī possent, et sī quī perfugere vellent, id quod anteā saepe accidēbat magnō cum eōrum perīculō, tum facile et sine perīculō fieret.

He built this work on this plan: so that, when he had moved his forces nearer the town and had begun to attack it, he would have his flanks covered by his fortifications and would not be surrounded by the mass of cavalry and frightened away from the siege; besides, so that conversations could take place more easily, and if any wished to desert, what had often happened before at great risk to them could then be done easily and without risk.

Note. Three purpose clauses: ut … habēret, nē … dēterrērētur, and quō facilius … possent (quō is used instead of ut with a comparative). sī quī: quī is the indefinite pronoun after sī, 'if any'. id quod … accidēbat: 'a thing which …', in apposition to the following clause.

B. Afr. 51.4Voluit etiam experīrī, cum propius hostem accessisset, habēretne in animō dīmicāre.

He also wanted to find out, when he had come nearer the enemy, whether they had a mind to fight.

Note. habēretne: an indirect question marked by the enclitic -ne attached to the verb, 'whether he (Scipio) had it in mind'.

B. Afr. 51.5Accēdēbat etiam ad reliquās causās, quod is locus dēpressus erat puteīque ibi fierī complūrēs poterant: aquātiōne enim longā et angustā ūtēbātur.

There was also, in addition to the other reasons, the fact that the place was low-lying and several wells could be dug there: for he was using a long and narrow watering-route.

Note. accēdēbat … quod: 'there was added the fact that'. aquātiōne … ūtēbātur: 'he was using a long and narrow watering-route', i.e. his men had a long walk for water. fierī: of wells, 'be dug'.

B. Afr. 51.6Dum haec opera, quae ante dīxī, fīēbant ā legiōnibus, interim pars aciē ante opus īnstrūctā sub hoste stābat;

While the works I have described were being done by the legions, meanwhile part of the army stood in battle line in front of the works, close to the enemy;

Note. quae ante dīxī: the writer speaks in the first person, as often in this book. sub hoste: 'close under the enemy'.

B. Afr. 51.6equitēs barbarī levisque armātūra proeliīs minūtīs comminus dīmicābant.

the barbarian horsemen and the light-armed troops fought at close quarters in small skirmishes.

Note. proeliīs minūtīs: 'in petty skirmishes'. comminus: 'at close quarters', from com- + manus.