1At the first meeting, held by the princes as I have mentioned above, it had been decided, because of their disagreement, that the treasures should be divided and boundaries of rule fixed for each. 2And so a time is appointed for each matter, but an earlier one for distributing the money. 2Meanwhile the princes withdrew, one to one place, another to another, near the treasuries. 3But Hiempsal, in the town of Thirmida, happened to be using the house of a man who, as Jugurtha's chief lictor, had always been dear and welcome to him. 3Jugurtha loads this man, offered by chance as his agent, with promises and urges him to go to the house as if to visit his own property and to have false keys made to the gates — for the real ones were handed over to Hiempsal — and he himself, when the matter required it, would come with a large band.
4The Numidian quickly carries out his instructions and, as he had been told, lets Jugurtha's soldiers in by night. 5After they had burst into the house, they scattered in search of the king, killing some while asleep, others as they ran to meet them, searching hidden places, breaking open locked ones, throwing everything into confusion with noise and uproar, when meanwhile Hiempsal is found hiding in the hut of a slave woman, where at the start, terrified and unfamiliar with the place, he had fled. 6The Numidians bring his head back to Jugurtha, as they had been ordered.