The consul having dismissed Hiero with the royal fleet, and left the praetor
to defend the coast of Sicily, passed over himself from Lilybaeum to the island
Melita, which was held in possession by the Carthaginians. On his arrival, Hamilcar,
the son of Gisgo, the commander of the garrison, with little less than two thousand
soldiers, together with the town and the island, are delivered up to him: thence,
after a few days, he returned to Lilybaeum, and the prisoners taken, both by
the consul and the praetor, excepting those illustrious for their rank, were
publicly sold. When the consul considered that Sicily was sufficiently safe
on that side, he crossed over to the islands of Vulcan, because there was a
report that the Carthaginian fleet was stationed there: but not one of the enemy
was discovered about those islands. They had already, as it happened, passed
over to ravage the coast of Italy, and having laid waste the territory of Vibo,
were also threatening the city. The descent made by the enemy on the Vibonensian
territory is announced to the consul as he was returning to Sicily: and letters
were delivered to him which had been sent by the senate, about the passage of
Hannibal into Italy, commanding him as soon as possible to bring assistance
to his colleague. Perplexed with having so many anxieties at once, he immediately
sent his army, embarked in the fleet, by the upper sea to Ariminum; he assigned
the defence of the territory of Vibo, and the sea-coast of Italy, to Sextus
Pomponius, his lieutenant-general, with twenty-five ships of war: he made up
a fleet of fifty ships for Marcus Aemilius the praetor; and he himself, after
the affairs of Sicily were settled, sailing close along the coast of Italy with
ten ships, arrived at Ariminum, whence, setting out with his army for the river
Trebia, he joined his colleague.
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