the office securely.  Now these symbols are a staff of silver covered with gold, and a silver cap,—­not covering the whole head, but like a crown and held in place on all sides by bands of silver,—­a kind of white cloak gathered by a golden brooch on the right shoulder in the form of a Thessalian cape, and a white tunic with embroidery, and a gilded boot.  And Belisarius sent these things to them, and presented each one of them with much money.  However, they did not come to fight along with him, nor, on the other hand, did they dare give their support to the Vandals, but standing out of the way of both contestants, they waited to see what would be the outcome of the war.  Thus, then, matters stood with the Romans.

But Gelimer sent one of the Vandals to Sardinia with a letter to his brother Tzazon.  And he went quickly to the coast, and finding by chance a merchant-ship putting out to sea, he sailed into the harbour of Caranalis and put the letter into the hands of Tzazon.  Now the message of the letter was as follows: 

“It was not, I venture to think, Godas who caused the island to revolt from us, but some curse of madness sent from Heaven which fell upon the Vandals.  For by depriving us of you and the notables of the Vandals, it has seized and carried off from the house of Gizeric absolutely all the blessings which we enjoyed.  For it was not to recover the island for us that you sailed from here, but in order that Justinian might be master of Libya.  For that which Fortune had decided upon previously it is now possible to know from the outcome.  Belisarius, then, has come against us with a small army, but valour straightway departed and fled from the Vandals, taking good fortune with her.  For Ammatas and Gibamundus have fallen, because the Vandals lost their courage, and the horses and shipyards and all Libya and, not least of all, Carthage itself, are held already by the enemy.  And the Vandals are sitting here, having paid with their children and wives and all their possessions for their failure to play the part of brave men in battle, and to us is left only the plain of Boulla, where our hope in you has set us down and still keeps us.  But do you have done with such matters as rebel tyrants and Sardinia and the cares concerning these things, and come to us with your whole force as quickly as possible.  For when men find the very heart and centre of all in danger, it is not advisable for them to consider minutely other matters.  And struggling hereafter in common against the enemy, we shall either recover our previous fortune, or gain the advantage of not bearing apart from each other the hard fate sent by Heaven.”