He took the first and fourth legion, and left the
second and third to Minucius, dividing the auxiliary troops equally with
him.
As Minucius gave himself great airs, and was gratified at the thought
that the greatest officer in the State had been humbled and brought low
by his means, Fabius reminded him that if he judged aright, he would
regard Hannibal, not Fabius, as his enemy; but that if he persisted in
his rivalry with his colleagues, he must beware lest he, the honoured
victor, should appear more careless of the safety and success of his
countrymen, than he who had been overcome and ill-treated by them.
XI. Minucius thought all this to be merely the expression of the old
man's jealousy. He took his allotted troops, and encamped apart from
him. Hannibal was not ignorant of what was passing, and watched all
their movements narrowly.
There was a hill between the two armies, which it was not difficult to
take, which when taken would afford an army a safe position, and one
well supplied with necessaries. The plain by which it was surrounded
appeared to be perfectly smooth, but was nevertheless intersected with
ditches and other hollow depressions. On this account Hannibal would not
take the hill, although he could easily have done so, but preferred to
leave it untouched, in order to draw the enemy into fighting for its
possession. But as soon as he saw Fabius separated from Minucius, he
placed during the night some troops in the depressions and hollows which
we have mentioned, and at daybreak sent a few men to take the hill, in
order to draw Minucius into fighting for it, in which he succeeded.
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