CHAP. III.] 



ROMAN CAVALRY. 



75 



moment of action to employ bis own tried legions at the 

 decisive points, leaving his allies as a mere stop-gap in 

 the line of battle. 



He therefore marched to within a league of the Car- 

 thaginian position and there encamped, but foreseeing 

 that Asdrubal would be likely to molest his working 

 parties in entrenching the camp, he had placed his 

 cavalry in ambush behind a hill, from which concealment 

 they charged suddenly upon Mago and Massanissa, who 

 with the cavalry and Numidians came out to attack 

 them.^ The stratagem was crowned with success, and 

 the Carthaginians were driven in confusion back to their 

 own lines with heavy loss. This skirmish had the effect 

 of inspiriting the Romans, and tended also to confirm 

 the allegiance of their allies. 



For several days the two armies remained opposite to 

 each other, each day being drawn up in line of battle in 

 the plain which lay between the camps, but without 

 bringing on a general action,^ the light troops alone at 

 times having partial combats and skirmishes. 



Scipio during several days had carefully marked the 

 order in which Asdrubal had formed up his army, and 

 had seen that his best troops, the African infantry, occu- 

 pied the centre of the line, that his allies were on the 

 flanks of the Africans, and the cavalry and elephants 

 upon the wings. Asdrubal had evidently so drawn up 

 his army, in order to oppose his best troops to the legions 

 which usually occupied the centre of the Roman line of 

 battle, and which were by far the bravest and best dis- 

 ciplined infantry of the age. He had seen Scipio's army 

 day after day, with its long lines deployed upon the 

 plain in their accustomed order, and had marked that 

 the Spaniards, Scipio's latest and least trusted allies, 

 were ranged upon the flanks.^ His dispositions therefore 

 to meet his opponent were the best that he could have 

 adopted. 



Scipio had moved out time after time purposely to 

 deceive Asdrubal on this point, intending at the last 

 moment to change the formation to one that would take 

 ' Polybius, xi. ch 5. « Ibid. ^ ibij^ 



