The first step of the consul was to occupy
all the sea-ports near this place: the town of Drepanon, however, resisting
his efforts, he resolved rather to decide its fate, and that of Sicily in
general, by a sea battle, than to undertake a regular siege.
The Carthaginians soon gave him an opportunity of acting in this manner,
for they sent to sea a fleet of 400 vessels, under the command of Hanno. In
the building and equipment of this fleet, the senate of Carthage had nearly
exhausted all their means; but though their fleet was numerically much
greater than that of Rome, in some essential respects it was inferior to
it. Most of the seamen and troops on board it were inexperienced and
undisciplined; and the ships themselves were not to be compared, with
regard to the union of lightness and strength, with the Roman vessels, as
they were now built. Besides, the Romans trusted entirely to themselves -
the Carthaginians, in some measure, to their allies or to hired seamen. The
Romans, though firm and determined, were not rashly confident; whereas the
Carthaginians even yet regarded their adversaries with feelings of
contempt.
The hostile fleets met off Hiera, one of the Aeolian islands. The
Carthaginian admiral's first object was to reach Eryx, a city which had
lately been taken by Hamilcar, there to unload his vessels, and after
having taken on board Hamilcar and the best of his troops, to sail again in
quest of the Roman fleet.
