The victories of these two generals largely helped to make the reign
of Justinian remarkable in history. Many years before he ascended
the throne the Vandals, as you have read, conquered the northern
part of Africa and established a kingdom there with Carthage as
its capital. The Vandal king in the time of Justinian was named
Gelimer (Gel'-i-mer), and he lived in Carthage.
Justinian resolved to make war on this king in order to recover
Northern Africa and make it again a part of the Empire. So
Belisarius was sent to Africa with an army of thirty-five thousand
men and five thousand horses, that were carried on a fleet of six
hundred ships. It took this fleet three months to make the voyage
from Constantinople to Africa. The same voyage may now be made
in a very few days. But in the time of Belisarius there were no
steamships, and nothing was known of the power of steam for moving
machinery. The ships or galleys were sailing vessels; and when
there was no wind they could make no progress except by rowing.
When Belisarius reached Africa he left five men as a guard in each
vessel, and with the body of his army he marched for some days
along the coast.
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