Then Pyrrhus, finding that the advice of Cineas had been useless, determined to try a plan of his own. Perhaps he would be able to frighten Fabricius into doing as he wished, and this is the strange way he chose.
He ordered his largest elephant to be placed in the room in which he and the Roman were to meet. The elephant was to be hidden by a curtain, which at a signal from the king was to be drawn aside.
So the next day when Pyrrhus and the ambassador met, their conversation was suddenly interrupted, and the Roman to his astonishment found himself standing close to a huge beast, whose trunk and tusks would have looked formidable enough even to a strong soldier, while Fabricius was an old man.
But when the elephant began to trumpet, the Roman only laughed, and without stirring he said, ‘The beast cannot move me to-day more than your gold yesterday.’
Fabricius had easily guessed the meaning of the strange interruption, and of the appearance of the huge animal in the king’s sitting-room.
Pyrrhus saw that it was hopeless to try to come to terms with the Roman, and he again prepared for war.
Early in 279 B.C. he marched into Apulia, and there, near the town of Asculum, another great battle was fought.
The Romans had learned to dread the terrible war-elephants which accompanied Pyrrhus on the battlefield. To cope with them, they had wagons built, with spikes fixed to the wheels. These wagons were filled with soldiers, who carried javelins, ready to throw at the dread beasts.
But Pyrrhus made these precautions of little use, for he sent the elephants to a part of the field where no wagons had been placed.
Long and terrible was the struggle between the two armies.