Some say that he came with not more than two hundred horse, but most authors say with a body of two thousand cavalry.

But, as this man was by far the greatest king of his age, and rendered most essential service to the Romans, it seems worth while to digress a little, to give a full account of the great vicissitudes of fortune he experienced in the loss and recovery of his father's kingdom.

While he was serving in Spain in the cause of the Carthaginians, his father, named Gala, died.

The kingdom, according to the custom of the Numidians, came to Oesalces, the brother of the late king, who was very aged.

Not long after, Oesalces also dying, the elder of his two sons, named Capusa, the other being quite a boy, succeeded to his father's kingdom.