Accordingly Octavian received the surrender of these also at the hands of Tisienus on terms agreed upon, and of the cavalry besides,who were surrendered by their officers.Three of Octavian's ships were sunk in the fight. Pompeius lost twenty-eight in this way, and the remainder were burned and stove in pieces.Pompeius learned of the defection of his infantry while on the road,and changed his costume from that of a commander to that of a private citizen, and sent orders to Messana to put on shipboard everything possible.All preparations to this end had been made long before. He summoned Plenius from Lilybaeum. Plenius hastened to comply with this order,but as other friends were deserting, and the enemy's fleet
was moving into the straits, Pompeius did not wait even for Plenius in his well-fortified city, but fled, from Messana to Antony, remembering that he had saved his mother in similar circumstances. After his departure Plenius arrived at Messana and occupied the place. Octavian himself remained in the camp at Naulochi,but he ordered Agrippa to lay siege to Messana, which the latter did, in conjunction with Lepidus.Plenius sent envoys to treat for peace. Agrippa wanted to wait till morning for the arrival of Octavian,but Lepidus granted terms,and in order to conciliate the soldiers of Plenius to himself allowed them to join the rest of the army in plundering the city.These had asked for nothing but safety,and now,
finding unexpected gain in addition, they plundered Messana the whole night, in conjunction with the soldiers of Lepidus,and then ranged themselves under his standards.Including this new accession,Lepidus now had twenty-two legions of infantry and a large body of cavalry;so that he was elated, and thought to make himself master of Sicily,using the pretext that he was the first to invade the island and that he had induced many cities to join the triumvirs.He sent word at once to the garrisons of these places that they should not admit the emissaries of Octavian,and he seized all the defiles.Octavian arrived on the following day.