43. Hercules Discovers the Theft (primer)
postero die simul atque excitatus est e somno,
On the next day as soon as he was aroused from sleep,
Hercules animadvertit furtum
Hercules noticed the theft
et quaerebat omnibus locis amissos boves .
and searched for < in> all places the lost oxen . nusquam tamen poterat reperire hos,
Nowhere however was he able to find these,
non modo quod ignorabat naturam loci
not only because he did not know the nature of the place
sed quod deceptus est falsis vestigiis .
but because he was deceived by the false tracks .
cum frustra consumpsisset magnam partem diei;
after in vain he had spent a great part of the day,
tandem constituit progredi cum reliquis bobus.
finally he decided to go on with the remaining cattle.
at dum parat proficisci,
But while he prepares to set out,
unus e bobus quos habuit secum coepit mugire.
one out of the oxen which he had with him began to bellow.
subito ei qui inclusi erant in spelunca
Suddenly those which had been shut up in the cave
reddiderunt mugitum .
returned the bellowing .
hoc modo fecerunt Herculem certiorem
In this way they made Hercules more certain [ = informed]
in quo loco celati essent .
in which place they had been hidden .
ille vehementer iratus,
He, exceedingly angry,
quam celerrime contulit se ad speluncam,
as quickly as possible took himself to the cave,
ut reciperet praedam .
so that he might take back his booty.
at Cacus deiecerat ingens saxum
But Cacus had thrown down an enormous rock
ita ut ianua speluncae omnino obstrueretur.
in such a way that the doorway of the cave completely was blocked.