Chapter 29

Meanwhile the squadrons of cavalry whose regular duty it was to be on guard in front of tin: rampart were engaging daily in incessant skirmishes with one another; and there were also times when Labienus’ Germans and Gauls and Caesar’s cavalry exchanged pledges of good faith and conversed with one another. Meantime Labienus with part of his cavalry was endeavouring to assault and force his way into the town of Leptis, which was under command of Saserna with six cohorts; but its defenders, thanks to the excellent fortifications of the town and the large number of their engines of war, defended it easily and without danger. But Labienus’ cavalry repeated these tactics fairly frequently and gave them no respite and when it so chanced that a squadron had halted in massed formation in front of the gate, its captain was struck and pinned to his horse by a bolt discharged from a scorpion with unusual Inaccurate aim. This so unnerved the rest that they withdrew in flight to their camp, too much daunted by it to resume their attempt upon the town thereafter.