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The insurgents along the Adriatic coast, before they learned of the change of
sentiment among the Etruscans, sent 15,000 men to their assistance by a long
and difficult road. Gnæus Pompeius, who was now consul, fell upon
them and killed 5000 of them. The rest made their way homeward through a
trackless region, in a severe winter, living on acorns; and half of them
perished. The same winter Porcius Cato, the colleague of Pompeius, was
killed while fighting with the Marsians. While Sulla was encamped near the
Pompeiian mountains Lucius Cluentius pitched his camp in a contemptuous
manner at a distance of only three stades from him, Sulla did not tolerate
this insolence, but attacked Cluentius without waiting for his
own foragers to come in. He was worsted and put to
flight, but when he was reënforced by his foragers he turned and
defeated Cluentius. The latter then moved his camp to a greater distance.
Having received certain Gallic reenforcements he again drew near to Sulla
and just as the two armies were coming to an engagement a Gaul of enormous
size advanced and challenged any Roman to single combat. A Mauritanian
soldier of short stature accepted the challenge and killed him, whereupon
the Gauls became panic-stricken and fled. Cluentius' line of battle was thus
broken and the remainder of his troops did not stand their ground, but fled,
in disorder to Nola. Sulla followed them and killed 3000 in the pursuit, and
as the inhabitants of Nola received them by only one gate, lest the enemy
should rush in with them, he killed about 20,000 more outside the walls and
among them Cluentius himself, who fell fighting bravely.
