71.
Vercingetorix adopts the design of sending away all his cavalry by
night, before the fortifications should be completed by the Romans. He charges them when departing "that each of them should go
to his respective state, and press for the war all who were old enough to bear
arms; he states his own merits, and conjures them to consider his safety, and
not surrender him who had deserved so well of the general freedom, to the enemy
for torture; he points out to them that, if they should be remiss, eighty
thousand chosen men would perish with him; that upon making a calculation, he
had barely corn for thirty days, but could hold out a little longer by economy."
After giving these instructions he silently dismisses the cavalry in the second
watch, [on that side] where our works were not completed; he orders all the corn
to be brought to himself; he ordains capital punishment to such as should not
obey; he distributes among them, man by man, the cattle, great quantities of
which had been driven there by the Mandubii; he began to measure
out the corn sparingly, and by little and little; he receives into the town all
the forces which he had posted in front of it. In this manner he prepares to
await the succors from Gaul, and carry on the war.
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