approached the camp of Sextus. In the attack on the latter
which followed Bassus was defeated and wounded. Consequently, after this
experience, he no longer employed violent tactics, but sent messages to
his opponent's soldiers, and in some way or other so prevailed over some
of them that they took upon themselves the murder of Sextus.

[-27-] The latter out of the way the usurper gained possession of all his
army except some few. The soldiers wintering in Apamea withdrew before
he reached them toward Cilicia, and were pursued but were not won over.
Bassus returned to Syria, where he was named commander, and he conquered
Apamea so as to have it as a base for warfare. He enlisted not only the
free but the slave fighting population, gathered money, and accumulated
arms. While he was thus engaged one Gaius Antistius invested the position
he was holding, and the two had a nearly even struggle in which neither
party succeeded in gaining any great advantage. Thereupon they parted,
without any definite truce, to await the bringing up of allies. The
troops of Antistius were increased by such persons in the vicinity as
favored Caesar and soldiers that had been sent by him from Rome, those of
Bassus by Alchaudonius the Arabian. The latter was the leader who had
formerly made an arrangement with Lucullus, as I mentioned,[31] and
later joined with the Parthian against Crassus. On this occasion he was
summoned by both sides, but entered the space between the city and the
camps and before making any answer auctioned off his services; and as
Bassus offered more money he assisted him, and in the battle wrought
great havoc with his arrows. The Parthians themselves, too, came at the
invitation of Bassus, but on account of the winter failed to remain with
him for any considerable time, and hence did not accomplish anything of
importance. This commander, then, had his own way for a time, but was
later again held in check by Marcius Crispus[32] and Lucius Staius
Murcus.

[-28-] Things were in this condition among them when Cassius came on the
scene and at once conciliated all the cities through the reputation of
what he had done in his quaestorship and his other fame, and attached the
legions of Bassus and of the rest without additional labor. While he
was encamped in one spot with all of them a great downpour from the sky
suddenly occurred, during which wild swine rushed into the camp through
all the gates at once, overturning and mixing