tly to Thasos. He
shrank from burying it upon the ground, for fear the army would be filled
with grief and dejection at sight of the preparations. The remainder
of his friend's soldiers he took under his charge, consoled them in a
speech, won their devotion by a gift of money to make up for what they
had lost, and then transferred his position to their enclosure, which
was more suitable. From there he started out to harass his opponents in
various ways, especially by assaulting their camp at night. He had no
intention of joining issue with them again in a set battle, but had great
hopes of overcoming them without danger by the lapse of time. Hence he
tried regularly to startle them in various ways and disturb them by
night, and once by diverting the course of the river he washed away
considerable of their wall. Caesar and Antony were getting short of both
food and money, and consequently gave their soldiers nothing to replace
what had been seized and carried off. Furthermore, the force that was
sailing to them in transports from Brundusium had been destroyed by
Staius. Yet they could not safely transfer their position to any other
quarter nor return to Italy, and so, even as late as this, they set all
their hopes upon their weapons,--hopes not merely of victory but even
of preservation. They were eager to meet the danger before the naval
disaster became noised abroad among their opponents and their own men.
[-48-] As Brutus evinced an unwillingness to meet them in open fight,
they somehow cast pamphlets over his palisade, challenging his soldiers
either to embrace their cause (promises being attached) or to come into
conflict if they had the least particle of strength. During this delay
some of the Celtic force deserted from their side to Brutus, and Amyntas,
the general of Deiotarus, and Rhascuporis deserted to them. The latter,
as some say, immediately returned home. Brutus was afraid, when this
happened, that there might be further similar rebellion and decided to
join issue with them. And since there were many captives in his camp, and
he neither had any way to guard them during the progress of the battle,
and could not trust them to refrain from doing mischief, he despatched
the majority of them, contrary to his own inclination, being a slave in
this matter to necessity; but he was the more ready to do it because of
the fact that his opponents had killed such of his soldiers as had been
taken alive. After doing this