ther seven
thousand men in all, he hurried to release Cicero from the blockade.
The besiegers were aware of his approach and met him with the
intention of cutting him off at once, for they despised the fewness of
his numbers. But Caesar, deceiving the enemy, avoided them continually,
and having occupied a position which was advantageous to one who had
to contend against many with a small force, he fortified his camp, and
kept his men altogether from fighting; and he made them increase the
height of the ramparts and build up the gates as if they were afraid,
his manoeuvre being to make the enemy despise him, till at last when
they made their assault in scattered bodies, urged by self-confidence,
sallying out he put them to flight and killed many of them.

XXV.[502] The frequent defections of the Gauls in those parts were
thus quieted, and also by Caesar during the winter moving about in all
directions and carefully watching disturbances. For there had come to
him from Italy three legions to replace those that had perished,
Pompeius having lent him two of those which were under his command,
and one legion having been newly raised in Gaul upon the Padus. But in
the course of time there showed themselves, what had long in secret
been planted and spread abroad by the most powerful men among the most
warlike tribes, the elements of the greatest and the most dangerous of
all the wars in Gaul, strengthened by a numerous body of young men
armed and collected from all quarters, and by great stores brought
together, and fortified cities, and countries difficult of access. And
at that time, during the winter, frozen rivers and forests buried in
snow, and plains overflowed by winter torrents, and in some parts
paths that could not be discovered for the depth of the snow, and in
other parts the great uncertainty of a march through marshes and
streams diverted from their course, seemed to place the proceedings of
the insurgents altogether beyond any attempt on the part of Caesar.
Accordingly many tribes had revolted, but the leaders of the revolt
were the Arvenni and the Carnuntini; Vergentorix was elected to the
supreme direction of the war, he whose father the Gauls had put to
death on the ground of aiming at a tyranny.

XXVI. Vergentorix,[503] dividing his force into many parts, and
placing over them many commanders, began to gain over all the
surrounding country as far as those who bordered on the Arar, it being
his design, as C