could not be restrained from casting weapons at our men. He thought he
should not without great danger send to him as ambassador one of his
Roman officers, and should expose him to savage men. It seemed therefore
most proper to send to him C. Valerius Procillus, the son of C. Valerius
Caburus, a young man of the highest courage and accomplishments (whose
father had been presented with the freedom of the city by C. Valerius
Flaccus), both on account of his fidelity and on account of his
knowledge of the Gallic language,--which Ariovistus, by long practice,
now spoke fluently,--and because in his case the Germans would have no
motive for committing violence;[118] and for his colleague, M. Mettius,
who had shared the hospitality of Ariovistus. He commissioned them to
learn what Ariovistus had to say, and to report to him. But when
Ariovistus saw them before him in his camp, he cried out in the presence
of his army, "Why were they come to him? was it for the purpose of
acting as spies?" He stopped them when attempting to speak, and cast
them into chains.

The same day he moved his camp forward and pitched under a hill six
miles from Caesar's camp. The day following he led his forces past
Caesar's camp, and encamped two miles beyond him; with this design--that
he might cut off Caesar from the corn and provisions which might be
conveyed to him from the Sequani and the AEdui. For five successive days
from that day Caesar drew out his forces before the camp and put them in
battle order, that if Ariovistus should be willing to engage in battle,
an opportunity might not be wanting to him. Ariovistus all this time
kept his army in camp, but engaged daily in cavalry skirmishes. The
method of battle in which the Germans had practiced themselves was this:
There were six thousand horse, and as many very active and courageous
foot, one of whom each of the horse selected out of the whole army for
his own protection. By these men they were constantly accompanied in
their engagements; to these the horse retired; these on any emergency
rushed forward; if any one, upon receiving a very severe wound, had
fallen from his horse, they stood around him; if it was necessary to
advance farther than usual or to retreat more rapidly, so great, from
practice, was their swiftness, that supported by the manes of the horses
they could keep pace with their speed.

Perceiving that Ariovistus kept himself in camp, Caesar, that he might
not any longer be