ason. Two thousand soldiers also went over to him. The
officers remained loyal and were starved to death. [Sidenote: Town
after town won by the confederates.] Stabiae, Salernum, Pompeii,
Herculaneum, and probably Nuceria were taken in quick succession;
and, with his army swollen by deserters and recruits from the
neighbourhood, Mutilus laid siege to Acerrae. Caesar hastened to
relieve it. But Canusium and Venusia had joined the insurgents, and
in Venusia Oxyntas, son of Jugurtha, had been kept prisoner by the
Romans. Mutilus now put royal robes on him, and the Numidians in
Caesar's army, when they saw him, deserted in troops, so that Caesar
was forced to send the whole corps home.

[Sidenote: Caesar gains the first success for Rome; but is afterwards
defeated.] But out of this misfortune came the first gleam of success
which had as yet shone on the Roman arms. Mutilus ventured to attack
Caesar's camp, was driven back; and in the retreat the Roman cavalry
cut down 6,000 of his men. Though Marius Egnatius soon afterwards
defeated Caesar, this victory in some sort dissipated the gloom of
the capital; and while the two armies settled again into their old
position at Acerrae, the garb of mourning was laid aside at Rome for
the first time since the war began. Lupus and Marius meanwhile had
marched against the Marsi. Marius, in accordance with his old tactics
against the Cimbri, advised Lupus not to hazard a battle. But Lupus
thought that Marius wanted to get the consulship next year and reserve
for himself the honours of the war. So he hastened to fight, and,
throwing two bridges over the Tolenus, crossed by one himself, leaving
Marius to cross by the other. [Sidenote: Lupus defeated by the Marsi.]
As soon as the consul had reached the opposite bank, an ambuscade set
by Vettius Scato attacked him, and slew him and 8,000 of his men.
Their bodies, floating down the river, told Marius what had happened.
Like the good soldier that he was, he promptly crossed and seized the
enemy's camp. This disaster happened June 11, B.C. 90, and caused
great consternation in Rome. But at Rome small merit was now discerned
in any success gained by the veteran general, and Caepio, who had
opposed Drusus and was therefore a favourite with the equites, was
made joint commander in the north. It was a foolish choice. The
prudence of Marius and a victory over the Peligni gained by Sulpicius
were neutralised by the new general's rashness. Pompaedius Si