Ab urbe condita

assault it. When they saw the soldiers on the rampart and learnt from the report of the reconnoitring parties who had been sent in every direction that the camp was of small dimensions, they concluded that only a weak force of the enemy

held it. The whole army began to clamour for the fosse to be filled up and the rampart torn down that they might force their way into the camp. If the generals had not checked the impetuosity of their men, their recklessness would have terminated

the war. As it was, however, their huge numbers were exhausting their supplies, and owing to their previous inaction at Suessula and the delay in bringing on an action they were not far from absolute scarcity. They determined, therefore, since, as they imagined, the enemy was afraid to venture outside his camp, to send foraging parties into

the fields. Meantime they expected that as the Romans made no movement and had brought only as much corn as they could carry with the rest of their equipment on their shoulders, they, too, would soon be in want

of everything. When the consul saw the enemy scattered through the fields and only a few left on outpost duty in front of the camp, he addressed a few words of encouragement to his men and led them out to storm the

Samnite camp. They carried it at the first rush; more of the enemy were killed in their tents than at the gates or on the rampart. All the standards which were captured he ordered to be collected together. Leaving two legions to hold the camp, he gave strict orders that they were not to touch the booty till

he returned. He went forward with his men in open column and sent the cavalry to round up the scattered Samnites, like so much game, and drive them against

his army. There was an immense slaughter, for they were too much terrified to think under what standard to rally or whether to make for their camp or flee

further afield. Their fears drove them into such a hasty flight that as many as 40,000 shields — far more than the number of the slain —and military standards, including those captured in the storming of the camp, to the number of 170 were brought to

the consul. He then returned to the Samnite camp and all the booty there was given to the soldiers.