he had taken care to keep up friendly relations.  Not only had he promised them pay, plunder, and lands, but, finding their horses ill-trained, he had taken those of his officers, even those of the Roman knights and veterans, and distributed them amongst his barbaric auxiliaries.  The action began between the cavalry on both sides; a portion of the Gallic had taken up position on the road followed by the Roman army, to bar its passage; but whilst the fighting at this point was getting more and more obstinate, the German horse in Caesar’s service gained a neighboring height, drove off the Gallic horse that were in occupation, and pursued them as far as the river, near which was Vercingetorix with his infantry.  Disorder took place amongst this infantry so unexpectedly attacked.  Caesar launched his legions at them, and there was a general panic and rout among the Gauls.  Vercingetorix had great trouble in rallying them, and he rallied them only to order a general retreat, for which they clamored.  Hurriedly striking his camp, he made for Alesia (Semur in Auxois), a neighboring town and the capital of the Mandubians, a peoplet in clientship to the AEduans.  Caesar immediately went in pursuit of the Gauls; killed, he says, three thousand, made important prisoners, and encamped with his legions before Alesia the day but one after Vercingetorix, with his fugitive army, had occupied the place as well as the neighboring hills, and was hard at work intrenching himself, probably without any clear idea as yet of what he should do to continue the struggle.

Caesar at once took a resolution as unexpected as it was discreetly bold.  Here was the whole Gallic insurrection, chieftain and soldiery, united together within or beneath the walls of a town of moderate extent.  He undertook to keep it there and destroy it on the spot, instead of having to pursue it everywhere without ever being sure of getting at it.  He had at his disposal eleven legions, about fifty thousand strong, and five or six thousand cavalry, of which two thousand were Germans.  He placed them round about Alesia and the Gallic camp, caused to be dug a circuit of deep ditches, some filled with water, others bristling with palisades and snares, and added, from interval to interval, twenty-three little forts, occupied or guarded night and day by detachments.  The result was a line of investment about ten miles in extent.  To the rear of the Roman camp, and for defence against attacks from without, Caesar caused to be dug similar intrenchments, which formed a line of circumvallation of about thirteen miles.  The troops had provisions and forage for thirty days.  Vercingetorix made frequent sallies to stop or destroy these works; but they were repulsed, and only resulted in getting his army more closely cooped up within the place.  Eighty thousand Gallic insurgents were, as it were, in prison, guarded by fifty thousand Roman soldiers.  Vercingetorix was one of those who persevere and act