Looking down on them from the rostra of shields that had been constructed, Caesar’s gaze was cold, while contempt dripped from every word as he spoke. “Gaius Avienus, you instigated troops in the service of the Republic to mutiny, you plundered lawfully constituted municipalities, and you have been of absolutely no use to me or to Rome. In direct contravention of my orders, instead of embarking troops on your ship, you boarded your personal slaves and horses. Because of your misconduct, we are now short of men, and for this and all that I have stated you are hereby dismissed from this army without honors and directed to leave Africa today.” He turned to Fonteius, leaving Avienus white with shock, shaking with shame and humiliation. “Aulus Fonteius, you too are dismissed from the army for insubordination and conduct unbecoming an officer in the Roman army.”
Then it was time for a surprise, because Caesar then called three of my Centurions to the front of the formation, and I was happy to see that they were the two disgraced Tribunes’ lackeys.
“Titus Salienus, Marcus Tiro, and Gaius Clusenas, the three of you have reached the rank of Centurion in my army not by merit, but by favor. You have not been distinguished for valor in war or good conduct in peace, and instead of being obedient and exercising self-control you have been active in sedition and in inciting your men to mutiny against their general. Therefore, I deem you unfit to command Centuries in my army, and you are hereby dismissed as well, to leave Africa immediately.”
As soon as Caesar finished, the provosts who had been waiting stepped forward, two men surrounding each of the disgraced men. None too gently they were led away to their fate. While I was happy to see that one pressing problem was solved in a manner that would have been too difficult for me to accomplish, at least as far as the Tribunes were concerned, I was somewhat disappointed because I did not think Caesar had gotten everyone. I had really hoped that Celer would have been one of the men sent packing, but I would just have to let Scribonius deal with him. I must admit he was probably doing better than I had when I was in command of the Second. I now had vacancies in the Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Cohorts respectively, and I began thinking of possible replacements. Caesar had nothing more to say; his message was clear and understood by every man in the Legion. My only hope as he stepped down from the rostra, then headed for the praetorium, was that now the 10th was no longer going to bear the brunt of his displeasure.
~ ~ ~ ~
All was not going well for the Pompeians, who had their own morale problems, as desertions were beginning to mount. The trenches we dug, particularly the one on the side nearest the enemy camps, served as a secure passageway for those wishing to desert, so much so that it soon became a well-traveled road heading one way towards our camp as first rankers, then officers, particularly in Juba’s army came to our side. Their stories were all the same; they believed that the Pompeian cause was lost and they were getting on the winning side as quickly as possible. As was his usual policy, Caesar welcomed all those who came to our side, though we in the ranks took a more cynical view of these new converts to the cause. Perhaps it was in answer to these desertions that Scipio decided that another demonstration was in order, so two days after the Tribunes were cashiered, the bucina sounded the call that the enemy was in sight. We formed up quickly in answer, and as the men made themselves ready, I ran to find out what was happening. Scipio was apparently offering battle, forming up in a line on the far side of the city walls, using a small creek that ran behind the city as a barrier to attack from our army. We were ordered out into formation, and for the first time since the 10th had been formed, we were not posted on the right, but on the left with the 9th. However, it was not as further punishment, but because Scipio had deployed a large contingent of cavalry beyond his own right wing. He was obviously hoping to send them into our flank and rear, should we engage with the right wing. Because of this development, Caesar wanted his most experienced men on that side. Nevertheless, I have to say it was quite an awkward experience and it took us longer than I liked to get in place. Fortunately, Scipio did not seem anxious to come to grips, so we had no problems despite the delay. As we did the last time, we went to all the trouble of forming up for battle and we simply stood there staring at each other as the sun moved through the sky. It became clear that Scipio was hoping to tempt us to attack, using the creek and town as natural barriers to help bolster his defense, yet Caesar would not snap at the bait, making for another boring day. The men were allowed to sit in place and drink from their canteens as the time plodded by, each side eying the other while talking quietly.
About two parts of a watch after midday, there was movement on the enemy side, so I called the men to their feet, the cursing and moaning cut short by a few judicious whacks with the vitus from the Centurions. The enemy cavalry force that was to our left had begun moving towards us, while at the same time the right wing of the enemy formation, composed entirely of cavalry also started moving. As they drew closer, we could see that it was Labienus in the lead, obviously recovered from his fall, the men jeering the sight of the traitor. Their intent was clear; they were going to try to pin us while the other force circled around us, but Caesar was ready for the move. Our own cavalry, along with an auxiliary force, came pounding across our rear, heading for the marauding enemy, while Labienus’ cavalry stopped just out of javelin range to dress their lines then make themselves ready for a charge, or at least acted as if they were. Our cavalry and auxiliaries went splashing across the marshy ground around the creek to throw themselves into the enemy, but as the Pompeian force was composed of mostly Numidian horse, instead of standing and fighting they broke contact, galloping a short distance away before suddenly stopping then hurling their javelins. Several horses were hit, as well as a few men but that was all the damage done, and once the enemy plan was thwarted, they seemed to be content to retire to their camps, as we did the same.
~ ~ ~ ~
We spent the next several days doing little more than improving the works around Uzita, although there were skirmishes between the cavalry every day. This gave me the time I needed to fill the posts of the disgraced Centurions, which I did in the more traditional manner of moving men up and placing the new Centurions in the Tenth Cohort. The best news, at least for me, was that Diocles had finally made it. Although he did not bring my baggage, per Caesar’s strict orders, having him at my side helped matters tremendously. Poor Diocles probably did not feel that way, since there was a pile of paperwork that I had been neglecting that he was forced to spend all of his time finishing. The reason Diocles was allowed a spot on the ship was that while he was my body slave, he was also the Legion clerk, so it made my life easier in other ways.