Our supply situation was a never-ending concern, but word reached us of a large supply of grain in a village a few miles distant, stored in subterranean caves. Sending out a force of cavalry along with two of the Legions, they carried back all that they could hold, but left a goodly amount behind. Labienus learned of this expedition and that there was still a significant amount of grain left behind, so he apparently decided that he would set a trap for us when we returned. His plans were thwarted when some deserters informed us of his intentions, telling Caesar exactly where and how Labienus was setting the trap. Instead of confronting the enemy immediately, Caesar chose instead to wait several days. As is natural and to be expected in these circumstances, the men who were to spring the trap grew bored, and bored men get careless. After perhaps a week, the 10th, 9th, and 13th were ordered out to march to the ambush site, led by close to a thousand cavalry, each of the horsemen accompanied by an auxiliary pressed into service from the local populace in the manner of the Numidians. As Caesar had predicted, the ambushing enemy force was out of position and completely unprepared, so our cavalry fell upon them, immediately routing them while inflicting a few hundred casualties. The battle was over before we ever got there, whereupon we turned about to march to the village without even drawing our swords. We heard later that Juba crucified the men who survived our attack by fleeing. Retrieving the remaining grain, which yielded only enough for about three more days for the army, we returned to camp.
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The siege of Uzita was not yielding results, so after six weeks, we were told at one morning briefing that we would be moving operations, this time to a spot about 20 miles away near Aggar where there was supposed to be more food available. In the fourth watch the next night, we set fire to all the towers and other structures in both camps, then in a parallel column, with the baggage train on the far side of the columns, we marched away. We covered the 20 miles fairly quickly since the terrain in that part of the world is generally flat, interrupted by low hills spaced in such a way that they can be easily avoided. At the camp at Aggar, we were joined by the last two Spanish Legions, the 7th and 8th finally arriving after being chased about by the Pompeian fleet for a few days. It did not take long for Scipio and Juba to follow us, where they pitched their own camps about six miles away to the northwest, once again setting up in three camps. Our own camp was about two miles northwest of the town of Aggar. It was definitely a better location from a foraging aspect, the land lush and fertile. However, this camp was not in the best position for defense, so we were marched to a spot about two miles to the southwest, slightly closer to Aggar and on a low hill, providing a stronger position than the original. About two days after Scipio arrived, we were informed by deserters, who were coming to us in droves at this point, that Scipio was marching to a town called Zeta, some nine miles farther northwest of their camps, where there were supposed to be abundant amounts of wheat. Although the area around Aggar had offered up an ample supply of olive oil, figs, barley, and an amount of wheat, we were still lacking in the latter. Accordingly, Caesar decided that it would be a good opportunity not only to augment our supply, but to inflict some damage on Scipio at the same time. Zeta was about 14 miles distance from our new campsite, but Caesar deemed it worth the risk of a flank march past the enemy camps. Leaving a few Cohorts behind to guard our camp, we marched out at fourth watch. Moving quickly, we came upon Zeta to find that Scipio’s men were further afield searching the farms surrounding the town, which at least allowed us to take the town without incident.
Before we could go hunt down the Pompeians out in the fields, our scouts came to report that we had in fact not slipped by undetected and the enemy was coming in force from their three camps to meet us. I think that our experience at Ruspina was still fresh in Caesar’s mind, as it was in ours, and not wanting a repeat performance, Caesar ordered us to break off contact. Leaving a garrison of auxiliaries and one Cohort under the command of one of the Tribunes, Oppius I believe, we turned about and began marching back to camp, with 22 of Juba’s camels in tow that the enemy foraging party had brought to carry their booty home. The men were not happy about being marched for half a day, only to be forced to turn around again. Still, nobody wanted a repeat of the ordeal at Ruspina, so they needed no urging to match the pace that Caesar set. At first, we had no opposition, until we were pulling even with the Pompeian camps, when the cursed Numidian cavalry led by Labienus and Petreius came boiling out from behind a low hill where they were waiting for us to begin harassing our rearguard, thankfully not us this time. Our own cavalry galloped to the rear, but closing with the Numidians as always proved to be as easy as grabbing and holding a wisp of smoke, even the men on foot who accompanied the cavalry proving too swift. The Legionaries in the rearguard had no better luck, dashing after the Numidians who were as nimble as ever, leaving panting, frustrated, and angry men to do little better than shake their fists. Naturally, our progress was now slowed as it was at Ruspina while the Pompeian cavalry began to flow around our marching formation like water, darting in just long enough to fling a javelin at us, which of course forced the men to remain constantly on their guard. The enemy auxiliaries were focusing their attention not on our men but the mounts of the cavalry, their missiles striking several of the horses, putting their riders afoot, most of them scampering to the safety of the formation. Very quickly, even our slow progress stopped as the shower of missiles continued unabated up and down the formation from all sides. It had turned into a hot day, and the men had not gotten the opportunity to refill their canteens, so soon what water they carried was consumed as the sun beat down.
The order to march would come, but we would only move a few paces before we had to halt again as the Numidian horse would swarm about us. Their volleys of javelins came so fast and furious that the men could either march or defend themselves but could not do both. More than a full watch passed in this manner and at the end of that time, we had not moved more than a hundred yards. Our cavalry was both exhausted and depleted as more and more men came running back to the rest of us without their horse. The enemy aim soon became apparent. They had no intention of closing with us, but instead would let the hot sun and elements do their work for them, pinning us without water for a sufficient amount of time to weaken the men to the point where the inferior quality of the enemy infantry was not a factor. Scipio's Legions had been shaken out into a triple line outside their camps, yet they made no move to intercept us, preferring to let the Numidians do the work of whittling us down. Finally, Caesar sent the order to withdraw the cavalry from the rearguard, putting the exhausted troopers in the middle of our formation, relying on the Legions to provide security. We resumed the march, except this time we did not stop despite the harassment, marching with our shields on our arms instead of strapped to our backs in the normal manner, as the enemy continued to pepper us with javelins. Unlike Ruspina, however, this time the men were more prepared and knew what to expect, so the panic that infected the army the last time was absent. The sun was setting, as once more darkness would aid in our escape, the Numidians able to harass us but no longer able to stop us now that Caesar had decided to move no matter what. We arrived back at our camp about a watch after sunset, and while the men were tired they were not nearly as discouraged as they had been at Ruspina, namely due to the fact that we suffered no deaths and only about a dozen wounded, none of them from the 10th. It was something of an act of the gods that kept our casualties so low, and there were a number of offerings made to Mars, Bellona, and Fortuna in thanks when we got back. But Caesar had seen enough, and as usual, he had plans of his own on the best way to combat the tactics used by the Pompeians.