Caesar gave them twenty-four hours.
The two armies were so near that their front lines were in sight of each
other. Caesar had given orders to his officers not to meddle with the
Germans. But the Germans, being undisciplined and hot-blooded, were less
easy to be restrained. A large body of them flung themselves on the Roman
advanced guard, and drove it in with considerable loss; seventy-four Roman
knights fell, and two Aquitanian noblemen, brothers, serving under Caesar,
were killed in defending each other.
Caesar was not sorry for an excuse to refuse further parley. The Germans
were now scattered. In a day or two they would be united again. He knew
the effect which would be produced on the restless minds of the Gauls by
the news of a reverse however slight; and if he delayed longer, he feared
that the country might be on fire in his rear. On the morning which
followed the first action, the principal German chiefs appeared to
apologize and to ask for a truce. They had come in of their own accord.
They had not applied for a safe conduct, and war had been begun by their
own people. They were detained as prisoners; and, marching rapidly over
the short space which divided the camps, Caesar flung himself on the
unfortunate people when they were entirely unprepared for the attack.
Their chiefs were gone.
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