The action
began with distant fighting. The Britons with equal steadiness and skill
used their huge swords and small shields to avoid or to parry the missiles
of our soldiers, while they themselves poured on us a dense shower of darts,
till
Agricola encouraged three Batavian and two Tun-
BATTLE OF GRAMPIAN MOUNTAIN |
grian
cohorts to bring matters to the decision of close fighting with swords. Such
tactics were familiar to these veteran soldiers, but were embarrassing to an
enemy armed with small bucklers and unwieldy weapons. The swords of the
Britons are not pointed, and do not allow them to close with the foe, or to
fight in the open field. No sooner did the Batavians begin to close with the
enemy, to strike them with their shields, to disfigure their faces, and
overthrowing the force on the plain to advance their line up the hill, than
the other auxiliary cohorts joined with eager rivalry in cutting down all
the nearest of the foe. Many were left behind half dead, some even
unwounded, in the hurry of victory. Meantime the enemy's cavalry had fled,
and the charioteers had mingled in the engagement of the infantry. But
although these at first spread panic, they were soon impeded by the close
array of our ranks and by the inequalities of the ground. The battle had
anything but the appearance of a cavalry action, for men and horses were
carried along in confusion together, while chariots, destitute of guidance,
and terrified horses without drivers, dashed as panic urged them, sideways,
or in direct collision against the ranks.
