hillside, and
the whole of the Jews instantly relinquished their work and took to
the mountains, just as a large body of cavalry, headed by Titus,
came thundering up.

At night, the Romans were disturbed by constant alarms. Men crept
up to the sentries, and slew them in the darkness. Numbers of the
enemy penetrated into the camp; killing the soldiers as they slept,
hocking the horses, and setting fire to the camp in several places;
and it was not until the whole army got under arms that the attack
ceased. The next day, they were similarly harassed upon the march;
and it was not until they had crossed the mountains, and descended
on to the western plain, that the Jews drew off, highly satisfied
with the result of their first encounter with the Romans.

Their loss had been slight--not more than twenty having
fallen--while they had killed more than two hundred of the
light-armed troops, had inflicted some loss upon the Romans
themselves, had slain numbers of baggage animals; and had shown the
enemy that, however formidable the Roman soldiers might be on the
plains, the legions of Vespasian were no more invincible than was
that of Cestius, among the hills.

They regretted however that, instead of engaging the main army,
they had not followed the force under Placidus--of whose dispatch
from Gadara they had not learned, until it was too late. The
fugitives, of whom Placidus was in pursuit, had taken possession of
the village of Bethennabris. He pursued the stratagem which had
already succeeded so well. He feigned a retreat, and the Jews
sallied out and attacked him. He cut off the greater part from
returning to the village and, at night, attacked Bethennabris,
captured it, and put all within it to the sword.

Those who had escaped were joined by great numbers of the country
people; and made for the Jordan, intending to cross by the ford
opposite Jericho. But the river was swollen with rain, and they
were unable to cross. Placidus overtook and attacked them. Vast
numbers were killed, and more were driven into the river and
drowned. Fifteen thousand fell. Two thousand five hundred were
taken prisoners, with a vast number of animals, of all kinds.
Placidus then reduced the whole of Peraea, and the coast of the
Dead Sea, as far as Machaerus.

Vespasian soon moved down from Caesarea, keeping near the sea, and
capturing Antipatris, Lydda, and Thamna, and blocking Emmaus. Then,
continuing his course southward, he wasted the