Spartacus

88
SP ART ACU S
the camp under Mount Papa had grown into a great
town, strongly entrenched and provisioned, where the
slaves and their savage leader designed to await attack.
Another, and it was certain that the entire slave army
had marched away, to the east, designing to cross the
great Way and lay waste the lands of Calabria.
Soured, irritated, but determined, Varinus
organized his forces. Meantime, he succeeded in
intercepting and capturing stray bands of the slave
reinforcements which straggled towards the camp of
the Gladiators. He spared none. For this the Senate
reprimanded him, pointing out that the supply of
slaves was small and that the lash or torture, not
death, was sufficient to break their spirit. Finally,
because of the clamour of the town-dwelling property-
owners, the full cost of a thousand vulgares was charged
against his private estate.
Hearing this, Varinus, with thought of his wife’s
extravagances which had already impoverished him,
cursed the Senate and crucified outside his tent a
dozen of new-come captives. Then he took the
legions under his personal command and marched into
the mountains of Lucania, determined to come to
battle with the Gladiators.
Cossinus he left behind, to the satisfaction of both
Cossinus and his troops. Their orders were to forestall
any retreat of the slaves northwards into Campania
again. Encamped at Salenae, with the sea-water near
at hand, the men of Cossinus doffed their armour and
swam, or lay on the sands and made obscene jests on
the ventures of his wife while Varinus slave-hunted.
Cossinus himself had a great pavilion erected, and
sent for his bath-attendants at Rome. Then he
prepared to rest and recuperate, thus combining his
usual autumnal health treatment with the rigours
of war.