BC 1.69.1Ac prīmō Afrāniānī mīlitēs vīsendī causā laetī ex castrīs prōcurrēbant contumēliōsīsque vōcibus prōsequēbantur nostrōs: necessāriī vīctūs inopiā coāctōs fugere atque ad Ilerdam revertī.At first Afranius' soldiers ran out of their camp happily to look, and followed our men with insulting shouts: forced by lack of the food they needed, they were running away and going back to Ilerda.Note. vīsendī causā: 'to look'. Their taunt is in reported speech: necessāriī vīctūs inopiā coāctōs fugere: 'that (our men), forced by lack of necessary food, were fleeing'. BC 1.69.1erat enim iter ā prōpositō dīversum, contrāriamque in partem īrī vidēbātur.For the march went away from its intended goal, and they seemed to be going in the opposite direction.Note. ā prōpositō dīversum: 'away from the intended goal'. īrī: impersonal passive infinitive of eō, 'that (they) were going'. BC 1.69.2ducēs vērō eōrum cōnsilium suum laudibus ferēbant, quod sē castrīs tenuissent;Their commanders praised their own plan, because they had kept themselves in camp;Note. laudibus ferēbant: 'praised'. quod sē castrīs tenuissent: subjunctive because it gives the commanders' reason. BC 1.69.2multumque eōrum opīniōnem adiuvābat, quod sine iūmentīs impedīmentīsque ad iter profectōs vidēbant, ut nōn posse inopiam diūtius sustinēre cōnfīderent.and their opinion was much strengthened by seeing that our men had set out on the march without pack animals and baggage, so that they were confident they could not bear the shortage any longer.Note. multum … adiuvābat: 'helped greatly'. ut … cōnfīderent: result clause. BC 1.69.3sed ubi paulātim retorquērī agmen ad dextram cōnspexērunt iamque prīmōs superāre regiōnem castrōrum animadvertērunt, nēmō erat adeō tardus aut fugiēns labōris quīn statim castrīs exeundum atque occurrendum putāret.But when they saw the column gradually turning to the right and noticed that the head of it was already passing the area of their camp, no one was so slow or so shy of hard work as not to think that they must leave the camp at once and go to meet them.Note. retorquērī agmen ad dextram: the column swings right, round their camp, toward the Ebro. nēmō … quīn … putāret: 'no one … who did not think'. exeundum atque occurrendum: impersonal gerundives, 'that they must go out and meet them'.
BC 1.69.4conclāmātur ad arma, atque omnēs cōpiae paucīs praesidiō relictīs cohortibus exeunt rēctōque ad Hibērum itinere contendunt.The call to arms went up, and all their forces, leaving a few cohorts as a garrison, went out and hurried by the direct road to the Ebro.Note. conclāmātur ad arma: impersonal passive, 'the call to arms is raised'. rēctō itinere: 'by the direct road'.