De Bello Gallico 8.33

8.33.1Quō cum cōnfestim Gāius Canīnius vēnisset animadverteretque omnēs oppidī partēs praeruptissimīs saxīs esse mūnītās, quō dēfendente nūllō tamen armātīs ascendere esset difficile, magna autem impedīmenta oppidānōrum vidēret, quae sī clandestīnā fugā subtrahere cōnārentur, effugere nōn modo equitātum, sed nē legiōnēs quidem possent, tripertītō cohortibus dīvīsīs trīna excelsissimō locō castra fēcit;When Gaius Caninius had come there quickly and noticed that every part of the town was protected by very steep rocks, so that even with no one defending it, it would be hard for armed men to climb, and when he saw that the townspeople had a great deal of baggage, which, if they tried to remove it in secret flight, they could not get away with past the cavalry, nor even past the legions, he divided his cohorts into three parts and made three camps on very high ground;Note. quō dēfendente nūllō: 'even with no one defending it', an ablative absolute. trīna … castra: the distributive trīnī is used with castra, which is plural in form: 'three camps'. 8.33.2ā quibus paulātim, quantum cōpiae patiēbantur, vallum in oppidī circuitum dūcere īnstituit.from these he began, little by little, as far as his forces allowed, to carry a rampart round the town.Note. quantum cōpiae patiēbantur: 'as far as his forces allowed'. in oppidī circuitum: 'round the town'.