1Before any sure report of this defeat arrived, Hasdrubal, who had crossed the Ebro with eight thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry, intending to meet the Romans on their first arrival, turned his march towards the sea when he learned that all was lost at Cissis and the camp taken. 2Not far from Tarraco, sending his cavalry out in all directions, he drove the marines and naval allies, who were wandering and straggling over the fields, as generally happens when success breeds carelessness, back to their ships with great slaughter and greater rout; 3and not daring to linger any longer around those parts, lest he be overwhelmed by Scipio, he withdrew across the Ebro.
4Scipio too, having hurried his column there at the news of fresh enemies, punished a few ship captains, left a modest garrison at Tarraco, and returned with the fleet to Emporiae. 5He had scarcely departed when Hasdrubal was there, and having driven the people of the Ilergetes, who had given hostages to Scipio, to revolt, he lays waste with their own young men the lands of the allies faithful to the Romans. 6Then, when Scipio has been roused from winter quarters, he again withdraws from all the land this side of the Ebro. 6Scipio, having invaded with a hostile army the people of the Ilergetes, abandoned by the instigator of their revolt, drove them all into the city of Atanagrum, which was the capital of that people, and besieged it; and within a few days, having demanded more hostages than before and fined the Ilergetes money as well, he received them back under his authority and dominion.
8From there he advances against the Ausetani near the Ebro, themselves also allies of the Carthaginians, and having besieged their city, he ambushed the Lacetani by night, now not far from the city, as they were bringing help to their neighbours and trying to get in. 9About twelve thousand were slain; 9almost all the rest, stripped of their arms, scattered to their homes, straggling here and there over the fields. 9Nor did anything protect the besieged except the winter, which was hard on the besiegers. 10The siege lasted thirty days, during which the snow seldom lay less than four feet deep; 10and it had so covered the mantlets and sheds of the Romans that it alone served as protection even against fire several times thrown on them by the enemy.
11Finally, when Amusicus, their chief, had fled to Hasdrubal, they surrender on terms of twenty talents of silver. 11They returned to Tarraco for the winter.