1They fought for about three hours, and everywhere fiercely; 1around the consul, however, the fight is keener and more bitter. 2The strongest of the men followed him, and he himself, wherever he had perceived his men to be pressed and struggling, tirelessly brought help; 3and as he was conspicuous by his armour, the enemy sought him with the utmost force and his countrymen defended him, until an Insubrian horseman — his name was Ducario — recognising the consul by his face too, said to his fellow tribesmen, 'Look, here is the man who cut our legions to pieces and laid waste our fields and city! 3Now I shall give this victim to the shades of our foully slaughtered countrymen.' 3And putting spurs to his horse he charges through the densest throng of the enemy, and having first cut down the armour-bearer who had thrown himself in the way of his onslaught, he ran the consul through with his lance; 3as he sought to strip him, the triarii kept him off with their shields thrust in front.
4Then, for the first time, the flight of a large part began; 4and now neither lake nor mountains stood in the way of their panic: through every narrow and steep place they escape as if blind, and arms and men are hurled headlong, one upon another. 5A large part, where there is no room for flight, advancing through the first shallows of the marsh into the water, plunge in as far as they can keep their heads and shoulders above it. 5There were some whom thoughtless panic drove even to attempt flight by swimming; and when this proved endless and hopeless, they were either swallowed by the depths as their spirits failed, or, wearied in vain, struggled back with great difficulty to the shallows, and there were slaughtered everywhere by the enemy's horsemen, who had entered the water.
7About six thousand of the head of the column, boldly breaking out through the enemy facing them, escaped from the pass, unaware of all that was happening behind them; and when they had halted on a certain hillock, hearing only the shouting and the clash of arms, they could neither know nor make out through the fog what the fortune of the battle was. 9When at last the issue had been decided and, as the sun grew warmer, the mist had been dispelled to reveal the day, then in the now clear light the mountains and plains showed the ruin of their cause and the Roman army foully laid low.
10And so, lest the cavalry be sent against them once they were sighted from afar, they hastily raised their standards and took themselves off at the fastest pace they could manage. 11The next day, since on top of everything else extreme hunger also pressed upon them, on the pledge of Maharbal, who had followed them in the night with all the cavalry forces, that if they handed over their arms he would let them go away with a single garment each, they surrendered; 12this pledge was kept by Hannibal with Punic good faith, and they were all thrown into chains.