midnight
`` No doubt whatever , '' rejoined the host , `` and some of the tales fall far short of the truth . There never was a real blow struck during the whole time that madman was away . He travelled from place to place in his litter borne by eight men , and sent his soldiers ahead of him with sprays and buckets of water that they should lay the dust along the road on which he would travel . At Trevirorum on the banks of the Rhine , he caused two hundred of his picked guard to dress up as barbarians and to make feint to attack the camp at midnight . This they did with necessary shoutings and clashings of steel against steel . Then did the greatest and best of Cæsars sally forth in full battle array followed by a few of his most trusted men , and in the darkness there was heard more shouting and more clashings of steel until Caligula returned in triumph at sunrise to his camp . He had passed hempen ropes round the necks of the mock barbarians , and ever after had them dragged in the wake of his litter , even as if they were prisoners of war .