To meet him came Camilla and her Volscians, And she reined in at the gate, dismounting quickly, And all her band, at her example, followed, Listening as she spoke:--“Turnus, if courage Has any right to confidence, I promise, I dare, to meet the horsemen of Aeneas, I dare, alone, to face the Etruscan riders. Let me try, first, the dangers of the battle; You stay on guard as captain of the walls.” And Turnus, gazing at the warrior-maiden, Replied:--“O glory of Italy, no words Of mine can give you worthy thanks; your spirit Surpasses all the rest of them. Share with me The work we have to do. Faithless Aeneas, So rumor says, and scouts confirm, is sending His cavalry, light-armed, to scour the plains, And he himself, crossing the mountain-ridges, Comes down upon the city. I am planning An ambush for him, where the forest narrows To shadowy trails; I block both sides of the pass With soldiery in arms. Do you, Camilla, Take on the Etruscan horsemen, act as leader; Messapus, a sharp fighter, will be with you, And Latin squadrons and the troop from Tibur.” Messapus and the other captains listened To orders much like these, and they were heartened, And Turnus left them, moving toward Aeneas. There is a valley, winding, curving, fit For stratagems of warfare, a narrow gorge Black with dense woods on either side; a trail Winds through it, narrow and difficult: above it There lies an unknown plain, a safe position Whether you charge from right or left, or stand there Heaving great boulders down the mountain-shoulders, And Turnus knows this region well, finds cover, Picks the terrain to suit him, waits and watches In the dark menace of the woods.