Before leading his army against the dreaded foe, the Dictator ordered smooth and polished helmets of iron to be made. In other days he had seen that the swords of the Gauls swept down with relentless force on the heads and shoulders of the Romans. Now he hoped that their blows would glance off the smooth surface of the iron helmets, or be broken. The Roman shields, too, were made of wood, but Camillus ordered their rims to be strengthened with bands of brass. With his army thus equipped, the Dictator felt that victory was secure. The Gauls, already laden with the plunder that they had taken on their march, were encamped near the river Anio. Within sight of the camp was a hill with hollows, behind which it would be easy to hide from the enemy. To this hill Camillus led his men, carefully concealing the larger number of them behind these hollows so that from the Gallic camp the Roman soldiers seemed but a small company. The Gauls were indeed completely deceived. It seemed to them that the Romans did not mean to attack them; that they had fled for safety to the hills. Camillus, wishing to lure the Gauls into danger, never stirred, even when the enemy ventured close to his trenches in search of plunder. Soon, careless of the enemy, the barbarians scattered over the country in search of forage, while those left in the camp spent day and night in song and feast. Then the Dictator knew that the time for action had come. He sent a small company of his men to harass the enemy, while early the following morning he marched with his whole army to the foot of the hill. The barbarians were dismayed when they saw so great a host in battle array, and before they could form into their proper ranks the enemy was upon them. Shouting their wild battle-cries, the Gauls then drew their swords and fought with fury. But their swords were soon twisted or broken, as they slid off the polished helmets worn by the Roman soldiers. To complete their discomfort, the javelins which Camillus now bade his soldiers throw at the enemy’s shields, stuck fast in them, until they grew too heavy to wield. As their swords were useless, the Gauls sought to pull the javelins out of their shields, that they might use the Romans’ weapons against the enemy. But Camillus saw what they meant to do, and ordered his men to advance swiftly, and cut the Gauls to pieces before they could carry out their plan. The foremost were speedily hewn down, while those who could fled over the plains, for the hills were already held by the Romans. So sure of victory had the Gauls been, that they had left their camp unguarded, and it too was soon captured. Thirteen years before, the defeat at Allia and the sack of Rome had filled the Romans with a superstitious fear of the fierce Gallic warriors. The battle now won by the banks of the river Anio for ever put an end to their dread of the barbarians.