A Struggle For Rome Volume Iii Part 45

Aligern had just succeeded in lifting the King on to the Prefect's horse; he turned to the Longobardian, who, wis.h.i.+ng to stay the King's flight but to save his life, aimed a stroke at the latter's horse with his spear. But the next moment Aligern had cleft Alboin's vulture-winged helmet, and, stunned, the latter wavered in his saddle.

Thus, the leaders of their enemies being for the moment repulsed, Adalgoth, Aligern, and Julius had time to lead the King out of the tumult as far as the northern gate of Taginae. From this place the King would have conducted the battle, but he could scarcely hold himself upright in his saddle.

"Thoris.m.u.th," he said, "thou must defend Taginae; for the present Caprae is lost. Let a mounted messenger fetch the whole of Hildebrand's wing here; the road to Rome must be kept open at all costs. Teja, as I learned, has already joined in the battle with his left wing.--To defend the retreat to the south--is our last hope!"

And, saying this, he swooned away.

But Earl Thoris.m.u.th said:

"I and my spearmen will defend Taginae to the last man. Not a foe shall get in here; neither the Persians nor the Longobardians. I will protect the King's life as long as I can raise a finger. Take him farther back; into the mountain--into the cloister but make haste, for there, from the Gate of Caprae, come the enemy's foot--and, look there!--Cethegus the Prefect with his Isaurians! Caprae and our bowmen are lost!"

And so it was.

Wisand, obeying his orders, had not defended Caprae, but had allowed Cethegus and Liberius to enter, and only when they were fairly inside the town did he begin the fight in the streets, at the same time sending a thousand of his men out of the southern gate to attack the Longobardians.

But, as the ambuscades had fallen upon the Goths instead of the Longobardians; as Alboin and Furius united in dispersing or annihilating the few Gothic hors.e.m.e.n, and the attack intended by the spearmen from Taginae did not take place; the Gothic bowmen, first in Caprae itself, and then on the Flaminian Way, between Caprae and Taginae, were quickly crushed by superior force.

Wisand escaped as if by a miracle, and, though wounded, reached Taginae and reported the annihilation of his troops.

Na.r.s.es was carried into Caprae, and the Illyrians began to storm Taginae.

Earl Thoris.m.u.th resisted heroically. He fought his best in order to cover the retreat of his comrades.

He was presently reinforced by a few thousand men from Hildebrand's left wing, who now hurried up, while the old master-at-arms led the greater part of his troops southwards beyond Taginae upon the high-road to Rome.

Just as the storming of Taginae was about to commence, Cethegus met Furius and Alboin, who had recovered from the blows they had received.

Cethegus had heard of the course pursued by the Corsican, which had decided the fate of the battle. He shook him by the hand.

"Well done, friend Furius! At last on the right side, and against the barbarian King!"

"He must not escape alive!" growled the Corsican.

"What? How? He still lives! I thought that--he had fallen," said Cethegus hastily.

"No; they managed to rescue him after he was wounded."

"He must not live!" cried Cethegus. "Then you are right! It is of more importance than to win Taginae. Na.r.s.es can manage that heroic work from his litter. He has seventy to one. Up, Furius! Why do your hors.e.m.e.n stand idle here?"

"The animals cannot ride up the walls!"

"No; but they can swim. Up! take three hundred yourself, and give me three hundred. Two roads lead right and left from the little town over--no! they have broken down the bridges--they lead _through_ the Clasius and the Sibola--let us take these roads. The wounded King is certainly--can he still fight?"

"Hardly."

"Then he has fled beyond Taginae--to Rome or--"

"No; to his bride!" cried Furius. "Most certainly to Valeria in the cloister. Ha! I will stab him in her very arms! Up, Persians! follow me. Thanks, Prefect! Take as many hors.e.m.e.n as you like. And ride to the right--I will ride to the left round the town; for both roads lead to the cloister."

And, wheeling to the left, he disappeared.

Cethegus ordered the rest of the hors.e.m.e.n to follow him, speaking in the Persian language.

Then he rode up to Liberius and said:

"I will take the Gothic King prisoner."

"What? He still lives? Then make haste!"

"Meanwhile you can take this Taginae," continued Cethegus; "I will leave you my Isaurians."

And he galloped away with Syphax and three hundred Persians.

Meantime the wounded King had been taken by his friends out of Taginae into a little pine-wood near the road, where he drank from a spring and gradually revived.

"Julius," he said, "ride on to Valeria; tell her that the battle is lost, but not the kingdom. That I am alive and still hope. As soon as I feel a little stronger I shall ride up to the Spes Bonorum. I ordered Teja and Hildebrand there when they had finished their tasks. It is a high and safe position. Go, I beg thee; comfort Valeria and take her also from the cloister to Spes Bonorum. Thou wilt not? Then I must myself ride up the difficult road--surely thou wilt spare me that?"

Julius was reluctant to leave the wounded man.

"Oh, relieve me from my helmet and mantle! they are so heavy," said Totila.

Julius took them from him and gave him his own mantle.

CHAPTER XIX.

All at once a thought flashed across the mind of the monk; had they not once before exchanged garments--the Dioscuri?

Had he not once before drawn the murderous steel directed at Totila's heart upon himself?

He thought they were followed. It seemed to him that he heard horses approaching, and Aligern--Adalgoth held the King's head upon his knees--had hastened to the edge of the wood to look.

"Yes, it is they," he cried as he returned; "Persian hors.e.m.e.n are riding up from both sides of the wood!"

"Then make haste, Julius," begged Totila; "save Valeria! Take her to Teja at the sarcophagus."

"I will make all speed, my friend! Farewell till we meet again!" And Julius once more pressed Totila's hand. Then he mounted Pluto--he chose the wounded horse, leaving his own, which was unhurt.

Unseen by Totila, he set the helmet with its silver swan upon his head, folded the white mantle around him, and galloped out of the wood towards the cloister hill.

"This road," he thought, "is open and undefended, while the road which the King will take to the Spes Bonorum leads through wood and vineyard.

Perhaps I shall succeed in attracting the pursuers away from him."

And, in fact, he had no sooner issued from beneath the trees, and begun to ride up the hill, than he saw that the hors.e.m.e.n who had come from beyond Taginae were eagerly following him.

In order to keep the pursuers away from the King, and from discovering their error, he urged his horse to its full speed.