A Struggle For Rome Volume Iii Part 47

The Prefect, just as he had entered the pine-wood and was about to follow the King's track, had been overtaken by a messenger from Liberius, who sent word for him to return immediately. Na.r.s.es was insensible, and the peril of the situation necessitated immediate counsel.

Na.r.s.es insensible--Liberius perplexed--the victory they had thought certain, endangered--these circ.u.mstances weighed more with the Prefect than the doubtful expectation of dealing the death-stroke to the half-dead King.

In haste Cethegus galloped back to Taginae the way that he had come.

When he reached the town he found Liberius, who cried:

"Too late! I have already settled and agreed to everything. A truce!

The rest of the Goths march off!"

"What?" thundered Cethegus--he would gladly have poured all the blood of the Goths upon the grave of his darling as a sacrifice. "They march?

A truce? Where is Na.r.s.es?"

"He lies insensible in his litter; he has been taken with severe convulsions. The fright, the surprise--it prostrated him, and no wonder."

"What surprise? Speak, man!"

And Liberius briefly related how they had forced their way into Taginae with fearful loss of blood, "for the Goths stood like a wall"--had been obliged to storm house by house, even room by room--"we were obliged to hack to pieces by inches one of their leaders, who ran Anzalas through as he leaped into the first breach, before we could force our way into the town over his body."

"Who was he?" asked Cethegus earnestly. "I hope Earl Teja?"

"No; Earl Thoris.m.u.th. When we had finished our b.l.o.o.d.y work, and Na.r.s.es was about to let himself be carried into the town, he met in the gate a messenger from our left wing--which no more exists! It was Zeuxippos, wounded, and accompanied by Gothic heralds."

"Who has----?"

"He whom you just named--Earl Teja! He guessed or learned that Zeuxippos was threatening his centre, that the King was wounded--and, well knowing that he would arrive too late to turn the course of events at Taginae, he came to a bold and desperate resolution. He suddenly gave up his post of expectation on the hills, threw himself upon our left wing, which was slowly advancing up the hill opposite to him, beat it at the first onset, pursued the fugitives into their camp, and there made prisoners of ten thousand of our men, and all the captains, amongst them my Orestes and Zeuxippos. He sent Gothic heralds to Na.r.s.es, who took Zeuxippos with them to witness to the truth of what they said, and demanded an immediate truce of twenty-four hours."

"Impossible!"

"Otherwise he swore to slay all his ten thousand prisoners---together with the captains."

"That is no matter," observed Cethegus.

"It may be no matter to you, Roman--what matters to you a myriad of our troops?--but not so to Na.r.s.es. The terrible surprise, the still more terrible necessity of making a choice, quite prostrated him. A severe attack of his malady came on, and as he sank down, he gave me his commander's staff, and I, of course, accepted the conditions----"

"Of course, Pylades must save Orestes!" said Cethegus in a rage.

"And, besides, ten thousand men of the imperial army!"

"I am not bound by this agreement," cried Cethegus; "I shall again attack."

"You dare not! Teja has taken most of his prisoners and all the captains with him as hostages--he will slay them if another arrow be shot?"

"Let him slay them! I shall attack."

"See whether the Byzantines will follow you! I at once communicated the order of Na.r.s.es to your troops: for now _I_ am Na.r.s.es."

"You shall die, as soon as Na.r.s.es has recovered his senses!"

But Cethegus perceived that he could do nothing against the Goths with his mercenaries alone. For when Teja had retreated to the cloister and chapel hill and the Flaminian Way with his prisoners, and Hildebrand's wing had also reached the road with little loss of life--for the two rivers, and then the news of the truce, had checked the pursuit attempted by Johannes--the Goths had gathered the rest of their troops together and taken up a safe position.

Cethegus waited with impatience for the recovery of Na.r.s.es, who he hoped would never acknowledge the agreement concluded by his representative.

CHAPTER XXI.

Meanwhile Teja and Hildebrand had arrived upon the chapel hill, whither, as they had been apprised, the wounded King had been carried.

News of later events had not yet reached them.

Before they entered the walls which enclosed the grove before the chapel, the two leaders had agreed upon the plan which they would propose to the King. There was no other way but to retreat to the south under the protection of the truce. But when they entered the grove, what a sight met their view!

Sobbing loudly, Adalgoth hurried up to Teja, and led him to an ancient and ivy-grown sarcophagus. Within it, upon his s.h.i.+eld, lay King Totila.

The majesty of death gave to his n.o.ble features a solemnity that made them more beautiful than they had ever been when brightened by joy.

On his left hand rested Julius, in the open hollow cover of the sarcophagus, which had long since fallen from its proper place. Under the common shadow of death, the resemblance between the "Dioscuri" was more striking and touching than ever.

And between the two friends lay a third form, which had been carefully laid by Gotho and Liuta upon the King's blood-stained mantle. Upon a gently-rising mound lay Valeria, the Roman virgin.

Fetched from the neighbouring cloister to receive her lover, she had thrown herself, without a scream, without even a sigh, upon the broad s.h.i.+eld with its solemn burthen, which Adalgoth and Aligern were carrying through the gate with sad and slow steps. Before any one could speak, she had cried:

"I know all--he is dead!"

She had a.s.sisted them to lay the corpse in the sarcophagus, and while so occupied she had repeated to herself, in a low voice, these words:

"'Him too thou seest, how stalwart, tall, and fair!

Yet must he yield to death and stubborn fate, Whene'er, at morn or noon or eve, the spear Or arrow from the bow may rend his life.

Then may I, too, visit th' eternal shades!"

Then, without haste, quietly and slowly, she drew a dagger from her girdle, and with the words, "Here, stern Christian G.o.d, take my soul!

thus I fulfil the vow!" the Roman maiden thrust the sharp steel into her bosom.

Ca.s.siodorus, a little cross of cedar in his hand, went, deeply moved--the tears trickled down his venerable white beard--from corpse to corpse, repeating the prayers of the Church.

And the pious women of the cloister, who had accompanied Valeria, began the simple and n.o.ble chant:

"Vis ac splendor seculorum, Belli laus et flos amorum Labefacta mox marcesc.u.n.t; Dei laus et gratia sine aevi termino vel fine In eternum perfloresc.u.n.t."

Gradually the grove had become filled with warriors, who had followed their leaders. Among them were Earls Wisand and Markja.

Teja heard the report of the weeping Adalgoth in silence. Then he went close to the King's corpse. Without a tear, he laid his mailed right hand upon the King's wounded breast, bent over him, and whispered:

"I will complete the work."

Then he went back and took his place under a mighty tree, which rose above a forgotten grave-mound, and spoke to the little group of soldiers who stood silently and reverently round the dead.

"Gothic men! the battle is lost, and the kingdom likewise. Whoever will now go to Na.r.s.es, whoever will subject himself to the Emperor, I will not keep him back. But I am resolved to fight to the end; not for victory, but to die the free death of a hero. Whoever wishes to share this fate with me, may remain. You all wish it? 'Tis well."