by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER IV.
Shortly afterwards Johannes again appeared, accompanied by his brotherPerseus and about thirty brave Armenian mercenaries, who carried,besides their swords, short battle-axes.
"As soon as we are inside, Perseus," said Johannes, "you must break openthe sally-port to the right of the Porta Capuana at the moment when theothers unfold our flag upon the walls. At this signal my Huns, who waitoutside, will rush into the sally-port. But who keeps the tower at thegate? Him we must have."
"Isaac, a great friend of the Edomites. He must die!"
"He dies!" said Johannes, and drew his sword. "Forward!"
He was the first to enter the passage of the aqueduct.
"Paukares and Gubazes, take the Jew between you. At the firstsuspicion, down with him!"
And so, now creeping on all fours, now stooping and cautiously feelingtheir way, in complete obscurity, the Armenians slid and crept afterJohannes, taking care not to make any noise with their weapons.
All at once Johannes cried in a low voice:
"Hold the Jew! down with him! Enemies! Arms! No, no; let him alone!" headded quickly. "It was only a snake that rustled past me. Forward!"
"Now to the right," said the Jew; "here the passage leads into thetemple."
"What lies here?--bones?--a skeleton! I can bear it no longer! Themouldy smell suffocates me! Help!" sighed one of the men.
"Let him lie! Forward!" ordered Johannes. "I see a star!"
"It is the daylight in Neapolis," said Jochem; "only a few steps more."
Johannes's helmet struck against the roots of a tall olive-tree, whichspread over the mouth of the passage in the atrium of the temple. Weknow this tree. As he avoided the roots, Johannes struck his helmetwith a loud jingle against the side wall; he stopped short in alarm.But he only heard the rapid flutter of the wings of numerous pigeonswhich flew startled out of the branches of the olive-tree.
"What was that?" said a hoarse voice above him. "How the wind howls inthe old ruins!"
It was the widow Arria.
"O God!" she cried, kneeling before the cross, "deliver us from evil!Let not the city fall until my Jucundus returns! Alas! if he does notfind his mother! Oh, let him again come the way he went that unhappyday, when he descended into the secret labyrinth to seek the hiddentreasure! Show him to me as I saw him last night in my dream, rising upfrom below the roots of the tree!"
And she turned to look at the hole.
"O dark passage! into which my happiness disappeared, give it up to meagain! God! by this way lead him back to me."
She stood exactly before the opening with folded hands, her eyespiously raised to heaven.
Johannes hesitated as he issued from the hole and perceived her.
"She prays," he murmured. "Shall I kill her whilst praying!"
He waited; he hoped that she would turn away.
"It lasts too long! God knows I cannot help it!"
And he got quickly out from among the roots.
The old woman now raised her half-blind eyes; she saw a glittering formrise from the earth. A ray of ecstasy flashed across her features. Shespread out her arms.
"Jucundus!" she cried.
It was her last breath.
The sword of the Byzantine had pierced her heart.
Without a cry, a smile upon her lips, she sank down amid the flowers;Miriam's flowers.
Johannes turned and quickly helped up his brother Perseus, and then theJew and the first three soldiers.
"Where is the sally-port?"
"Here to the left. I will go and open it!"
Perseus directed the soldiers.
"Where are the steps to the tower?"
"Here on the right," answered Jochem--it was the staircase which led toMiriam's chamber--how often had Totila slipped in there! "Be quiet! Ihear the old man."
It was really Isaac.
He had heard the noise from above; he came to the top of the steps withhis torch and spear.
"Who is it down there? is it thou, Miriam? who comes?" he asked.
"I, Father Isaac," answered Jochem; "I wished once more to ask----" andhe stealthily went up another step.
But Isaac heard the rattle of arms.
"Who is with thee!" he asked, advancing and holding out his torch. Henow saw the armed men crouching behind Jochem.
"Treachery! treachery!" he screamed; "die, thou blot upon the Hebrews!"and he furiously struck his broad partisan into Jochem's heart, whocould not retreat.
Jochem fell dead among the soldiers.
"Treachery!" again cried Isaac.
But the next moment Johannes struck him down, sprang over his corpse,hurried to the ramparts, and unfolded the flag of Byzantium.
Below the axes were busy; the sally-port fell, beaten down from within,and with shrill cries--it was already quite dark--the Huns rushed bythousands into the city.
All was over.
A portion filled the streets with carnage; one troop broke open thenearest gates, letting in their comrades from outside.
Old Uliaris, with his little troop, hurried from the castle; he hopedto drive the intruders out; in vain; a spear was hurled which felledhim to the ground.
And round his corpse fell, fighting bravely, the two hundred faithfulGoths who yet surrounded him.
Then, when they saw the imperial banner waving on the walls, thecitizens of Neapolis arose. Led by old friends to the Romans, such asStephanus and Antiochus the Syrian--Castor, a zealous friend of theGoths, had lost his life in attempting to hold them back--they disarmedthe single Goths in the streets, and sent an embassy with thanks,congratulations, and petitions for mercy on the city to Belisarius,who, surrounded by his brilliant staff, now rode into the PortaCapuana.
But he bent his majestic brow gloomily, and, without checking hischarger, answered:
"Neapolis has checked my progress for fifteen days, else I had alreadybeen before Rome, even before Ravenna. How much do you think this delayhas robbed the Emperor of his right, and me of fame? For fifteen daysyour cowardice and ill-will has caused you to be governed by a handfulof barbarians. The punishment for these fifteen days shall be onlyfifteen hours of--pillage. Without murder; the inhabitants are theEmperor's prisoners of war; without fire, for the city is a fortress ofByzantium. Where is the leader of the Goths? Dead?"
"Yes," answered Johannes, "here is his sword. Earl Ularis fell."
"I do not mean him!" said Belisarius; "I mean the young one; Totila.What has become of him? I must have him."
"Sir," said one of the Neapolitans, a rich merchant named Asklepiodot,"if you will exempt my house and magazines from pillage, I will tellyou where he is."
But Belisarius made a sign, and two Moorish lancers took hold of thetrembling man.
"Rebel, do you make conditions to me? Speak! or torture shall unlooseyour tongue!"
"Have pity! mercy!" cried the man. "During the armistice, Totila wentout with a few horsemen to fetch reinforcements from the Castle ofAurelian. They may return at any moment."
"Johannes," cried Belisarius, "that man is worth all Neapolis. We musttake him! Have you, as I ordered, blocked the way to Rome, and mannedthe gate?"
"In that direction no one can have left the city," said Johannes.
"Away! At once! We must entice him in! Let the Gothic banner fly fromthe Castle of Tiberius and from the Porta Capuana. Send armedNeapolitans upon the walls; he who warns Totila, even were it only witha wink of his eye, dies! Arm my bodyguard with Gothic weapons. I willbe there myself. Place three hundred men in the neighbourhood of thegate. Let Totila quietly in. As soon as he has passed the portcullis,let it fall. I will have him alive. He shall not be wanting at thetriumph in Byzantium!"
"Give me the office, general," begged Johannes; "I owe him a return foran ill stroke."
And he rushed back to the Porta Capuana, ordered the corpses and alltrace of combat to be removed, and took his further measures.
As the men were busy obeying his orders, a
veiled figure forced its wayamong them.
"For the good God's sake," begged a sweet voice, "let me get to him! Iwill only see his body--oh, take care! Oh, my father! my father!"
It was Miriam, who had hastened home terrified by the noise made by theplundering Huns. With the strength of despair she pushed back thespears and took Isaac's grey head into her arms.
"Get away, girl!" said the soldier next to her, a very tall Bajuvar, amercenary of Byzantium; his name was Garizo. "Do not hinder us! we mustmake the way clear. Into the grave with the Jew!"
"No, no!" cried Miriam, and pushed the man back.
"Woman!" he cried angrily, and lifted his axe.
But, spreading her arms protectingly over her father's body, and withsparkling eyes, the girl fearlessly stood her ground. The soldiersuddenly fell back as if paralysed.
"Thou hast a bold heart, girl!" he cried, dropping his axe, "and thouart as beautiful as the wood-nymph of the Liusacha! What can I do forthee? Thou art wonderful to look at."
"If the God of my fathers has touched thy heart," said Miriam in herpathetic voice, "help me to hide the body in the garden there--he haslong since dug his own grave near Sarah, my mother--with his face tothe east."
"It shall be done," said the Bajuvar, and obeyed her.
She carried the head, he the knees of the corpse. A few steps took theminto the little garden; there, under a weeping-willow, lay a stone; theman pushed it away, and they laid the corpse in the grave, with itsface to the east.
Miriam looked into the grave without a word, without a tear; she feltso forsaken, so lonely. The Bajuvar softly pushed the stone back intoits place, filled with compassion.
"Come!" he said.
"Whither?" asked Miriam in a low voice.
"Well, whither wilt thou go?"
"I do not know. I thank thee," she said, and took an amulet from herneck and gave it to him. It was made of gold, a coin from the Jordan,from the Temple.
"No!" said the man, and shook his head.
He took her hand, and pressed it to his eyes.
"So," he said, "that will do me good all my life long. Now I must go;we must catch the Earl Totila. Farewell."
That name went to Miriam's heart. She cast one more look at the quietgrave, and then slipped quickly out of the garden.
She wished to go through the gate on to the highroad, but theportcullis was down, and at the gate stood men with Gothic helmets andshields. She looked about her in surprise.
"Is all ready, Chanaranzes?" said a voice.
"All; he is as good as taken!"
"Hark! before the walls! horses trampling! It is they! Back, woman!"
Outside, a few horsemen were seen trotting towards the gate.
"Open, open the gate!" cried Totila from a distance.
Thorismuth rode up to him.
"I don't know how it is, I have no confidence," he cried. "The roadwas so quiet, and so was the enemy's camp out there; scarcely a fewwatch-fires were burning."
From the ramparts came a flourish of the Gothic horn.
"How horribly the fellow blows!" cried Thorismuth angrily.
"It must be an Italian," said Totila.
"Give the watch-word," was called from the walls in Latin.
"Neapolis!" cried Totila. "Dost thou hear? Uliaris has been obliged toarm the citizens. Open the gate! I bring good news," he called to themen above. "Four hundred Goths follow at my heels, and Italy has a newking."
"Which is he!" asked some one inside, in a low voice.
"He on the white horse, the first one."
The gate was flung wide open; Gothic helmets filled the entrance;torches shone; voices whispered.
"Up with the portcullis!" cried Totila, riding up. Thorismuth lookedanxiously before him, shading his eyes with his hand.
"They assembled yesterday at Regeta," Totila began again. "Theodahad isdeposed, and Earl Witichis----"
The portcullis was slowly raised, and Totila was just about to give hishorse the spur, when a woman rushed from the row of soldiers, and castherself before the animal's hoofs.
"Fly!" she cried. "The enemy is before you! the city is taken!"
But she could not finish; a lance penetrated her heart.
"Miriam!" cried Totila, horrified, and checked his horse.
But Thorismuth, who was close behind, and who had long been suspicious,now reached his arm past the grating, and separated the rope which heldthe portcullis up with his sword, so that the portcullis fell with aloud crash just in front of Totila.
A hail of spears and arrows flew through the portcullis.
"Up with the portcullis!" cried Johannes from within. "Out! Upon them!"
But Totila did not move.
"Miriam! Miriam!" he cried in great grief.
Once more she opened her eyes, with a dying look of love and pain. Thatlook told everything; it pierced Totila's heart.
"For thee!" she sighed, and fell back.
He forgot Neapolis, danger, and death.
"Miriam!" he cried again, and stretched out both his hands.
An arrow touched his horse's flank; the noble animal reared. Theportcullis began to rise. Thorismuth caught Totila's bridle, wrenchedhis horse round, and gave it such a stroke with the flat of his sword,that it galloped away like the wind.
"Up and away, sir!" he cried, rushing after Totila. "They must bespeedy who would overtake us!"
And the riders flew back on the Via Capuana, the way that they hadcome. Not far behind followed Johannes, ignorant of the way, andconfused by the darkness of the night.
Totila's party presently met with the garrison of the Castle ofAurelian, which was marching towards Neapolis.
They all halted together upon a hill, whence they could see the cityand the ramparts, partially illuminated by the Byzantine watch-fires onthe walls.
Only then did Totila recover from his grief and consternation.
"Farewell, Miriam!" he sighed. "Farewell, Uliaris! Neapolis, I shallsee thee again!"
And he gave orders to march forward to Rome.
But from this hour a shadow fell upon the soul of the young Goth.Miriam, with the holy right of suffering, had buried herself in hisheart for ever.
When Johannes returned from his fruitless pursuit, and sprang from hishorse, he cried in a furious voice: "Where is the girl who warned him?Throw her to the dogs!" And he hurried away to Belisarius, to reportthe mishap.
But no one could tell how the lovely corpse had disappeared. The horseshad trampled it beyond recognition, thought the crowd.
But _one_ knew better--Garizo, the Bajuvar.
He had borne her away from the tumult in his strong arms like asleeping child; had carried her into the little garden, had lifted thestone from the scarcely-covered grave, and had laid the daughtercarefully by her father's side.
Then he stood still and contemplated her features. In the distancesounded the tumult from the plundered town, in which the Huns ofBelisarius, in spite of his command, burned and murdered, and did noteven spare the churches, until the general himself, rushing amongstthem with his drawn sword, put a stop to the cruel work of destruction.
Such a noble expression lay upon Miriam's dead face, that Garizo didnot dare to kiss it, as he so much longed to do. So he placed her withher face to the east, gathered a rose which was blooming near thegrave, and laid it upon her breast.
He wished to take part in the pillage, but he could not leave theplace; he turned back again. And all the night long, leaning on hissword, he kept watch over the grave of the beauteous girl.
He looked up at the stars and repeated an ancient blessing on the dead,which his mother had taught him in his home on the Liusacha. But thatdid not satisfy him; he added a Christian paternoster.
And when the sun rose, he carefully placed the stone over the grave andwent away.
Thus Miriam had disappeared without leaving a trace behind.
But in Neapolis the people, who in secret were faithful to Totila, toldhow his guardian angel had des
cended to save him, and had thenreascended to heaven.
