A Struggle for Rome, v. 3

by Felix Dahn

  CHAPTER XIII.

  King Teja's intention was to throw himself at night with all his armedmen--except a few guards who would be left in the ravine--into the campof Narses, and there, favoured by the darkness and surprise, to commitgreat carnage.

  Then, when the last of his warriors had fallen, and--probably atdaybreak--the enemy prepared to assault the pass, the unarmedpeople--at least those who did not prefer slavery to death--were toseek an honourable grave in the neighbouring crater of Vesuvius, afterwhich the few remaining defendants of the pass would sally forth anddie fighting.

  When the King called his people together, and left the alternative totheir choice, he was filled with pride and joy to find that not onevoice among the thousands of women and children--for all the boys fromten years of age and all the old men were armed--was raised in favourof dishonour rather than death. His hero soul rejoiced in the thoughtthat his whole race, by a deed unheard of in the history of nations,would die a glorious and heroic death, and worthily seal the renown oftheir great past.

  However, the despairing idea of the grim hero was not to be carriedout. His dying eyes were to behold a brighter and more consolingpicture. Narses, ever watchful and wary, had noticed the mysteriouspreparations of his enemies even sooner than Johannes and Cethegus, andhad called a meeting of generals, which was to be held in his tent atthe fifth hour, in order to explain to them his counter-measures.

  It was a lovely September morning, full of shining light and shiningmist over land and sea; a golden glow, such as, even in Italy, is onlypoured forth in like wondrous beauty over the Bay of Neapolis.

  Into the clear sky curled the white cloud of smoke from the summit ofVesuvius. Upon the curved line of the shore the smooth and gentle wavesrolled in a rhythmic measure. Close to the edge of the water--so closethat the ripples of the waves often wetted his steel-shod feet--alonely man walked slowly along, carrying his spear over his shoulder,and apparently coming from the left wing of the Byzantine army. The sunglistened upon his round shield, upon his splendid armour. Thesea-breeze played with his crimson crest.

  It was Cethegus; and the way he was going led to the gates of death. Hewas followed at a short distance by the Moor. He soon reached a littlepromontory which stretched out into the bay, and going to its outerpoint, he turned and looked towards the northwest. There lay Rome--hisRome.

  "Farewell!" he cried with deep emotion; "farewell, ye seven immortalhills! Farewell, old Tiber stream! thou that hast laved the venerableruins through many centuries. Twice hast thou tasted my blood; twicehast thou saved my life. Now, kindly River-god, thou canst save me nomore! I have striven and fought for thee, my Rome, as none of thychildren, not even Caesar, has ever done before.--The struggle is over;the general without an army is vanquished. I now acknowledge that amighty intellect may possibly supply the place of a single man, but notthe want of a whole nation's patriotism. Intellect can preserve its ownyouth, but it cannot renew that of others, I have tried to do what isimpossible; for to do only what is possible is common; and it is betterto fall striving for the superhuman than to be lost in dull resignationamong the common herd. But"--and he kneeled down and wet his hotforehead with the salt water--"be thou blessed, Ansonia's sacred flood;be thou blessed, Italians sacred soil!"--and he put his hand deep intothe sea sand--"thy most faithful son parts from thee with a thankfulheart--moved, not by the terrors of approaching death, but only by thybeauty. I forebode for thee, Italia, an oppressive foreign rule; I havenot been able to turn it aside, but I have offered up my heart's blood;and if the laurels of thy Empire are for ever withered--may the oliveof thy people's love of freedom still bloom amid the ruins of thycities, and may the day quickly come when no foreign master rules inall the length and breadth of the land, and when thou art mistress ofthyself from the sacred Alps to the sacred sea!"

  He rose quietly, and now walked more rapidly through the centre camp tothe tent of the commander-in-chief. When he entered it, he found allthe generals and officers assembled. Narses called to him in a friendlyvoice, saying:

  "You come at the right moment, Cethegus. Twelve of my officers, whom Ihave discovered in a foolish league, such as barbarians, but not thescholars oL Narses, might make, have appealed to you in excuse. Theysay that what is shared in by the wise Cethegus cannot be foolish.Speak! have you really joined this league against Teja?"

  "I have; and when I leave you--let me be the first, Johannes, withoutcasting lots--I go straight to Vesuvius. The hour of the King's watchapproaches."

  "This pleases me, Cethegus."

  "Thanks. It will, no doubt, save you much trouble, _Prefect of Rome_,"answered Cethegus.

  A movement of extreme surprise escaped all present; for even those whowere initiated into the secret were amazed that Cethegus knew theposition of affairs.

  Narses alone remained unmoved. He merely said in a low voice toBasiliskos:

  "He knows all, and it is well that he does so." Then he turned toCethegus and said: "It is not my fault, Cethegus, that I did not tellyou sooner of your dismissal; the Emperor had strictly forbidden me todo so. I approve of your resolve, for it agrees with my bestintentions.--The barbarians shall not have the pleasure of slayinganother myriad of my people tonight. We will march forward at once withall our troops, including both our wings, to within a spear's throwfrom the pass. We will not leave the Goths room to sally far out. Thefirst step they take beyond the mouth of the ravine shall be amongstour spears. I have also nothing to object, Cethegus, if volunteersoffer to fight that King of terrors. With his death, I hope, theresistance of the Goths will cease. Only one thing makes me anxious. Ihave long ago ordered up the Ionian fleet--for I expected that allwould be over a few days earlier--and yet it has not arrived. The shipsare to take the captured barbarians on board at once, and carry them toByzantium.--Has the swift-sailer which I sent to gather news beyond theStraits, of Regium not yet returned. Captain Konon?"

  "No, general. Neither has a second swift ship, which I sent after thefirst."

  "Can the late storm have damaged the fleet?"

  "Impossible, general! It was not violent enough. And the fleetsaccording to the last reports, lay safe at anchor in the harbour ofBrundusium."

  "Well, we cannot wait for the ships! Forward, my leaders! We will marchat once to the pass. Farewell, Cethegus! Do not let your dismissaldisquiet you. I fear that you will be menaced with many a troublesomeprocess when the war is ended. You have many enemies, rightly andwrongly. There are bad omens against you. But I know that from the verybeginning you have believed in only one omen--'The only omen'----"

  "'Is to die for the fatherland!' Grant me one more favour, Narses.Allow me--for my Isaurians and tribunes are in Rome--to gather round meall the Italians and Romans whom you have divided among your troops,and lead them against the barbarians."

  For one moment Narses hesitated. Then he said:

  "Well, go; gather them together and lead them--to death," he added in alow voice to Basiliskos. "There are at most fifteen hundred men. I donot grudge him the pleasure of falling at the head of his countrymen.Nor them the pleasure of falling behind him!--Farewell, Cethegus."

  Silently greeting Narses with his uplifted spear, Cethegus left thetent.

  "H'm!" said Narses to Alboin, "you may well look after him,Longobardian. There goes a remarkable piece of universal history. Doyou know who that is marching away?"

  "A great enemy to his enemies," said Alboin gravely.

  "Yes, wolf, look at him again; there goes to his death--the lastRoman!"

  When all the leaders, except Basiliskos and Alboin, had left Narses,there hurried into the tent from behind a curtain, Anicius, Scaevola,and Albinus, still in the disguise of Longobardians, and with facesfull of alarm.

  "What!" cried Scaevola, "will you save that man from his judges?"

  "And his body from the executioner; and his fortune from his accusers?"added Albinus.

  Anicius was silent; he only clenched his hand upon the hilt of hisswor
d.

  "General," said Alboin, "let these two brawlers put off the dress of mypeople. I am disgusted with them."

  "You are not wrong there, wolf!" said Narses; and turning to the othershe said, "you need no further disguise. You are useless to me asaccusers. Cethegus is judged; and the sentence will be carried out--byKing Teja. But you, you ravens, shall not hack at the hero after he isdead."

  "And the order of the Emperor?" asked Scaevola stubbornly.

  "Even Justinian cannot blind and crucify a dead man. When CethegusCaesarius has fallen, I cannot wake him up again to please the Emperor'scruelty. And of his money, you, Albinus, shall not receive a singlesolidus, nor you, Scaevola, one drop of his blood. His gold is for theEmperor, his blood for the Goths, and his name for immortality."

  "Do you wish the death of a hero for that wretch?" now asked Aniciusangrily.

  "Yes, son of Boethius; for he has deserved it! But you have a veritableright to revenge yourself on him--you shall behead the fallen man, andtake his head to the Emperor at Byzantium. Do you not hear the tuba?The fight has commenced!"