CHAPTER IV
A SON OF ALARIC
The sun was pouring down its dazzling rays on rocks and sand, and onthe expanse of intensely blue sea. There was nothing to relieve the eyeexcept a line of white huts, and at some distance a grove of date-palmssurrounding a well. One small vessel was at anchor. This was MyosHormos on the Red Sea. Coelred and Porlor reclined in a shed roofedwith palm leaves, near the well, while Athanagild and the Goths, drowsywith the heat, were lying about under the trees. Mounted on camels, andguided by a servant of Monas, they had crossed the desert during thenights, and had arrived on the seventh day at dawn. They now waitedfor the coming of Monas from the town. The boys were much changed inappearance. Their faces were bronzed by the sun, their hair close cut,and large white turbans were wound round their heads. They were dressedin white, and were armed with swords, daggers, and spears. A chatty offresh water and a little heap of parched corn on a cloth were betweenthem.
Coelred's eyes were closed. He opened them drowsily and said, "Withmy eyes shut, and the sun making the darkness almost light, I fancythat I am lying on the grass, by the brook at Stillingfleet, andalmost hear the voices of Bergliot and Braga, and the barking of dearold Shuprak at the top of the hill." Porlor looked at his brother,whose eyes were filling with tears, and lovingly stroked his cheek."My thoughts and dreams are ever with our loved ones, like yours,dear Coelred. But we must keep wide awake for the next few days," andhe shook his brother by the shoulder. "We have seen enough of ourcompanions to make that quite clear." In a very low voice Coelred said,"What think you of Athanagild?" "The Gothic Prince," replied Porlor, ina whisper, "is a brave and true warrior, and will keep his word withus, I am sure. But he is not gifted with patience or judgment, and hehas embarked on an enterprise which requires both. He acts on suddenimpulses, strikes before hearing a word, and his Goths follow and obeyblindly. There is much to arrange now that needs forethought and care,and I feel that, although we are so many years younger, the success ofthis voyage will depend upon our conduct, and upon the character ofthe captain and pilot of whom we know nothing. In truth we have hadseveral affrays since we landed in Egypt, and have escaped death orimprisonment mainly by good fortune, and all have been due to the quicktemper of our chief." "We cannot always guide our own thoughts andactions," mused Coelred, "how much less those of our companions. So wemust often leave all to chance; yet there are those who take all thesethings into account, weigh them, and give each its just value, and whocan then offer sage counsel; and you are one, my Porlor." "I do tryhard to think out the points on which our lives and fortunes depend,"said the younger boy; "and truly I do so because one who is dearer tome than my own life shares my fate." They both sat up and wound theirarms round each other in a brotherly embrace. As they did so theybecame aware of people approaching the palm grove, whose figures stoodout clear against the sky. The party consisted of an erect old man witha white beard, and some black servants. "If I mistake not, this is thepilot and guide of whom we know nothing, and concerning whom it importsus much to know a great deal," said Porlor. At the same moment Coelredcried out--"Prince Athanagild, a visitor approaches."
Coelred and Porlor in Egypt]
The Prince and his Goths sprang to their feet as the old man cameunder the shade of the trees and made a low obeisance. He introducedhimself as the pilot and master who had undertaken to supply thevessel, load her with a suitable cargo, and convey the Prince to India.Funds had been duly received through the Imperial physician Alexander,and such merchandise had been purchased as there would be a demand forat the Indian port, and had been conveyed across the desert. The vesselwas built at Adulis, and was owned by Monas. "Good," said the Prince;"we will sail to-day." "That cannot be," objected the old man, "for theship is not ready and the cargo is not on board." "How long will be thedelay?" "A week at least," was the answer, "and I have a long report tomake." "I cannot rest here, and I cannot listen, old man. I must be atwork. Action, not words, for me. I and my followers will hunt out theseArabs of the desert of whom I hear, and try their mettle while you makethe ship ready." Monas protested, and explained the extreme danger ofsuch a proceeding. "In ordinary times," he said, "there is nothing toplunder at Myos Hormos. But if the news gets abroad that a ship isloading or unloading, then indeed are the vultures gathered together.Clouds of Arabs cover the sands, and pounce down if the merchants havenot sufficient force to resist them. I believe that our secret is wellkept, yet the sight of you and your followers careering over the desertwill at once bring the marauders about our ears." But the Prince wouldnot listen to reason. He caused his led horses to be saddled, and hiscamels to be loaded with food and water, and set out with his Gothsin the afternoon in search of adventures. His last words to Monaswere--"These Counts" (_Comites_), pointing to Coelred and Porlor, "aremy lieutenants, and will act for me. Their wishes are my wishes, theirorders my orders." So saying, this knight-errant rode away.
Monas held up his hands with astonishment at such madness. He turnedround to look at the lieutenants, and saw a boy of fifteen and anotherof thirteen; well grown and intelligent, no doubt, and one struck himas possessing sagacity above his years, but both very young. "Counts!"he said aloud; but to himself, "Lieutenants! The Holy Saints protectus!" and he again held up his hands, with a half-despairing gesture.
This conversation had been carried on in Greek. The boys came forward,and Porlor requested the old man to make his report, and enable them toenter upon the duties with which their friend Athanagild had entrustedthem. They did this with such a quiet assumption of command, and withsuch combined dignity and courtesy, that Monas almost ceased to feelthe incongruity of such very juvenile Counts taking the command of theenterprise, and at once entered upon his explanations and reports, withwhich he had come for submission to Athanagild.
Monas, in early life, had been a companion of the better-knownmerchant and monk Cosmas in his daring voyages. A native of Egypt, ofGreek descent, his quick wit and readiness of resource had enabled himto establish commercial intercourse between ports of the Red Sea andof the west coast of India, after his master Cosmas had retired intomonkish seclusion. He had acted as interpreter, when quite a youngman, to the Indian embassy which brought a present of an elephant tothe Emperor Justinian in 552, and he had since made several voyagesto India. When the imperial physician applied to his ancient friendCosmas, on the subject of the wish of the Gothic Prince to make avoyage to India, and forwarded a supply of money, the matter was placedin the hands of Monas. For Cosmas had quite retired from worldlyconcerns, though the famous geographer still survived, in a cellsituated in a secluded oasis near Myos Hormos. Although the disciplewas also contemplating a retirement to a monastic cell in imitation ofhis master, he consented to undertake one more voyage. He owned morethan one vessel at Adulis, and the most seaworthy was brought up toMyos Hormos, while the articles well known to Monas as finding a readysale in the Indian ports were purchased in the markets of Alexandria,sent up the Nile to Thebes, and conveyed across the desert with aslittle delay as possible, in the hope that the Arab marauders would nothear that a ship was being loaded at the deserted port of Myos Hormos.
When Coelred and Porlor walked down to the beach, they found the ruinsof a considerable town, and three or four sheds consisting of stonewalls with roofs of palm leaves. The small cargo was stored in them,and the crew of tall blacks was loading a boat with bales. The boys,accompanied by Monas, went on board the vessel with the first load, andfound her to be a craft the like of which they had never before seen.She had a half-deck and a small cabin. Her build was like that of the_pathamars_ on the Malabar coast, the planks being neatly secured toeach other with knotted ropes, and she had two masts with lateen sails.Water was stored in large chatties carefully lashed to the ship's side,and the food, all bread and vegetables, was in sacks. The boys inquiredwhether there was any danger of an attack from Arabs, and Monas saidthat he hoped the wild young Prince would return the next evening atlatest, in which case he was not likely to have encount
ered Arabs, andthe risk would be averted.
Monas further said that it was necessary that the young Counts, as hecalled the boys, should visit the great navigator and geographer inhis seclusion; and it was agreed that they should travel during thenight. A short refreshing sleep was followed by a bathe in the seawhen the sun set. Coelred, Porlor, and Monas then mounted their camelsand proceeded over the desert in a south-westerly direction. Aftertravelling for several hours, at dawn they came to a small grove ofdate-palms, where a stone cell of some size had been built, with a fewsheds round it. This was the place to which Cosmas had retired to endhis days.
On entering the grove, the visitors found a man in extreme old age,seated outside his cell almost in a state of coma. He had a long whitebeard, and must have been upwards of ninety years old. When Monas toldhim that his visitors were the adventurers who wished to undertake avoyage to India, he aroused himself. "They must consult me first," hesaid in a feeble but clear voice. "They must rest here and listen towhat I can tell them. I am Cosmas," he continued, addressing the boys,"and my title is _Indicopleustes_, for I sailed to India. Give themfood, and let them sit and listen to my words." Dates were set beforethem by a servant, and the garrulous old man continued to relate thestory of his life. "I have been, in the years long gone by, a merchantwho navigated the Erythraean Sea, and reached the distant ports ofIndia. I knew the seasons, and taught Monas when the winds blew whichwould take us to India, and when he must spread his sails to return.It is said that Hippalus, in the days of Claudius the Emperor, firstdiscovered the constancy of the winds in their seasons. It is true. Butthe credit is mine of making this knowledge useful to the world. Nowthe rich products of India are sold in markets within the dominions ofour Emperor. This is due to me. I know all the emporia and how to reachthem. I was impelled by the desire of knowledge more than by gain,though there was gain. I discovered the royal seat of white marbleat Adulis. It is consecrated to Ares. There are images of Heraclesand Hermes sculptured on it, and Greek letters are written on everyside. Monas helped me to copy the inscription, which was caused to beput there by the great King Ptolemy Euergetes. It is all in my secondbook. You have read my great work?" he asked. The boys answered thatthey could not read. "You must learn," he went on. "It is necessarythat you should read my great work. It is in twelve books, and isentitled _Christian Topography_. When my career was finished as amerchant going to and fro, I devoted myself to God and became a monk.Then I wrote my great book. In it I have confuted Ptolemy and all thePagans. I have proved that the earth is a flat surface. It is an oblongplain twice as long from east to west as from north to south, and theholy city of Jerusalem is in the centre. The whole is enclosed by anocean. I have proved it by arguments from Scripture, from the Fathers,from testimony, and from reason. There are many copies of my greatwork in the monasteries, in libraries, and in palaces. The Pagans areconfuted." Porlor said that he would be glad if the holy monk wouldtell them about the voyage to India. "I am waiting for God to call meto begin a longer voyage," was the answer. "Monas knows all. I taughthim." Cosmas had tired himself, and began to doze. The old man was notlong for this world. He had done his work, which was to throw backscience for centuries. The interview with old Cosmas Indicopleustesthen came to an end, and the boys took their leave. They reached MyosHormos a little after sunset, and were disappointed to hear that therewas no news of Athanagild.
During the next few days the loading continued, but there was no signof the Prince. At last he appeared alone, and wounded. He had hadhis wish. He had come upon a large party of Arabs near a well in thedesert, and at once attacked them. All his Goths were killed, and hereceived a spear-thrust, but the Arabs had not known the extent of thelosses they had inflicted, and retreated under cover of the night. Hethought, however, that he had been followed by one or two horsemen,perhaps more, and he knew not whither he was going, but his horse hadbrought him back to the port. He was faint from loss of blood. Monasdeclared that they would be attacked before morning, and he took thePrince on board the vessel to examine his wound.
Coelred and Porlor, after a consultation, made the black sailorsbuild a sort of sconce or small fort with some of the remaining balesand other materials, with an angle pointing landwards, and the twoends resting on the sea when it was high tide. They also dug a trenchoutside in the sand, into which the water flowed. The remainingmerchandise was brought inside this extemporary intrenchment, and theloading proceeded through the night. It was calm and the moon was up.A little before dawn Coelred, who was on the watch, thought he sawdark figures cautiously creeping round the huts. The boat happened tobe alongside the vessel, and there were only a few men and Porlor onshore. Coelred aroused them, and they all stood to their arms, when asudden rush was made by a number of Arabs. The two boys stood side byside at the angle, with the sailors supporting them. Luckily it washigh tide. There was a desperate struggle for the fort. The foremostassailants were hurled back by the young Englishmen with their spears.The brothers then drew their swords and began an unequal fight,supported by their men, who behaved well. More of the enemy came tothe attack from behind the huts, and began to scale the enclosure. Allwould have been lost if, at that moment, the boat had not touched thesand. The boys retreated fighting, and were seized by their own peopleas the boat was shoved off. The marauders secured a small portion ofthe cargo, with the loss of several of their number. Two of the crewwere also killed. As soon as Coelred and Porlor were on board, Monasweighed and made sail before a light northerly breeze.
The Prince's wound proved to be mortal. The loss of blood had beengreat, there was much exhaustion, and inflammation set in. The boysnursed him tenderly. On the third day he felt that his end was near.Porlor was supporting him, while Coelred held a cool bandage on hisforehead. Monas had some skill, but the case was beyond human aid. Hestood looking down on the little scene, amazed at the madness whichhad led to such consequences. "Farewell, my friends," said the Prince;"my folly nearly ended your lives as well as my own. You have becomedear to me. I hoped that you would have been my companions in arms, andthat we might have carved out an empire together. I saw that you weretrue and brave, worthy to be the comrades of one who is of the bloodof Alaric." He paused, and his voice became weaker. He finished whathe wished to say with difficulty. "I was driven from my country. Likeyou, I desired to return. One pleasure is left me. I can give you themeans of going home." He looked at Coelred, whose cool hand, dampedwith water from a chatty, was on his forehead. "Take off my belt," hesaid. The boy hesitated. "Take it. I would see it round your waist."Coelred gently unfastened the embroidered leathern belt, which washeavy, and did with it as the dying man had told him. Athanagild smiledas if contented. "Old man," he said, with difficulty turning to Monas,"thou art my witness that I leave all I possess to my young Counts. Icharge thee to safeguard them." He closed his eyes as Monas bowed lowbefore him in token of assent. After a long pause the Prince touchedthe belt and said, in his corrupt Greek, "I there place the treasureclose packed in secrecy. Farewell." (_Ufaireo dia malki tote._) Thesewere his last words. The boys never forgot them, and ever afterwardsused the first word, which they pronounced "_uvaru_" for a secrethiding-place. Athanagild did not speak again, and passed away duringthe night.
The moon was shining brightly, and bathing the calm expanse of waterwith a silvery light, when the old man and the two young boys, withtears in their eyes, committed the remains of this impulsive andgenerous son of Alaric to the deep.
The Paladins of Edwin the Great Page 12
