A Struggle for Rome, v. 3

by Felix Dahn

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  At last a Persian horseman, making his way through the ranks of theGoths, galloped up to the King, gave a message, and galloped back againat full speed.

  "At last!" cried Totila. "Now enough of sport! Brave Alboin, son ofAudoin," he loudly cried across to the enemy's ranks, "wilt thou reallyfight for the Greeks against us? Then come on, O King's son--it is aKing who calls thee?"

  Alboin could no longer restrain his impatience.

  "Mine must he be with armour and horse!" he shouted, and spurredforward with his lance couched.

  Totila, with a gentle pressure of his thigh, brought his horse to asudden standstill. It seemed that he intended to stand the shock.

  Alboin came on at a furious gallop.

  Another slight pressure of Totila's thigh, a clever spring to one side,and the Longobardian, who could not check his horse, rushed far pasthis adversary.

  But the next moment Totila was at Alboin's back; he could easily havebored him through with his spear.

  The Longobardians, seeing the danger of their chief, uttered loud criesand hurried to his assistance.

  But Totila whirled his lance round, and contented himself with givinghis adversary such a thrust in the left side with the shaft end, thatAlboin fell headlong out of his saddle on the right side of his horse.Totila quietly rode back to his troop, waving his spear over his headin triumph.

  Alboin had remounted, and now led his troop against the thin ranks ofthe Goths.

  But just before the shock of meeting, the King cried, "Fly! fly intothe town!" turned his horse's head, and galloped away towards Caprae.

  His horsemen followed him.

  For one moment Alboin halted in perplexity. But the next he cried:

  "It is nothing else; it is a pure flight! There they run into the gate!Yes, feats of horsemanship are one thing, and fighting is another.After them, my wolves! into the town!"

  And the Longobardians galloped forwards to Caprae, burst open thenorthern gate--which had been closed, but not bolted, by the flyingGoths--and rushed through the long street towards the southern gate,through which the last Goth was just disappearing.

  Narses had till now stood upright in his litter with difficulty,observing all that passed.

  "Halt!" he angrily cried. "Halt! Blow the trumpets! Sound the retreat!It is the most clumsy trap in the world! But this Alboin thinks that ifany one runs away from him, it must be in earnest!"

  But the trumpeters blew in vain.

  The cries of victory uttered by the pursuing Longobardians, drowned theblast of the trumpets; or those that heard it disregarded it.

  Narses groaned as he saw the last ranks of the Longobardians disappearinto the Gate of Caprae.

  "Oh!" he sighed; "those blockheads oblige me to commit a folly withopen eyes. I cannot let them suffer for their stupidity as theydeserve. I still need them. Therefore, forward, in the name ofnonsense! Before we can overtake them, they may be already halfdestroyed! Forward, Cethegus, Anzalas, and Liberius! Take theIsaurians, Armenians, and Illyrians, and get into Caprae. But reflectthat the town _cannot_ be empty. It is a snare, into which we followthose blind bulls with open eyes. I will come after in my litter; but Ican stand no more."

  And he sank back into his seat, terribly fatigued. A slight convulsion,such as he often experienced when excited, shook his frame.

  The footmen of Cethegus and Liberius advanced towards the town at arapid march, the two leaders riding in front.

  Meanwhile pursued and pursuers had rushed through the little town, andthe last Longobardians had passed Caprae, while the first, with Alboin,had reached that part of the Flaminian Way where the two hills boundedand confined the road on the right and left.

  The King galloped forward another horse's length; then he halted,turned, and gave a sign.

  Adalgoth, who rode at his side, blew his horn, and out of the northerngate of Taginae issued Thorismuth and his spear-bearers, while from thedouble ambush on the hills the Persian horsemen of the Corsican burstout with a yell and a blast of cornets.

  "Now wheel about, my Goths! Forward to the charge! Woe to thebefooled!" cried Totila.

  Alboin looked helplessly round.

  "We have never before trotted into anything so evil, my wolves!" hesaid.

  He would have retreated, but now Gothic footmen issued likewise fromthe southern gate of Caprae, blocking the way back.

  "There is nothing for it but to die merrily, Gisulf! Greet Rosimunda,if thou escapest!"

  And he turned to meet one of the leaders of the Persian horsemen, who,distinguished by a richly-gilded open helm, had now reached the road,and was advancing straight upon him.

  As he came up to Alboin, he of the gilded helmet cried:

  "Turn, Longobardian! yonder stands our common foe! _Down with theGoths!_"

  And he ran his sword through a Gothic horseman who was aiming a strokeat Alboin.

  And now the Persian horsemen, galloping past the Longobardians,attacked the horrified Goths. For a moment the latter halted, taken bysurprise. But when they saw that it was no mistake--that the ambush wasagainst _them_, and not against the Longobardians--they cried,"Treachery, treachery! all is lost!" and, this time in unfeignedflight, rushed back to Taginae, carrying everything along with them,even their own footmen, who were just issuing from the gate.

  Even the King changed countenance when he saw the Corsican strike atthe Goths at Alboin's side.

  "Yes, it is treachery!" he cried. "Ha! the tiger! Down with him!"

  And he rushed at the Corsican. But before he could reach him, Isdigerdthe Persian had stormed into the road from the left between the Kingand Furius.

  "Aim at the King!" he cried to his men. "All spears at the King! Therehe is, the white one! With the swan on his helmet! Down with him!"

  A hail of spears whistled through the air. In a moment the King'sshield bristled with darts.

  By this time the Corsican had recognised the tall and glittering figurein the distance.

  "It is he! I will have his heart's blood!"

  And he forced his way through his own and Isdigerd's men.

  The two enraged adversaries were now separated only by a few feet.

  But Totila had turned against Isdigerd. Pierced in the neck by theKing's spear, the chief fell dead to the ground.

  And now Totila and Furius met.

  The Corsican aimed his spear full at the King's unprotected face.

  But suddenly the glittering helmet and the white mantle haddisappeared.

  Two spears had struck the white horse, and at the same time a thirdpierced the King's shield and wounded his left arm severely.

  Horse and man fell.

  Isdigerd's Persians raised a wild cry of exultation and pressedforward.

  Furius and Alboin spurred their horses.

  "Spare the King's life! take him prisoner! He spared me!" cried Alboin.

  For he had been greatly touched when Gisulf told him that he distinctlysaw the King change the point of his spear for the shaft.

  "No! Down with Totila!" cried Furius.

  And he hurled his spear at the wounded man, whom Aligern was trying tolift upon the Prefect's horse and lead out of the fight.

  Julius caught the Corsican's first spear upon Teja's proven shield.

  Furius called for a second, and aimed at the press around the King;Phaza, the Armenian, tried to parry the stroke and received the spearin his heart.

  Then Furius, who had now spurred close up, raised his long and crookedscimetar against the King. But before the stroke could fall theCorsican fell backwards from his saddle.

  The young Duke of Apulia had thrust the staff of his banner with suchforce against Ahalla's breast that the wood was shattered.

  And now Totila's banner--the costly work of Valeria and her women--wasin the greatest danger in Adalgoth's hands. For all the enemy's horsepressed upon the bold young standard-bearer; a stroke of Gisulf's axestruck the staff and broke it again--Adalgoth to
re off the silken flagand tucked it into his sword-belt.

  Alboin had now come up, and cried:

  "Yield, thou King of the Goths--to me, a King's son!"

  Aligern had just succeeded in lifting the King on to the Prefect'shorse; he turned to the Longobardian, who, wishing to stay theKing's flight but to save his life, aimed a stroke at the latter'shorse with his spear. But the next moment Aligern had cleft Alboin'svulture-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 thetumult as far as the northern gate of Taginae. From this place the Kingwould have conducted the battle, but he could scarcely hold himselfupright in his saddle.

  "Thorismuth," he said, "thou must defend Taginae; for the present Capraeis lost. Let a mounted messenger fetch the whole of Hildebrand's winghere; the road to Rome must be kept open at all costs. Teja, as Ilearned, has already joined in the battle with his left wing.--Todefend the retreat to the south--is our last hope!"

  And, saying this, he swooned away.

  But Earl Thorismuth said:

  "I and my spearmen will defend Taginae to the last man. Not a foe shallget in here; neither the Persians nor the Longobardians. I will protectthe 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, fromthe Gate of Caprae, come the enemy's foot--and, look there!--Cethegusthe Prefect with his Isaurians! Caprae and our bowmen are lost!"

  And so it was.

  Wisand, obeying his orders, had not defended Caprae, but had allowedCethegus and Liberius to enter, and only when they were fairly insidethe town did he begin the fight in the streets, at the same timesending a thousand of his men out of the southern gate to attack theLongobardians.

  But, as the ambuscades had fallen upon the Goths instead of theLongobardians; as Alboin and Furius united in dispersing orannihilating the few Gothic horsemen, and the attack intended by thespearmen from Taginae did not take place; the Gothic bowmen, first inCaprae 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 Taginaeand reported the annihilation of his troops.

  Narses was carried into Caprae, and the Illyrians began to storm Taginae.Earl Thorismuth resisted heroically. He fought his best in order tocover the retreat of his comrades.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "He must not live!" cried Cethegus. "Then you are right! It is of moreimportance than to win Taginae. Narses can manage that heroic work fromhis litter. He has seventy to one. Up, Furius! Why do your horsemenstand idle here?"

  "The animals cannot ride up the walls!"

  "No; but they can swim. Up! take three hundred yourself, and give methree hundred. Two roads lead right and left from the little townover--no! they have broken down the bridges--they lead _through_ theClasius and the Sibola--let us take these roads. The wounded King iscertainly--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 thecloister. Ha! I will stab him in her very arms! Up, Persians! followme. Thanks, Prefect! Take as many horsemen as you like. And ride to theright--I will ride to the left round the town; for both roads lead tothe cloister."

  And, wheeling to the left, he disappeared.

  Cethegus ordered the rest of the horsemen to follow him, speaking inthe 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 leaveyou my Isaurians."

  And he galloped away with Syphax and three hundred Persians.

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

  "Julius," he said, "ride on to Valeria; tell her that the battle islost, but not the kingdom. That I am alive and still hope. As soon as Ifeel a little stronger I shall ride up to the Spes Bonorum. I orderedTeja and Hildebrand there when they had finished their tasks. It is ahigh and safe position. Go, I beg thee; comfort Valeria and take heralso from the cloister to Spes Bonorum. Thou wilt not? Then I mustmyself 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," saidTotila.

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