Bissula. English
Page 50
CHAPTER L.
In the midst of the intoxication of victory another joy filled the oldleader's heart: delight in the progress which, within a singlegeneration, the training in obedience had made in the subjection of hisAlemanni to the military authority of their Duke.
The traditions of their forefathers and his own youthful experiencecontained many an instance in which Germans had lost a victory alreadywon, because the conquerors, against their leader's commands, began, inunbridled lust for booty, to plunder the captured camp. They wouldscatter themselves through tents and baggage wagons, each vying withhis comrades, so that the Romans, little disturbed by pursuit, foundthe opportunity to assemble again and, with closed ranks, could wrestfrom the dispersed pillagers both camp and victory. So the oldCommander could say to himself with proud delight: "They have learnedsomething, through me--under me--ay, for love of me!"
Before the commencement of the assault he had proposed, for he couldnot command: "The camp and all its contents shall belong to the wholearmy, after the victory is won. When the morning sun shines down uponit, a division shall be made according to districts, families, andindividuals. Whoever takes, in advance, even a vessel or a weapon shallbe regarded as a thief who has robbed his people, and shall be hanged."
The bands had assented, and they loyally kept their word: not a manturned from the battle, or left the ranks to plunder, or even stoopedto pick up the costly gold and silver articles which the slaves, flyingfrom Ausonius's tent, had tried to hide, or perhaps steal. The slaveshad soon thrown down these articles that they might not be hampered intheir flight.
Obedient to Hariowald's orders, the Alemanni drove the fugitives fromall directions toward the central street of the camp; so the confusedtorrent which, hitherto, had poured through many separate channelssouthward, was dammed by this obstacle and checked.
The first men, still running at full speed down the narrow side pathsat the right and left, squeezed past the wide rows of carts, or, if nottoo much crowded by their neighbors, climbed over them; but both planssoon became possible only by the most violent struggles for precedenceon the part of the fugitives, as the hundreds driven here and there bythe Duke's followers rushed upon the closed ranks of the two leaders'orderly columns. These fugitives pressed forward with the strength ofdespair, especially after they perceived, with horror, that throwingdown their weapons and surrendering did not save them from death.
"Woe, they are killing every one! Make way! Let us pass! They aremurdering the prisoners!"
"No!" shouted the Duke to the nearest shrieker, "they are not murderingthe prisoners, for they have none!" and struck him down.
Then the ranks which had remained closed began to waver. Saturninussucceeded in crowding past the wagons on the right and hastened onwardtoward the gate. The scene was brightly lighted by many blazing tents,into which the victors had flung faggots smeared with pitch and resin.At the corner of one of the cross streets Saturninus saw two of hisbeautiful large dogs, with torn bodies, lying one above the other,while he heard the others barking furiously, and at intervals the soundof fierce growling. The next instant he was pushed far forward by themen crowding behind him. He looked around for Ausonius, who had beenmounted, and saw him on foot trying to climb over the barricade ofwagons. He was making slow progress, and already, close upon this bandof fugitives, the war-cry of the pursuers sounded nearer and nearer.
The Tribune ordered several pioneers whom he met to break a passagewith their axes through the carts for Ausonius and the left column. Themen did not obey willingly; they were reluctant to turn back, with theDecumanian Gate in sight, to meet the furious attack of the foe; butRoman military discipline and the habit of obedience to their honoredGeneral again conquered, so they went to meet Ausonius, while theTribune hastened onward.
The rising flames, the echoing blows of the axes, accompanied by theominous crash of splintering wood, urged the Tribune to still greaterspeed; this gate must not be opened from the outside if his lastattempt to escape was not to fail. But scarcely had he reached the openspace before it, when fresh cries of despair rose from the column atthe left commanded by Ausonius. Before the pioneers had broken apassage to the Prefect, his men had been reached by the arrows andspears of the pursuers, and he himself, falling between two wagons,suddenly vanished from their eyes. Loud lamentations from his followersburst forth.
Then the pioneers turned and fled in the opposite direction; theBarbarians were threatening on the left, so they ran down one of thecross streets at the right which intersected the central one.
"Fly," called the foremost one, running directly past Herculanus, whowas making desperate but fruitless efforts to tear with his unchainedhands the solid oak-block from the earth or to release his feet fromthe small holes and iron clamps. "Fly! Ausonius has fallen!"
"Ausonius is dead!" shouted the second; throwing away his heavy axe,which impeded his flight. It fell near the prisoner, who, withoutheeding the violent pain which the movement caused to his strained feetand bruised ankles, stretched both arms toward it. Triumph! He couldreach it. At least he could touch the handle with the tips of hisfingers, draw it slowly nearer, then at last seize and drag it to hisside.
One of Ausonius's slaves, who had been wounded by an arrow, limpedalong more slowly. "Oh, my kind master, Ausonius! He has fallen. He isdead."
"Dead?" cried Herculanus, "are you sure he is dead?"
But the fugitive had not heard, or did not wish to hear him--he hadalready moved on to Davus.
"Help me!" wailed the latter. "Don't leave me here to burn--or to fallinto the hands of the Barbarians!"
"Miserable murderer!" was the only answer. The fugitive had alreadydisappeared around the corner.
Meanwhile Herculanus, seizing the sharp axe with both hands and bendingdownward, dealt blows with all his strength upon the oak-block whichheld his feet, just between the two holes pierced from the top to thebottom. At last the solid wood parted, breaking open the holes; twomore blows severed the shackles which bound his feet to the two halves.The prisoner was free. Yet it was only with difficulty and severe painthat he could use his legs, stiffened by sitting still so many hoursand swollen by the pressure on the bones. But the desire to live, thehope of escape, conquered the pain: he walked, at first very slowly,toward Davus, who had watched him enviously.
"Help me out too. You, you alone, have brought me to this."
"Yes, traitor, I'll help you out," cried the other, with an angrylaugh. Cleaving the slave's skull with the axe, he ran on more quickly,his limbs becoming more supple at every step, toward the western end ofthe cross street; for the noise from the east grew louder and louder.
The conflagration did not extend to this part of the camp. He glidedinto a tent and hid himself, for he still had cause to fear his owncountrymen almost as much as the Barbarians. Here he found a shortdagger, like those worn by the Thracians, which he thrust into hisbelt; he then put down the long-handled heavy axe, which had burdenedhim while running.
Ausonius dead! Perhaps all who knew of that incident were dead too! Hecould not shake off the thought while peering cautiously between twofolds of the tent, watching for a way of escape between Romans andBarbarians.