by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER LII.
"Stand, men of the Linzgau!" shouted a clear, resonant voice, and ayouth with golden-brown locks fluttering around his handsome headforced a passage through the Alemanni and Romans toward the Tribune.
But the Romans had neither the inclination nor the habit of lettingtheir General fight single combats with the Barbarian princes. Agigantic Illyrian stepped from the left of the ranks in front of hisleader and aimed his spear at the youth's face. But the weapon did notfly; before he could hurl it a German boy leaped from below against thewarrior, and thrust his little spear into the arm-pit, now unprotectedby his suit of mail. He fell with a loud cry.
"I thank you, little brother!" exclaimed Adalo and now, pressing closeupon Saturninus, he called to him in Latin: "Where is Bissula?"
But the Roman General had no thought to give to a Barbarian girl; therecollection of the captive had darted only once through his brain withthe speed of lightning, when he heard her she-bear growling in thecamp. He made no reply, except to wave the sword still dripping withEbarbold's blood.
The Adeling's spear flew; Saturninus caught it on his shield; but beingburdened by the long lance, this was now so difficult to manage that helet it fall, and sprang with a well-aimed sword thrust toward theyouth, who had instantly drawn his short battle-axe from his girdle.Each was so furiously resolved to fell the other, that neither thoughtof his own defence. So both struck, and both fell.
With his utmost strength--and it was great--the German had aimed at hisadversary's forehead: the latter involuntarily bowed his head, puttingthe helmet forward, but the terrible stroke cleft this best work of theRoman armorers at Trier, and pierced through the bronze and the doubleleather of the lining to the skull. The helmet was found afterwards;and this "Suabian stroke" was long celebrated in the hall of the stag'santlers. But the lord of the hall seemed destined never to return toit, but to follow Ebarbold and Ebarvin; for, at the same time, theRoman's sword had penetrated the wooden shield of the German and cutdeep into his left shoulder.
Sippilo caught his brother's drooping head; several attendants graspedhis feet, and thus they bore him swiftly out of the battle.
Decius, springing from Ausonius's side, now took command of the Romans.But he could no longer maintain order in the ranks. At their leader'sfall under Adalo's terrible blow the column scattered in a wild flightdown the hillside. The foremost ones, who had witnessed the duel,dispersed to the right and left. The rear ranks still held firm, butnow they received an attack from behind, from the camp, and all wasover. This attack was led by Duke Hariowald. At last--far too late forhis battle fury--he, too, had crossed the camp and reached the PortaDecumana.
The greatest obstacle to the pursuit was now what had formerly been theprincipal cause of the hesitation, confusion, and dispersion of theretreating Roman troops: namely, the luggage, the barricade of wagons.Behind it, that is, between it and the lake gate, numerous Romans,especially the German mercenaries, the Batavians, who were accustomedto such methods of fighting, had again made a stand; and much time wasconsumed before the Duke, by means of fire, axe-blows, and bloodshed,forced a passage through it. He had at once sent bodies of his menthrough the cross streets leading to the right and left; to go roundthe obstacle and attack the defenders on both flanks. Herculanus hadwatched, in mortal terror, from his hiding-place in the tent, theAlemanni dashing down these cross streets. Many rows of tents werealready blazing; others were blocked with piles of luggage and tentequipage left behind. It was long before the Duke and his men, breakingtheir way through the citadel of wagons and driving its last defendersbefore them, reached the Decumanian Gate; but then with his whole bodyof troops, intoxicated by their victory, he fell upon the rear of theRomans commanded by Decius.
All was lost. Decius succeeded in holding together only one very smallband of Illyrians, scarcely twenty men. These, with their woundedGeneral and Ausonius in their midst, burst through the ranks of theLinzgau men, who for some time were occupied with the care of Adalo,and fled directly south toward the lake. It was evident that the onlyhope of escape was by the ships, for swift destruction was overtakingall the fugitives, who scattered and fled to the right and left, theeast and west. Without leadership or direction, only keeping in generaltoward the lake, they ran singly, in pairs, and in groups. Most ofthem, in the darkness of the night, floundered into the marshes, where,ignorant of the fords or the few higher portions, they sank, and wereeither drowned or cut down by their pursuers.
As soon as Hariowald reached the open ground he heard of the King'sfall, to which he listened with a silent nod, and--from Sippilo'slips--of the Adeling's wound.
"Severe?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"In the shoulder; cut completely through."
"H'm!--Was he carried to his hall?"
"Yes."
"Take the blind old dame Waldrun to him at once from the Holy Mountain.She knows the strongest herbs, and she also knows when and how theymust be gathered, without impatience or rough handling."
"She is already waiting at his hall."
"How did that happen?"
"She dreamed last night that this battle would end in victory, but thatshe nursed my brother, who lay in her lap, sorely wounded. She insistedthat the Sarmatian should lead her to our hall before the battle began.'I will wait there for the wounded man,' she said."
"But you are bleeding, too, my lad; there, in the arm."
"A spear grazed me. It isn't much."
"Enough for the first time! You are surely tottering."
"An arrow--in the calf of my leg--but it didn't go deep."
"You can scarcely stand. Go home at once, do you hear? I, command it bythe oath of loyalty to the Duke. Waldrun will have a healing herb foryou, too. Go!"
Assuming the direct leadership of the bands formerly commanded byEbarbold and Adalo, the Duke spread his whole force into the widestpossible front, to inclose the fugitives, and gave only one order:"Drive them into the lake!" The command was received with shouts ofexultation, and faithfully obeyed. Hariowald had swung himself upon oneof the numerous riderless horses dashing through and around the camp;his men eagerly followed his example, and thus the pursuit became awild chase on horseback and on foot down the descent from the heightsto the lake.
The blazing camp behind, and the blazing ships before them, cast aterribly beautiful, flickering light over the savage, warlike scene.But already, though still very dim, another light was stealing wherethe red glare of the torches and the burning tents did not penetrate.The night was no longer perfectly dark. Far away, in the extreme east,dawn was glimmering; for more than two, almost three hours of theSeptember night had passed in the battle around the camp since thecriers had announced the second hour after twelve.