The Scarlet Banner

by Felix Dahn

  CHAPTER XII

  In the Vandal camp on the left bank of the stream, Genseric's greatbanner floated from the royal tent, its folds often lifted by the nightwind, rustling softly in the warm, dark air. In a somewhat lower tent,close beside the King's, Gibamund and Hilda sat silent, hand in hand,upon a couch. The table before them was covered with Gibamund'sweapons; the lamp hanging from the roof cast a dim light upon them,which was reflected by the polished metal. Beside these bright arms laya dark dagger with a beautiful hilt in a black leather sheath, all ofvery artistic work.

  "It was hard for me," said Gibamund, starting up impatiently, "toobey the King's order and take command in the camp to-day until hisreturn,--the suspense, the expectation is so great."

  "Yes, if the Moors should fail us! How many are there, did you say?"

  "Twelve thousand. They ought to have arrived the day before yesterday,if they had hastened here from the camp at Bulla, according to theagreement. The King sent messenger after messenger, urging haste,in vain. At last, full of impatience, he himself rode along theNumidian road to meet them. For if twelve thousand infantry fail usto-morrow,--they were to form our whole left wing,--our position willbe--hark! that is the horn of the camp-guard. The King must havereturned. Let me ask."

  But already footsteps and the clank of weapons were heard close athand; the husband and wife, springing up, hurried to the entrance ofthe tent. The curtains were drawn back from the outside, and beforethem, the helmet on his lofty head, stood Zazo.

  "You, brother?"

  "You back again, Zazo! Oh, now all is well!"

  Graver, quieter than usual, but resolute and calm, the strong warriorstood between the two who clung to him, pressing his hands. It was ajoy, a consolation, to look at the erect, steadfast man.

  "All is not well, my sweet sister-in-law," he answered sadly thoughfirmly. "Alas for Ammata, and the whole day of Decimum! I do notunderstand it," he added, shaking his head, "but much may yet beretrieved."

  "Whence came you so suddenly? Have you seen Gelimer?"

  "He will be here soon. He promised me. He is still praying in his tent,with Verus."

  "You are from--?"

  "Sardinia, direct. A letter from the King, sent by Verus, urging me toa speedy return and warning me not to enter the harbor of Carthage, didnot reach me. But a second, despatched by my brother himself, broughtthe whole tale of disaster. I landed at the point named, and marched toBulla to meet the Moorish mercenaries and lead them here. I reachedBulla and found--" He stamped his foot.

  "Well, what?"

  "The empty camp."

  "Had the Moors started to come here?"

  "They have scattered, the whole twelve thousand, into the desert."

  "For God's sake--"

  "The traitors!"

  "Not traitors. They sent the money back to the King. Cabaon, theirprophet and chief, warned them, forbade them to take part in thisbattle. All obeyed. Only a few hundred men from the Pappua Mountains--"

  "They are bound by the ties of hospitality to Gelimer, to the wholeAsding race."

  "--accompanied us, led by Sersaon, their chief."

  "This destroys the King's whole plan for to-morrow's battle."

  "Well," said Zazo, quietly, "to make amends he has unexpectedlyreceived my troops. Not quite five thousand, but--"

  "But you are their leader," cried Gibamund.

  "He met on the Numidian road, first, the messengers I had sent inadvance, then me and my little army. What a sorrowful hour! How I hadrejoiced over my victory! But now Gelimer's tears flowed fast as he layon my breast, and I myself--Oh, Ammata! Yet, no, we must remain firm,calm, and manly, ay, hard; for this King is far too soft-hearted."

  "Yet he has recovered himself since the battle of Decimum," saidGibamund. "At that time he was utterly crushed."

  "Yes," cried Hilda, resentfully, "more than a man should permit himselfto be."

  "I loved Ammata scarcely less than he," replied Zazo, and his lipsquivered. "But to let certain victory escape him merely to mourn for,to bury the boy--"

  "You would not have done so, my Zazo," said a gentle voice.

  Gelimer had entered. He uttered the words very quietly; the othersturned, startled.

  "Your censure is just," he added. "But I saw in this dispensation--hewas the first Vandal who fell in the war--a judgment of God. If themost innocent of us all must die, God's punishment for the iniquity ofthe fathers rests upon us all."

  Zazo shook his head angrily and set his buffalo helmet on the table soheavily that it rattled. "Brother, brother! This gloomy, broodingdelusion may destroy you and your whole people. I am not learned enoughto argue with you. But I, too, am a Christian, a devout one,--no paganlike beautiful Hilda yonder, and I tell you--No, let me finish. Howthat terrible verse concerning God's vengeance is to be interpreted Ido not know. It troubles me very little. But this I do know: if ourkingdom fall, it will fall not on account of the sins of our ancestors,but of our own. The iniquity of the fathers--of course it, too, will beavenged. Vices and disease are also hereditary. Enfeebled themselves,they have begotten a feeble generation. They have bequeathed to theirchildren their love of pleasure and fostered it in them. And theiniquity of the fathers is also avenged upon us in other ways, butwithout any miracle of the saints. That the Catholics, tortured foryears, turned to the Emperor against us; that the Ostrogoths aid ourfoes, are certainly punishments for the iniquity of our fathers. ButGod needs to work no miracle for that; indeed, he would be compelled towork a miracle to prevent it. And Ammata--is he innocent? Against yourcommand he dashed recklessly into the battle. And Thrasaric? Instead ofleaving the disobedient boy to his fate, according to his duty asGeneral, and not attacking until Gibamund was at hand, he followed onlythe ardent desire of his heart to save your darling. And--"

  He hesitated.

  "And the King?" Gelimer went on. "Instead of doing his duty, hesuccumbs at the sight of the dead. But that is the curse, the vengeanceof the Lord."

  "No," replied Zazo. "This, too, is no miracle. This is because you,also, O brother, are no longer a true Vandal; I have said so before.You are absorbed,--not like the people, in luxury and pleasure,--but inbrooding. And again it is a consequence of the misdeed of the father;if you had not when a boy witnessed that horrible scene of torture--Butit is useless to ask how the past is to blame for the present; the aimshould be to do our duty to-day, to-morrow, every day, firmly,faithfully, and without brooding. Then we shall conquer, and that willbe well; or we shall fall like men, and that, too, is no evil thing. Wecan do no more than our duty. And the dear Lord in Heaven will dealwith our souls according to His mercy. I am not anxious about mine, ifI fall in battle for my people."

  "Oh," cried Hilda, joyously, "that does one good. It is like the freshnorth wind scattering the sultry mists."

  Sorrowfully but with no reproach in his tone, Gelimer answered: "Yes,the sound man cannot understand why the sick man does not sing andleap. I _must_ 'brood,' as you call it; I cannot do otherwise. Yetoften I think my way through. Often I, too, in my way, break throughthe mists. So now, by fervent prayer, I have again won my way to theold strong consolation. Verus, my confessor, knows these conflicts andthe cause of my victory: right is on my side. I am not a usurper, asthe Emperor falsely calls me. Hilderic, the assassin, was justlydeposed. No guilt cleaves to me; I have done Hilderic no wrong; theEmperor has no injustice to avenge on me. This is my stay, my support,and my staff.--Ah, Verus, we never hear you enter."

  Zazo measured the priest with a hostile glance.

  "I came to summon you, O King. There are still some written orders toprepare. Besides, I was to remind you of the prisoners."

  "Oh, yes. Listen, Zazo; give the consent I have so long asked. Let merelease Hilderic and Euages."

  "By no means," cried Zazo, striding up and down the narrow tent. "On noaccount. Least of all on the eve of a decisive battle. Shall Belisariusreplace him on the throne of Carthage after we have fallen? Or shallhe, after
we have conquered, be kept continually at the court ofConstantinople as a living pretext for attacking us again? Off with themurderers' heads! Where are they?"

  "Here in the camp, in safe keeping."

  "And the hostages?"

  "They were--Pudentius's son among them--confined in Decimum," Verusanswered. "After the lost battle, they were freed by the victors."

  "That might be repeated to-morrow," cried Zazo, angrily. "Amid thetumult of conflict, the foe might easily, for a short time, enter thisopen camp. I entreat, my King--"

  "So be it," interrupted the latter, and turning to Verus he ordered:"Have Hilderic and Euages taken away."

  "Where?"

  "To some safe place where no Byzantine can liberate them."

  Verus bowed and hurriedly left the tent.

  "I will follow you," the King called after him. "Do not judge me toosternly in your hearts, you thoroughly healthy people," he now added ina gentle voice, turning to the others. "I am a tree blasted by thelightning. But to-morrow," he went on, drawing himself up to his fullheight, "to-morrow, I hope, you shall be satisfied with me. Even you,Hilda! Send me your little harp; I believe you will not regret it."

  Hilda brought the instrument from a corner of the tent. "Here! But youknow," she said, smiling, "its strings will break if any one tries toplay on them an accompaniment to Latin verses of penitential hymns."

  "They will not break. Good-night."

  The King left the tent.

  "I think I have seen that harp of plain black wood in some other hand.Where was it?" asked Zazo. "In Ravenna, was it not?"

  Hilda nodded. "My friend Teja, my teacher on the harp and in the use ofarms, bestowed it on me as a wedding gift. And his noble, faithfulheart has not forgotten me. In my happiness he made no sign. But now--"

  "Well?" asked Zazo.

  "As soon as the first news of our defeat at Decimum reached Ravenna,"said Gibamund, "brave Ostrogoths, the old instructor in the use ofarms, Teja, and several others, wished to come to our assistance with abody of volunteers; for it was rumored that I had fallen. Probably themistake arose through the death of Ammata. The Regent strictly forbadeit. Then Teja sent to my widow, as he supposed, this magnificent daggerof dark metal."

  "The workmanship is exquisite," said Zazo, drawing out the blade andexamining it. "What a superb weapon!"

  "And he forged it himself," cried Hilda, eagerly. "Look here; hishousemark on the hilt."

  "And on the blade a motto inscribed in runes," added Zazo, steppingunder the lamp: "'The dead are free.' H'm, a stern consolation. But nottoo stern for Hilda. Keep this carefully."

  "Yes," replied Hilda, quietly. "The dagger in my girdle, and theconsolation in my thoughts."

  "But not too soon, Hilda," said Zazo, in a tone of warning, as he leftthe tent.

  "Have no fear," she answered, throwing both arms around her husband;"it is the consolation and weapon of the _widow_."