by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER VIII.
At mid-day, when the Alemannian horsemen had first become visible, Leothe Tribune was lying in his richly-furnished chamber in the high towerof the Capitol, on a soft couch over which was spread a lion's skin. Hefelt in his best mood.
His knee pained and hindered him no longer.
He comfortably stroked the rich black beard which encircled aface--bronze-brown, small, originally nobly formed, but long sincebecome terrible by passions.
Before him, on a table of citron-wood, there stood, half-emptied, alarge jug of fiery Siculer wine, and a silver drinking-cup.
Two Greek slaves, father and son, were in attendance on him.
The elder slave, raising his finger in warning, brought the mixing-cup.But, laughing, his master put it aside. "North of the Alps," said he,"nature herself mixes too much coldness in our blood; we do not need todilute the wine. Is it not so, my demure Antinoues? There, drink!" Andhe offered the cup to a third servant, a handsome boy of some fifteenyears, who was crouching on the ground in the extreme corner of theroom, as far as possible from Leo, and turning his back to his master.He wore only a purple petticoat round his loins. His other garments theTribune had stripped off, that he might gaze on his splendid limbs.Without turning his beautiful, sad face, the prisoner shook his head,round which flowed long golden hair.
Defiantly, threateningly, he then spoke: "My name is not Antinoues; myname is Hortari. Set me free! let me go back to my own people in therustling forests of the Danube! or else kill me! For know this,shameful man, never will I comply with thy orders."
Leo angrily threw at him the heavy fortress-key, which lay on anottoman near. "Depart hence, stubborn dog! Davus!" cried he to theyounger slave, who was engaged in putting ready the armour of theTribune, "drag him to the stable, and hang him there in chains! If thebrat will not be his master's plaything, away with him to the beasts!"
The boy sprang up and threw his woollen mantle around him.
Davus dragged him away. The look, full of deadly hate, which the youngGerman threw back, quickly turning as he passed out of the room, Leodid not observe. He soon recovered his good-humour.
"To-morrow I shall have better company here in the Thalamos," said he,again stroking his dark beard, "than an untamable young bear.Felicitas! I drink to our first embrace!" And he emptied the cup.
Then he stood up. "I need a support no longer!" He thereupon motionedaway the elder slave, stepped to the window of the tower, and lookedout.
"There is not a hundred of them, these daring barbarians! Whatinsolence! Only a few wear defensive armour; and their weapons ofattack are pitiable. How many of their arrows, spears, battle-axes havealready splintered harmlessly on my helmet and armour! They are comingstraight towards me. I long for battle and victory! There is life downthere in the streets of the town. Severus is gathering his cobblers andtinkers. But they will not get the better of the impetuous enemy. Whenthe old man, who is playing the general, is in the greatest distress--Iwill let him struggle a good while as a punishment--then will I rideout with my cavalry like the storm of the desert, and sweep them beforeme. But first to the priest. No one in the town is now thinking ofanything but the barbarians outside the gates. So I can accomplish itunnoticed. The danger from that priest must be very threatening, whenthe cowardly gold-sack himself counsels bloody means. He has evermenaced me, the psalm-whiner. First security and revenge, then thepleasure of victory, and for a reward--Felicitas. Let Pluto besaddled," commanded he the old slave, "and help me to arm."
The old man took the order to the court below, and then returned to thetower. Leo had already put on the tall helmet with its flowing plume,and the splendid greaves, and the slave now helped his master to claspand buckle over the dark-red tunic the magnificent breast-armour, whichwas adorned with many orders and distinctions. When Leo had girded onthe sword, and was going to take the bronze shield, with the long,sharp spike in the centre, the old man took carefully from a smallivory box, which stood in the corner near the couch, a narrow leatherstrap with two diminutive appendages, and with an entreating, silent,impressively eloquent look, offered the charm to his master. It was asmall, ugly idol in amber, and a tiny silver case.
"Take it, my lord!" entreated the Greek, as Leo contemptuously pushedit away.
"What shall I do with that? What sort of"----
"Do not revile them," implored the old man; "or they will be maliciousand protect no longer. Dost thou not know them, the guarding jewels?The one is the Egyptian god, Phtha, and the capsule encloses a hair ofthe beard of the Apostle Paul. If the first does not help, the secondwill. Wear to-day both. I had last night a bad dream."
"_Thou_ wear them, then!"
"The dream did not concern me, but thee, my lord. I saw theecelebrating a marriage!"
"Oh, that thou seest often! This time with Felicitas?"
"No, with Persephone, the queen of shades."
"She is no doubt very beautiful," laughed the Tribune, spreading outhis powerful arms; "let her only approach, she is welcome!"
"May the omen be far distant!" cried the slave.
"Thou art very anxious about me! Does my life concern thee? Why? Say,for what reason?"
"Oh, sir, thou wast never so angry with Chrysos as"----
"With all the others, wilt thou say?" laughed the Moor. "Onlyself-interest, old man; I need thee; that is, thy healing knowledge andfingers."
"If thou wouldst only pray! And some one creature on the earth,love--some one name honour! It would be better for thee!"
But the soldier gave a shrill laugh: "Love? Do I not every month loveanother woman?"
"Thou destroyest what thou lovest!"
"And pray? To which god shall I pray? With the same fervour and withthe same results, have I seen prayer offered to Astarte and Artemis, toOsiris and Jupiter, to Christ and Jehovah. But honour? What can besacred to me? Hardly so old as that German youth, I was stolen byVandal horsemen. Then lost I home, parents for ever! Sold as aslave to the Romans, I suffered and enjoyed, even as a boy, thingsunspeakable--pampered, kissed, fed, whipped. I slew my last master,escaped into the forests of Calabria, became robber, robber-chief; wastaken, condemned to the sports in the circus, pardoned by the Emperorwhen even my blood reddened the arena, placed among the mercenaries,soon by wild courage centurion and Tribune. To which god shall I pray?They all forsook me when I believed in them. But since I scorn themall, Fortune serves me like a beloved maid. And what shall I love andhonour? My palm-rustling home? That is occupied by Vandalic barbarians!Rome? Rome at first ill-treated me like a captive beast of prey, andnow hunts me like a tamed lion against her enemies. Very well; thenature as well as the name of this my terrible countryman have Ichosen;" and he patted the proudly-maned head of the desert-king on hiscouch. "Booty, enjoyment, battle! Wine, war, women! And at last--noawakening--eternal night in the silent waste of death!" With that heseized both amulets, threw them from the tower window, grasped hisspear, which was resting against the wall, and went clanging down thesteep tower staircase.
The Greek followed sadly.
Having reached the wide court-yard, the Tribune commanded his troops tomount; he ordered the squadron to follow him into the town, and stationthemselves in the Forum of Hercules, there to wait till, he should leadthem to the attack. The centurion Himilco, in command of the Isaurianfoot-soldiers, was placed at the look-out post at the entrance of theCapitol, to watch the progress of the battle and any possible events inthe town; and if his presence was required in the town or outside thewalls, he must first close the strong gate of the citadel, and leavetwo guards there. The Tribune quietly ordered his two slaves, the oldGreek and his son, to the foot of the Capitol with a closed litter:"under any circumstances," added he. "To drag on horseback a strugglingwoman up the steep path--that might oblige me seriously to hurt her--asin Galla's case," said he to himself. And now, having given all hiscommands, he placed his foot in the stirrup, to swing himself on Pluto,his magnificent black Spanish s
teed, which had, with the front hoof,been impatiently striking sparks from the granite pavement. He washardly in the saddle when, through the open stable-door, his eye fellon the boy Hortari, who, with outstretched arms, was chained to thewall between two iron horse-racks. In a corner of the stable lay around blue German shield, a spear, and a battle-axe, the weapons thathad been taken from the boy at his seizure.
"Ha! the future Antinoues!" laughed he, fixing his spear at his side."Unchain him! He shall go on the walls, and see the destruction of hisGerman heroes. At night we will chain him with a whole pack of suchbears."
And he gave his steed the spurs, so that he started loudly neighing."Beware of the bears of the forest," cried Hortari, now unchained, andstepping to the door of the stable with flashing eyes; "their clawswill tear you in pieces."
But the Tribune, with a laugh, shouted: "Up! to the gate! and woe tothe barbarians!"
And, following their powerful leader, the glittering cavalcade gallopedoff, rushing and clashing down the valley.