by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER XIV.
We will join the drinking Germans above, rather than the Tribune ragingin impotent wrath below the marble floor.
"Welcome in victory, ye brave Bajuvaren!"
"For that we thank you, ye clever Alemanni!"
"Did we not entice them out well?" said another comrade in arms. "Firstof all we--that is, Liuthari, our famous king's famous son, and two ofhis followers--surprised a post of five Moorish horsemen, whom theTribune of the Capitol had sent out against us as spies. But we knowthe forests better than those brown Africans. Four were dead, orprisoners, before they were aware of it. One escaped--alas! But itseems he was not able to tell much. Then a little company of us slippedacross the river--an Alemannian horse can swim like a swan--andgalloped to you Bajuvaren in the eastern mountains, in order that atthe right time the call of the heron should be answered by the cry ofthe eagle."
"And this time you also, ye heavy-stepping Bajuvaren, contrary to yourmanner and custom, actually came at the right time," teased Suomar,another Alemannian.
Fiercely the Bajuvaren put his hand to the battle-axe in his girdle."What does that mean, thou Suevian blockhead? It is my opinion we havecome early enough to cut you down--you as well as all others who waitlong enough! Although you are so quick in thought and hasty in words,many times already you have not had limbs quick enough for flight, toescape from us, if we are slow."
Provoked thus, the other was going to answer angrily, but Vestralp, thefirst Alemannian, interposed soothingly: "Never mind, both of you;thou, my Suomar! and thou, brave Marcoman! Once there, the Bajuvarenfight so splendidly that they make up for lost time."
"They have often shown that!" cried Rando, a third Alemannian.
"The last time," continued Suomar, "just now, in the market-place, andon the steep path up to the citadel, against the cavalry of theTribune."
"Listen! What was that?"
"Yes! did not a groan come out of the ground?"
"There!--at the left by the altar."
"Look! behind the altar! Perhaps some one wounded."
Two warriors hastened to the spot and looked behind the altar, but theyfound nothing.
"But what lies there in front--on the steps?"
"A dead man."
"A Roman?"
"A priest, as it seems."
"The slaves must have done that; the rioters who joined themselves tous when we had climbed the walls," said Helmbert, an aged leader of theBajuvaren. "They are now the guides to the richest booty."
"Take the corpse away! On the stone steps is the best place to sit anddrink," said Helmdag, his son.
"Dare to do it, thou blasphemer! That is the table of the most exaltedLord of Heaven," threatened Rando.
"It is not true," cried Helmdag. "Thou art a Catholic. This is aheretic church, more harmful than any abominations of heathenism. So myGothic godfather, the Bishop of Novi, teaches me."
"Thou stinking Arian!" answered Rando. "Thou denier of Christ! I willteach thee to give to the Lord Christ equal honour with the Father. Iwill fill thy mouth with my fist, and with thine own teeth as well!"
"With us the son always stands behind the father," growled Helmdag.
"Peace! both of you," commanded Vestralp, "fill your mouths with Romanwine. Bring the skin, Crispus, thou Roman hero! Do not untie it! Astroke with the sword. So! It spouts like red blood out of wounds! Nowthe helmets and hollow shields, until the noble Roman in the buck'sskin is exhausted. And as concerns the strife about the two stonesteps, I think that a good man honours everything that is sacred toanother. Therefore, brothers, we will all draw back from those steps."
"But the gold and silver on the walls, on the pillars and stonecoffers?" said Helmdag, the Arian.
"Perhaps that is to stay for the plundering slaves?" said Rando theCatholic.
"No!" cried the enlightened pagan, who had spoken for peace--it wasVestralp, the vanquisher of the helmeted Crispus--"that would be apity. We will divide it amongst us all: for the God Ziu, for the RomishBishops, and for the followers of Arius."
And they immediately set to work with the bronze helmet, or deer-skincap, full of red wine in the left hand, the battle-axe in the right.Drinking heartily during their work, they broke away from thesarcophagi, holy shrines, and even from the columns, all that wasvaluable of the metal ornaments and jewels, and also the stones thatpleased the eye by their variegated colours.
Garizo, a young, slim, tall Bajuvaren, lifted from the neck of a SaintAnne her necklace of heavy gold and sapphires, giving at the same timea deep bow, and saying:
"With thy permission, holy goddess, or whatever else thou mayest be;but thou art horribly ugly, and of dead stone. What one sees of thybosom is yellow; but my bride Albrun is alive and young, andwonderfully beautiful; and very pretty will these stones look on herwhite neck."
"Yes, but where are they then, your women and children, and unarmedfolk?" asked Vestralp of the busy bridegroom.
"They will come to-morrow down the eastern mountains," answered Garizo."For this we have at last found out, 'slow-moving' as we are, as thyhasty-tongued comrade just now said--this we have now learnt: to sendthe men forwards into the battle, and let the unarmed come afterwardswhen the victory and land is won."
"There must be something in it," laughed Vestralp, "in this name'slow-moving,' because it vexes you so. If one called you a coward, youwould only laugh and strike him down. You are a strange people! Noother race so calm, and at the same time so terrible in anger."
"I will tell thee," spoke thoughtfully Helmbert, the white-bearded. "Weare like the mountains; they stand quiet, whatever goes on round aboutthem. But if the tumult within gets too vexatious, they overturn inrocks and fire."
"You have shown this time that you also can be cunning and crafty,"cried Suomar. "With what artful care did you prevent the enemy gettingscent of your approach! So sharply did you watch all the roads, andeven the mule-tracks and the paths of the chamois-hunters, that nointelligence from the east could reach Juvavum."
"And not to make the Romans suspicious at the absence of all news,"added Helmbert, "we sent our own Roman settlers disguised like peasantsand workmen, as if they were the people from Ovilava and Laureacum,into the town, there to buy and sell."
"And if these had revealed all?" asked Suomar.
"Their relatives left behind would have been put to death. That wassaid plainly enough to them. But besides this, the poor people wouldrather support us than their Roman tormentors."
"The burghers of the town soon gave up the contest; they findthemselves under a new rule; as they see, we do not eat them," saidHelmdag, laughing.
"Yes; _only_ the cavalry and foot-soldiers of the Tribune foughtbravely, and with exasperation," said Rando.
"Tell us about it," urged Vestralp. "We, who fought on the other sideof the river, do not know yet exactly what happened within the walls,or how the citadel fell so quickly."
"By the sword of Ziu, it was wonderful!" began Rando. "There, on thegreat square, where the Christian saint stands with lion's skin andclub"----
"_That_ a saint! That is a heathen god!"
"No; a demi-god."
"All the same to me," continued Rando; "he did not help the Romans,whether saint, or god, or demi-god. But we were surprised on thatmarket-place. After we, some twenty Alemanni, with the Bajuvaren--theycan climb like cats, these mountain huntsmen of Bajuhemum--hadclambered over the walls, we thought all was over. But when we came tothe open market, there came galloping towards us, in close order, withthe crashing sounds of the tuba, the cavalry of the Tribune. He himselfwas not to be seen; it was said, he lay ill in the citadel; but he wasnot taken prisoner there. We were at first very few, and it was onlywith difficulty that we could stand against them. But we graduallypressed them back; step by step they were forced upwards towards theCapitol. But then came the Isaurian infantry to their help, and it wasnow a fearful struggle--man against man. Ah! I have again seen themfight with their Wotan's fu
ry, these Bajuvaren."
"Say, rather, lion's courage," interposed proud Helmdag the Bajuvaren,"for we carry the lion on our standard, and lion's courage in ourhearts."
"How come you with the southern beast? I think the bear stands nearer,and more resembles you."
"Thou thinkest that, forsooth, thou sharp-witted Suevian!" said oldHelmbert, coming to his son's help, "because you know so much more thanwe; but you do not know everything. Three hundred years ago one had notheard the name of the Alemanni; but our ancestors, the Marcomanni, hadalready long fiercely fought with the Romans. And at that time victorycradled itself on the wings of the golden eagle. There was, in thegolden house of Nero on the Tiber, a great, wise Emperor skilled inmagic. He had found out, by his magical arts, that if he made two lionsswim across the Danube, the bravest people on the earth would conquerin the impending battle. But our fathers, the Marcomanni, said: 'Whatyellow dogs are these?'--killed the lions with clubs, and afterwardsslew the army of the Emperor and his general: twenty thousand Romanslay dead on their shields. The clever Emperor in Rome knew then whichwas the bravest people on the earth. And since then we carry two lionson our colours. So sing and tell our bards. Now, continue, Suevian."
"That I will, to your glory! Like cats--or if thou, Helmdag, wouldstrather hear it, like lions--sprang the Bajuvaren on to the necks of theMoorish horses, and allowed themselves to be dragged along rather thanlet go. 'Give to Loge his due,' says a proverb that I have heard amongthe Anglo-Saxons: the Moors and Isaurians fought desperately, man byman covering the narrow, steep path which only offered space for twohorses. At last the Duke came to our help; he brought fresh troops, andnow in a sudden attack with levelled spears, pushing our way betweenthe horses, we scattered the whole entangled mass. The Bajuvaren nowused their short knives in a hand-to-hand conflict. They ran under thelong lances of the Isaurians, sprang on to the saddle of the fullyarmed Moorish horsemen, and in face and throat--the only vulnerablepart--thrust the blade of their daggers; on both sides, now right, nowleft, fell the enemy, horse and man, over the low breastwork of theRoman wall on to the jagged rocks in the depths below. Nevertheless thebattle might have lasted long around the citadel; indeed, hunger alonewould have subdued those rock walls if the rest of the enemy, who nowat last fled, had gained the gate. But they did _not_ succeed ingetting within it. A great deed was done by the hand of a Bajuvarianboy; I saw it plainly: having been overtaken by the Bajuvaren, I was,at last, no longer fighting, but was watching the gate of the fortress,which, high above me, was distinctly visible. I then saw that one ofthe two Isaurians who there stood on guard, ran towards his fleeingcomrades; his movements plainly indicated that he was urging them tostill hastier flight into the fortress, before the barbarians shouldpress in with them. The other Isaurian stood on the threshold, holdingthe iron bolt in his hand, ready to close the half-door from the insideand draw the bolt as soon as the fugitives had poured in. Then,suddenly, as if struck by lightning, the man fell forward on his face:he stood up no more. Immediately afterwards appeared a boy with fairhair on the tower above the gateway; he cut down with a battle-axe theimperial purple standard, and in place of the fallen banner planted, ona tall spear, which shone afar, a blue shield.
"'My Hortari,' then cried Garibrand, the Duke, 'my brother's son,stolen many weeks ago, and thought dead! _His_ shield, the victoriousblue shield of our house, of our family. Forward, ye Bajuvaren! Now tocut our way to Hortari!'
"But there was nothing more through which to cut our way; the Tribunewas not there; the slaves of the Tribune were also not to be found inthe fortress: the brave child was the only human being inside theCapitol. The fight before the gate was over immediately; the enemy shutout, powerless, one man springing on the back of another trying toclimb the high walls, pressed still harder by us, soon threw down theirarms and yielded. A few certainly, despairing of grace, or despisingit, spurred their horses from the steep path into the abyss below. Thegate of the citadel of Juvavum flew open from the inside, and youngHortari sprang into his uncle's arms; this youth of the Bajuvaren hadwon for his people the Capitol of Juvavum."
"Hail to the youth Hortari! The minstrels will have him inremembrance!"
"Hail to the youth Hortari!" sounded loud through the wide halls of theBasilica.
When the joyous cry had died away, quarrelling words were heard at thefarther end of the building.
In the apse behind the altar, two, flushed with wine, were in loudstrife.
In a chest containing Roman memorials, which the zealous Johannes hadtaken away from his flock, in order to wean them from their pagansuperstitions, the two men had found a small, beautifully-carved marblerelief, representing the three Graces tenderly clasping each other.They had seized the piece of sculpture; and screaming and shouting, nowdragged and pulled each other through the church till they stood beforeVestralp and Helmbert.
Then one of the disputants let fall the marble and flashed his shortknife against his opponent, who immediately dropped the plunder andseized the hand-axe in his girdle.
"Halt, Agilo!" cried Vestralp, seizing the arm of his fellow tribesman.
"Stab _Romans_, if thou wilt, not Alemanni," shouted Helmbert, andstruck down the knife of his countryman.
"Well! You shall decide," cried both disputants with one breath.
"I saw it first," cried the Alemannian. "I wished to hang it on myfavourite horse as a breast-plate."
"But I took it first," retorted the other. "They are the threefate-spinning sisters. I should hang it up over my child's cradle."
"The strife is easily settled," said Vestralp, picked up the threeGraces from the floor, took the axe from the hand of the Alemannian,aimed well, and cut the relief exactly through the middle.
Helmbert seized the two pieces and said:
"Forasitzo, Wotan's son, who is the judge in Heligoland, could not havedivided it more evenly; there, each of you has a goddess and a half.Now go and drink reconciliation."
"We thank you very much," said the combatants, again unanimous andhighly satisfied.
"But there is no more wine," complained the Alemannian.
"Or I should have drunk it long ago," sighed the Bajuvaren.
"Heigh, Crispe, son of Mars and Bellona," cried Vestralp, "where isthere wine--more wine?"
Crispus came panting. "Oh, sir, it is incredible! But they haveactually drunk it all! The prudent Jaffa," whispered he, "has still avery small skin of the very best; but that is for thee alone, becausethou hast saved my life." He continued aloud: "There is a large stonejug full of water; if we mix that with the last dregs in the wine-skinsthere will still be abundance of drink."
But Vestralp raised his spear-shaft and shattered the great jug so thatthe water ran in a stream. "Let the man be cut off from the race of theAlemanni," cried he, "who at any time mixes water with his wine! Thatspecial wine," continued he quietly to Crispus, "the poor Jew himselfshall keep. Let him drink it himself, after all his fright."
Then there sounded from outside the call of the great ox-horn. Andimmediately afterwards the door of the church was thrown open. Agigantic Bajuvaren stood on the threshold, and cried with a loud voice:"You are sitting there and drinking in blissful indolence, as if allwas over; and yet the battle is again raging in the streets. The slavesof the Romans! They are burning and destroying, while the town is_ours_! Protect your Juvavum, men of Bajuhemum! So commands Garibrand,the Duke."
In an instant all the Germans had seized their arms, and with the loudcry, "Defend the Juvavum of the Bajuvaren!" they rushed out of thechurch.