CHAPTER XXV
THE OPEN COUNTRY
After some days of rest, abundant food and leisurely hot-baths in thefreedman's house, I left Nuceria under convoy of three genial road-constables and journeyed deliberately northward along the FlaminianHighway to the Imperial estate which was to be my abode. I am not going tolocate it precisely nor to name the villages nearest it nor theneighboring towns. It will be quite sufficient to set down that it wasnear the Flaminian Highway and approximately half way between Nuceria andForum Sempronii.
My reasons for vagueness are mandatory, to my mind. Feuds in the Umbrianmountains differ greatly from feuds in the Sabine hills; but, likeSabinum, Umbria is afflicted with feuds. Now I anticipate that this bookwill not only be widely read among our nobility and gentry and muchdiscussed by them, but also that it will be talked of by more than halfRome and that copies of it and talk about it will spread all over Italyand even into the provinces. Talk of it may trickle into the Umbrianmountains. Umbrian mountaineers live long. Some of those who loved me andbefriended me or loved and befriended those who loved and befriended me,may still be alive and hearty and likely to live many years yet. So alsomay be some of those who hated me. I do not want anyone holding a grudge,or nursing the grudge of a dead kinsman or friend, to learn through me ofany secret kindness to me which he might regard as treachery to his kinand so feel impelled to avenge on those who befriended me or theirchildren or grandchildren. Umbrian enmities ramify incredibly and endurefrom generation to generation. I remember with gratitude many Umbrians whowere kind to me; I would not, however, indirectly cause any trouble tothem in their old age, or to their descendants.
The Imperial estate was large and I learned its history. It was made up ofthree adjacent properties confiscated at different periods by differentEmperors. One had fallen to the _fiscus_ under Nero, a second underDomitian, and a third under Trajan, each as the result of its owner beingimplicated in a conspiracy against the Emperor. The administration of theresultant large estate was a perfect sample of the excellent management indetail and stupid misjudgment in general so common under the _fiscus_. Theestate was hilly, some of it mountainous, and quite unfitted for horse-breeding, which is best engaged in, as everybody knows, on estatescomposed chiefly of wide-spreading plains or gently rolling country withbroad, flat meadows. Good judgment would have put this estate chiefly inforest, with a few cattle, some sheep and more goats, but no horses. As Ifound it, it had, to be sure, many goats, but almost as many sheep andcattle, and horses almost as numerous as the cattle and far moreimportant, for to their breeding most of the efforts of the overseer weredirected.
The overseer's house was the best of the three original villas. About itwere ample, commodious and scrupulously clean quarters for slaves like me.Also it had yards for fowls, ducks, geese, guinea-fowls, and peacocks,arranged before the confiscation and allowed since to run down, but stillproductive and fairly well-filled with birds, as were the big dovecotes.Besides, there were fish ponds and a rabbit-warren, left from the formervilla. There were extensive stables, cattle-sheds and pens, sheep-folds,goat-runs and pig-sties adjoining the house. In the quarters I found agoodly company of hearty, healthy, contented slaves, sty-wards, goatherds,shepherds, cowmen and horse-wranglers. These were friendly from my firstarrival among them, seemed to look me over deliberately and appraise me,and appeared to like me.
I was first sent out as one of two assistants to an experienced herder incharge of a rather large herd of beef-steers. We drove them up themountains to a grassy glade and, when they had eaten down the grass there,to another. Our duties were light, as the steers were not very wild orfierce and were easy to keep together, to keep in motion by day and tokeep stationary by night. Each night two of us slept by a smouldering fireand the third circled about the herd as the steers lay sleeping or chewingtheir cuds. The circling was done at the horse's slowest walk. Our horseswere good, our food good, and my two companions genial, though reticent.
Only once did any of our charges bolt. Then, when we missed three steers,our senior asked me:
"Do you think you could find them and fetch them back?"
On my affirming confidence that I could he smiled doubtfully, and shookhis head, but drawled:
"I'll give you the chance, just to try you out."
I found the runaways with no trouble whatever, for their trail was nowherefaint, turned them easily and brought them back, manifestly, much soonerthan he had hoped. He appeared pleased, but merely grunted.
Yet he must have spoken well of me to the superintendent, for after aday's rest in the slave-quarters I was assigned the sole care of a smallbunch of young cows with their first calves. It seemed to be assumed thatI would make no attempt to escape. As I had been given a good horse and aserviceable rain-cloak, I had thoroughly enjoyed my life from the start.
The landscape was charming, the climate agreeable, spring was approaching,I was out in the open air, camping at night by a fire wherever my chargeslay down to sleep, eating what I chose of the ample supply of good foodwhich I carried in my saddle-bags. I was happy, thoroughly happy, and Ithrove from my arrival. I still mourned for Agathemer, but I did not misshim as acutely as I had in the _ergastulum_.
After about ten days in the woodland glades I brought my charges back tothe villa for inspection, according to orders. The inspector was pleasedwith their condition and commended me. Some of the fellow-herdsmen, offduty, stood or sat about and they seemed to approve.
One of them asked:
"Have much trouble, Greenhorn?"
"Not a bit," I answered.
"How'd you like to try to milk one of those cows?" another enquired.
"I can milk any one of them," I replied. "I have milked most of them. I'vebeen drinking all the milk I could hold all the while I was out withthem."
"That's the silliest lie I ever heard," they chorused. "Why, if you triedto handle any one of those cows she'd gore you to death. You couldn't getnear enough to the udder of any one of them to get your hand on her teats.Invent a lie we can swallow, or quit bragging. You can't fool us."
I kept my temper, scaled the enclosure of the cow-pen, being careful notto make any sudden movement, strolled to the nearest cow, stroked hernose, pulled her ears, walked down her flank, patting her as I went andhandled her udder.
"What have you to say now?" I called to the gaping yokels.
"Try that on another," they shouted back.
I did the like with two more.
They were dumb.
"Hand me a crock," I called, "and I'll get a quart or so of milk, if thecalves have left any."
When, one handed me a small _olla_ I milked it more than half-full from adozen cows. I exhibited the milk, offered it to them, and, on theirlaughingly replying that they were no milk-sops, they preferred wine, Idrank most of it. Then I went to the nearest calf, gentled it, picked itup, lifted it onto my back, its legs sticking out in front of me across myshoulders, and paced back and forth along the inside of the fence, themother following me, licking the calf and lowing, but mild and with noshow of anger, let alone any threat of attack on me.
Before I put the calf down the superintendent came along.
"What's all this?" he queried.
"Felix here," he was answered, "is a sort of wizard. He can gentle thesecows, he can milk them, and he has been showing off how one will let himcarry her calf and yet not get excited."
"Can you do as well with bulls, too?" the _Villicus_ enquired.
"I think so," I replied. I had put down the calf and climbed out of thecow-pen.
"Come along!" the _Villicus_ commanded.
We trooped off to a pen where there was a fine breeding-bull all alone.
"Get inside, lad!" said the _Villicus_; "that is, if you dare. But be sureyou are ready to vault out again, and entirely able to clear the pen."
I climbed into the pen and stood. The bull gazed at me, but made nothreatening movement and his demeanor was placid. I walked up to him, apace at a time, patted h
is nose, pulled his ears, walked round him,stroking him, took hold of the ring in his nose and led him over towardthe awestruck gapers:
When I climbed out of the pen one man said:
"Try him on old Scrofa."
We trooped off to the hog-pens and there was a six or eight-year-old sowwith a young litter. She was a huge beast, as ugly a sow as ever I saw. Igot into her pen, miring half to my knees in its filth, but keeping myfeet. She made no move to attack me, but grunted enquiringly. I picked upone of her pigs, it hardly squealed and she grunted scarcely more than shehad already. I dangled the piglet before her, and she only smelt it andkept on grunting, with no sign of wrath.
"Come out, Felix," the _Villicus_ drawled, "you are sow-proof. But how doyou do it?"
"I don't know," I replied, "but I have always been able to gentle fierceanimals of any kind. No animal ever attacks me."
Thereupon he tried me with three rams famous for butting, two he-goats ofeven worse reputation and half a score of watch-dogs. I came unscathedfrom close companionship with the goats and rams, and the dogs behaved asif they had been my pets from their puppyhood.
"Can you do as well with horses?" the _Villicus_ enquired.
"I believe so," I replied; "give me a chance."
"I shall," he asserted. "I'll round up all our colts fit for breaking andtry you on them. I'll get in most of the boys to watch the fun. It'll takeabout ten days to get ready. Meanwhile you can take out another bunch ofheifers with new calves. It seems to suit you and the calves and theheifers."
When I returned from my third outing, hard and fit and happy, the_Villicus_ asked me how soon I would be ready for colt-breaking.
"Tomorrow," I said.
The next day was made a sort of festival, with all the horse-herders atthe villa paddocks.
First of all four experienced horse-wranglers roped a filly, threw her,bitted and bridled her while one sat on her head, let her get on her feet,hobbled her, held her so while two more saddled her and then held herwhile one mounted her. When they let her go she reared, bucked, dashedabout, bucked again and again, and continued till exhaustion forced her toquiet down and obey her rider, who had kept his seat from the first.
"What do you think of that, Felix?" the _Villicus_ asked me.
"As good horse-wrangling as can be seen anywhere," I replied. "Up tostandard and even above normal. But I can do better."
"Bold words," said the _Villicus_; "we'll give you a chance to provethem."
Another filly was roped, bitted, bridled, and saddled, and her captorsinvited me to mount.
"Pooh!" said I. "Let some one else ride her. I don't need all thosepreliminaries. I can walk right out into that bunch of colts, catch anyyoung stallion you point out, hold him by the nose, gentle him without anyrope or thong on him, mount him by vaulting onto his back, and ride himabout unbitted, unbridled, bareback, and as I please, without his rearingor backing or kicking."
"Son," said the _Villicus_, "you are either a lunatic or a demigod. Go inand try what you boast you can do. Show us."
"Point out your stallion," I suggested.
He indicated a beautiful bay with a white face. He let me approach him atmy first attempt, let me take him by the nose, let me lead him close to mydumbfounded audience, let me mount him. I rode him about, turning him toright or left as the _Villicus_ ordered, at my suggestion. When I got offI lifted each of his hoofs in succession, crawled under his belly, crawledbetween his fore-legs, and then between his hind-legs, while the onlookersheld their breath; finally I stood behind him, slapped his rump and pulledhis tail.
"Is he broken?" I queried.
"Apparently he is gentle as a lamb to you," the _Villicus_ admitted, "buthow about the rest of us?"
"Bring in a saddle and bridle," I suggested, "and I'll bit him and holdhim while two of you saddle him and until one of you mounts him. He shouldbe no more dangerous than a roped filly."
They did as I suggested and I then rode him about until he appeared usedto the saddle and bit and already, at once, bridle-wise. Then one of thewranglers rode him.
I gentled colt after colt all that day till sunset, with a very briefpause for food and rest. Also I kept it up next day until mid-afternoon,when the last colt had been tamed.
Then, as we stood breathing, one of the horse-wranglers suggested:
"Try him on Selinus."
"That would be plain murder," one of the others cried.
"I am not so sure," the _Villicus_ ruminated. "I am almost ready to feelthat he might even tame Selinus."
Off we trooped to the stable of the choice breeding-stallions. There, in adarkened box-stall, I was shown a beautiful demon of a horse, four yearsold, a sorrel, with a white face and white forefeet. He certainly lookedwicked enough.
"Will you try him?" the _Villicus_ asked me.
"Of course," I said. "Let him out into the yard or the paddock."
Into the paddock he was let out, by means of a door in his stall worked bywinches from above. In the afternoon sunlight he pranced and curvettedabout, a joy to see.
"Let me show Felix what he is like," one of the younger horse-wranglerssuggested.
"You can," the _Villicus_ agreed. "We all know how agile you are and howquick at vaulting a fence."
The fellow vaulted into the paddock when Selinus was at its furthercorner. The moment the beast saw him he charged at full-run, screaminglike an angry gander, the picture of a man-killer, ears laid back,nostrils wide and red, mouth open, teeth bared, forehoofs lashing out highin front, an equine fury. The lad vaulted the fence handily when Selinuswas not three yards from him and the brute pawed angrily at the palingsand bit them viciously.
"Want to try, Felix?" the _Villicus_ asked me again.
Without a word I vaulted the enclosure within two yards of Selinus. Hestood, ears cocked forward, nostrils quiet, mouth shut, all four hoofs onthe ground, quivering all over.
Inch by inch I neared him till my hand touched him. He trembled like anaspen-leaf, but did not attack me.
"Hercules be good to us all!" exclaimed one of the men.
After that I did with Selinus all I had done with the first stallion-colt,gentling him, leading him by the nose, mounting him, riding him, crawlingunder his belly, between his fore-legs and hind-legs, pulling his tail,slapping him liberally all over. Then, timidly, urged by their comrades'jeers, the two wranglers whom I invited brought me a saddle and bridle andI bitted him and held him while they saddled. Then I rode him.
Afterwards, with much misgiving, but shamed into boldness, the chiefhorse-wrangler mounted him and rode him.
Selinus was tamed!
"Felix," said the _Villicus_, "you are too valuable to set to herdingcattle. You are henceforward chief horse-wrangler of this estate. I'llgive you a house all to yourself and a girl to keep house for you. Whennot horse taming here or wherever I lend you out, you can spend your timeas you please."
The onlookers acclaimed his award and the displaced chief horse-wranglershook hands with me and declared that he was proud to be second to such awonder as "Felix the Wizard."
After that I lived a life of ease. My dwelling was a neat cottage wellshaded with fine trees and bowered in climbing vines, with a tinycourtyard, a not too tiny atrium with a hearth, a kitchen, a store-roomand two bed-rooms. It was as clean as possible and well furnished for aslave's quarters. The girl and I liked each other at first sight. I am notgoing to tell her name, but a jest we had between us led me to call her bythe pet name of Septima. If she had been a free-woman, she would have beendescribed as a young widow. Her former mate, one of the horse-wranglers,had been killed by Selinus the previous autumn. Their child, not a yearold, had died before his father. Septima had recovered from her griefduring the winter and had become normally cheerful before she was assignedto me. I found her constitutionally merry, very good company, alwaysdiligent, a surpassing cook, magical with the garden, especially with herbeloved flowers, a capable needle-woman, always neat, and very good-looking. We got on famousl
y together.
With her beehives only, Septima had trouble. She understood beesperfectly, but was afraid of them, and with reason, for she was manifestlyobnoxious to bees and was far too often stung. Of course, bees, like allother living creatures, were mild to me. I tended her hives, under hersupervision, for I knew nothing of bees; according to her directions Icaptured several swarms for her. Also I, when the time came, removed combsfrom such hives as she designated.
Spring was in its full glory and I felt the exhilaration of it. Each home-coming was a delight. And I was much away, for the _Villicus_ had meconvoyed about the countryside to every estate which possessed an unbrokencolt or an intractable horse. I gentled successfully every one Iencountered.
After all the bad horses and raw colts for miles around had been tamed Ispent some days idling about my cottage and getting acquainted with it andwith Septima. But within not many days I grew restive. I told the_Villicus_ I wanted something to do.
"Well," he said, "five steers have eluded one of my herd-gangs and no onecan find them. Question the men (he named them) so as to get the rightstart, and try your luck."
I was off, trailing those five steers, for three days and two nights. Bysunset of the third day I had them back at the villa.
After that I was called on to hunt down and round up all stampeded cattleand all strays, whether cattle, horses, goats, sheep or swine. I enjoyedmy lone outings and between them basked contentedly in the comfort of mycottage and the amenity of Septima's cheeriness. During my stays at home Ithoroughly familiarized myself with the villa, its outbuildings and alltheir inhabitants. Also I put a good deal of time on Selinus, whom Itransformed from an insane man-killer into one of the gentlest stallions Iever heard of. I taught him all the niceties of obedience acclaimed inperfect parade horses till he would stand, sidle, back, sidle diagonally,curvet and execute all the show-steps promptly at the signalling touch orsound. I tamed him till he would let anybody gentle him, till it wasperfectly safe for anyone to ride him. I even trusted Septima on him andhe justified my confidence in my training of him and in him. In fact, frombeing a man-killer who had to be kept penned up in the dark, whom not eventhe boldest horse-master dare approach, he became so gentle and sotrustworthy that he could be let run at large, mild to all human beings,even to strangers.
He grew to love me like a pet dog, followed me about when I was not ridinghim, and would come to me from far away to a call or gesticulation; and hecould see me and recognize me at such distances that I revised my notionsas to the powers of sight possessed by horses, for I had held the commonopinion that no horse can see clearly or definitely any object at all farfrom him. Selinus repeatedly saw and recognized me a full half-mile awayand galloped to me, approaching with every demonstration of joy.
During my horse-wrangling expeditions and my excursions after wanderingstock I had grown well acquainted with the country-side and itsinhabitants. I was on terms of comradeship with all my fellow-slaves, ofeasy sociability with the yeomanry; while I was treated by the overseers,the _Villicus_, and inspectors with marked consideration. Thus I rapidlylearnt all there was to know of the idiosyncrasies of the locality, sinceeverybody seemed to trust me and no one held aloof or was reticent withme.
I found conditions in the Umbrian mountains as amazing, as incredible asin the _ergastulum_ at Nuceria. There the two vital facts were thenegligence and impotence of the warders and the secret system for cheatingand thwarting them. Here all the thoughts of slaves, peasants and yeomenon the one hand, and of overseers, inspectors and landowners on the other,pivoted on the existence in the district of a post of road-constabulary onthe lookout for bandits and of a camp of brigands owing allegiance to theKing of the Highwaymen.
The wealthy proprietors, the gentlemanly landowners, the inspectors of theEstate, its _Villicus_ and his overseers all suspected the presence of thebandits and were doing all they could to assist the road-constabulary tolocate them, pounce on them and capture them. Their efforts werecompletely futile. Neither any of the constabulary nor any of the well-to-do persons who sided with them, could ever get an inkling of the locationof the outlaws' various camps nor was any of them ever able to be reallysure that bandits were actually within a few miles. For the whole body ofyeomanry, peasants and slaves, even the slaves of those proprietorskeenest on the scent of the brigands and most eager to nab them, wereleagued to bamboozle, thwart and oppose their masters and betters, and toaid the outlaws, to keep them posted on everything said and proposed bythe loyal inhabitants, and to assist them in outwitting the authorities,the constabulary and all persons who sided with them. In this they werenotably successful.
It is my keen recollection of this condition of things which determines meto omit from this part of my narrative all names of persons and places.The generality of the population made a sort of religion out of theircomplicity with the outlaws. They took an almost religious pride incooperating with them and in antagonizing their adversaries. They hatedall the adversaries of the outlaws, whether landowners, constabulary orinspectors. But, above all, they loathed, abhorred, abominated anddetested with a white-hot animosity any yeoman, peasant or slave whofailed to do all in his power to foster the interests of the outlaws;regarding such persons, male or female, as traitors to the cause of thepopulace. Especially did they cherish an envenomed and malignant grudgeagainst anyone who actually sided with the constabulary, gave theminformation or betrayed the outlaws: or even against anyone who helped orshielded any such informer.
As I was the means of spoiling the long-prepared and much-hoped for coupon which the robbers had set their highest hopes, as not a few men andwomen assisted me with information, aided me in other ways and protectedme afterwards, I dare not name any names for fear that some survivor orsome son or grandson of some participant in these doings might learnthrough me of long suspected but never verified treason to the unwrittenlaw of the country-side and might bloodily avenge it on a surviving helperof mine or on any such helper's children or grandchildren. The Umbrianmountaineers are spleenful, tenacious of a grudge and ferociouslyacrimonious.
I learnt all these amazing facts without difficulty, for slaves, peasantsand yeoman alike assumed that I was of their party and was heart and soulwith the outlaws. I was not subject to suspicion because I visited thepost of the constabulary, became acquainted with every man of them, theirsergeants and their officers and frequented their company. All theyeomen, peasants and slaves whose abodes were near the post, were, on thesurface, on the best of terms with the road-constables; pretended to helpthem with information, retailing to them as rumors all sorts of inventionscalculated to throw them off the scent of the outlaws, always with an airof the friendliest good-will; and loitered, idling about the post,chatting of local gossip.
I was so entirely trusted that I was taken to the outlaws' camp and madeacquainted with the entire band. Paradoxically the members of the bandwere all hulking burly ruffians of twenty-five to thirty-five years,whereas their chief, while big and brawny enough, was inferior in size toany of his subordinates and younger by six full years than the youngest ofthem. To him I was boisterously presented as a brother, for his name alsowas Felix. In fact, he was the man since famous as Felix Bulla, for longthe most redoubtable outlaw in Italy. Then he was hardly more than a lad,for all his bulk and strength and ferocity. He had been appointed chief ofthe band by the King of the Highwaymen in person, who held him in thewarmest regard for his ruthlessness, courage, skill, and cunning,especially for his cunning, rating him, as I was told by all the band, andhaving proclaimed him to them, as the most subtle and crafty outlaw aliveafter himself.
Bulla, like everybody else, appeared to take to me and treated me as anequal, after conversing with me for hours at a time. I was always awelcome guest at any of the bandits' camps and they often made me show offmy admired powers on fox-cubs, badgers, weasels and other such wildcreatures which they or their peasant friends had trapped alive. Myability to tame, handle, fondle and make tractable to anyone such animalsappear
ed a source of unflagging interest and unceasing entertainment tothese ruffians.
As I was allowed to dispose of my time as I chose, whenever I was not busyrounding up strayed stock or taming raw colts, I had plenty of leisure toride about the country-side, make friends, get intimate with theconstabulary and the outlaws and idle many of my days as appeared mostpleasant. I took full advantage of my partial liberty.
The weather, from my arrival at the Imperial estate, was mostly fine andoften glorious. Spring came early and merged beautifully into summer. Ienjoyed myself hugely. Besides local peculiarities and the humors of thetacit league to thwart the constabulary and foster the interests of theoutlaws, I derived much entertainment from the traffic on the FlaminianHighway. Of course, there were Imperial couriers, travellers of all sorts,and convoys of every kind of goods, long strings of wagons, carts or pack-mules laden with wheat, other grains, wine, oil, flax, charcoal, firewood,ingots of bronze, lead or iron, and countless other commodities on theirway to Rome; or convoys of clothing, hangings, furniture, utensils and thelike, going northwards from the City.
Andivius Hedulio: Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire Page 26