VI.
DISOBEDIENCE.
That the chase was doomed to be a vain one seemed apparent. Once mountedand urging on their steeds with the shrill, barbaric cries of the desert,Hannibal's light horsemen were safe from all ordinary pursuit. One afteranother of the Romans drew up his panting animal, and scarce half oftheir turmae pounded on.
Suddenly they saw the flying Numidians throw their horses upon theirhaunches. A moment of indecision followed, and then, while severaldarted off obliquely, the remainder, seven or eight in all, swung aroundand charged straight at the legionaries. At their head rode a giant,black as ebony save where gouts of red had splashed him with the hue ofterror. His frizzly hair was caught up high and ornamented with acluster of ostrich feathers, while with his right hand he drew javelinafter javelin from the sheaf he carried in his left, and launched themwith unerring aim at his former pursuers. Three had flown on theirerrands, two had brought down a soldier each, and the third quivered inthe throat of Sergius' horse. Then, as the animal reared and went over,carrying his rider with him, the assailant burst through the line, and ina moment had gained the open plain beyond. Once more he was safe, safebut for one short, thick-set rider,--Marcus Decius, first decurion of thefirst turma, hastening to overtake his troop.
Escape from such a pursuer was child's play for the Numidian; but thefury of fight was on him, and, gnashing his white teeth, from which thethick, black lips seemed to writhe away, he bent low amid his horse'smane and, with an inarticulate cry, urged him straight at the veteran.His javelins had all been expended in breaking through the Roman line,and a short, heavy dagger was his only weapon. Nothing daunted, he cameon, evaded like a flash the thrust of Decius' spear, and hurled himselfupon him. It was the small buckler of the Roman that saved his life; thedagger passed through the ox-hide, slightly gashing his arm, and, beforethe barbarian could withdraw it, the impact of the horses in full careerhad sent both men and animals to the plain in a floundering heap. Againthe Numidian was quicker, and, gaining his feet, he sprang, weaponless ashe was, upon the decurion still struggling to untangle himself from hisfallen horse. The buckler, with the African's knife thrust through it,had rolled away, and the possession of Decius' sword, which hung in itssheath upon his right thigh, became the object of the struggle. Perhapsthe strength of the men was not very unequal; but the Roman, hardly freefrom his mount, was undermost and wounded, so that the result seemedhardly doubtful. The Numidian's charger had risen to its feet, andstood, with out-stretched neck, whinnying softly, as if sharing in theexcitement of the contest. Then the trampling of hoofs sounded in theears of the straining combatants. Decius felt his adversary make aconvulsive effort as if to free himself, and then a gush of somethingwarm came into the Roman's face, and his foe sank down upon him, limp andhelpless. With a last effort of his spent strength, he pushed thetwitching body aside, and, staggering to his feet, saw Sergius standingbeside him, with a dripping sword in his hand, and the bridle of TitusIcilius', the flag-bearer's, horse thrown over his left arm.
Remounting, they rode slowly back to their troop, and then the cause ofthe strange boldness of the fugitives was disclosed. Advancing acrossthe plain directly in the path of their flight came four hundred of theallied cavalry, whom the dictator had sent out to reconnoitre, and,caught thus between two lines, the Numidians had, for the most part,chosen to take their chances against the weaker force. Not one of themarauders was alive, but they had sold their lives dearly; for a dozen ofthe Romans also were dead, and a score more showed wounds that markedthis last spasm of barbarian frenzy.
While the men talked together, Sergius sought the praefect of the newdetachment, a Hostilian of the family of Mancinus, whom he recalled amongthe young hot-heads that formed the party of the master-of-the-horse, anddeclaimed against the policy of Fabius as cowardly and base. He foundhim in the best possible humour, laughing and making coarse jests amid acircle of decurions and optios--as rude a Roman as marched with thestandards, yet able, when occasion demanded, to play the man of fashionwho had spent a year at Athens. The latter mood fell upon him when hedescried Sergius. He came forward to meet him.
"Health to you, my Lucius!" he cried, "Surely the gods have held you inespecial favour this day. I am told you have cut up a few squadrons ofthis African offal."
"With your timely aid," replied Sergius, bowing.
"I but made the hares double to your coursing," said Hostilius,carelessly; "and they tell me you have won both the spolia opima and acivic crown. That is a great deal for one day--and under a peacefuldictator."
Sergius flushed.
"I shall not claim them," he said. "Doubtless, Decius would have bothslain the fellow and saved himself had I not come up--"
"No modesty! no modesty!" cried Hostilius, gayly. "I assure you it iseven less Greek than Roman in these days. Lo! now, I myself will claimboth for you at Rome, if only to show that I do not grudge you your shareof the carrion. Perhaps such honours will not prejudice you in a certainhouse on the Palatine," he added, slyly. "But come! you and I shall joinour forces and raid together. We have sent two hundred to Acheron sincewe left the camp, and birds have been singing on our left all themorning."
"Where is the dictator now?" asked Sergius.
"In his tent, of course," replied the other, scornfully. "And no onecares where that may be."
"And you?"
"Oh! he was persuaded at last to risk a scouting party, and, at therequest of the brave Minucius, he gave the command to me with strictinjunctions to use only my eyes. Well, I have used them so sharply thatmy hands, too, have been full," and Hostilius laughed. "There are somefive hundred of the cross-food that have evaded me thus far. We shallcatch them now, though, and, together, it will be easy for us to prevail."
Sergius was silent. To make a dash from the heights in defence of alliesdying in his sight, was one thing; to deliberately join thisinsubordinate in turning a reconnaissance into a raid, was another andmuch more serious matter.
The praefect noted his hesitation, and a slight frown chased the smilefrom his lips.
"Or perhaps you prefer to obey the old woman's orders," he added, "andkeep your couch warm. Well, our men and horses are fed by this time, andI am off. If you are a Roman, I greet you to ride with me; if you fearrobbers or the axe that smote Titus Manlius, why, I will bid you farewelland ride alone."
"Where do you set your course?" queried Sergius, with a vague hope of atleast seeming to combine inclination with duty.
"Toward the enemy," replied the other, shortly. "Does not the directionplease you?" and he turned to his horse.
Sergius' brow clouded. His blood was hot with the conflict justfinished. Youth, courage--all combined to turn him from obedience; butobedience bade fair to conquer, when Marcia's laugh rang in his ears, andhe could hear her gravely complimenting his prudence and discoursing onthe rare value of docility in a husband. Besides, what did it allmatter? Had he not said that he sought death? and, surely, the way itcame soonest was the best.
Placing his hand upon his horse's withers, he vaulted upon its back,before the animal had time to kneel, and a moment later was besideHostilius.
"By Hercules!" exclaimed the latter; "I am glad you are here. Even inthese days of strange things, I would have found it difficult to imaginethat a Sergian could be a coward."
"And now," cried Sergius, "you will only have to imagine him a fool. Sobe it, and let the cost of his life pay for his folly."
"Jupiter avert the omen!" exclaimed Hostilius, shuddering, and then,turning to his trumpeter, he bade him give the signal for the march.
It was a desolate country--the fair plains of Campania through which theyrode. Here and there a cluster of blackened ruins, here and there thingsthat were once men, fruit trees cut down, vines uprooted, corn-fieldsreaped with the sword; while far away upon the horizon smoky columnscurled up to show that the work of devastation still went on.
"May Mavers curse him--curse him forever!" cried
Hostilius, grinding histeeth in rage at each new manifestation of the enemy's handiwork. "Couldthe most disastrous battle be worse than this?"
Sergius was silent. In a way his feelings went out to meet those of hiscompanion; but the dictator had trusted him, and he had disobeyed, and,for all his disobedience, his soldier's instinct told him that thedictator was right.
Hostilius eyed him sharply and suspiciously, as if trying to divine histhoughts.
"If you regret--" he began.
Suddenly a decurion of the allies dashed up beside them.
"Look!" he cried, pointing toward the east. "There is carrion for thewolves."
Both leaders turned at the words.
Far out across the plain was what seemed at first sight like a clump ofdark foliage, save that it moved and changed shape too much.
"Numidians!" exclaimed the decurion, following his finger with hisspeech, while the veins in Hostilius' forehead began to swell and growdark.
"The signal! Let it be given," he cried to his officer, and, turning, hedug his knees into his horse's sides and galloped toward the distantquarry. A moment later the cavalry wheeled at the trumpet call, and, insome disorder but full of eagerness, began the pursuit of their leader.
As for Sergius, he, too, gave order and rein, though more deliberately,and his troop followed the cavalry of the allies in somewhat betterarray. By his side galloped Decius with an expression hard to analyzeupon his weather-beaten face.
Sergius glanced at the old soldier from time to time with a look ofinquiry and concern. At last he ventured to question his grim mentor.
"Is it well or ill, Marcus?"
"Ill for you that command, well for me who obey," growled the other, andSergius flushed and was silent.
"Shall we catch them?" he asked, a few moments later, for the clump ofNumidians, who had sat motionless upon their horses until the Romanscovered half the intervening distance, had now wheeled for flight.
"If they be too strong for us, we shall catch them," replied Decius. "Itis as they will."
And now it became apparent that the marauders were far inferior innumbers to the assailants, and that they recognized the fact; for flightand pursuit began in earnest. Horses were urged to higher speed. At onemoment the Numidians seemed to be holding their distance; at another, theRomans gained slightly but unmistakably. All order of detachments andturmae was soon lost; Romans and allies, officers and men, were mingledtogether in a straggling mass, with naught but the eagerness of theriders and the speed of their animals to marshal them. Only Deciuscontinued to pound along, with his horse's nose at his tribune's elbow.The thunder of many hundred hoofs rolled across the plain.
"By Hercules! we shall do it!" cried Sergius, in whom ardour of the chasehad put to flight all sentiments of regret or doubt. "Do you not see weare gaining?"
"They ride silently yet," said Decius. "It is but knee-speed with them.Wait till they cry out to their horses, and we shall see."
Suddenly, as if to supplement the words, a single shrill cry, halfwhistle, half scream, rose up ahead. Had they been closer, they mighthave noted the pricking ears of the desert steeds; but this much theysaw:--one horse and rider darting out of the press, like arrow from bow,and scurrying away over the plain as if their former gait had been but ahand-gallop.
An instant of misgiving came to some few of the Romans, who were notblind to everything but the excitement of the moment, but they, like therest, only plied knee and thong the harder, and the episode of the singlerider was forgotten by all save Marcus Decius and Sergius.
"It is a trap, master," said the former, with an inquiring glance at hisleader.
Sergius bowed his head, and his face was troubled, as he replied:--
"I know it, my Marcus, but we cannot turn back now. I have accepted thefeast: therefore I must recline until my host gives the signal to rise.I pray you pardon me."
By a quick movement Decius urged his horse a stride ahead of thetribune's, that he might the better hide his emotion; at the same timegrowling:--
"I pardon you?--and for the chance of a blow at the scum? I thank youmany times."
And now, from the plain ahead rose a low range of rolling hills overwhich a light cloud seemed to hover. Was it the ascent that wearied thehorses of the Numidians? Surely the space between pursuers and pursuedwas lessening rapidly, and Hostilius leaned far forward, shaking hisspear and calling upon his men for a renewed effort.
"Now! now!" he cried. "See! they are spent! Up with them ere they topthe hill!"
But the Numidians gained the sought-for ridge, if only by a fewspear-lengths' lead, and the cloud, now close ahead, hung so dense thatthere were those who thought it the smoke of another farm. Decius' eyesseemed set in a dazed stare. There was too much red in that cloud, andyet it was not the red of fire, and it was too light and too thin forsmoke. He knew it; he had known it all along, but what did it matter?The last Numidian had disappeared down the opposite slope--no! surelythey had turned again, and in a longer line--a thicker one; and the lightjavelins and naked black bodies had become long, stout spears andglittering corselets, while at their head rode a slender man with forkedbeard, and his black eyes seemed to burn in his head like coals. So,with one barbaric roar, the whole array poured down over the alliedcavalry, and these were like the dust of the trampled field.
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