XVI
More than once did Oribazius prudently lift the door-curtain, bringingrefreshing drink to the sick man. Julian refused it, and kept askingto be left alone. He feared human faces, noise, and light. Keeping hishands pressed against his head, and closing his eyes, he endeavouredto keep his mind a blank; to forget where he was, to forget everyemotion. The protracted effort of will sustained during the last threemonths had changed him, and left him weak and broken, as after a longillness. He knew not whether he was asleep or awake. Visionary scenes,trains of pictures glided before his eyes one after another withamazing swiftness and intolerable precision. Sometimes he fancied hewas in bed, in the great hall at Macellum. Old Labda had given him herblessing for the night. The snortings of the horses picketed near thetent became the dull snoring of Mardonius, which the boys used tolaugh at.
He felt happy and again a young boy, unknown by anyone, far from theworld, hidden amongst the Cappadocian mountains.
He smelt the fresh and subtle smell of hyacinths, in the first warmthof the March sun, within the little courtyard of the priestOlympiodorus. He heard the silver laughter of Amaryllis and the murmurof the fountain, the metallic clink of the cottabos, and the voice ofDiaphane: "Children, the gingerbread cakes are ready!"
Then all vanished.
Then the only sound he heard was of the first flies, humming in a nookout of the wind, on the white warm-sunned wall, by the seashore. Andhe was blissfully watching sails bathed in the infinite softness ofthe blue Propontic Sea, and he believed himself alone in a delicioussolitude, undisturbed by a single face, and, like the little dancinggnats of the white wall, luxuriated in sheer happiness of living, inthe sunlight, in the calm.
Suddenly, half-waking, Julian remembers that he is in the heart ofPersia; that he is the Roman Emperor; that he alone is responsible forthe lives of sixty thousand legionaries; that the gods are no more,that he has thrown down the altar of sacrifice. He shivers, and an icychillness invades his body. He is falling, falling through the void,with nothing, nothing in the universe to arrest his fall.
Perhaps an hour, perhaps twenty-four hours, may have elapsed in thiskind of half-slumber.
Then no longer dreaming, but in reality, he hears his faithful slavesaying, as he thrusts his head under the door-curtain:
"Caesar, I am afraid of disturbing you, but I dare not disobey. It wasyour order that you should be immediately informed.... The chiefAriphas has just arrived in the camp...."
"Ariphas!" exclaimed Julian, rising, "Ariphas!... Bring him, bring himhere quickly!"
This was one of his bravest commanders, sent with a detachment toascertain whether the auxiliary army of thirty thousand men, under thecommand of Procopius and Sebastian, was not coming, with the troops ofhis ally Arsaces, to join the Emperor under the walls of Ctesiphon.Julian had long been awaiting this help, on which the fate of theprincipal army depended.
"Bring him!" exclaimed the Emperor ... "or no, I myself will...."
But his weakness was not yet dissipated, despite this momentaryover-excitement. His head swam, he closed his eyes and had to supporthimself against the canvas wall of the tent.
"Give me wine ... strong wine ... mixed with cold water."
The old slave rapidly executed the order, and gave the cup to theEmperor, who drank slowly and issued from the tent. It was late in theevening. A storm had passed far into the distance across theEuphrates, and the wind was still fresh with the smell of rain. Rarestars, trembling like watchlights in the breeze, shone in the gappedcloud. From the desert came up the barkings of jackals. Julian laidbare his breast, held his forehead in the wind, surrendering himselfto the soft breath of the sinking gale.
He smiled at the thought of his own cowardice. His weakness haddisappeared, strength returned to him. He was sensible of the tensionof his own nerves, and felt eager to command, to act, to pass thenight without sleep, to battle and play with life and death, and againto conquer peril. Only from time to time was he conscious ofshivering.
Ariphas came.
The news was lamentable. All hope in the help of Procopius andSebastian was lost. The Emperor was abandoned by his allies in themiddle of Asia. There was even reason to suspect treason on the partof the wily Arsaces.
At this moment it was announced that a deserter from the camp ofSapor desired to speak with the Emperor.
This Persian prostrated himself before Julian and kissed the earth.
His body was monstrous. His hideous head had been disfigured byAsiatic torture. The ears cut off, and the nostrils torn from theface, made his visage like that of a human skull. But the eyes werebright, intelligent, and resolute.
He was robed in rich fire-coloured silk, spoke Greek villainously, andwas accompanied by two slaves.
The Persian called himself Artaban, a satrap calumniated to Sapor, whohad therefore tortured him. He had come to the Romans, he said, forrevenge on his own king.
"O Lord of the Universe!" said Artaban, with fallacious emphasis, "Iwill deliver Sapor up to thee, bound hand and foot, like a sacrificiallamb. I will lead thee by night to the camp and softly shalt thy handtake the king, as children take young birds in their snares. Onlyhearken to Artaban: Artaban has plenitude of power, and knows theking's secrets."
"What reward do you expect from me?" asked Julian.
"Vengeance! Come with me!"
"Whither?"
"To the north; through the desert--three hundred and twenty-fiveparasangs--then through the mountains eastward, straight on Susa andEcbatana...."
The Persian pointed to the horizon.
"Over there, over there," he repeated, fixing his eyes on Julian.
"Caesar," said Hormizdas to the Emperor, "take care!... I don't likethis man's face! He's a sorcerer--a brigand, or perhaps muchworse?... Sometimes queer things happen in these latitudes. Get rid ofhim!... Don't listen to him...."
Julian paid no heed to the words of Hormizdas.
He felt the strange fascination of the Persian's supplicating eyes.
"Do you know every step of the road which leads to Ecbatana?"
"Oh yes! yes!" exclaimed the Persian with a contented laugh. "Howshould I not know it? Every grain of sand in that desert ... everyroadside well.... Artaban knows the meaning of the birds' song, hearsthe grass growing, and the waters flowing under the earth. He will runbefore thine army, nosing the scent, tracing the road. Believe me, intwenty days all Persia, as far as the Indies and the ocean, shall bethine!"
The heart of the Emperor began beating violently.
"Can this be the miracle I was waiting for?" he mused. "In twentydays, Persia shall be mine!"
He could scarcely breathe at the thought.
The monster, kneeling before him, murmured.
"Hound me not away from thee! Like a hound shall I remain lyingcrouched at thy feet! From the moment I saw thee, I loved thee, Lordof the Universe, because thou art the proudest of men! Oh, that thouwouldst walk over my body, that thou wouldst trample on me, and Iwould lick the dust from thy feet, chanting: 'Glory, glory to the sonof the Sun, to the king of the East and of the West, Julian!"
He kissed the Emperor's feet; and the two slaves prostratingthemselves also, repeated after him, "Glory, glory, glory!"
"But what to do with the ships?" thought Julian aloud to himself."Leave them unarmed in the hands of the enemy or keep them?"
"Burn them," breathed Artaban.
The words thrilled Julian, who looked strangely at the Persian.
"Burn them? What sayest thou?"
Artaban raised his head and looked steadfastly into the Emperor'seyes.
"Hast thou _fear_? Thou!... No, no. Men alone are fearful, but not thegods! Burn the ships, and thou shalt be free as the wind. Thy shipsshall not fall into the power of the enemy and thine army be swelledby the soldiers that work the fleet. Be great and bold to the veryend! Burn them, and in ten days thou shalt be under the walls ofEcbatana. In twenty days all Persia shall be thine! Thou shall begreater than the son of Philip, wh
o conquered Darius. Only ... burnthy ships and follow me!..."
"And if these are but lies--if I can read in your heart that you arelying!" exclaimed the Emperor seizing the Persian with one hand by thethroat and with the other menacing him with a dagger.
Hormizdas uttered a sigh of relief.
For some instants Artaban sustained the gaze of the Roman withoutspeaking, and Julian again felt the fascination of those eyes, sointelligent, audacious, and servile.
"If thou dost not believe me, let me die by thy hand," repeated thePersian.
Julian relaxed his hold, and returned the poignard to its sheath.
"It is terrible and pleasant to look thee in the eyes," continuedArtaban. "Thy visage is that of a god! That, as yet no one knows; Ialone know that thou art.... Do not repulse thy slave, sire."
"We shall see," murmured Julian thoughtfully. "Long have I desired tofight your king, in the desert.... But the ships...."
"Oh, yes, the ships!" murmured Artaban. "Thou must set out at once ...this night ... so that the inhabitants of Ctesiphon cannot see us....Thou must burn them...."
Julian did not answer.
"Take them away," he said, pointing out the deserters to hislegionaries. "Keep them under close watch!"
And returning to his tent, he halted and raised his eyes--
"Is this true? So quickly and so simply! I feel that my will is thewill of the gods. I have but to think, and it is accomplished."
The joyfulness in his heart became intenser. Smiling, he pressed hishand on his breast to suppress its tumultuous beating. He still wasconscious of shiverings, and his head felt leaden, as if he had passedthe day in too fierce a sun.
Ordering Victor, an old general blindly devoted to him, to come to histent, he confided to him the golden ring bearing the Imperial seal.
"To the commanders of the fleet, Constantius and Lucilian," Julianordered laconically. "Before daybreak they must burn the ships,except the five largest freighted with bread, and the twelve smallerones which serve as pontoon bridges. Burn all the rest. Anybodyopposing this order will answer for it with his head. Keep the mostabsolute secrecy.... Go!"
He gave him a piece of papyrus on which was written a curt order tothe commander of the fleet. Victor, as usual, astonished at nothing,kissed the hem of the Imperial purple, and went out. Julian then, inspite of the late hour, convoked a council of war. The generals met inhis tent, moody, suspicious, and secretly irritated. In a few wordsJulian explained his plan of going northwards to the centre of Persia,and then eastwards towards Ecbatana, to seize the king unawares. Allrevolted against the idea, raising their voices simultaneously, andnot hiding the fact that Julian's plan seemed to them sheer madness.Fatigue, lack of confidence, and spite were expressed on the faces ofthe oldest and wisest soldiers. Several spoke curtly--all inopposition.
Sallustius Secundus said, "Whither are we going? What more do we want?Think, Caesar: we have conquered half Persia. Sapor offers betterconditions of peace than ever Asian monarch before has offered to anyRoman conqueror, even to the great Pompeius, Septimius Severus, orTrajan. Let us, then, conclude peace before it is too late, and winback to our own country!"
"The soldiers are grumbling," observed Dagalaif. "Don't push them todespair; they're worn out; the number of wounded and sick is great. Ifyou lead them farther into an unknown desert, we can answer fornothing. Have mercy on them!... And are not you yourself in need ofrest? You must be more tired than any of us."
"Let us turn back!" cried all the generals. "To go on would bemadness."
At that moment a dull, menacing sound broke out behind the tent, asound like the rumbling of a furious sea. Julian leant ear, andimmediately understood. It meant mutiny.
"You know my will," he said coldly to the chiefs, motioning them tothe door. "It is unshakable. In two hours we must be upon the march.See that all is ready."
"Well-beloved Augustus," answered Sallustius, with respectfulself-possession, "I will not leave this tent without telling you whatI ought to tell you. You have spoken with us, your equals not in powerbut in valour, in a manner unworthy of a Roman pupil of Socrates andPlato. We can only pardon your words by setting them down to amomentary weakness of the nerves, which clouds your Imperialunderstanding."
"Is that so?" exclaimed Julian, sarcastically, growing pale withstifled anger. "Then, my friends, it is the worse for you, for you arenow in the hands of a madman! I have just given the order to burn theships, and my orders are at this moment being carried out! I foresawyour sage counsel, and have cut off your means of retreat. Now yourlives are in my hands, and I shall oblige you to believe in miracles!"
All stood overwhelmed; Sallustius alone pushed towards Caesar, andtaking his hands cried--
"It is impossible, Caesar ... surely ... you have not ... actually...."
He broke off the sentence, and dropped the hands of the Emperor.
All the company stood up, listening.
The cries of the legionaries became louder and louder--the noise ofmutiny came nearer, like the sound of tempest over immense forests.
"Let them shout," said Julian calmly. "Poor children! Whither willthey go without me? You understand? That is why I burn the ships, thelast hope of the cowardly and the idle. There is now no possiblereturn, except by miracle. Now are you bound to me for life and death.In twenty days Asia will be ours. I have girt you with terror, thatyou may conquer all and become like me. Rejoice! Like Dionysus, I willlead you through the world, and you shall be the masters of men andgods!..."
Hardly had he pronounced these words when a cry of infinite despairresounded through the host--
"They are on fire!... they are burning!"
The generals rushed out of the tent, followed by Julian.
They saw the glow of conflagration. Victor had transmitted theEmperor's orders literally, and Julian himself watched the flamingspectacle with a smile.
"Caesar!... May the gods protect us!... He has escaped!"
With these words, a centurion fell at Julian's feet, pale andtrembling.
"Who has escaped? What mean you?"
"Artaban!... Artaban!... Woe be on us! Caesar, he has deceived thee!"
"Impossible!... And the slaves?" stammered the Emperor, overwhelmed.
"Have just confessed under torture that Artaban was not a satrap, buta tax-collector of Ctesiphon. He invented this device to save thecity, and lead you into the desert to deliver you to the Persians. Heknew that you would burn the ships. They also said that Sapor wasadvancing at the head of a great army."
The Emperor rushed to the river-bank to find Victor--
"Put out the fires!--quench them quickly as possible!"
But his voice failed. Staring at the huge blaze Julian perceived thatno human force could conquer the flames, which were augmented by aviolent wind.
He held his head in his hands, and although with no faith nor prayerin his heart, raised his eyes to heaven, as if there seeking succour.The stars were shining above, faint, almost invisible.
The mutiny rolled on, becoming more and more menacing.
"The Persians have burned the ships!" groaned some, stretching theirarms toward the river.
"No, no, it was the generals, to drag us still farther into the desertand leave us there," others cried incoherently.
"Kill the priests!" yelled some. "The Etruscans have poisoned Caesar,and sent him mad!"
"Glory to Augustus Julian, the conqueror!" shouted the faithful Gaulsand Celts. "Silence, traitors! so long as Caesar breathes we havenothing to fear!"
The cowardly were weeping--
"Our country! Our country! We won't go a step farther. We would soonerdie. Ah, we shall sooner see our own ears, than see our own landagain! We are lost, comrades! The Persians have us in a trap!"
"Do you see clearly now?" said the exultant Galileans. "He ispossessed of demons. Julian has sold his soul, and they're dragginghim to the abyss. Are we going to let a demoniac lead us?"
And nevertheless Julian, seeing nothin
g, hearing nothing, murmured asin a dream--
"What matters it? The miracle will be accomplished!"
The Death of the Gods Page 40