A Struggle For Rome Volume Ii Part 51

"Splendid fellow!" cried Hildebad rejoicingly. "Quick, lads! burn them out as you would a fox in his hole! The brisk north wind will help us!"

The dying watch-fires were speedily fanned into flame; hundreds of fire-brands flew into the dry planks of the palisading.

Very soon bright flames rose to the sky.

The thick smoke, driven into the camp by the wind, blinded the Byzantines, and rendered the defence of the walls impossible. They retreated to the centre of the camp.

"Oh that I were dead!" sighed Belisarius. "Evacuate the camp! Out by the Porta Dec.u.mana! Retreat in good order to the bridges behind us!"

But the command to leave the camp broke the last ties of discipline and order.

While the charred beams of the gate fell under the thundering strokes of Teja's axe, and the Black Earl was the first to spring into the camp through the flames and smoke, the fugitives tore open all the gates which led to Rome, and hastened in confused ma.s.ses to the river.

The first comers reached the two bridges unhindered and unfollowed.

They had some time to spare before Hildebad and Teja could compel Belisarius to leave the burning camp.

But suddenly--oh, horror!--the Gothic horns sounded close at hand.

Witichis and Totila, as soon as they knew that the camp was taken, had mounted at once, and now led their hors.e.m.e.n from the right and left, to attack the fugitives in the flank.

Belisarius had just galloped out of the camp by the Dec.u.manian Gate, and was hurrying to one of the bridges, when he saw the threatening troops of hors.e.m.e.n rushing up on both sides.

The great general still preserved his composure.

"Forwards at a gallop to the bridges!" he commanded his Saracens; "defend them!"

It was too late. A dull crash; then a second--the two narrow bridges had broken beneath the weight of the crowding fugitives, and by hundreds the Hunnish hors.e.m.e.n and the Illyrian lance-bearers--Justinian's pride--fell into the marshy waters.

Without reflecting, Belisarius, who had just reached the steep bank, spurred his horse into the foaming blood-flecked river, and swam to the other side.

"Salomo," he said to one of his pretorians, as soon as he had landed, "take a handful of my guards and gallop as hard as you can to the pa.s.s.

Ride over the fugitives; you must reach it before the Goths! Do you hear? You _must_! It is our last plank of salvation!"

Salomo and Dagisthaeos obeyed, and galloped away as swift as the wind.

Belisarius collected together all whom he could reach. The Goths, as well as the Byzantines, were detained for a time by the river.

But suddenly Aigan cried:

"Salomo is returning!"

"General," cried Salomo, as he galloped up, "all is lost! Weapons glitter in the pa.s.s! It is already occupied by the Goths!"

For the first time on this unhappy day Belisarius started.

"The pa.s.s lost? Then not a man of my Emperor's army will escape. Then farewell fame, Antonina, and life! Come, Aigan, draw your sword; let me not fall living into the hands of the barbarians."

"General," said Aigan, "I have never heard you speak thus!"

"I have never before felt thus. Let us dismount and die!"

He was taking his left foot out of the stirrup, in order to spring from his horse, when Dagisthaeos galloped up.

"Be comforted, my general! The pa.s.s is ours--it is Roman weapons that we saw there. It is Cethegus, the Prefect; he occupied the pa.s.s in secret!"

"Cethegus?" cried Belisarius. "Is it possible? Is it certain?"

"Yes, my general. Look! It was high time!"

It was indeed. For a troop of Gothic hors.e.m.e.n, sent by King Witichis, had arrived at the pa.s.s, crossing the river by a ford, before the fugitives. But just as they were about to enter it, Cethegus, at the head of his Illyrians, broke out of his ambush, and, after a short combat, drove back the surprised Goths.

"The first gleam of victory on this black day!" cried Belisarius. "Up!

to the pa.s.s!"

And, in better order than before, the commander led his newly-rallied troops to the woody hill.

"Welcome to safety, Belisarius," cried Cethegus, as he cleansed the blade of his sword. "I have waited for you here since daybreak. I was sure that you would come."

"Prefect of Rome," said Belisarius, reaching out his hand, as he sat on his horse, "you have saved the Emperor's army, which I had lost. I thank you!"

The Prefect's fresh troops stood in the pa.s.s like an impenetrable wall, allowing the scattered Byzantines to pa.s.s, and repelling without difficulty the attacks of the first fatigued pursuers, who pressed forward over the river.

At the close of day. King Witichis withdrew his troops to pa.s.s the night on the conquered field, while Belisarius and his generals, at the back of the pa.s.s, mustered, as well as they could, the scattered remnants of the army as they arrived, singly or in groups.

As soon as Belisarius had once more a few thousand men together, he rode up to Cethegus, and said:

"What think you, Prefect of Rome? Your men are still fresh, and mine have yet to blunt their weapons. Let us sally forth once more, and turn the fortune of this day. The sun will not set yet awhile."

Cethegus looked at him with astonishment, and quoted Homer's words:

"'Truly thou hast spoken a terrible word, thou mighty one!' You never-to-be-satisfied man! Is it so hard for you to leave a battle-field without victory? No, Belisarius. There beckon the ramparts of Rome. Thither lead your hara.s.sed men. I will keep the pa.s.s until you have reached the city; and I shall be glad if I can succeed in doing so."

And so it was arranged. Under such circ.u.mstances Belisarius was less than ever able to oppose the will of the Prefect. So he yielded, and led his army back to Rome, where he arrived at nightfall.

For a long time he was refused admittance; for, covered with dust and blood, it was difficult to recognise him, and many fugitives had brought word from the field of battle that the commander had fallen, and that all was lost.

At last Antonina, who waited anxiously upon the walls, recognised her husband.

He was admitted at the Pincian Gate, which was afterwards named Porta Belisaria.

Beacons on the walls, between the Flaminian and Pincian Grates, announced his entrance to Cethegus, who then, under cover of night, accomplished his retreat in good order, scarcely followed by the wearied victors.

Teja alone, with a few of his hors.e.m.e.n, pressed forward to the hilly country, where the Villa Borghese is now situated, and as far as the Aqua Acetosa.

CHAPTER VII.

The following day the immense army of the Goths appeared before the walls of the Eternal City, which it surrounded in seven camps.