Felicitas Part 11

"For the Imperator of Ravenna, who, as a good omen, unites the names of the first king and the first emperor; for Romulus Augustulus, the lord of the whole earth."

Then the German drew a papyrus roll from his girdle, and threw it to Cornelius.

"I thought so," said he. "You know less than we barbarians what is happening in your own Italy--in your own imperial chief city. Read what is written to me by one who knows it well. There is no longer an Emperor of the West! Romulus Augustulus--the boy's name is certainly a good omen _for us_!--is deposed. He lives henceforth on an island, and feeds peac.o.c.ks; and on his throne sits my brother-in-law, the husband of my beautiful sister--Odoacer the brave. He has himself written it to us."

Cornelius had glanced through the composition. He tamed pale and silently gave it to Severus, who read it trembling.

"There is no doubt!" said he, almost voiceless. "I know the man; he has served under me. Odoacer does not lie."

"And we do not lie!" cried the gray-bearded companion of Liuthari. He urged on his horse and took the letter from the hand of Severus. "To split shields, not to falsify Runes, have I taught King Liutbert's son."

One could well believe that of the old man. Before he put the roll into his girdle he looked into it with an important air; it did not disturb him that the letters were upside down.

Severus supported himself on his spear. Cornelius looked darkly before him. "I knew it," he then said. "I had almost wished for it when I saw it was unavoidable; and now it is come it crushes me."

"No longer an Imperator in Rome!" groaned Severus.

"Italy in the hands of the barbarians!" sighed Cornelius.

"You awake my deepest pity, gallant heroes," said the king's son, in a grave tone. "But now you see well: the battle must come to an end before it begins. For whom, for what will you yet fight?"

"For the future!" cried Severus.

"For the past--for honour!" cried Cornelius.

"For immortal Rome!" said both.

"Byzantium yet rules--soon will Byzantium send another Emperor,"

threatened Severus.

"Perhaps!" said Liuthari, shrugging his shoulders. "But in the meantime we want a settling-place, fields, and pasturage, we Germans. And therefore I bring you a message in my father's name: 'So speaks Liutbert, the King of the Alemanni, in his own name and in that of his allies'"----

"Who are these allies?" interrupted Cornelius.

"You will find out quicker than you will like," answered gruffly Liuthari's companion.

Liuthari continued: "'Let him stay in the land who will do so peaceably; he who will not stay let him peaceably retire. The fortresses to be vacated; they must be destroyed. Two-thirds of the land remain to you; one-third is for us.' That is a reasonable division."

But Severus started up angrily, raising his spear. "Bold barbarian!

Darest thou thus to speak, with eighty barbarians against the host of Juvavum's burghers? Thou hast learnt to speak as a Latin, but not to think as a Roman!"

"I should think," interposed Cornelius, "that your country was large enough for you, ye Alemanni, when you can only send eighty hors.e.m.e.n to conquer Juvavum. Do you think I can yield to _you_?"

A peculiar smile played around the young German's handsome mouth, about which the first downy beard charmingly curled. "Take care, Roman! Are we too few for thee? Soon may we seem too many. Out of a few the wonder-working Wotan wakes many! For the last time--evacuate the fortress; divide peaceably the country!"

"Never! Back, barbarian!" cried the two Romans at once.

Liuthari turned his horse suddenly round. "It is your wish. You are, then, lost. Wotan has you all!"

The two hors.e.m.e.n then galloped back to their men.

"Haduwalt, sound the horn!"

The old master-in-arms put the horn to his mouth, and a load roaring tone struck on the ear of the Romans; and before they could obey the command of their leaders and advance against the enemy, there sounded behind them, _in the east_, from the river, from the town, now quite near, the loud cry of the black eagle; and immediately afterwards such a fearful noise of whoops, cries of anguish, and the clashing of weapons, that all the six hundred men, and both commanders, turned in dismay. Horror and despair seized them. Germans--Germans innumerable, as it appeared to the alarmed Romans rushed forth from the eastern forest, and from all the slopes of the mountains and brushwood of the hills. A strong detachment hurried towards the bridge; others, on horse and on foot, threw themselves into the river above and below the bridge; but the greater part, laden with ladders and trunks of trees on which the horizontal branches had been left, approached the town; and with fierce rage the shut-out citizens saw how whole ma.s.ses of the stormers, crowding together like ants, helped to raise each other, supported themselves on the ladders, beams, and trees, climbed up, and, in many places almost without resistance from the few sentinels, at once gained the crown of the ramparts.

Juvavum, the town, was conquered before its defenders had been able to strike a blow.

The garrison had been enticed out, with the exception of the soldiers of the Tribune. Were _they_ still in the Capitol? The leaders looked anxiously towards the tower: the imperial _Vexillum_ was still fluttering at its summit.

But the cry of joy with which the Alemannian hors.e.m.e.n greeted the success of their heroic confederates recalled the Romans to the threatening danger from this near enemy. Severus ordered Cornelius, with about a hundred men, to engage the Alemannian troopers, while he himself, with the greater part of the deeply discouraged burghers, turned back to the bridge, to a.s.sist its garrison, which was now being attacked from the unprotected open east side.

He again heard the sound of Haduwalt's horn. Severus turned.

"Yield!" cried the king's son. "You are lost!"

"Never!" cried Cornelius, and threw his spear as Liuthari was galloping towards him.

Liuthari turned the stroke aside with his shield arm: the next instant Cornelius fell backwards, pierced to the heart through shield and armour by the lance of the German hurled while at full speed.

"I will avenge thee!" cried Severus, and was turning towards the king's son; but at the same moment a cry of distress again called him eastwards.

The enemy had overpowered the garrison of the bridge; already many of the swimmers, hors.e.m.e.n and footmen intermixed, had reached the troops of Severus. Active youths, whose yellow hair floated in the wind from their uncovered heads, ran, holding on to the manes of the horses; and thus attacked at once by horse and foot, the citizens of Juvavum, knowing their town, their relatives, were already in the power of the conqueror, threw away their arms, and fled on all sides. At the same time the Alemanni from the west rode down the hundred men of Cornelius.

Severus stood alone: his spear fell from his hand.

The leader of the enemy that had come so suddenly from the east then approached him. He had galloped in advance of his followers on to the bridge, where his horse was pierced and fell. He then advanced on foot, a giant in stature. The mighty pinion of the black eagle bristled menacingly on his helm; his red hair, combed towards the crown, and drawn together behind, fell below his helmet; an enormous bear-skin hung on his shoulders: he raised his stone battle-axe.

"Throw down thy sword, old man, and live," cried this giant, in Latin.

"Throw down this sword?" said Severus. "I will not live!"

"Then die!" cried the other, and hurled his stone axe.

Severus fell: his breast-plate was rent in twain, it fell in two pieces from his body.

He supported himself painfully on his left arm: the conquering sword he had not yet let fall.

The victor bent over him, picking up his axe.

"Tell me, before I die," said Severus, with a weak voice, "in whose hands is Juvavum fallen? Of what race are you? Are you Alemanni?"

"No, Roman; we have been summoned by the Alemanni. We do not come from the west. We come from the east, up the Danube. We have taken all the Roman towns from Carnuntum hither; the last legion this side of the Alps have we defeated at Vindobona. We share the land with our comrades the Alemanni--the Licus is the boundary. Look here; already from the mountains of the east our people stream down into the country--women and children, waggons and herds--that is the advanced guard; tomorrow will come the great horde."

"And what is your name?"

"We were called formerly Marcomanni; but now, 'the men of Bajuhemum,'

the Bajuvaren, all this land is ours for ever, as far as one can see to the north from the Alpine ridge. Yield, then, gray-head! there yet remains to thee"----