The Scarlet Banner Part 8

The other, shaking his head, followed silently. Both vanished in the throng of people who were now pressing from every direction toward the lake.

CHAPTER XII

ON the southern sh.o.r.e of this tree-girdled water, opposite to the little harbor, walled with marble, into which it ran at the northern end, were high board platforms hung with gay costly stuffs, erected for specially distinguished guests, who were numbered by hundreds; a balcony draped with purple silk, extending far out into the sea, was reserved for the most aristocratic spectators.

Now the soft moonlight resting on the mirrorlike surface of the lake was suddenly outshone by a broad red glare, which lasted for several minutes. As it died away, a blue, then a green light blazed up, brilliantly illuminating the groups of spectators on the sh.o.r.e, the white marble buildings in the distance, the statues among the shrubbery, and especially the surface of the lake itself and the magnificent spectacle it presented.

From the harbor, behind whose walls it had hitherto remained concealed, glided a whole flotilla of boats, skiffs, vessels of every description: ten, twenty, forty vessels, fantastically shaped, sometimes as dolphins, sometimes as sharks, gigantic water birds, often as dragons, the "banner-beast" of the Vandals. Masts, yards, sails, the lofty pointed prow, as well as the broad stern, nay, even the upper part of the oar handles, were wreathed, garlanded, twined with flowers, gay, broad ribbons, even gold and silver fringes; magnificent rugs covered the whole deck, which had been finished with costly woodwork; some of them hung in the water at the stern and floated far, far behind the ships.

On the deck of every vessel, at the mast or at the stern, picturesquely posed on several steps Vandal men and youths. They were dressed in striking costumes, often copied from various nations, and beside them reclined young girls or beautiful boys. The fair or red locks of the Vandals fell on the neck of many a brown-skinned maid, and mingled with many black tresses.

Music echoed from every ship; busy slaves--white, yellow Moors, negroes--poured out unmixed wine from beautifully formed jars with handles. No matter how the vessels rocked, they bore the jars on their heads without spilling the contents, and apparently with no great exertion, often holding them with only one hand. So the dark fleet glided over the redly illumined lake.

But suddenly the centre opened and out shot, apparently moving without oars,--the slaves were concealed under the deck,--the great wedding ship, far outshining all the others in fantastic, lavish splendor. It was drawn seemingly only by eight powerful swans, fastened in pairs with small gold chains attached to collars. These chains pa.s.sed under the wings of each pair, uniting them to the next. The magnificent birds, which had been carefully trained for this purpose, heeded not the uproar and light around them, but moved in calm majesty straight toward the balcony at the southern end.

On the deck, piled a foot high with crimson roses, an open arbor of natural vines had been arranged around the mast. In it lay the bridegroom, a giant nearly seven feet tall, his shining mane of red locks garlanded with vine leaves and--in violation of good taste--red roses. A panther-skin was around the upper portion of his body, a purple ap.r.o.n about his loins, a thyrsus staff in his huge but loosely hanging right hand. Nestling to his broad, powerful breast reclined an extremely delicate, fragile girl, scarcely beyond childhood, almost too dainty of form. Her face could not be seen; the Roman bridal veil had been fastened on the deserted Ariadne--very unsuitably. Besides, the child seemed frightened by all the uproar, timidly hiding her face under the panther-skin and on the giant's breast; true, she often with a swift, upward glance tried to meet his eyes; but he did not see it.

A nude boy about twelve years old, with golden wings on his shoulders, a bow and quiver fastened by a gold band across his back, was constantly filling an enormous goblet for the bridegroom, who seemed to think that his costume required him to drain it at once,--which diverted his attention more than was desirable from his bride. On a couch, somewhat above the bridal pair, a very beautiful girl about eighteen lay in a picturesque att.i.tude. Her n.o.ble head, with its golden hair simply arranged in a Grecian knot, rested on the palm of her left hand. Her h.e.l.lenic outlines and h.e.l.lenic statuesque repose rendered her infinitely more n.o.ble and aristocratic than the Carthaginian Astarte.

Two tame doves perched on her right shoulder; she wore a robe of white Coan gauze, which fell below the knee, but seemed intended to adorn rather than to conceal her charms. The thin silken web was held around the hips by an exquisitely wrought golden girdle half a foot wide, from which hung a purple Ph[oe]nician ap.r.o.n weighted with gold ta.s.sels; on her gold sandals were fastened "sea waves" made of stiff gray and white silk, which extended to the delicate ankles of the "Foam-born," and at the right and left of each one, the gleam of two large pearls was visible at a great distance.

As the ship, drawn by the swans, now came into full view of all the many thousands, the dazzling sight was greeted with deafening shouts.

As soon as the vessel emerged from the dim light into the radiant glare, the Aphrodite hastily, desperately, tried to conceal herself; finding a large piece of coa.r.s.e sail-cloth lying near, she wrapped it around her figure.

"How barbaric the whole thing is!" whispered, but very cautiously, one Roman to another in the harsh throat tones of the African vulgar Latin, as they stood together under the staging on the opposite side of the harbor.

"I suppose that is intended to represent Bacchus, neighbor Laurus?"

"And Ariadne."

"I like the Aphrodite."

"Yes, I believe you, friend Victor. It is the beautiful Ionian, Glauke.

She was stolen from Miletus a short time ago by pirates. She is said to be the child of prosperous parents. She was sold in the harbor forum to Thrasabad, the bridegroom's brother. They say she cost as much as two country estates!"

"She is gazing very mournfully, under her drooping lashes, into the lake."

"Yet her buyer and master is said to treat her with the utmost consideration, and fairly worships her."

"I can easily believe it. She is wonderfully beautiful,--solemnly beautiful, I might say."

"But imagine this bear from Thule, this buffalo from the land of Scythia, a Dionysus!"

"With those elephant bones!"

"With that fiery-red beard, two spans wide!"

"He probably wouldn't have that and the s.h.a.ggy fleece on his head cut off, if thereby he could become a G.o.d in reality."

"Yes, a Vandal n.o.ble! They think themselves greater than G.o.ds or saints."

"Yet they were only cattle-thieves and land and sea robbers."

"Just look, he has buckled his broad German sword-belt over the vine drapery about his loins."

"Perhaps for the sake of propriety," cried the other, laughing; "and actually, Dionysus is wearing a Vandal short-sword."

"The Barbarian seems to be ashamed of being a naked G.o.d."

"Then he has not yet lost _all_ shame!" exclaimed a man who had also understood the cautious whisper, striding rapidly on. "Come, Theudigisel!"

"Did you understand that? It was the man with the spear. It did not sound like the Vandal tongue."

"Yes, exactly like it. That's the way they speak in Spain! I heard it in Hispalis."

"Hark, what a roaring on the ships!"

"That must be a hymenaeus, Victor! The bridegroom's brother composed it.

The Barbarians now write Latin and Greek verses. But they are of their stamp."

"Yes, listen, Lauras," cried the other, laughing; "you are prejudiced, as a rival! Since you failed in your leather business, you have lived by writing, O friend! Weddings, baptisms, funerals, it was all the same to you. You have even sung the praises of the Vandal victories over the Moors, and--the Lord have mercy on us!--'the brave sword of King Hilderic.' Yes, you wrote for the Barbarians even more willingly and frequently than for us Romans."

"Of course. The Barbarians know less, require less, and pay better. For the same reason, friend Victor, you too must wish, for the sake of your wine-shop, that the Vandals may remain rulers of Carthage."

"How so?"

"Why, the Barbarians know as little about good wine as they do about good verses."

"Only half hit. They probably have a tolerably fair judgment of it. But they are always so thirsty that they will enjoy and pay for sour wine too--like your sour verses. Woe betide us when we no longer have the stupid Barbarians for customers! We should be obliged, in our old age, to furnish better wine and better poetry."

"The ships will soon be here! We can see everything distinctly now.

Look at the bridegroom's enormous goblet; the little Cupid can scarcely hold it; it seems familiar to me."

"Why, of course. That's surely the immense sh.e.l.l from the Fountain of Neptune in the Forum,--larger than a child's head!"

"Yes, it has been missing for several days. Oh, the Germans would drain the ocean if it were full of wine."

"And just see the hundred weight of gold which they have hung on poor Aphrodite."

"All stolen, plundered Roman property. She can hardly move under the weight of her jewels."

"Modesty, Victor, modesty! She has not much clothing except her jewels."

"It's not the poor girl's fault apparently. That insolent Cupid just s.n.a.t.c.hed off the sailcloth and flung it into the sea. See how confused she is, how she tries to find some drapery. She is beseeching the bride, pointing to the large white silk coverlet at her feet."

"Little Ariadne is nodding; she has picked it up; now she is throwing it over Aphrodite's shoulders. How grateful she looks!"