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THE SCARLET BANNER 






I 



Novels by Felix Dahn 

Translated by Mary J. Safford 



A CAPTIVE OF THE ROMAN 
EAGLES. $1.50 

FELICITAS. $1.50 

THE SCARLET BANNER. $i.so 



Published by A. C. McClurq & Co. 



The Scarlet Banner 



By Felix Dahn 



Translated from the German by 
Mary J. Safford 

TRANSLATOR OF 

"A Captive of the Roman Eagles," « Felicitas," etc. 










Ciiicago 


A. C. 


McClvrg & Co. 




, 1903 . , ^ 


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Copyright 

A. C. McClurg & Co. 

1903 

Right of Dramatization Reserved 



Published October 14, 1903 



UNIVERSITY PRISS . JOHN WILSON 
AND SON . CAMBRIDGK . U. 8. A. 



? fc 5" I ^3J? 

I\\315 



DEDICATED 

IN DEEP REVERENCE AND WARM FRIENDSHIP 
TO 

His Excellency 

ACTING PRIVY-COUNCILLOR AND PROFESSOR 

HERR DR. KARL HASE 

OF JENA 



Only through the same virtues by which they were 
founded will kingdoms he maintained. 

Sallustius, Catilina. 

O, what a noble mind is here overthrown ! 

Shakespeare, Hamlet. 



PREFACE 

THIS story, published in Germany under the 
title of Gelimer^ is the third volume in the 
group of romances to which *' Felicitas " and 
" The Captive of the Roman Eagles " belong, and, like 
them, deals with the long-continued conflict between 
the Germans and the Romans*. 

But in the present novel the scene of the struggle is 
transferred from the forests of Germania to the arid 
sands of Africa, and, in wonderfully vivid pen-pictures, 
the author displays the marvellous magnificence surround- 
ing the descendants of the Vandal Genseric, the superb 
pageants of their festivals, and the luxury whose ener- 
vating influence has gradually sapped the strength and 
courage of the rude, invincible warriors — once the terror 
of all the neighboring coasts and islands — till their en- 
feebled limbs can no longer support the weight of their 
ancestors' armor, and they cast aside their helmets to 
crown themselves with the rose-garlands of Roman 
revellers. 

The pages glow with color as the brilliant changeful 
vision of life in Carthage, under the Vandal rule, rises 



PREFACE 

from the mists of the vanished centuries, and the char- 
acters which people this ancient world are no less varied. 
The noble king, the subtle Roman, Verus, the gallant 
warrior, Zazo, Hilda, the beautiful, fearless Ostrogoth 
Princess, the wily Justinian, his unscrupulous Empress, 
Theodora, and their brave, impetuous general, Belisarius, 
are clearly portrayed ; and, underlying the whole drama, 
surges the fierce warfare between Roman Catholic and 
Arian, while the place and the period in which the scenes 
of the romance are laid, both comparatively little known, 
lend a peculiar charm and freshness to the gifted author's 
narrative. 



MARY J. SAFFORD. 



HiGHPisLD Cottage, 

Douglas Hill, Maine, 

August 24, 1903. 



THE 

SCARLET BANNER 

BOOK ONE 

BEFORE THE WAR 
CHAPTER I 

To Cornelius Cethegus Casarius, a Friend : 

I SEND these notes to you rather than to any 
other man. Why ? First of all, because I 
know not where you are, so the missive 
will probably be lost. Doubtless that would be 
the best thing which could happen, especially 
for the man who would then be spared reading 
these pages ! But it will also be well for me 
that these lines should lie — or be lost — in 
some other place than here. For here in Con- 
stantinople they may fall into certain dainty little 
well-kept hands, which possibly might gracefully 
wave an order to cut off my head — or some 
other useful portion of my anatomy to which I 
have been accustomed since my birth. But if 
I send these truths hence to the West, they 
will not be so easily seized by those dangerous 
little fingers which discover every secret in the 



2 THE SCARLET BANNER 

capital, whenever they search in earnest. Whether 
you are living in your house at the foot of the 
Capitol, or with the Regent at Ravenna, I do not 
know; but I shall despatch this to Rome, for 
toward Rome my thoughts fly, seeking Cethegus. 

You may ask derisively why I write what is so 
dangerous. Because I must ! I praise — con- 
strained by fear — so many people and things 
with my lips that I condemn in my heart, that 
I must at least confess the truth secretly in writ- 
ing. Well, I might write out my rage, read it, 
and then throw the pages into the sea, you say. 
But — and this is the other reason for this mis- 
sive — I am vain, too. The cleverest man I 
know must read, must praise what I write, must 
be aware that I was not so foolish as to believe 
all I extolled to be praiseworthy. Later perhaps 
I can use the notes, — if they are not lost, — 
when at some future day I write the true his- 
tory of the strange things I have experienced 
and shortly shall undergo. 

So keep these pages if they do reach you. They 
are not exactly letters ; it is a sort of diary that 
I am sending to you. I shall expect no answer. 
Cethegus does not need me, at present. Why 
should Cethegus write to me, now? Yet per- 
haps I shall soon learn your opinion from your 
own lips. Do you marvel ? 

True, we have not met since we studied to- 
gether at Athens. But possibly I may soon seek 



THE SCARLET BANNER 3 

you in your Italy. For I believe that the war 
declared to-day against the Vandals is but the 
prelude to the conflict with your tyrants, the Os- 
trogoths. Now I have written the great secret 
which at present is known to so few. 

It is a strange thing to see before one, in clear, 
sharp letters, a terrible fate, pregnant with blood 
and tears, which no one else suspects ; at such 
times the statesman feels akin to the god who is 
forging the thunderbolt that will so soon strike 
happy human beings. Pitiable, weak, mortal 
god! Will your bolt hit the mark? Will it 
not recoil against you ? The demi-god Justinian 
and the goddess Theodora have prepared this 
thunder-bolt; the eagle Belisarius will carry it; 
we are starting for Africa to make war upon 
the Vandals. 

Now you know much, O Cethegus. But you 
do not yet know all, '• — at least, not all about the 
Vandals. So learn it from me; I know. Dur- 
ing the last few months I have been obliged to 
deliver lectures to the two gods — and the eagle 
— about these fair-haired fools. But whoever is 
compelled to deliver lectures has sense enough 
bestowed upon him to perform the task. Look 
at the professors at Athens. Since the reign of 
Justinian the lecture-rooms have been closed to 
them. Who still thinks them wise? 

So listen : The Vandals are cousins of your 
dear masters, the Ostrogoths. They came about 



4 THE SCARLET BANNER 

a hundred years ago — men, women, and children, 
perhaps fifty thousand in number — from Spain 
to Africa. Their leader was a terrible king, 
Gizericus by name (comriionly called Genseric); 
a worthy comrade of Attila, the Hun. He de- 
feated the Romans in hard-fought battles, cap- 
tured Carthage, plundered Rome. He was never 
vanquished. The crown passed to his heirs, the 
Asdings, who were said to be descended from the 
pagan gods of the Germans. The oldest male 
scion of the family always ascends the throne. 

But Genseric's posterity inherited only his 
sceptre, not his greatness. The Catholics in 
their kingdom (the Vandals are heretics, Arians) 
were most cruelly persecuted, which was more 
stupid than it was unjust. It really was not so 
very unjust ; they merely applied to the Catho- 
lics, the Romans, in their kingdom the selfsame 
laws which the Emperor in the Roman Empire 
had previously issued against the Arians. But 
it was certainly extremely stupid. What harm 
can the few Arians do in the Roman Empire? 
But the numerous Catholics in the Vandal king- 
dom could overthrow it, if they should rebel. 
True ; they will not rise voluntarily. But we 
are coming to rouse them. 

Shall we conquer ? There is nuich probability 
of it. King Hilderic lived in Constantinople a 
long time, and is said to have secretly embraced 
the Catholic faith. He is Justinian's friend : this 



THE SCARLET BANNER 5 

great-grandson of Genseric abhors war. He has 
dealt his own kingdom the severest blow by trans- 
forming its best prop, the friendship with the Os- 
trogoths in Italy, into mortal hatred. The wise 
King Theodoric at Ravenna made a treaty of 
friendship and brotherhood with Thrasamund, the 
predecessor of Hilderic, gave him his beautiful, 
clever sister, Amalafrida, for his wife, and be- 
stowed upon the latter for her dowry, besides 
much treasure, the headland of Lilybaeum in Sic- 
ily, directly opposite Carthage, which was of great 
importance to the Vandal kingdom. He also 
sent him as a permanent defence against the 
Moors — probably against us too — a band of 
one thousand chosen Gothic warriors, each of 
whom had five brave men under him. Hil- 
deric was scarcely king when the royal widow 
Amalafrida was accused of high treason against 
him and threatened with death. 

If Justinian and Theodora did not invent this 
high treason, I have little knowledge of my adored 
rulers : I saw the smile with which they received 
the news from Carthage. It was the triumph of 
the bird-catcher who draws his snare over the 
fluttering prey. 

Amalafrida's Goths succeeded in rescuing her 
from imprisonment and accompanying her on her 
flight. She intended to seek refuge with friendly 
Moors, but on her way she was overtaken and 
attacked by the King's two nephews with a supe- 



6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

nor force. The faithful Goths fought and fell 
almost to a man ; the Queen was captured and 
murdered in prison. Since that time fierce hate 
has existed between the two nations ; the Goths 
took Lilybaeum back and from it cast vengeful 
glances at Carthage. This is King Hilderic's 
sole act of government ! Since that time he has 
seen clearly that it will be best for his people to 
be subject to us. But he is almost an old man, 
and his cousin — unfortunately tlie rightful heir 
to the throne — is our worst enemy.- His name 
is Gelimer. He must never be permitted to 
reign in Carthage; for he is considered the 
stronghold and hero, nay, the soul of the Vandal 
power. He first defeated the natives, the Moors, 
those sons of the desert who had always proved 
superior to the weak descendants of Genseric. 

But this Gelimer — it is impossible for me to 
obtain from the contradictory reports a satis- 
factory idea of him. Or could a German really 
possess such contradictions of mind and character ? 
They are all mere children, though six and a half 
feet tall ; giants, with the souls of boys. Nearly 
all of them have a single trait, — the love of 
carousing. Yet this Gelimer — well, we shall 
see. 

Widely varying opinions of the entire Vandal 
nation are held here. According to some they 
are terrible foes in battle, like all Germans, and 
as Genseric's men undoubtedly were. But, from 



THE SCARLET BANNER 7 

other reports, in the course of three generations 
under the burning sun of Africa, and especially 
from living among our provincials there — the 
most corrupt rabble who ever disgraced the 
Roman name — they have become effeminate, 
degenerate. The hero Belisarius of course de- 
spises this foe, like every other whom he knows 
and does not know. 

The gods have intrusted to me the secret cor- 
respondence which is to secure success. I am 
now expecting important news from numerous 
Moorish chiefs; from the Vandal Governor of 
Sardinia ; from your Ostrogothic Count in Sicily ; 
from the richest, most influential senator in Trip- 
olis ; nay, even from one of the highest ecclesi- 
astics — it is hard to believe — of the heretical 
church itself. The latter was a masterpiece. Of 
course he is not a Vandal, but a Roman ! No 
matter ! An Arian priest in league with us. I 
attribute it to our rulers. You know how I 
condemn their government of our empire ; but 
where the highest statecraft is at stake, — that is, 
to win traitors in the closest councils of other 
sovereigns and thus outwit the most cunning, — 
there I bow the knee admiringly to these gods 
of intrigue. If only — 

A letter from Belisarius summons me to the 
Golden House : " Bad news from Africa ! The 
war is again extremely doubtful. The apparent 
traitors there betrayed Justinian, not the Vandals. 



8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

This comes from such false wiles. Help, counsel 
me ! Belisarius." 

How ? I thought the secret letters from Car- 
thage were to come, by disguised messengers, 
only to me ? And through me to the Emperor ? 
That was his express order; I read it myself. 
Yet still more secret ones arrive, whose contents 
I learn only by chance ? This is your work, O 
Demonodora ! 



CHAPTER II 

THE Carthage of the Vandals was still a 
stately, brilliant city, still the superb 
" Colonia Julia Carthago" which Augus- 
tus had erected according to the great Caesar's 
plan in the place of the ancient city destroyed 
by Scipio. True, it was no longer — as it had 
been a century before — next to Rome and Con- 
stantinople the most populous city in the empire, 
but it had suffered little in the external appear- 
ance and splendor of its buildings; only the 
walls, by which it had been encircled as a defence 
against Genseric, were partially destroyed in the 
assault by the Vandals, and not sufficiently re- 
stored, — an indication of arrogant security or 
careless indolence. 

The ancient citadel, the Phoenician " Byrsa," 
now called the Capitol, still overlooked the bkie 
sea and the harbor, doubly protected by towers 
and iron chains. In the squares and the broad 
streets of the " upper city," a motley throng surged 
or lounged upon the steps of Christian basilicas 
(which were often built out of pagan temples), 
around the Amphitheatre, the colonnades, the 
baths with their beds of flowers and groups of 



lo THE SCARLET BANNER 

palms, kept green and luxuriant by the water 
brought from long distances over the stately 
arches of the aqueduct. The "lower city," built 
along the sea, was inhabited by the poorer people, 
principally harbor workmen, and was filled with 
shops and storehouses containing supplies for 
ships and sailors. The streets were narrow, all 
running from south to north, from the inner city 
to the harbor, like the alleys of modern Genoa. 

The largest square in the lower city was the 
forum of St. Cyprian, named, for the magnificent 
basilica dedicated to this the most famous saint in 
Africa. The church occupied the whole southern 
side of the square, from whose northern portion 
a long flight of marble steps led to the harbor 
(even at the present day, amid the solitude and 
desolation of the site of noisy, populous Carthage, 
the huge ruins of the old sea gate still remain), 
while a broad street led westward to the suburb 
of Aklas and the Numidian Gate, and another 
in the southeast rose somewhat steeply to the 
upper city and the Capitol. 

Into this great square one hot June evening a 
varied crowd was pouring from the western gate, 
the Porta Numidia, — Romans and provincials, 
citizens of Carthage, tradesmen and grocers, with 
many freedmen and slaves, moved by curiosity 
and delight in idleness, which attracted them to 
every brilliant, noisy spectacle. There were Van- 
dals among them, too ; men, women, and children. 



THE SCARLET BANNER ii 

whose yellow or red hair and fair skins were in 
strong contrast to those of the rest of the popu- 
lation, though the complexions of many were 
somewhat bronzed by the African sun. In cos- 
tume they differed from the Romans very slightly; 
many not at all. Among these lower classes 
numbers were of mixed blood, children of Vandal 
fathers who had married Carthaginian women. 
Here and there in the concourse appeared a 
Moor, who had come irom the border of the 
desert to the capital to sell ivory or ostrich 
feathers, lion and tiger skins, or antelope horns. 
The men and women of noble German blood 
were better — that is, more eager, wealthy, and 
lavish — buyers than the numerous impoverished 
Roman senatorial families, whose once boundless 
wealth the government had confiscated for real or 
alleged high treason, or for persistent adherence 
to the Catholic faith. Not even a single Roman 
of the better class was to be seen in the noisy, 
shouting crowd ; a priest of the orthodox religion, 
who on his way to a dying man could not avoid 
crossing the square, glided timidly into the nearest 
side street, fear, abhorrence, and indignation all 
written on his pallid face. For this exulting 
throng was celebrating a Vandal victory. 

In front of the returning troops surged the 
dense masses of the Carthaginian populace, 
shouting, looking back, and often halting with 
loud acclamations. Many pressed around the 



12 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Vandal warriors, begging for gifts. The latter 
were all mounted, many on fine, really noble 
steeds, descendants of the famous breed brought 
from Spain and crossed with the native horses. 
The westering sun streamed through the wide- 
open West Gate along the Numidian Way ; the 
stately squadrons glittered and flashed in the 
vivid light which was dazzlingly reflected from 
the white sandy soil and the white houses. 
Richly, almost too brilliantly, gold and silver 
glittered on helmets and shields, broad armlets, 
sword-hilts, and scabbards, even on the mountings 
which fastened the lance-heads to the shafts, and, 
in inlaid work, on the shafts themselves. In 
dress, armor, and ornaments upon rider and steed 
the most striking hues were evidently the most 
popular. Scarlet, the Vandal color, prevailed ; 
this vivid light-red was used everywhere, — on 
the long, fluttering cloaks, the silken kerchiefs 
on the helmets, which fell over the neck and 
shoulders to protect them from the African sun, 
on the gayly painted, richly gilded quivers, and 
even on the saddles and bridles of the horses. 
Among the skins which the desert animals fur- 
nished in great variety, the favorites were the 
spotted antelope, the dappled leopard, the striped 
tiger, while from the helmets nodded and waved 
the red plumage of the flamingo and the white 
feathers of the ostrich. The procession closed 
with several captured camels, laden with foemen's 



THE SCARLET BANNER 13 

weapons, and about a hundred Moorish prisoners, 
men and women, who, with hands tied behind 
their backs, clad only in brown and white striped 
mantles, marched, bareheaded and barefooted, 
beside the towering beasts, driven forward, like 
them, by blows from the spears of their mounted 
guards. 

On the steps of the basilica and the broad top 
of the wall of the harbor stairs, the throng of 
spectators was unusually dense ; here people 
could comfortably watch the glittering train with- 
out danger from the fiery steeds. 

" Who is yonder youth, the fair one ? " asked 
a middle-aged man, with the dress and bearing of 
a sailor, pointing over the parapet as he turned 
to a gray-haired old citizen. 

" Which do you mean, friend Hegelochus ? 
They are almost all fair." 

" Indeed? Well, this is the first time I have 
been among the Vandals ! My ship dropped 
anchor only a few hours ago. You must show 
and explain everything. I mean the one yonder 
on the white stallion ; he is carrying the narrow 
red banner with the golden dragon." 

"Oh, that is Gibamund, ' the handsomest of 
the Vandals,' as the women call him. Do you 
see how he looks up at the windows of the palace 
near the Capitol ? Among all the crowd gazing 
down from there he seeks but one." 

" But" — the speaker suddenly started — " who 



14 THE SCARLET BANNER 

is the other at his right, — the one on the dun 
horse ? I almost shrank when I met his eye. 
He looks like the youth, only he is much older. 
Who is he?'' 

" That is his brother Gelimer ; God bless his 
noble head ! " 

" Aha, so he is the hero of the day ? I have 
often heard his name at home in Syracuse. So 
he is the conqueror of the Moors ? " 

" Yes, he has defeated them again, the torments. 
Do you hear how the Carthaginians are cheering 
him? We citizens, too, must thank him for hav- 
ing driven the robbers away from our villages and 
fields back to their deserts." 

" I suppose he is fifty years old ? His hair is 
very gray." 

" He is not yet forty ! " 

" Just look, Eugenes ! He has sprung from 
his horse. What is he doing ? " 

" Did n't you see ? A child, a Roman boy, fell 
while trying to run in front of his charger. He 
lifted him up, and is seeking to find out whether 
he was hurt." 

" The child was n't harmed; it is smiling at him 
and seizing his glittering necklet. There — he is 
unfastening the chain and putting it into the little 
fellow's hands. He kisses him and gives him 
back to his mother. Hark, how the crowd is 
cheering him ! Now he has leaped back into the 
saddle. He knows how to win favor." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 15 

" There you wrong him. It is his nature. He 
would have done the same where no eye beheld 
him. And he need not win the favor of the 
people: he has long possessed it." 

" Among the Vandals ? " 

" Among the Romans, too ; that is, the mid- 
dle and lower classes. The senators, it is true, 
are different ! Those who still live in Africa hate 
all who bear the name of Vandal ; they have 
good reason for it, too. But Gelimer has a heart 
to feel for us; he helps wherever he can, and 
often opposes his own people; they are almost 
all violent, prone to sudden anger, and in their 
rage savagely cruel. I above all others have 
cause tc thank him." 

"You? Why?" 

"You saw Eugenia, my daughter, before we 
left our house ? " 

" Certainly. Into what a lovely girl the frail 
child whom you brought from Syracuse a few 
years ago has blossomed ! " 

" I owe her life, her honor, to Gelimer. Thra- 
saric, the giant, the most turbulent of all the 
nobles, snatched her from my side here in the 
open street at noonday, and carried the shriek- 
ing girl away in his arms. I could not follow as 
swiftly as he ran. Gelimer, attracted by our 
screams, rushed up, and, as the savage would not 
release her, struck him down with a single blow 
and gave my terrified child back to me." 



i6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"And the ravisher? " 

" He rose, laughed, shook himself, and said to 
Gelimer : * You did right, Asding, and your fist 
is heavy/ And then since — " 

" Well ? You hesitate." 

" Yes, just think of it ; since then the Vandal, 
as he could not gain her by force, is suing mod- 
estly for my daughter's hand. He, the richest 
noble of his nation, wishes to become my son- 
in-law." 

" Why, that is no bad outlook." 

" Princess Hilda, my girl's patroness — she 
often sends for the child to come to her at the 
Capitol and pays liberally for her embroideries — 
Princess Hilda herself speaks in his behalf. But 
I hesitate; I will not force her on any account." 

" Well, what does she say ? " 

" Oh, the Barbarian is as handsome as a pic- 
ture. I almost believe — I fear — she likes him. 
But something holds her back. Who can read 
a girl's heart ? Look, the leaders of the horse- 
men are dismounting — Gelimer too — ^in front 
of the basilica." 

" Strange. He is the hero, — the square echoes 
with his name, — and he looks so grave, so sad." 

" Yes, there again ! But did you see how 
kindly his eyes shone as he soothed the fright- 
ened child?" 

" Certainly I did. And now — " 

"Yes, there it is ; a black cloud suddenly seems 



THE SCARLET BANNER 17 

to fall upon him. There are all sorts of rumors 
about it among the people. Some say he has a 
demon ; others that he is often out of his mind. 
Our priests whisper that it is pangs of conscience 
for secret crimes. But I will never believe that 
of Gelimer." 

" Was he always so ? " 

"It has grown worse within a few years. Satan- 
as — Saint Cyprian protect us — is said to have 
appeared to him in the solitude of the desert. 
Since that time he has been even more devout 
than before. See, his most intimate friend is 
greeting him at the basilica." 

" Yonder priest ? He is an Arian ; I know it 
by the oblong, narrow tonsure." 

"Yes," replied the Carthaginian, wrathfuUy, 
" it is Verus, the archdeacon ! Curses on the 
traitor ! " He clinched his fists. 

"Traitor! Why?" 

" Well — renegade. He descends from an 
ancient Roman senatorial family which has given 
the Church many a bishop. His great-uncle was 
Bishop Laetus of Nepte, who died a martyr. 
But his father, his mother, and seven brothers 
and sisters died under a former king amid the 
most cruel tortures, rather than abjure their holy 
Catholic religion. This man, too, — he was then 
a youth of twenty, — was tortured until he fell 
as if dead. When he recovered consciousness, 
he abjured his faith and became an Arian, a 



i8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

priest, — the wretch ! — to buy his life. Soon — 
for Satan has bestowed great intellectual gifts 
upon him — he rose from step to step, became 
the favorite of the Asdings, of the court, sud- 
denly even the friend of the noble Gelimer, who 
had long kept him coldly and contemptuously 
at a distance. And the court gave him this 
basilica, our highest sanctuary, dedicated to 
the great Cyprian, which, like almost all the 
churches in Carthage, the heretics have wrested 
from us." 

" But look — what is the hero doing ? He is 
kneeling on the upper step of the church. Now 
he is taking off his helmet." 

" He is scattering the dust of the marble stairs 
upon his head." 

" What is he kissing ? The priest's hand ? " 
" No, the case containing the ashes of the 
great saint. He is very devout and very hum- 
ble. Or shall I say he humiliates himself? He 
shuts himself up for days with the monks to do 
penance by scourging." 

" A strange hero of Barbarian blood ! " 
" The hero blood shows itself in the heat of 
battle. He is rising. Do you see how his 
helmet — now he is putting it on again — is 
hacked by fresh blows? One of the two black 
vulture wings on the crest is cut through. The 
strangest thing is, — this warrior is also a book- 
worm, a delver into mystic lore ; he has attended 



\ THE SCARLET BANNER 



19 



the lectures of Athenian philosophers. He is a 
theologian and — " 

" A player on the lyre, too, apparently ! See, 
a Vandal has handed him a small one." 

" That is a harp, as they call it." 

" Hark, he is touching the strings ! He is 
singing. I can't understand." 

" It is the Vandal tongue." 

" He has finished. How his Germans shout ! 
They are striking their spears on their shields. 
Now he is descending the steps. What ? With- 
out entering the church, as the others did ? " 

" Yes, I remember ! He vowed, when he shed 
blood, to shun the saint's threshold for three 
days. Now the horsemen are all mounting 
again." 

" But where are the foot soldiers ? " 

" Yes, that is bad — I mean for the Vandals. 
They have none, or scarcely any : they have grown 
not only so proud, but so effeminate and lazy that 
they disdain to serve on foot. Only the very 
poorest and lowest of the population will do it. 
Most of the foot soldiers are Moorish merce- 
naries, obtained for each campaign from friendly 
tribes." 

" Ah, yes, I see Moors among the soldiers." 

"Those are men from the Papua mountain. 
They plundered our frontiers for a long time. 
Gelimer attacked their camp and captured their 
chief Antalla's three daughters, whom he re- 



20 THE SCARLET BANNER 

turned unharmed, without ransom. Then An- 
talla invited the Asding to his tent to thank him ; 
they concluded a friendship of hospitality, — - 
the most sacred bond to the Moors, — and since 
then they have rendered faithful service even 
against other Moors. The parade is over. See, 
the ranks are breaking. The leaders are going 
to the Capitol to convey to King Hilderic the 
report of the campaign and the booty. Look, 
the crowd is dispersing. Let us go too. Come 
back to my house; Eugenia is waiting to serve 
the evening meal. Come, Hegelochus." 

*' I am ready, most friendly host. I fear I 
may burden you a long time. Business with 
the corn-dealers is slow." 

"Why are you stopping? What are you 
looking at ? " 

" I 'm coming. Only I must see this Gelimer's 
face once more. I shall never forget those fea- 
tures, and all the strange, contradictory things 
which you have told me about him." 

" That is the way with most people. He is 
mysterious, incomprehensible, — ■ * daimonios,' as 
the Greeks say. Let us go now ! Here ! To 
the left — down the steps." 



s 

\ 



J 



CHAPTER III 

HIGH above, on the Capitolium of the 
city, towered the Palatium, the royal 
residence of the Asdings ; not a single 
dwelling, but a whole group of buildings. Orig- 
inally planned as an acropolis, a fortress to rule 
the lower city and afford a view over both harbors 
across the sea, the encircling structures had been 
but slightly changed by Genseric and his succes- 
sors ; the palace remained a citadel and was well 
suited to hold the Carthaginians in check. A 
narrow ascent led up from the quay to a small 
gateway enclosed between solid walls and sur- 
mounted by a tower. This .gateway opened into 
a large square resembling a courtyard, inclosed on 
all sides by the buildings belonging to the palace ; 
the northern one, facing the sea, was occupied by 
the King's House, where the ruler himself lived 
with his family. The cellars extended deep into 
the rocks ; they had often been used as dungeons, 
especially for state criminals. On the eastern 
side of the King's House, separated from it only 
by a narrow space, was the Princes' House, and 
opposite to this, the arsenal ; the southern side, 
sloping toward the city, was closed by the fortress 
wall, its gateway and tower. 



22 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The handsomest room on the ground-floor of 
the Princes' House was a splendidly decorated, 
pillared hall. In the centre, on a table of citrus 
wood, stood a tall, richly gilded jug with handles, 
and several goblets of different forms ; the dark- 
red wine exhaled a strong fragrance. A couch, 
covered with a zebra skin, was beside it, on which, 
clinging together in the most tender embrace, sat 
" the handsomest of the Vandals " and a np less 
beautiful young woman. The youth had l^d 
aside his helmet, adorned with the silvery wing- 
feathers of the white heron ; his long locks fell in 
waves upon his shoulders and mingled with the 
light golden hair of his young wife, who was 
eagerly trying to unclasp the heavy breast-plate ; 
at last she let it fall clanking beside the helmet 
and sword-belt upon the marble floor. Then, 
gazing lovingly at his noble face, she stroked back, 
with both soft hands, the clustering locks that 
curled around his temples, looking radiantly into 
his merry, laughing eyes. 

" Do I really have you with me once more ? 
Do I hold you in my embrace ? " she said in 
a low, tender tone, putting both arms on his 
shoulders and clasping her hands on his neck. 

" Oh, my sweet one ! " cried the warrior, snatch- 
ing her to his heart and covering eyes, cheeks, 
and pouting lips with ardent kisses. "Oh, 
Hilda, my joy, my wife ! How I longed for you 
— night and day — always ! " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 23 

" It is almost forty days," she sighed. 

" Quite forty. Ah, how long they seemed to 
me!" 

" Oh, it was far easier for you! To be ever on 
the move with your brother, your comrades, to 
ride swiftly and fight gayly in the land of the foe. 
While I — I was forced to sit here in the women's 
rooms ; to sit and weave and w^t inactive ! Oh, 
if I could only have been there too ! To dash 
onward by your side upon a fiery horse, ride, 
fight, and at last — fall, with you. After a hero's 
life — a hero's death ! " 

She started up ; her gray-blue eyes flashed with 
a wonderful light, and tossing back her waving 
hair she raised both arms enthusiastically. 

Her husband gently drew her down again. 
" My high-hearted wife, my Hilda," he said, 
smiling, " with the instinct of a seer your an- 
cestor chose for you the name of the glorious 
leader of the Valkyries. How much I owe old 
Hildebrand, the master at arms of the great King 
of the Goths ! With the name the nature came 
to you. And his training and teaching probably 
did the rest." 

Hilda nodded. " I scarcely knew my parents, 
they died so young. Ever since I could remem- 
ber I was under the charge and protection of the 
white-bearded hero. In the palace at Ravenna 
he locked me in his apartments, keeping me 
jealously away from the pious Sisters, the nuns. 



24 THE SCARLET BANNER 

and from the priests who educated my playmates, 

— among them the beautiful Mataswintha. I 
grew up with his other foster-child, dark-haired 
Teja. My friend Teja taught me to play the 
harp, but also to hurl spears and catch them on 
the shield. Later, when the king, and still more 
his daughter, the learned Amalaswintha, insisted 
that I must study with the women and the 
priests, how sullenly," — she smiled at the re- 
membrance, — " how angrily the old great-grand- 
father questioned me in the evening about what 
the nuns had taught me during the day ! If I 
had recited the proverbs and Latin hymns, the 
Deus pater ingenite or Salve sancta parens by Sedu- 
lius — I scarcely knew more than the beginning ! " 

— she laughed merrily — " he shook his massive 
head, muttered something in his long white beard, 
and cried : * Come, Hilda ! Let's get out of doors. 
Come on the sea. There I will tell you about 
the ancient gods and heroes of our people.' Then 
he took me far, far from the crowded harbors 
into the solitude of a desolate, savage island, 
where the gulls circled and the wild swan built her 
nest amid the rushes ; there we sat down on the 
sand, and, while the foaming waves rolled close 
to our feet, he told me tales of the past. And 
what tales old Hildebrand could tell! My eyet 
rested intently on his lips as, with my elbows 
propped on his knee, I gazed into his face. How 
his sea-gray eyes sparkled! how his white hair 



THE SCARLET BANNER 25 

fluttered in the evening breeze ! His voice trem- 
bled with enthusiasm ; he no longer knew where 
he was ; he saw everything he related, or often — 
in disconnected words — sang. When the tale 
ended, he waked as if from a dream, started up 
and laughed, stroking my -head : ^ There ! There ! 
Now I Ve once more blown those saints, with 
their dull, mawkish gentleness, out of your soul, 
as the north wind, sweeping through the church 
windows, drives out the smoke of the incense/ 
But they had taken no firm hold," she added, 
smiling. 

" And so you grew up half a pagan, as Gelimer 
says," replied her husband, raising his finger 
warningly, " but as a full heroine, who believes 
in nothing so entirely as the glory of her people." 

"And in yours — and in your love," Hilda 
murmured tenderly, kissing him on the forehead. 
"Yet it is true," she added, "if you Vandals had 
not been the nearest kinsfolk of my Goths, I 
don't know whether I should have loved you — 
ah, no ; I must have loved you — when, sent by 
Gelimer, you came to woo me. But as it is, to 
see you was to love you. I owe all my happi- 
ness to Gelimer ! I will always remember it : it 
shall bind me to him when otherwise," she 
added slowly and thoughtfully, "many things 
might repel me." 

" My brother desired, by this marriage, to end 
the hostility, bridge the gulf which had separated 



26 THE SCARLET BANNER 

the two kingdoms since — since that bloody deed 
of Hilderic. It did not succeed! He united 
only us, not our nations. He is full of heavy 
cares and gloomy thoughts." 

" Yes. I often think he must be ill," said 
Hilda, shaking her head. 

" He ? — The strongest hero in our army ! 
He alone — not even Brother Zazo — can bend 
my outstretched sword-arm." 

" Not ill in body, — soul-sick ! But hush ! 
Here he comes. See how sorrowful, how gloomy 
he looks. Is that the brow, the face, of a 
conqueror ? " 



CHAPTER IV 

A TALL figure appeared in the colonnade 
leading from the interior of the dwell- 
ing to the open doorway of the hall. 

This man without helmet, breastplate, or sword- 
belt wore a tight-fitting dark-gray robe, destitute 
of color or ornament. He often paused in his 
slow advance as if lost in meditation, with hands 
clasped behind his back ; his head drooped for- 
ward a little, as though burdened by anxious 
thought. His lofty brow was deeply furrowed; 
his light-brown hair and beard were thickly 
sprinkled with gray, which formed a strange con- 
trast to his otherwise youthful appearance. His 
eyes were fixed steadily on the floor, — their 
color and expression were still unrecognizable, — 
and pausing again under the pillared arch of 
the entrance, he sighed heavily. 

" Hail, Gelimer, victorious hero ! *' cried the 
young wife, joyously. " Take what I have had 
ready for you ever since your return home was 
announced to-day." Seizing a thick laurel wreath 
lying on the table before her, she eagerly raised 
it. A slight but expressive wave of the hand 
stopped her. 



28 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Wreaths are not suited for the sinner's head," 
said the new-comer in a low tone, " but ashes, 
ashes ! " 

Hilda, hurt and sorrowful, laid down the 
garland. 

" Sinner ? " cried her husband, indignantly. 
"Why, yes; so are we all — in the eyes of the 
saints. But you less than others. Are we never 
to rejoice? " 

" Let those rejoice who can ! " 

"Oh, brother, you too can rejoice. When 
the hero spirit comes, when the whirl of battle 
surrounds you, with loud shouts (I heard it my- 
self and my heart exulted in your delight), you 
dashed before us all into the thickest throng of 
the Moorish riders. And you cried aloud from 
sheer joy when you tore the banner from the 
hand of the fallen bearer ; you had ridden him 
down by the mere shock of your charger's 
rush." 

" Ay, that was indeed beautihil ! " cried Geli- 
mer, suddenly lifting his head, while a pair of 
large brown eyes flashed from under long dark 
lashes. " Is n't the cream stallion superb ? He 
overthrows everything. He bears victory." 

" Ay, when he bears Gelimer ! " exclaimed a 
clear voice, and a boy — scarcely beyond child- 
hood, for the first down was appearing on his 
delicate rosy cheeks — a boy strongly resembling 
Gibamund and Gelimer glided across the thresh- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 29' 

old and rushed with outstretched arms toward 
the hero. 

" Oh, brother, how I love you ! And how I 
envy you ! But on the next pursuit of the 
Moors you must take me with you, or I will 
go against your will." And he threw both arms 
around his brother's towering figure. 

" Ammata, my darling, my heart's treasure," 
cried Gelimer, tenderly, stroking the lad's long 
golden locks with a loving touch, " I have brought 
you from the booty a little milk-white horse as 
swift as the wind. I thought of you the instant 
it was led before me. And you, fair sister-in- 
law, forgive me. I was unkind when I came in ; 
I was foil of heavy cares. For I came — " 

" From the King," cried a deep voice from 
the corridor, and a man in full armor rushed in, 
whose strong resemblance to the others marked 
him as the fourth brother. Features of noble 
mould, a sharp but finely modelled nose, broad 
brow, and yellow, fiery eyes set almost too deeply 
beneath arched brows were peculiar to all these 
royal Asdings, the descendants of the sun-god 
Frey. 

Gelimer's glance alone was usually subdued as 
if veiled, dreamy as if lost in uncertainty ; but 
when it suddenly flashed with enthusiasm or wrath 
its mighty glow was startling; and the narrow oval 
of the face, which in all was far removed from 
roundness, in Gelimer seemed almost too thin. 



30 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The man who had just entered was somewhat 
shorter than the latter, but much broader-chested 
and larger-limbed. His head, surrounded with 
short, close-curling brown hair, rested on a strong 
neck; the cheeks were reddened by health and 
robust vitality, and now by fierce anger. Al- 
though only a year younger than Gelimer, he 
seemed still a fiery youth beside his prematurely 
aged brother. In furious indignation he flung 
the heavy helmet, from which the crooked horns 
of the African bull buffalo threatened, upon the 
table, making the wine splash over the glasses. 

" From Hilderic," he repeated, " the most un- 
grateful of human beings ! What was the hero's 
reward for the new victory ? Suspicion ! Fear 
of rousing jealousy in Constantinople ! The 
coward ! My beautiful sister-in-law, you have 
more courage in your little finger than this King 
of the Vandals in his heart and his sword-hand. 
Give me a cup of wine to wash down my rage." 

Hilda quickly sprang up, filled the goblet, and 
offered it to him. " Drink, brave Zazo ! Hail 
to you and all heroes, and — " 

" To hell with Hilderic ! " cried the furious 
soldier, draining the beaker at a single draught. 

" Hush, brother ! What sacrilege ! " exclaimed 
Gelimer, with a clouded brow. 

" Well, for aught I care, to heaven with him ! 
He '11 suit that far better than the throne of the 
sea-king Genseric." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 31 

" There you give him high praise," said Geli- 
mer. 

" I don't mean it. As I stood there while he 
questioned you so ungraciously, I could have — 
But reviling him is useless. Something must be 
done. I remained at home this time for a good 
reason : it was hard enough for me to let you go 
forth to victory alone! But I secretly kept a 
sharp watch on this fox in the purple, and have 
discovered his tricks. Send away this pair of 
wedded lovers, I think they have much to say to 
each other alone; the child Ammata, too; and 
listen to my report, my suspicion, my accusation : 
not only against the King, but others also." 

Gibamund threw his arm tenderly around his 
slender wife, and the boy ran out of the hall in 
front of them. 



\ 



CHAPTER V 

GELIMER sat down on the couch ; Zazo 
stood before him, leaning on his long 
sword, and began, — 

" Soon after you went to the field, Pudentius 
came from Tripolis to Carthage." 

"Again?" 

"Yes, he is often at the palace and talks for 
hours, alone with the King. Or with Euages 
and Hoamer, the King's nephews, our beloved 
cousins. The latter, arrogant blockhead, can't 
keep silent after wine. In a drunken revel he 
told the secret." 

" But surely not to you ? " 

" No ! To red-haired Thrasaric." 

" The savage ! " 

" I don't commend his morals," cried the other, 
laughing, " Yet he has grown much more sedate 
since he is honestly trying to win the dainty Eu- 
genia. But he never lies. And he would die 
for the Vandal nation ; especially for you, whom 
he calls his tutor. You begin education with 
blows. In the grove of Venus — " 

" The Holy Virgin, you mean," Gelimer cor- 
rected. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 33 

" If you prefer ■ — yes ! But it does the Virgin 
little honor, so long as the old customs remain. 
So, at a banquet in the shell grotto of that grove, 
Thrasaric was praising you, and said you would 
restore the warlike fame of the Vandals as soon 
as you were king, when Hoamer shouted angrily : 
' Never ! That will never be ! Constantinople has 
forbidden it. Gelimer is the Emperor's foe. When 
my uncle dies, / shall be king ; or the Emperor 
will appoint Pudentius Regent of the kingdom. 
So it has been discussed and settled among us.' " 

" That was said in a fit of drunkenness." 

" Under the influence of wine — and in wine 
is truth, the Romans say. Just at that moment 
Pudentius came into the grotto. * Aha ! ' called 
the drunken man, ^ your last letter from the Em- 
peror was worth its weight in gold. Just wait till 
I am King, I will reward you : you shall be the 
Emperor's exarch in Tripolis.' 

" Pudentius was greatly startled and winked at 
him to keep silence, but he went on : * No, no ! 
that 's your well-earned reward.' All this was 
told me by Thrasaric in the first outbreak of his 
wrath after he had rushed away from the banquet. 
But wait : there is more to come ! This Puden- 
tius — do you believe him our friend ? " 

" Oh, no," sighed Gelimer. " His grand- 
parents and parents were cruelly slain by our 
kings because they remained true to their religion. 
How should the son and grandson love us ? " 

3 



34 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Zazo went close up to his brother, laid his 
hand heavily on his shoulder, and said slowly : 
** And Verus ? Is he to love us ? Have you for- 
gotten how his whole family — ? " 

Gelimer shook his head mournfully : " Forget 
that? I?" He shuddered and closed his eyes. 
Then, rousing himself by a violent effort from the 
burden of his gloomy thoughts, he went on : " Still 
your firmly rooted delusion ! Always this dis- 
trust of the most faithful among all who love me ! " 

"Oh, brother! But I will not upbraid you; 
your clear mind is blinded, blinded by this priest ! 
It seems as if there were some miracle at work — " 

" It is a miracle," interrupted Gelimer, deeply 
moved, raising his eyes devoutly. 

" But what say you to the fact that this Pu- 
dentius, whom you, too, do not trust, is admitted 
to the city secretly at night — by whom ? By 
Verus, your bosom friend ! " 

" That is not true." 

" I have seen it. I will swear it to the priest's 
face. Oh, if only he were here now ! " 

" He is not far away. He told me — he was 
the first one of you all to greet me at the parade 
— that he longed to see me, he must speak to 
me at once. I appointed this place ; as soon 
as the King dismissed me I would be here. Do 
you see? He is already coming down the 
colonnade." 



CHAPTER VI 

THE tall, haggard priest who now came 
slowly into the hall was several years 
older than Gelimer. A wide, dark- 
brown upper garment fell in mantle-like folds 
from his broad shoulders : his figure, and still 
more his unusually striking face, produced an 
impression of the most tenacious will. Thei^a- 
tures, it is true, were too sharply cut to be Jiaftd- 
some ; but no one who saw them ever forgot 
them. Strongly marked thick black brows 
shaded penetrating black eyes, which, evidently 
by design, were always cast down ; the eagle nose, 
the firmly closed thin lips, the sunken cheeks, 
the pallid complexion, whose dull lustre resem- 
bled light yellow marble, combined to give the 
countenance remarkable character. Lips, cheeks, 
and chin were smoothly shaven, and so, too, was 
the black hair, more thickly mingled with 
gray than seemed quite suited to his age, — little 
more than forty years. Each of his rare gestures 
was so slow, so measured, that it revealed the 
rigid self-control practised for decades, by which 
this impenetrable man ruled himself — and others. 
His voice sounded expressionless, as if from deep 



36 THE SCARLET BANNER 

sadness or profound weariness, but one felt that 
it was repressed ; it was a rare thing to meet his 
eyes, but they often flashed with a sudden fire, and 
then intense passion glowed in their depths. 
Nothing that passed in this man's soul was recog- 
nizable in his features ; only the thin lips, firmly 
as he closed them, sometimes betrayed by a slight, 
involuntary quiver that this rigid, corpse-like face 
was not a death-mask. 

Gelimer had started up the instant he saw the 
priest, and now, hurrying toward him, clasped 
the motionless figure, which stood with arms 
hanging loosely before him, ardently to his heart. 

*' Verus, my Verus ! " he cried, " my guardian 
angel! And you! — you! — they are trying to 
make me distrust. Really, brother, the stars 
would sooner change from God's eternal order in 
the heavens than this man fail in his fidelity to 
me." He kissed him on the cheek. Verus re- 
mained perfectly immoved. Zazo watched the 
pair wrathfully. 

" He has more love, more feeling," he mut- 
tered, stroking his thick beard, " for that Roman, 
that alien, than for — Speak, priest, can you deny 
that last Sunday, after midnight, Pudentius — ah, 
your lips quiver — Pudentius of Tripolis was 
secretly admitted by you through the little door 
in the eastern gate and received in your house, 
beside your basilica ? Speak ! " 

Gelimer's eyes rested lovingly on his friend, 



THE SCARLET BANNER 37 

and, smiling faintly, he shook his head. Verus 
was silent. 

" Speak," Zazo repeated. " Deny it if you 
dare. You did not suspect that I was watching 
in the tower after I had relieved the guard. I 
had long suspected the gate-keeper ; he was once 
a slave of Pudentius. You bought and freed 
him. Do you see, brother? He is silent! I 
will arrest him at once. We will search for secret 
letters his house, his chest, the altars, the sarcoph- 
agi of his church, nay, even his clothes." 

Now Verus's black eyes suddenly blazed upon 
the bold soldier, then after a swift side-glance at 
Gelimer were again bent calmly on the floor. 

" Or do you deny it ? " 

" No," fell almost inaudibly from the scarcely 
parted lips. 

" Do you hear that, brother ? " 

Gelimer hastily advanced a step nearer to 
Verus. 

" It was to tell you this that I requested an 
immediate interview," said the latter, quietly, 
turning his back on Zazo. 

'* That 's what I call presence of mind ! " cried 
Zazo, laughing loudly. " But how will you 
prove it ? " 

" I have brought the proof that Pudentius is 
a traitor," Verus went on, turning to Gelimer, 
without paying the slightest attention to his 
accuser. " Here it is." 



38 THE SCARLET BANNER 

He slowly threw back his cloak, passed his 
hand through the folds of his under garment, 
and after a short search drew from his breast 
a small, crumpled strip of papyrus, which he 
handed to Gelimer, who hurriedly unfolded it, 
and read, — 

, "In spite of your warning, we shall persist. 
Belisarius is perhaps already on the way. Give 
this to the King." 

Both Vandals were startled. 

"That letter?" asked Gelimer. 

" Was written by Pudentius." 

" To whom ? " 

" To me." 

" Do you hear, brother ? " exclaimed Zazo. 

" He betrays — " 

"The betrayers," Verus interrupted. "Yes, 
Gelimer, I have acted while you were hesitating, 
pondering, and this brave fool was sleeping, or 
— blustering. You remember, long ago I warned 
you that the King and his nephews were nego- 
tiating with Constantinople." 

" Did he do so really, brother ? " asked Zazo, 
eagerly. 

" Long ago. And repeatedly." 

Zazo shook his brown locks, angry, wonder- 
ing, incredulous. But he said firmly, — 

" Then forgive me, priest, — if I have really 
done you injustice." 

" Pudentius," Verus continued, without reply- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 39 

ing, " was, I suspected, the go-between. I gained 
his confidence." 

" That is, you deceived him — as you are 
perhaps deluding us," muttered Zazo. 

" Silence, brother ! " Gelimer commanded im- 
periously. 

" It was not difficult to convince him. My 
family, like his, had by your kings — " he inter- 
rupted himself abruptly. " I expressed my 
anguish ; I condemned your cruelty." 

" With justice ! Woe betide us, with justice ! " 
groaned Gelimer, striking his brow with his 
clenched fist. 

" I said that my friendship for you was not so 
strong as my resentment for all my kindred. He 
initiated me into the conspiracy. I was startled ; 
for, in truth, unless God worked a miracle to 
blind him, the Vandal kingdom was hopelessly 
lost. I warned him — to gain time until your 
return — of the cruel vengeance you would take 
upon all Romans if the insurrection should be 
suppressed. He hesitated, promised to consider 
everything again, to discuss the matter once more 
with the King. There — this note, brought to 
me by a stranger to-day in the basilica, contains 
the decision. Act quickly, or it may be too late." 

Gelimer gazed silently into vacancy. But 
Zazo drew his sword and was rushing from the 
hall. 

" Where are you going ? " asked the priest, in 



40 THE SCARLET BANNER 

a low tone, seizing his arm. The grasp was so 
firm, so powerfiil, that the Vandal could not 
shake it off. 

" Where ? To the King ! To cut down the 
traitor and his allies ! Then assemble the army 
and — Hail to King Gelimer ! " 

" Silence, madman ! " cried the latter, startled, 
as if his most secret wish were revealed to him, 
"you will stay here ! Would you. add to all the 
sins which already burden the Vandal race — 
especially our generation — the crime of de- 
thronement, regicide, the murder of a kinsman ? 
Where is the proof of Hilderic's guilt? Was 
my long-cherished distrust not merely the fruit, 
but the pretext, — inspired by my own impatient 
desire for the throne ? Pudentius may lie — 
exaggerate. Where is the proof that treason is 
planned ? " 

" Will you wait till it has succeeded ? " cried 
Zazo, defiantly. 

"No ! But do not punish till it is proved." 

" There speaks the Christian," said the priest, 
approvingly. - " But the proof must be quickly 
produced : this very day. Listen, I have rea- 
son to believe that Pudentius is in the city 
now." 

" We must have him ! " cried Zazo. " Where 
is he ? With the King ? " 

" They do not work so openly. He steals into 
the palace only by night. But I know his hiding- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 41 

place. In the grove of the Holy Virgin — the 
warm baths/' 

« Send me, brother ! Me ! I will fly ! " 

" Go, then," replied Gelimer, waving his hand. 

" But do not kill him," the priest called after 
the hurrying figure. 

" No, by my sword ! We must have him 
alive." He vanished down the corridor. 

" Oh, Verus ! " Gelimer passionately exclaimed, 
" you faithftil friend ! Shall I owe you the rescue 
of my people, as well as the deliverance of my 
own poor life from the most horrible death ? " 
He eagerly clasped his hand. 

The priest withdrew it. 

" Thank God for your own and your people's 
destiny, not me. I am only the tool of His will, 
from the hour I assumed the garb of this priest- 
hood. But listen : to you alone dare I confide 
the whole truth; yonder blockhead would ruin 
everything by his blind impetuosity. Your life 
is threatened. That does not alarm the hero ! 
Yet you must preserve it for your people. Fall 
if fall you must, in battle, under the sword of 
Belisarius " (Gelimer's eyes sparkled, and a noble 
enthusiasm transfigured his face), "but do not 
perish miserably by murder." 

" Murder ? Who would — ? " 

" The King. No, do not doubt. Pudentius 
told me. The nephews overruled his opposi- 
tion. They know that you will bafile their plans 



42 THE SCARLET BANNER 

so long as you live. You must never be per- 
mitted to become King of the Vandals." 

Here the black eyes shot a swift glance, then 
fell again. 

" We shall see ! " cried Gelimer, wrathfuUy. " I 
will be King, and woe — " 

Here he stopped suddenly. His breath came 
and went quickly. After a pause, repressing his 
vehemence, he asked humbly, — 

" Is this ambition a sin, my brother ? " 

"You have a right to the crown," the other 
answered quietly. " If you should die, then, ac- 
cording to Genseric's law of succession, Hoamer, 
as the oldest male scion of the race, would follow. 
So they have persuaded the King to invite you 
on the day of your return to a secret interview in 
the palace — entirely alone — and there murder 
you." 

" Impossible, my friend. I have^ already seen 
the King. He received me ungraciously, un- 
gratefully; but," he smiled, "as you see, I am 
still alive." 

" You went to see the King, surrounded by all 
the leaders of your troops fully armed. But be- 
ware that he does not summon you again alone." 

" That would be strange. We discussed every 
subject of moment." 

At that instant steps echoed in the corridor. 
A negro slave handed Gelimer a letter. " From 
the King," he said, and left the hall. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 43 

The hero tore the cord that fastened the little 
wax tablet, glanced at the contents, and turned 
pale. 

It is true. Come at the tenth hour in the evening to 
my sleeping room, with no companion. I have a secret 
matter to discuss with you. Hilderic. 

"You see — " 

" No, no ! I will not believe it. It may be 
accident. Hilderic is weak ; he hates me ; but he 
is no murderer." 

" So much the better if Pudentius lied. But 
it is the duty of the friend to warn. Do not go 
there!" 

" I must ! I fear for myself? Does my Verus 
know me so little ? " 

" Then do not go alone. Take Zazo with you, 
or Gibamund." 

" Impossible, against the King's command ! 
And no one is permitted to have a private in- 
terview with the King except unarmed." 

" Well, then, at least wear under your robe the 
cuirass, which* will protect you from a dagger- 
thrust. And the short-sword ? Cannot you 
conceal it in your sleeve or girdle ? " 

" Over-anxious friend ! " said Gelimer, smiling. 
" But for your sake I will put on the cuirass." 

" That is not enough for me. However, I will 
consider ; there is one way of helping you in case 
of need. Yes, that will do." 



44 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" What do you mean ? " 

" Hush ! I will pray that my thoughts may be 
fulfilled. You, too, my brother, pray. For you, 
we all, are to meet great dangers ; and God alone 
sees the — " 

Here he stopped suddenly, clasped both hands 
around his head, and with a hoarse cry sank upon 
the couch. 

" Alas, Verus ! " exclaimed Gelimer. " Are you 
faint ? *' Hastily seizing the mixing vessel, he 
sprinkled water on the insensible man's face, and 
rubbed his hands. 

The priest opened his eyes again, and by a 
great effort, sat erect. . 

" Never mind ; it is over ! But the strain of 
this hour — was probably — too much. I will go 
— no, I need no support — to the basilica, to pray. 
Send Zazo there as soon as he returns — before 
you go to the King ; do you hear ? God grant 
my ardent desire ! " 



CHAPTER VII 

To CETHEGUSy A FrIEND. 

THE Vandal war has been given up, and 
for what pitiable reasons ! You know 
that I have thought it . far wiser for our 
rulers to attend to the matters immediately around 
us than to meddle with the Barbarians. For so 
long as this unbearable burden of taxation and 
abuse of official power continues in the Roman 
Empire, so long every conquest, every increase 
in the number of our subjects, will merely swell 
the list of unfortunates. Yet if Africa could be 
restored to the Empire, we ought not to relinquish 
the proud thought from sheer cowardice ! 

There stands the ugly word, — unhappily a 
true one. From cowardice? Not Theodora's. 
Indeed, that is not one of the faults of this delicate, 
otherwise womanly woman. Two years ago, 
when the terrible insurrection of the Greens and 
Blues in the Circus swept victoriously over the 
whole city, when Justinian despaired and wished 
to fly, Theodora's courage kept him in the palace, 
and Belisarius's fidelity saved him. But this 
time the blame does not rest upon the Emperor ; 
it is the cowardice of the Roman army, or espe- 



46 THE SCARLET BANNER 

daily, the fleet. Trae, Justinian's zeal has cooled 
considerably since the failure of the crafty plan to 
destroy Genseric's kingdom ; almost without a 
battle, principally by " arts," — treachery, ordinary 
people term them. Hilderic, at an appointed time, 
was to send his whole army into the interior for a 
great campaign against the Moors ; our fleet was 
to run into the unprotected harbors of Carthage, 
land the army, occupy the city, and make Hil- 
deric, Hoamer, and a Senator the Emperor's 
three governors of the recovered province of 
Africa. 

But this time we crafty ones were outwitted by 
a brain still more subtle. Our friend from Trip- 
olis writes that he was deceived in the Arian 
priest whom he believed he had won for our 
cause. This man, at first well disposed, after- 
wards became wavering, warned, dissuaded — nay, 
perhaps even betrayed the plan to the Vandals. 
So an open attack must be made. This pleased 
Belisarius, but not the Emperor. He hesitated. 

Meanwhile — Heaven knows through whom — 
the rumor of the coming Vandal war spread 
through the court, into the city, among the 
soldiers and sailors ; and — disgrace and shame on 
us — nearly all the greatest dignitaries, the gen- 
erals, and also the army and the fleet were seized 
with terror. AH remembered the last great cam- 
paign against this dreaded foe, when, two genera- 
tions ago — it was under the Emperor Leo — the 



THE SCARLET BANNER 47 

full strength of the whole empire was employed. 
The ruler of the Western Empire attacked the 
Vandals simultaneously in Sardinia and Tripolis. 
Constantinople accomplished magnificent deeds. 
One hundred and thirty thousand pounds of 
gold were used ; Basiliscus, the Emperor's brother- 
in-law, led a hundred thousand warriors to the 
Carthaginian coast. All were destroyed in a 
single night. Genseric attacked with firebrands 
the triremes packed too closely together at the 
Promontory of Mercury, while his swift horse- 
men at the same time assailed the camp on the 
shore ; fleet and army were routed in blood and 
flame. Even to the present day do the Prefect 
and the Treasurer lament the loss. " It will be 
just the same now as it was then. The last money 
in the almost empty coffers will be flung into the 
sea ! " But the generals (except Belisarius and 
Narses), what heroes they are! Each fears that 
the Emperor will choose him. And how, even 
if they overcome the terrors of the ocean, is a 
landing to be made upon a hostile coast defended 
by the dreaded Germans ? The soldiers, who 
have just returned from the Persian War, have 
barely tasted the joys of home. They are talking 
mutinously in every street; no sooner returned 
from the extreme East, they must be sent to the 
farthest West, to the Pillars of Hercules, to fight 
with Moors and Vandals. They were not used 
to sea-battles, were not trained for them, were not 



48 THE SCARLET BANNER 

enlisted for the purpose, and therefore were under 
no obligations. The Prefect, especially, repre- 
sented to the Emperor that Carthage was a hun- 
dred and fifty days' march by land from Egypt, 
while the sea was barred by the invincible fleet 
of the Vandals. " Don't meddle with this 
African wasp's nest," he warned him. " Or the 
corsair ships will ravage all our coasts and islands 
as they did in the days of Genseric." And this 
argument prevailed. The Emperor has changed 
his mind. How the hero Belisarius fumes and 
rages ! 

Theodora resents — in silence. But she vehe- 
mently desired this war ! I am really no favorite 
of hers. I am far too independent, too much the 
master of my own thoughts, and my conscience 
pricks me often enough for my insincerity. She 
certainly has the best — that is, the best trained — 
conscience : it no longer disturbs her. Doubtless 
she smoothed down its pricks long ago. But I 
have repeatedly received the dainty little papyrus 
rolls whose seal bears a scorpion surrounded by 
flames, — little notes in which she earnestly urged 
me to the " war spirit," if I desired to retain her 
friendship. 



CHAPTER VIII 

SINCE I wrote this — a few days ago — 
new and important tidings have come 
from Africa. Great changes have taken 
place there, which perhaps may force the vacillat- 
ing Emperor to go to war. What our statecraft 
had striven in the most eager and crafty manner 
to prevent has already happened in spite of this 
effort, perhaps in consequence of it. Gelimer 
is King of the Vandals ! 

The archdeacon Verus — all names can be 
mentioned now — had really spun webs against, 
not for us. He betrayed everything to Gelimer ! 
Pudentius of Tripolis, who was secretly living 
in Carthage, was to have been seized ; Verus had 
betrayed his hiding-place. It is remarkable, by 
the way, that Pudentius hastily fled from the 
city a short time before, on the priest's swiftest 
horse. 

That same day a mysterious event occurred in 
the palace, of which nothing is known definitely 
except the result — for Gelimer is King of the 
Vandals ; but the connection, the causes, are very 
differently told. Some say that Gelimer wanted 
to murder the King, others that the King tried 



50 THE SCARLET BANNER 

to kill Gelimer. Others again whisper — so 
Pudentius writes — of a secret warning which 
reached the King: a stranger informed him by 
letter that Gelimer meant to murder him at their 
next private interview. The sovereign, to con- 
vince himself, must instantly summon him to 
one; the assassin would either refuse to come, 
from fear awakened by an evil conscience, or he 
would appear — contrary to the strict prohibition 
of court laws — secretly armed. Hilderic must 
provide himself with a coat of mail and a dagger, 
and have help close at hand. The King obeyed 
this counsel. 

It is certain that he summoned Gelimer on the 
evening of that very day to an interview in his 
bedroom on the ground-floor of the palace. 
Gelimer came. The King embraced him, and 
in doing so, discovered the armor under his robe 
and called for help. The ruler's two nephews, 
Hoamer and Euages, rushed with drawn swords 
from the next room to kill the assassin. But at 
the same moment Gelimer's two brothers, whom 
Verus had concealed amid the shrubbery in the 
garden, sprang through the low windows of the 
ground-floor. The King and Euages were dis- 
armed and taken prisoners; Hoamer escaped. 
Hastening into the courtyard of the Capitol, he 
called the Vandals to arms to rescue their King, 
who had been murderously attacked by Gelimer. 
The Barbarians hesitated: Hilderic was un- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 51 

popular, Gelimer a great favorite, and the people 
did not believe him capable of such a crime. 
The latter now appeared, gave the lie to his 
accuser, and charged Hilderic and his nephews 
with the attempt at assassination. To decide the 
question he challenged Hoamer to single combat 
in the presence of the whole populace, and killed 
him at the first blow. 

The Vandals tumultuously applauded him, at 
once declared Hilderic deposed, and pi-oclaimed 
Gelimer, who was the legal heir, their King. It 
was with the utmost difficulty that his intercession 
saved the lives of the two captives. Verus is 
said to have been made prothonotary and chan- 
cellor, Gelimer's chief councillor, since he saved 
his life ! We know better, we who were betrayed, 
how this priest earned his reward at our expense. 

But I believe that this change of ruler will 
cgmpel the war. It is now a point of honor 
with Justinian to save or avenge his dethroned 
and imprisoned friend. I have already composed 
a wonderful letter to the " Tyrant " Gelimer 
which closes thus : " So, contrary to justice and 
duty, you are keeping your cousin, the rightful 
King of the Vandals, in chains, and robbing him 
of the crown. Replace him on the throne, or 
know that we will march against you, and in so 
doing (this sentence the Emperor of the Pandects 
dictated word for word) — in so doing we shall not 
break the compact of perpetual peace formerly 



52 THE SCARLET BANNER 

concluded with Genseric, for we shall not be 
fighting against Genseric's lawful successor, but 
to avenge him." Note the legal subtlety. The 
Emperor is more proud of that sentence than 
Belisarius of his great Persian victory at Dara. 
If this Gelimer should actually do what we ask, 
the avengers of justice would be most horribly 
embarrassed. For we desire this War; that is, 
we wanted Africa long before the occurrence of 
the crime which we shall march to avenge — 
unless we prefer, with wise economy and caution, 
to remain at home. 

We have received the Vandal's answer. A 
right royal reply for a Barbarian and tyrant. 
" The sovereign Gelimer to the sovereign Jus- 
tinian " — he uses the same word, " Basileus," for 
Emperor and for King, the bold soldier. 

" I did not seize the sceptre by violence, nor 
have I committed any crime against my kindred. 
But the Vandal people deposed Hilderic because 
he himself was planning evil against the Asding 
race, against the rightful heir to the throne, against 
our kingdom. The law of succession summoned 
me, as the oldest of the Asding family after Hil- 
deric, to the empty throne. 

" He is a praiseworthy ruler, O Justinianus, who 
wisely governs his own kingdom and does not in- 
terfere with foreign states. If you break the peace 
guarded by sacred oaths, and attack us, we shall 



THE SCARLET BANNER 53 

illy defend ourselves, and appeal to God, 
whc# punishes perjury and wrong." 

(pood ! I like you. King Gelimer ! I am glad 
tolliave our Emperor of lawyers told that he must 
notl blow what is not burning him : a proverb 

lich to me seems a tolerably fair embodiment 
ofi all legal wisdom. True, I have my own 
thoughts concerning the divine punishment of all 
eawthly injustice. 

"he Barbarian's letter has highly incensed Jus- 
tittian, another proof that the Barbarian is right. 
But I believe we shall put this answer in our 
pockets just as quietly as we returned to its 
sheath the sword we had already drawn. The 
Emperor inveighs loudly against the Tyrant, but 
the army shouts still more loudly that it will 
not fight. And the Empress — is silent. 



J 



\ 

\ be 

Aut 

The 



CHAPTER IX 

MEANWHILE King Gelimer was uit^y 
ing forward with all his power t|s, 
preparations for the threatening c<P^ 
flict. He found much, very much, to be dof" 
The King, assuming the chief direction, aSi 
working wherever he was needed, had given 
Zazo charge of the fleet and Gibamund that of 
the army. 

One sultry August evening he received their 
reports. The three brothers had met in the great 
throne-room and armory of the palace, into which 
Gelimer had now moved ; the open windows af- 
forded a magnificent view of the harbors and the 
sea beyond them ; the north wind brought a re- 
freshing breath from the salt tide. 
, This portion of the ancient citadel had been 
rebuilt by the Vandal kings, changed to suit the 
necessities of life in a German palace. The round 
column of the Greeks had been replaced, in imi- 
tation of the wood used in the construction of the 
German halls, by huge square pillars of brown 
and red marble, which Africa produced in the 
richest variety. The ceiling was wainscoted with 
gayly painted or burned wood, and, on both stone 



THE SCARLET BANNER 55 

^ and timber, besides the house-mark of the As- 
^ dings, — an A transfixed by an arrow, — many 
^ another rune, even many a short motto, was in- 
scribed in Gothic characters. Costly crimson silk 
' hangings waved at the open arched windows ; the 
walls were set with slabs of polished marble in 
the most varied contrast of often vivid colors, 
for the Barbarian taste loved bright hues. The 
floor was composed of polished mosaic, but it 
was rough and not well fitted. Genseric had 
simply brought whole shiploads of the brightest 
hues he could drag from the palaces of plun- 
dered Rome, with statues and bas-reliefs, which 
were put together here with little choice. 

Opposite to the side facing the sea, rose, at the 
summit of five steps, a stately structure, the throne 
of Genseric. The steps were very broad ; they 
were intended to accommodate the King's enor- 
mous train, the Palatines and Gardings, the lead- 
ers of the thousands and hundreds, stationed 
according to their rank and the ruler's favor. 
In their rich fantastic costumes and armor, a 
combination of German and Roman taste, they 
often gathered closely around the sovereign and 
stood crowding together ; the scarlet silk Vandal 
banners fluttered above them, and a golden dragon 
swung by a rope from the tent-like canopy of 
the lofty purple throne. When from this throne, 
at whose feet, as a symbolical tribute from con- 
quered Moorish princes, lion and tiger skins lay 



56 THE SCARLET BANNER 

piled a foot high, the mighty sea-king arose, 
swinging around his head with angry, threaten- 
ing words the seven-lashed scourge (a gift from 
his friend Attila), many an envoy of the Em- 
peror forgot the arrogant speech he had pre- 
pared. 

The wonderful splendor • of this hall fairly 
bewildered the eye ; but its richest ornament was 
the countless number of weapons of every vari- 
ety, and of every nation, principally German, 
Roman, and Moorish ; but also from all the 
other coasts and islands which the sea-king's cor- 
sair ships could visit. They covered all the 
pillars and walls ; nay, the shields and breast- 
plates were even spread over the entire ceiling. 

A strange, dazzling light now poured over all 
this bronze, silver, and gold, as the slanting rays 
of the setting sun streamed from the northwest 
into the hall. A broad white marble table was 
completely covered with parchment and papyrus 
rolls, containing lists of the bodies of troops, by 
thousands and hundreds, drawings of ships, maps 
of the Vandal kingdom, charts of the Bay of 
Gades and the Tyrrhenian Sea. 

" You have accomplished more than the pos- 
sible during the weeks I have been in the west, 
trying to bring the Vandals thence to Carthage," 
said the King, laying down a wax tablet on which 
he had been computing figures. " True, we are 
far, far from possessing the numbers or the 



THE SCARLET BANNER 57 

strength of the ships which formerly bore ' the 
terror of the Vandals ' to every shore. But these 
hundred and fifty will be amply sufficient, and 
more than sufficient, to defend our own coast and 
to prevent a landing, if behind the fleet there 
stands a body of foot soldiers on the shore." 

" No, do not sigh, my Gibamund," cried Zazo. 
" Our brother knows it is no fault of yours that 
the army is not — cannot accomplish what — *' 

" Oh," exclaimed Gibamund, wrathfuUy, "it is 
all in vain ! No matter what I do, they will not 
drill. They want to drink and bathe and carouse 
and ride and see the games in the Circus, indulge 
in everything that consumes a man's marrow in 
that accursed grove of Venus." 

" But that abomination ended yesterday," said 
the King. 

" Much you know about it, O Gelimer," said 
Zazo, shaking his head. "You have accom- 
plished miracles since you wore this heavy crown ; 
but to cleanse the grove of Venus — " 

" Not cleanse; close ! " replied the King, sternly. 
" It has been closed since yesterday." 

" I must complain, accuse many," Gibamund 
went on, " especially the nobles. They refuse 
to fight on foot, to take part in the drill of the 
foot soldiers. You know how much we need 
them. They appeal to the privileges bestowed 
by weak Sovereigns ; they say they are no longer 
obliged to enter the ranks of the foot soldiers ! 



58 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Hilderic permitted every Vandal to buy freedom 
from it, if he would hire in his place two Moorish 
or other mercenaries." 

" I have abolished these privileges." 

" Oh, yes. And during your absence there 
was open rebellion ; blood flowed on that account 
in the streets of Carthage. But the worst thing 
is, that these effeminate nobles and the richer 
citizens can no longer fight on !foot. They say 
— and unfortunately it is true — that they can 
no longer bear the weight of the heavy helmets, 
breastplates, shields, and spears, no longer hurl 
the lances which I had brought out again from 
Genseric's arsenal." 

"They are of course required to arm them- 
selves," said Zazo. "So why — " 

" Because most have sold the ancient weapons 
or exchanged them for jewels, wine, dainties, or 
female slaves; or else for arms that are mere 
ornaments and toys. I allow no one to enter 
the army with this rubbish; and before they are 
properly equipped, the victory and the Empire 
might be lost. But it is true : they can no longer 
carry Genseric's armor. They would fall in a 
short time. They are swearing because we are 
now in the very hottest months." 

" Are we to tell the enemy that the Vandals 
fight only in the winter ? " cried Zazo, laughing. 

"Therefore tb fill the ranks of* our foot 
soldiers I have already obtained many thousand 



THE SCARLET BANNER 59 

Moorish mercenaries," the King replied. " Of 
course these sons of the desert, variable, impetu- 
ous, changeful, like the sands of their home, are 
a poor substitute for German strength. But I 
have gained twenty chiefs with about ten thousand 
men." 

" Is Cabaon, the graybeard of countless years, 
among them ? " asked Gibamund. 

" No, he delays his answer." 

" It is a pity. He is the most powerful of 
them all ! And his prophetic renown extends far 
beyond his tribe," observed Zazo. 

" Well, we shall have better assistants than 
the Moorish robbers," said Gibamund, consolingly. 
" The brave Visigoths in Spain." 

" Have you yet received an answer from their 
king?" 

" Yes and no ! King Theudis is shrewd and 
cautious. I urged upon him earnestly (I wrote 
the letter myself; I did not leave it to Verus) that 
Constantinople was not threatening us Vandals 
solely; that the imperial troops could easily cross 
the narrow straits from Ceuta, if we were once 
vanquished. I offered him an alliance. He 
answered evasively : he must first be sure of 
what we could accomplish in the war." 

" What does he mean by that ? " cried Zazo, 
angrily. " I suppose he wants to wait till the 
end of the conflict. Whether we conquer or 
are vanquished, we shall no longer need him!" 



6o THE SCARLET BANNER 

" I wrote again, still more urgently. His 
answer will soon come." 

"But the Ostrogoths?" asked Gibamund, 
eagerly. "What do they reply?" 

"Nothing at all." 

" That is bad," said Gibamund. 

" I wrote to the Regent : I stated that I was 
innocent of Hilderic's shameful deed. I warned 
her against Justinian, who was threatening her 
no less than us; I reminded her of the close 
kinship of our nations — " 

" You have not yet stooped to entreaties ? " 
asked Zazo, indignantly. 

" By no means. I besought nothing. I 
merely requested, as our just right, that the 
Ostrogoths at least would not aid our foes. As 
yet I have had no answer. But worse than the 
lack of allies, the most perilous thing is the utter, 
foolish undervaluation of the enemy among our 
own people," added the King. 

" Yes ! They say. Why should we weary our- 
selves with drilling and arming? The little 
Greeks won't dare to attack us ! And if they 
really do come, the grandsons of Genseric will 
destroy the grandsons of Basiliscus just as Gen- 
seric destroyed him.'* 

" But we are no longer Genseric's Vandals ! " 
Gelimer lamented. " Genseric brought with him 
an army of heroes, brave, trained by twenty years 
of warfare with other Germans and with the 



THE SCARLET BANNER 6i 

Romans in the mountains of Spain, simple, plain 
in tastes, rigid in morals. He closed the houses 
of Roman pleasure in Carthage ; he compelled 
all women of light fame to marry or enter 
convents." 

" But how that suited the husbands and the 
other nuns is not told," replied Zazo, laughing. 

" And now, to-day, our youths are as corrupt 
as the most profligate Romans. To the cruelty 
of the fathers " — the King sighed deeply — " is 
added the dissipation, the intemperance, the 
effeminate indolence of the sons. How can such 
a nation endure ? It must succumb." 

"But we Asdings," said Gibamund, drawing 
himself up to his full height, while his eyes 
sparkled and a noble look transfigured his whole 
face, " we are unsullied by such stains." 

" What sins have we — you and we two — 
committed," Zazo added, "that we must perish?" 

Again the King sighed heavily, his brow 
clouded, he lowered his eyes. 

" We ? Do we not bear the curse which — 
But hush ! Not a word of that ! It is the last 
straw of my hope that I, the King, at least wear 
this crown without guilt. Were I obliged to 
accuse myself of that, woe betide me ! Oh — 
whose is this cold hand ? You, Verus ? You 
startled me." 

" He steals in noiselessly, like a serpent," Zazo 
muttered in his beard. 



62 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The priest — he had retained, even as chancel- 
lor, the ecclesiastical robe — had entered unob- 
served ; how long before, no one knew. His 
eyes were fixed intently upon Gelimer, as he 
slowly withdrew the hand he had laid upon his 
friend's bare arm. 

" Yes, my sovereign, keep this anxiety of con- 
science. Guard your soul from guilt. I know 
your nature ; it would crush you." 

" You shall not make my brother still more 
gloomy," cried Zazo, indignantly. 

" Gelimer and guilt ! " exclaimed Gibamund, 
throwing his arm around the King's neck. 

" He is only too conscientious, too much given 
to pondering," Zazo went on. " Really, Gelimer, 
you, too, are no longer like Genseric's Vandals. 
You are infected also ; not by Roman vices, but 
by Roman or Greek or Christian brooding over 
subtle questions. To put it more courteously : 
gnosticism, theosophy, or mysticism ? I know 
nothing about it, cannot even think of it. How 
glad I am that our father did not send me to be 
educated by the priests and philosophers ! He 
soon discovered that Zazo's hard skull was fit only 
for the helmet, not to carry a reed behind the 
ear. But you! I always felt as though I were 
going into a dungeon when I visited you in your 
gloomy, high-walled monastery, in the solitude 
of the desert. Many, many years you dreamed 
away there among the books — lost," 



THE SCARLET BANNER 63 

" Not lost ! " replied Gibamund. " He found 
time to become the chief hero of his people. On 
him rests the hope of the Vandals." 

" On the whole House of the Asdings ! We 
are not degenerates/' answered the King. " But 
can a single family — even though it is the reign- 
ing one — stay the sinking of a whole nation ? 
Uplift one that has fallen so low ? *' 

" Hardly," said Verus, shaking his head. " For 
who can say of himself that he is free from sin? 
And," he added slowly, suddenly raising his eyes 
and fixing them full upon Gelimer, " the sins of 
the fathers — " 

" Stay," exclaimed the King, groaning aloud, as 
if in anguish. " Not that thought now — when I 
must act, create, accomplish. It will paralyze me." 
He pressed his hand over his eyes and brow. 

" Even at the present time," the priest con- 
tinued, " sin is dominant everywhere among the 
people. It cries aloud to Heaven for vengeance. 
Just now I was obliged, to comfort a dying man — " 

" Even as Chancellor of the Kingdom, he does 
not forget the duties of the priest," said Gelimer, 
turning to his brothers. 

" To go near the southern gate. Again, from 
that grove devoted to every vice, there fell upon 
my ear the uproar, the infernal jubilee of evil 
revel. Those shameless songs — " 

" What ? " cried the King, wrathfuUy, striking 
the marble table with his clinched fist. " Do 



64 THE SCARLET BANNER 

they dare ? Did I not order, before my depart- 
ure for Hippo, that all these games and festivals 
should cease? Did I not fix yesterday as the 
final limit, after which the grove must be cleared 
and all its houses closed ? I sent three hundred 
lancers to see that my commands were obeyed. 
What are they doing ? " 

" Those who are no longer dancing and drink- 
ing are asleep, weary of carousing, full of wine, 
which they drank, like all who were there. I 
saw a. little group snoring under the archway of 
the gate." 

" I will give them a terrible awakening," cried 
the King. " Must sin actually devour us ? " 

" That grove is beyond cure," said Zazo. 

" What the sword cannot do, the flames will," 
exclaimed the King, threateningly. " I will sweep 
through them like the wrath of God ! Up, follow 
me, my brothers ! " He rushed out of the room. 

" Order the hundreds of horsemen to mount, 
Gibamund," said Zazo, as they crossed the thresh- 
old, — " the household troop, under faithful 
Markomer. For the Vandals no longer obey 
the King's word unless at the same time they 
see the glitter of the King's sword." 

The archdeacon, muttering softly to himself 
and shaking his head, slowly followed the three 
Asdings. 



CHAPTER X 

THE " lower city " of Carthage extended 
northward to the harbor, westward to 
the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and 
eastward to the Tripolitan suburb. Directly be- 
yond its southern gate, covering a space more 
than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the 
oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus " or "Grove 
of the Holy Virgin." From the most ancient 
pagan times this grove was the scene of the 
sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial 
throughout the Roman Empire. "African " was 
the word used to express the acme of such 
orgies. 

The whole coast of the bay in this neighbor- 
hood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had origi- 
nally been covered with dense woods. The 
larger portion had long since yielded to the 
growth of the city ; but, by the Emperor's 
order, a. considerable part was retained and trans- 
formed into a magnificent park, adorned with all 
the skill and the lavish expenditure which char- 
acterized the time of the Caesars. 

The main portion of this grove consisted of 
date palms. These were introduced by the Phoe- 

5 



66 THE SCARLET BANNER 

nicians. The palm, say the Arabs, gladly sets 
her feet as queen of the desert into damp sand, 
but lifts her head into the glow of the sun. It 
thrived magnificently here, and in centuries of 
growth the slender columns of the trunks attained 
a height of fifty feet; no sunbeam could penetrate 
vertically through the roof of drooping leaves of 
those thick crowns, which rustled and nodded 
dreamily in the wind, wooing, inviting to sleep, 
to unresisting indolence, to drowsy thoughts. 

But they stood sufficiently far apart to allow 
the light and air to enter from the sides and to 
permit smaller trees (dwarf palms), bushes, and 
flowers to grow luxuriantly beneath the shelter of 
the lofty crowns. Besides the palms, other noble 
trees had been first planted and fostered by human 
hands, then had increased through the peerless fer- 
tility of nature : the plane-tree, with its lustrous 
light bark ; the pine, the cypress, and the laurel ; 
the olive, which loves the salt breath of the sea ; 
the pomegranate, so naturalized here that its fruit 
was called " the Carthaginian apple " ; while 
figs, citrus-trees, apricots, peaches, almonds, chest- 
nuts, pistachios, terebinths, oleanders, and myr- 
tles, — sometimes as large trees, sometimes as 
shrubs, — formed, as it were, the undergrowth 
of the glorious palm forest. 

And the skill in gardening of the Roman im- 
perial days, which has scarcely been equalled since, 
aided by irrigation from the immense aqueducts. 



/ 



THE SCARLET BANNER 67 

had created here, on the edge of the desert, mar- 
vels of beauty. " Desert " was a misnomer ; the 
real desert lay much farther in the interior. First 
there was a thick luxuriant green turf, which, 
even in the hottest days of the year, had hardly a 
single sunburnt patch. The wind had borne the 
flower-seeds from the numerous beds, and now 
everywhere amid the grass blossoms shone in the 
vivid, glowing hues with which the African sun 
loves to paint. 

The parterres of flowers which were scattered 
through the entire grove suflfered, it is true, from 
a certain monotony. The variety.that now adorns 
our gardens was absent : the rose, the narcissus, 
the violet, and the anemone stood almost alone ; 
but these appeared in countless varieties, in colors 
artificially produced, and were often made to blos- 
som before or after their regular season. 

In this world of trees, bushes, and flowers the 
lavishness of the emperors (who had formerly 
often resided here), the munificence of the gov- 
ernors, and still more the endowments of wealthy 
citizens of Carthage had erected an immense 
number of buildings of every variety. For 
centuries patriotism, a certain sense of honor, 
and often vanity, boastfulness, and a desire to 
perpetuate a name, had induced wealthy citizens 
to keep themselves in remembrance by erecting 
structures for the public benefit, laying out pleas- 
ure-grounds, and putting up monuments. This 



68 THE SCARLET BANNER 

local patriotism of the former citizens, both in 
its praiseworthy and its petty motives, had by 
no means died out. Solemn tombs separated by 
very narrow spaces lined both sides of the broad 
Street of Legions, which ran straight through the 
grove from north to south. Besides these there 
were buildings of every description, and also 
baths, ponds, little lakes with waterworks, marble 
quays, and dainty harbors for the light pleasure- 
boats, circus buildings, amphitheatres, stages, 
stadia for athletic sports, hippodromes, open 
colonnades, temples with all their numerous 
and extensive outbuildings scattered everywhere 
through the grounds of the whole park. 

The grove had originally been dedicated to 
Aphrodite (Venus), therefore statues of this god- 
dess and of Eros (Cupid) appeared most fre- 
quently in the wide grounds, though Christian 
zeal had shattered the heads, breasts, and noses 
of many such figures and broken the bow of 
many a Cupid. Since the reign of Constantine, 
most of the pagan temples had been converted 
into Christian oratories and churches, but by no 
means all ; and those that had been withdrawn 
from the service of the pagan religion and not 
used for the Christian one had now for two 
centuries, with their special gardens, arbors, and 
grottoes, been the scenes of much vice, gambling, 
drunkenness, and matters even worse. The gods 
had been driven out ; the demons had entered. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 6g 

Among more than a hundred buildings in the 
grove, two near the Southern Gate of the city 
were specially conspicuous : the Old Circus and 
the Amphitheatre of Theodosius. 

The Old Circus had been erected in the period 
of the greatest prosperity of Carthage, the whole 
spacious structure, with its eighty thousand seats, 
was planned to accommodate its great population. 
Now most of the rows stood empty ; many of 
the Roman families, since the Vandal conquest, 
had moved away, been driven forth, exiled. The 
rich bronze ornaments of numerous single seats, 
rows, and boxes had been broken off. This was 
done not by the Vandals, who did not concern 
themselves about such trifles, but by the Roman 
inhabitants of the city and by the neighboring 
peasants; they even wrenched off and carried 
away the marble blocks from the buildings in the 
grove. The granite lower story, a double row 
of arches, supported the rows of marble seats, 
which rose from within like an amphitheatre. 
Outside, the Circus was surrounded by numerous 
entrances and outside staircases, besides niches 
occupied as shops, especially workshops, cook- 
shops, taverns, and fruit booths. Here, by night 
and day, many evil-minded people were always 
lounging; from the larger ones, hidden by cur- 
tains from the eyes of the passing throng, cymbals 
and drums clashed, in token that, within, Syrian 
and Egyptian girls were performing their volup- 



70 THE SCARLET BANNER 

tuous dances for a few copper coins. South of 
the Circus was a large lake, fed with sea-water 
from the " Stagnum," whose whole contents 
could be turned into the amphitheatre directly 
adjoining it. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE sultry heat of an African summer 
day still brooded over the whole grove, 
although the sun had long since sunk 
into the sea, and the brief twilight had passed 
into the darkness of night. But the full moon 
was already rising above the palm-trees, pouring 
her magical light over trees, bushes, meadows, 
and water ; over the marble statues which gleamed 
fantastically out of the darkest, blackish-green 
masses of shrubbery ; and over the buildings, 
which were principally of white or light-colored 
stone. 

In the more distant portions of the grove 
Diana's soft silvery light ruled alone, and here 
deep, chaste silence reigned, interrupted only 
here and there by the note of some night bird. 
But near the gate, in the two great main buildings, 
and on the turf and in the gardens surrounding 
them, the noisy uproar of many thousands filled 
the air. All the instruments known at the time 
were playing discordantly, drowning one another. 
Cries of pleasure, drunkenness, even rage and 
angry conflict, were heard in the Roman, the 
Greek, the Moorish, and especia ^y the Vandal 



72 THE SCARLET BANNER 

tongue ; for perhaps the largest and certainly the 
noisiest " guests of the grove," as the companions 
in these pleasures called themselves, belonged to 
the race of conquerors, who here gave vent to all 
their longing and capacity for pleasure. 

Two men, wearing the German costume, were 
walking down the broad street to the Circus. 
The dress was conspicuous here, for nearly all 
the Vandals, except the royal family, had either 
exchanged the German garb, nay, even the Ger- 
man weapons, for Roman ones, or for conven- 
ience, effeminacy, love of finery, adopted one or 
another article of Roman attire. These two 
men, however, had German cloaks, helmets, and 
weapons. 

" What frantic shouts ! What pushing and 
crowding ! " said the elder, a man of middle 
height, whose shrewd, keen eyes were closely 
scanning everything that was passing around him. 

" And it is not the Romans who shout and 
roar most wildly and frenziedly, but our own 
dear cousins,*' replied the other. 

" Was I not right, friend Theudigesel ? Here, 
among the people themselves, we shall learn 
more, obtain better information, in a single night, 
than if we exchanged letters with this book- 
learned King for many months." 

" What we see here with our own eyes is 
almost incredible ! *' 

Just at that moment loud cries reached their 



THE SCARLET BANNER 73 

ears from the gate behind them. Two negroes, 
naked except for an apron of peacock feathers 
about their loins, were swinging gold staves 
around their woolly heads, evidently trying to 
force a passage for a train behind them. 

" Make way," they shouted constantly ; " make 
way for the noble, Modigesel." 

But they could not succeed in breaking through 
the crowd ; their calls only attracted more cu- 
rious spectators. So the eight Moors behind, 
who were clad, or rather «»clad, in the same way, 
were compelled to set down their swaying burden, 
a richly gilded, half open litter. Its back was 
made of narrow purple cushions, framed and sup- 
ported by ivory rods ; white ostrich feathers and 
the red plumage of the flamingo nodded from the 
knobs of the ivory. 

" Ho, my friend," — the younger man addressed 
the occupant of the litter, a fair-haired Vandal 
about twenty-seven years old in a gleaming silk 
robe, richly ornamented with gold and gems, — 
" are the nights here always so gay ? " 

The noble was evidently surprised that any 
one should presume to accost him so uncere- 
moniously. Listlessly opening a pair of sleepy 
eyes, he turned to his companion ; for beside him 
now appeared a young woman, marvellously 
beautiful, though almost too folly developed, in 
a splendid robe, but overloaded with ornament. 
Her fair skin seemed to gleam with a dull yellow 



74 THE SCARLET BANNER 

lustre ; the expression of the perfect features, as 
regular as though carved by rule, yet rigid as 
those of the Sphinx, had absolutely no trace of 
mind or soul, only somewhat indolent but not 
yet sated sensuousness : she resembled a marvel- 
lously beautiful but very dangerous animal. So 
her charms exerted a power that was bewildering, 
oppressive, rather than winning. The Juno-like 
figure was not ornamented, but rather hung and 
laden, with gold chains, circlets, rings, and disks. 

" O-oh-a-ah ! I say, Astarte !" lisped her com- 
panion, in an affected whisper. He had heard 
from a Graeco-Roman dandy in Constantinople 
that it was fashionable to speak too low to be 
understood. " Scarecrows, those two fellows, 
eh ? '* And, sighing over the exertion, he pushed 
up the thick chaplet of roses which had slipped 
down over his eyes. " Like the description of 
Genseric and his graybeards ! Just see — ah — 
one has a wolfskin for a cloak. The other is 
carrying — in the Grove of Venus — a huge 
spear! — You ought to show yourselves — over 
yonder — in the Circus — for money, monsters ! " 

The younger stranger drew his sword wrath- 
fuUy. " If you knew to whom you were — " 

But the older man motioned him to keep 
silence. 

" You must have come a long distance, if you 
ask such questions," the Vandal went on, evi- 
dently amused by the appearance of the foreigners. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 75 

" It is the same always in this grove of the goddess 
of love. Only possibly it may be a trifle gayer 
to-night. The richest nobleman in Carthage 
celebrates his wedding. And he has invited the 
whole city." 

The beauty at his side raised herself a little. 
" Why do you waste time in talking to these 
rustics ? Look, the lake is already shining with 
red light The gondola procession is beginning. 
I want to see handsome Thrasaric.'* 

And — at this name — the inanimate features 
brightened, the large, dark, impenetrable eyes 
darted an eager, searching glance into the distance, 
then the long lashes fell. She leaned her head 
back on the purple cushions ; the black hair was 
piled up more than two hands high and clasped 
by five gold circlets united by light silver chains, 
yet the magnificent locks, thick as they were, 
were so stiflF and coarse in texture that they 
resembled the hair of a horse's mane. 

" Can't you content yourself for the present, 
Astarte, with the less handsome Modigisel ? " 
shouted her companion, with a strength of voice 
that proved the aflFectation of his former lisping 
whisper. " You are growing too bold since your 
manumission." And he nudged her in the side 
with his elbow. It was probably meant for an 
expression of tenderness. But the Carthaginian 
slightly curled her upper lip, revealing only her 
little white incisors. It was merely a light tremor. 



76 THE SCARLET BANNER 

but it recalled the huge cats of her native land, 
especially when at the same time, like an angry 
tiger, she shut her eyes and threw back her splen- 
did round head a little, as if silently vowing future 
vengeance, 

Modigisel had not noticed it. 

" I will obey, divine mistress," he now lisped 
again in the most affected tone. " Forward ! " 
Then as the poor blacks — he had adopted the 
fashionable tone so completely — really did not 
hear him at all, he now roared like a bear : " For- 
ward, you dogs, I tell you ! " striking, with a 
strength no one would have expected from the 
rose-garlanded dandy, the nearest slave a blow on 
the back which felled him to the ground. The 
man rose again without a sound, and with the 
seven others grasped the heavily gilded poles ; 
the litter soon vanished in the throng. 

" Did you see her? " asked the wearer of the 
wolf-skin. 

" Yes. She is like a black panther, or like this 
country : beautiful, passionate, treacherous, and 
deadly. Come, Theudigisel ! Let us go to the 
lake too. Most of the Vandals are gathering 
there. We shall have an opportunity to know 
them thoroughly. Here is a shorter foot-path, 
leading across the turf" 

" Stay ! don't stumble, my lord ! What is 
lying there directly across the way ? " 

" A soldier — in full armor — a Vandal ! " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 77 

" And sound asleep in the midst of all this 
uproar." 

" He must be very drunk." 

The older man pushed the prostrate figure with 
the handle of his spear. 

" Who are vou, fellow ? " 

" I ? — I ? " The startled warrior propped him- 
self on one elbow; he was evidently trying to 
think. " I believe I am — Gunthamund, son of 
Guntharic." 

" What are you doing here ? " 

" You see. I am on guard. What are you 
laughing at? I am on guard to prevent any 
carousing in the grove. Where are the others ? 
Have you no wine ? I am horribly thirsty." 
And he sank back in the tall soft grass. 

" So these are the guards of the Vandals ! Do 
you still counsel, my brave duke, as you advised, 
— beyond the sea ? " 

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 shore 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 distin- 
guished guests, who were numbered by hundreds ; 
a balcony draped with purple silk, extending far 
out into the sea, was reserved for the most aristo- 
cratic spectators. 

Now the soft moonlight resting on the mirror- 
like surface of the lake was suddenly outshone by 
a broad red glare, which lasted for several min- 
utes. As it died away, a blue, then a green light 
blazed up, brilliantly illuminating the groups of 
spectators on the shore, 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 flo- 
tilla of boats, skiffs, vessels of every description : 
ten, twenty, forty vessels, fantastically shaped, 
sometimes as dolphins, sometimes as sharks, gi- 
gantic water birds, often as dragons, the " banner- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 79 

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 ; mag- 
nificent 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 youpg 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 un- 
mixed 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 



8o THE SCARLET BANNER 

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 passed under the wings of each pair, unit- 
ing 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 bride- 
groom, 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 apron about his loins, a thyrsus 
staff in his huge but loosfcly 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 chijd 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 



THE SCARLET BANNER 8i 

golden wings on his shoulders, a bow and quiver 
fastened by a gold band across his back, was con- 
stantly filling an enormous goblet for the bride- 
groom, 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 attitude. Her noble head, with its 
golden hair simply arranged in a Grecian knot, 
rested on the palm of her left hand. Her Hel- 
lenic outlines and Hellenic statuesque repose 
rendered her infinitely more noble and aristo- 
cratic 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 fey an exquisitely wrought 
golden girdle half a foot wide, from which hung a 
purple Phoenician apron weighted with gold tas- 
sels ; on her gold sandals were fastened " sea 
waves " made of stiflF 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 
fiiU view of all the many thousands, the dazzling 

sight was greeted with deafening shouts. As 

6 



82 THE SCARLET BANNER 

soon as the vessel emerged from the dim light 
into the radiant glare, the Aphrodite hastily, des- 
perately, tried to conceal herself; finding a large 
piece of coarse 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 Bac- 
chus, 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 bride- 
groom'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 
beautifiil, — - solemnly beautiful, I might say." 

" But imagine this bear from Thule, this buf- 
falo from the land of Scythia, a Dionysus ! " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 83 

" With those elephant bones ! " 

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

" He probably would n't have that and the 
shaggy fleece on his head cut oflF, if thereby he 
could become a god in reality." 

" Yes, a Vandal noble ! They think themselves 
greater than gods 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 wear- 
ing a Vandal short-sword." 

" The Barbarian seems to be ashamed of being 
a naked god." 

" Then he has not yet lost all shame ! " ex- 
claimed 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 Barba- 
rians now write Latin and Greek verses. But 
they are of their stamp." 



84 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"Yes, listen, Lauras," cried the other, laughing; 
" you are prejudiced, as a rival ! Since you failed 
in your leather business, you have lived by writ- 
ing, 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 toler- 
ably 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 bride- 
groom's enormous goblet ; the little Cupid can 
scarcely hold it; it seems familiar to n^e." 

"Why, of course. That's surely the immense 



THE SCARLET BANNER 85 

shell 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 snatched off the sail- 
cloth and flung it into the sea. See how con- 
fused 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 ! " 

"They are landing. I pity the poor bride. 
Disgrace and shame ! She is the child of a free- 
born Roman citizen, though of Greek origin. 
And the father — " 

" Where is Eugenes ? I do not see him on 
the bridal ship." 

" He is probably ashamed to show himself at 
the sacrifice of his child. He went to Utica with 
his Sicilian guest on business long before the 
marriage, and after his return he will go with the 



86 THE SCARLET BANNER ' 

Syracusan to Sicily. It is really like the ancient 
sacrifice of the maidens which the Athenians were 
obliged to offer to the Minotaur. He gives up 
Eugenia, the daintiest jewel of Carthage." 

" But they say she wanted to marry him ; she 
loved the red giant. And he is not ugly ; he is 
really handsome." 

" He is a Barbarian. Curses on the Bar — 
oh, pardon me, my most gracious lord ! May 
Saint Cyprian grant you a long life ! " 

He had hastily thrown himself on his knees 
before a half-drunken Vandal, who had nearly 
fallen over him, and without heeding the Roman's 
existence had already forced his way far to the 
front. 

" Why, Laurus ! The Barbarian surely ran 
against you, not you against him ? " said Victor, 
helping his countryman to his feet again. 

" No matter ! Our masters are quick to lay 
their hands on the short-sword ! May Orcus 
swallow the whole brood ! " 



CHAPTER XIII 

MEANWHILE the ships had reached 
the shore: they were moored in a 
broad front, side by side, greeted with 
a loud burst of music from pipes and drums 
in the balcony. Instantly all flung from their 
lofty prows step-ladders, covered with rich rugs. 
Slaves scattered flowers over the stairs, down 
which the bridal pair and their guests now de- 
scended to the land, while, at the same moment, 
by similar steps the spectators descended from 
the platforms. The two groups now formed in a 
festal procession upon the shore, A handsome 
though somewhat effeminate-looking young 
Vandal, with a winged hat on his fair locks and 
winged shoes on his feet, hurried constantly to 
and fro, waving an ivory staff twined with golden 
serpents. He seemed to be the manager of the 
entertainment. 

"Who is that?" asked Victor. "Probably 
the master of the beautiful Aphrodite. He is 
nodding; and she smiles at him." 

"Yes, that is Thrasabad," cried Laurus, angrily, 
clinching his fist, yet lowering his voice timidly. 
"May Saint Cyprian send scorpions into his 



88 THE SCARLET BANNER 

bed! A Vandal writer! He is spoiling my 
trade. And 1 am the pupil of the great Luxorius." 

" Pupil ? I think you were — '* 

" His slave, then freedman. I have covered 
whole ass*s skins with copies of his verses." 

" But not as his pupil ? " 

"You don't understand. The whole art of 
composition consists of a dozen little tricks, which 
are best learned by copying, because they are 
constantly recurring. And this Barbarian com- 
poses gratis ! Of course he must be glad to 
have any one listen to him." 

" He is leading the procession — as Mercury." 

" Oh, the character just suits him. He under- 
stands how to steal. Only in doing so they kill 
the owners. ' Feud ' is what these noble Germans 
call it." 

" Look ! he has given the signal ; they are 
going to the Circus. Up ! Let us follow." 

Mercury held out his hand to Aphrodite to 
help her to land. 

" Do I have you again ? " he whispered ten- 
derly. " I have missed you two long hours, fair 
one. Dearest, I love you fervently." 

The girl smiled charmingly, raising her beau- 
tiful eyes to his with a grateful, even tender 
expression. 

"That is the only reason I still live," she 
murmured, instantly lowering her long lashes 
sorrowfully. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 89 

" But so completely muffled, my Aphrodite ? " 

" I am not your Aphrodite ; I am your 
Glauke." 

Hand in hand with her, Thrasabad now led the 
procession, which, not without occasional pauses, 
forced its way through the staring multitude. 

As soon as the Circus was reached, numerous 
slaves showed the guests to seats, assigned ac- 
cording to their rank or the regard in which they 
were held by the giver of the entertainment. The 
best were in the front row, originally intended 
for the Senators of Carthage; the structure on 
the southern side, the pulvinar, the imperial box 
which had been occupied by many a predecessor 
of Gelimer, remained empty. On the northern 
side, not directly opposite to the pulvinar, but 
considerably nearer the eastern end, the " Porta 
Pompae," there were projecting boxes for the 
bridegroom, his most intimate friends, and his 
most distinguished guests. Through this gate, 
in the midst of the stalls and sheds for the 
horses and chariots, — the"oppidum" and the 
" carceres," — the circensian procession passed 
before the beginning of the races. From this 
gate the course ran westward in a semi-circle. 
The victors made their exit through the " Porta 
Triumphalis.'* Extending the entire length from 
east to west, the " spina," a low wall richly adorned 
with small columns, dark-green marble obelisks, 
and numerous statuettes of victors in former races, 



90 THE SCARLET BANNER 

divided the course into two parts like a barrier. 
At the eastern and western ends a goal " Meta " 
was erected, the former called the " Meta prima," 
the latter the " Meta secunda." The chariots 
drove into the arena from the southern and north- 
ern ends of the stables, through two gates in the 
east. Lastly, on the southern side, midway be- 
tween the stables and the imperial box, partly 
concealed from view, was the sorrowful gate, the 
" Porta Libitinensis," through which the killed 
and wounded charioteers were borne out. The 
length of the course was about one hundred and 
ninety paces, the width one hundred and forty. 

After the bustle had subsided, and the guests 
were all in their seats. Mercury appeared in the 
principal box, which contained about twelve men 
and women, among them Modigisel and his 
beautiful companion. He bowed gracefully be- 
fore the bridal pair, and began, — 

" Allow me, divine brother, son of Semele — " 
" Listen, my little man," interrupted the bride- 
groom. (Mercury measured a few inches less 
than Bacchus, but was considerably over six feet 
tall.) " I believe you have had too much wine, 
and especially the dark red, which I drank from 
the * Ocean * ; in short, you share my intoxica- 
tion. Our brave father's name was Thrasamer, 
not Semele." The poetic Vandal, with a supe- 
rior smile, exchanged glances with Aphrodite, 
who was also in the box, and continued, — 



THE Str^' ET BANNER 91 

"Allow me, before \ games begin, to read 
my epithalamium — " 

"No, no, brother," interrupted the giant, 
hastily. " Better, far better not ! The verses 
are — " 

" Perhaps not smooth enough ? What do you 
know about hiatus, and — " 

" Nothing at all ! But the sense — so far as I 
understood it — you were good enough to read 
it aloud to me three times — " 

" Five times to me," said Aphrodite, softly, 
with a charming smile. " I entreated him to 
burn the verses. They are neither beautiful nor 
good. So what is their use ? " 

"The meaning is so exaggerated," Thrasaric 
went on ; " well, we may say shameless." 

"They follow the best Roman models," said 
the poet, resentfully. 

"Very probably. Perhaps that is the reason 
I was ashamed when I listened to them alone ; 
I should not like, in the presence of these 
ladies — *' 

A shrill laugh reached his ears. 

" You are laughing, Astarte ? " 

" Yes, handsome Thrasaric, I am laughing ! 
You Germans are incorrigible shamefaced boys, 
with the limbs of giants." 

The bride raised her eyes beseechingly to him. 
He did not see it. 

" Shamefaced? I have seemed to myself very 



92 THE SCARLET BANNER 

shameless. My part as a half- nude god is most 
distasteful to me. I shall be glad, Eugenia, when 
all this uproar is over." 

She pressed his hand gratefully, whispering, 
"And to-morrow you will go with me to Hilda, 
won't you ? She wished to congratulate me on 
the first day of my happiness." 

" Certainly ! And her congratulations will bring 
you happiness. She is the most glorious of 
women. She, her marriage with Gibamund, 
first taught me to believe once more in women, 
love, and the happiness of wedded life. It was 
she who — What do you want, little man? 
Oh, the games ! The guests ! I was forgetting 
everything. Go on ! Give the signal ! They 
must begin below." 

Mercury stepped forward to the white marble 
railing of the box and waved his serpent wand 
twice in the air. The two gates at the right and 
left of the stables swung open : from the former 
a man, clad in blue, carrying a tuba, entered the 
arena ; from the latter one dressed entirely in 
green; and two loud blasts announced the en- 
trance of the circensian procession. In the brief 
pause before the appearance of the chariots 
Modigisel plucked the bridegroom lightly by 
his panther-skin. 

" Listen," he whispered, " my Astarte is fairly 
devouring you with her eyes. I believe she 
likes you far better than she does me. I sup- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 93 

pose I ought to kill her, out of jealousy. But 
— ugh! — it's too hot for either jealousy or 
beating." 

" I believe she is no longer your slave," replied 
Thrasaric. 

" I freed her, but retained the obligation of 
obedience, the obsequium. Pshaw ! I would 
kill her for that very reason, if it were n't so hot. 
But how would it do if we — I am tired of her, 
and I 've taken a fancy to your slender little 
Eugenia, perhaps on account of the contrast — 
how would it do if we should — exchange ? " 

Thrasaric had no time to answer. The tuba 
blared again, and the chariots entered in a stately 
procession. Five of the Blues rolled slowly in 
from the right gate, five of the Greens from 
the left; the chariots themselves, the reins and 
trappings of the horses, and the tunics of the 
charioteers were respectively leek-green and light- 
blue. The first three chariots of each party were 
drawn by four horses, the usual number; but 
when the fourth appeared with five, and the last 
on both sides actually had seven steeds, loud 
shouts of surprise and approval rang from the 
upper seats, to which, though many better ones 
stood empty, the Vandal directors had sent the 
middle and lower classes of the Roman citizens. 

" Just look, Victor," Laurus whispered to his 
neighbor. "Those are the colors of the two 
parties in Constantinople." 



94 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Certainly. The Barbarians imitate every- 
thing." 

" But like apes playing the flute I " 

" I^o one should attend the Circus except in a 
toga." 

" As we do," said Victor, complacently. " But 
these people! — some in coats of mail, the ma- 
jority in garments as thin as spider-webs." 

" Of course they will never be true resi- 
dents of the south; only degenerate northern 
Barbarians." 

" But just look : the magnificence, the lavish- 
ness. The wheels, the very fellies, are silvered 
and then twined with blue or green ribbons." 

" And the bodies of the chariots ! They glisten 
like sapphires and emeralds." 

" Where did Thrasaric get all this treasure ? " 

" Stolen, friend, stolen from us all. I Ve often 
told you so. But not he himself; this genera- 
tion has grown almost too lazy even for stealing 
and robbing. It was his father Thrasamer and 
especially his grandfather, Thrasafred. He was 
Genseric's right hand. And what that means in 
pillaging as well as fighting cannot be imagined." 

" Magnificent horses, the fiVe reddish-brown 
ones! They are not African." 

"Yes, but of the Spanish stock, reared in 
Cyrene. They are the best." 

" Yes, if there is a strain of Moorish blood. 
You know, like the Moorish chief Cabaon's 



THE SCARLET BANNER 95 

famous stallion. A Vandal is said to have him 



now." 






Impossible! No Moor sells such a horse." 
The procession is over ; they are moving 
side by side, t6 the white rope. Now ! " 

" No, not yet. See, each Green and Blue is 
approaching the hermulae on the right and left, 
to which the rope is fastened. Hark ! What is 
Mercury shouting ? " 

" The prizes for the victors. Just listen : fif- 
teen thousand sestertii, the second prize for the 
team of four ; twenty-five thousand the first ; 
forty thousand for the victorious five-span ; and 
sixty thousand — that 's unprecedented — for the 
seven." 

" Look, how the seven horses harnessed to the 
green chariot are pawing the sand ! That is 
Hercules, the charioteer. He has five medals 
already." 

" But see ! His opponent is the Moor Chal- 
ches. He wears seven medals. Look, he is 
throwing down his whip ; he is challenging Her- 
cules to drive without one, too. But he will not 
dare." 

"Yes; he is tossing the whip on the sand. 
I '11 bet on Hercules ! I side with the Greens ! " 
shouted Victor, excitedly. 

"And I with the Blues. It ought — but stop ! 
We — Roman citizens — betting on the games of 
our tyrants ? " 



96 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Oh, nonsense ! you have no courage ! Or 
no money ! " 

" More than you — of both ! How much ? 
Ten sestertii ? " 

"Twelve!" 

" For aught I care. Done ! " 

" Look, the rope has fallen ! " 

" Now they are rushing forward ! " 

" Bravo, Green, at the first meta already — and 
nearest — past." 

"On, Chalches! There, Blue! Forward! 
Hi ! at the second meta Chalches was nearest." 

" Faster, Hercules ! Faster, you lazy snail ! 
Keep more to the right — the right! or — O, 
Heaven ! " 

" Yes, Saint Cyprian ! Triumph ! There lies the 
proud Green ! Flat on his belly, like a crushed 
frog ! Triumph ! The Blue is at the goal. Pay 
up, friend ! Where is my money ? " 

" That is n't fair. I won't pay. The Blue in- 
tentionally struck the horse on the left with his 
pole. That 's cheating ! " 

" What ? Do you insult my color ? And 
won't pay either ? " 

" Not a pebble." 

" Indeed ? Well, you rascal, I '11 pay j^«." 

A blow fell ; it sounded like a slap on a fat 
cheek. 

" Keep quiet up there, you dwellers in the 
clouds," shouted Mercury. " It is nothing, fair 



THE SCARLET BANNER 97 

bride, except two Roman citizens cuffing each 
other. Friend Wandalar, go ; turn them out. 
Both ! There ! Now on with the games. Carry 
the Green out through the Libitinensis. Is he 
dead ? Yes. Go on. The prizes will be awarded 
at the end. We are in a hurry. If the King 
should return from Hippo before the time he 
named — woe betide us ! " 



CHAPTER XIV 

"TTJSHAWr' said ModigiseFs neighbor, a 

r^ bold-looking, elderly nobleman with a 

-*- haughty, aristocratic bearing. " We need 
not fear. We Gundings are of scarcely less 
ancient nobility. I do not bow my head to the 
Asdings. Least of all before this dissembler." 

" You are right, Gundomar ! " assented a 
younger man. " Let us defy the tyrant." 

The giant Thrasaric turned his head and said 
very slowly but very impressively : " Listen, 
Gundomar and Gundobad ; you are my guests — 
but speak ill of Gelimer, and you will fare like 
those two Romans. So much wine has gone to 
my head; but nothing shall be said against Geli- 
mer. I will not allow it. He, so full of kind- 
ness, a tyrant ! What does that mean ? " 

" It means a usurper." 

"How can you say that? He is the oldest 
Asding." 

" After King Hilderic ! And was he justly 
imprisoned and deposed ? " asked Gundomar, 
doubtfully. 

" Was not the whole affair a clever invention ? " 
added Gundobad. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 99 

" Not by Gelimer ! You do not mean to say 
that ? " cried Thrasaric, threateningly. 

" No ! But perhaps by Verus." 

" Yes ; all sorts of rumors are afloat. There 
is said to have been a letter of warning." 

" No matter. If your saintly devotee should 
discover this festival — " 

" Then woe betide us ! He would deal with 
you as — " 

"He did at the time you wanted to wed your 
little bride without the aid of the priest/' cried 
Modigisel, laughing. 

" I shall be grateful to him all my life for hav- 
ing struck me down then ! Eugenias are not to 
be stolen ; we must woo them gently." Nodding 
to the young girl, he covered her little head and 
veil with his huge right hand and pressed it 
tenderly to his broad breast ; a radiant glance 
from the Jarge dark antelope eyes thanked him. 

But Modigisel had also discovered the charm 
which such an expression bestowed upon the in- 
nocent, childlike features ; his gaze rested admir- 
ingly upon Eugenia. The latter raised herself 
and whispered in her lover's ear. 

" Gladly, my violet, my little bird," replied 
Thrasaric. " If you have promised, you must 
keep your word. Go with her to the entrance, 
brother. To keep one's promise is more neces- 
sary than to breathe." 

The bride, attended by a group of her friends, 






loo THE SCARLET BANNER 

was led by Thrasabad through one of the numer- 
ous cross passages out of the Circus. 

" Where is she going ? " asked Modigisel, fol- 
lowing her with ardent eyes. 

" To the Catholic chapel close by, which they 
have made in the little temple of Vesta. She 
promised her father to pray there before mid- 
night ; she was forced to resign the blessing of 
her church at her marriage with a heretic." The 
bride's graceful figure now vanished through the 
vaulted doorway. 

Modigisel began again : " Let me have your 
little maid, and take my big sweetheart ; you will 
make almost a hundred pounds by the bargain. 
True, in this climate, one ought to choose a 
slender sweetheart. Is she a free Roman ? Then 
I, too, will marry her. I won't stop for that." 

" Keep your plump happiness, and leave me 
my slender one. I have by no means drunk 
enough from the ocean to make that exchange." 

Suddenly Astarte said loudly, " She 's nothing 
but skin and bones ! " Both men started ; had she 
understood their low whispers ? Again the full 
lips curled slightly, revealing her sharp eye-teeth. 

" And eyes ! those eyes ! " replied Modigisel. 

" Yes, bigger than her whole face. She looks 
like a chicken just out of the shell ! " sneered 
Astarte. " What is there so remarkable about 
her ? " The beauty's round eyes glittered with 
a sinister light. 



THE SCARLET BANNER loi 

"A soul, Carthaginian," replied the bridegroom. 

"Women have no souls," retorted Astarte, 
gazing calmly at him. " So one of the Fathers 
of the Church taught — or a philosopher. Some, 
instead of the soul, have water, like that pygmy. 
Others have fire." She paused, her breath com- 
ing quickly and heavily. Astarte was indeed 
beautiful at that moment, diabolically, bewitch- 
ingly beautiful ; the exquisitely moulded, sphinx- 
like countenance was glowing with life. 

" Fire," replied Thrasaric, averting his eyes 
from her ardent gaze, — " fire belongs to hell." 

Astarte made no answer. 

" Eugenia is so beautiful because she is so 
chaste and pure," sighed Glauke, who had heard 
a part of the conversation. Gazing sorrowfully 
after the bride, she lowered her long lashes. 

" No wonder that you hold her so firmly," 
Modigisel now said aloud in a jeering tone. 
"After your attempt to abduct her failed, you 
besought the old grain-usurer to give you the 
dainty doll as honorably as any Roman fuller or 
baker ever wooed the daughter of his neighbor, 
the cobbler." 

" Yes," assented Gundomar ; " but he has cele- 
brated the wedding with as much splendor as 
though he were wedding the daughter of an 
emperor." 

" The splendor of the wedding is more to him 
than the bride," cried Gundobad, laughing. 



I02 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Certainly not," said Thrasaric, slowly. " But 
one thing is true : since I have known that she 
is — that she will be mine — the frantic longing 
for her — yet no — that is not true either, I love 
her fondly. I suppose it is the wine ! The 
heat ! And so much wine ! " 

"Nothing but wine can help wine," laughed 
Modigisel. " Here, slaves, bring Bacchus a sec- 
ond Oceanus." 

Thrasaric instantly took a deep draught from 
the goblet. 

" Well ? " whispered Modigisel. " I will give 
you for make-weight to Astarte my whole fish- 
pond full of muraense, besides the royal villa at 
Grasse, for — " 

" I am no glutton," replied Thrasaric, indig- 
nantly. 

" I will add my villa in Decimum ; true, I 
bequeathed it to Astarte ; but she will consent. 
Won't you?" 

Astarte nodded silently. Her nostrils were 
quivering. 

Thrasaric shook his shaggy head. 

" I have more villas than 1 can occupy. Hark, 
the blast of a tuba. The races ought to begin. 
Here, little brother! He has gone. Horses, 
wine, and dice are the three greatest pleasures. 
I would give the salvation of my soul for the 
best horse in the world. But — " he took an- 
other draught, of wine — "the best horse! It 



THk SCARLET BANNER 103 

has escaped me. Through my own folly ! I 
would give ten Eugenias in exchange." 

Astarte laid an ice-cold finger on Modigisel's 
bare arm ; he looked up ; she whispered some- 
thing, and he nodded in pleased astonishment. 

" The best horse ? What is its name ? And 
how did it escape you ? *' 

"It is called — the Moorish name cannot be 
pronounced ; it is all ch ! We called it Styx. It 
is a three-year-old black stallion of Spanish breed, 
with a Moorish strain, reared in Cyrene. A 
short time ago, when the valiant king so eagerly 
began his preparations for war, the Moors were 
informed that we nobles needed fine horses. 
Among many others, Sersaon, the grandson 
of the old chief Cabaon, came to Carthage; 
he brought of all the good horses the very 
best." 

" Yes ! we know them ! " the ^andals assented. 

" But among the very best the pearl was Styx, 
the black stallion ! I cannot describe him, or I 
should weep for rage that he escaped me. The 
Moor who rode him, scarcely more than a boy, 
said that he was not for sale. As I eagerly urged 
him, he asked, grinning in mockery, an impos- 
sible price, which no one in his sober senses 
would pay, — an unreasonable number of pounds 
of gold ; I have forgotten how many. I laughed 
in his face. Then I looked again at the magnifi- 
cent animal, and ordered the slave to bring the 



I04 THE SCARLET BANNER 

money. I placed the leather bag at once in the 
Moor's hand; it was in the open courtyard of 
my house on the Forum of Constantine. Many 
other horses were standing there, and several of 
our mounted lancers were in the saddle, inspect- 
ing them as they were led up. Then, after I had 
closed the bargain, I said to my brother with a 
sigh : * It 's a pity to pay so much money. The 
animal is hardly worth it.' *It is worth more, 
and you shall see ! ' cried the insolent Moor, as 
he leaped on the horse and dashed out of the 
gate of the courtyard. But he still held the 
purse in his hand." 

" That was too much ! " said Modigisel. 

" The insolence enraged us all. We followed 
at once, — at least twenty men, — our best horses 
and riders, some on the splendid Moorish steeds 
we had just purchased. At the corner of the 
street he was so near that Thrasabad hurled his 
spear at him, but in vain ! Though at our cries 
people flocked from all the cross streets to stop 
him in the main one, there was no checking him. 
The guards at the southern gate heard the up- 
roar ; they sprang to close the doors, were in the 
act of shutting them, but the superb creature 
darted through like an arrow. We pursued for 
half an hour ; by that time he had gained so 
much on us that we could just see him in the 
distance like an ostrich disappearing in the sands 
of the desert. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 105 

" Enraged, loudly berating the faithless Moor, 
we rode slowly home on our exhausted steeds. 
When we reached the house, there in my court- 
yard stood the Moor, leaning against the black 
horse ; he had ridden in again at the western 
gate. Throwing the gold at my feet, he said : 
*Now do you know the value of this noble 
animal ? Keep your gold ! I will not sell him.' 
He rode slowly and proudly away. So I lost 
Styx, the best horse in the world. Ha, is this a 
delusion ? Or is it the heavy wine ? Down 
below — in the arena — beside the other racers — " 

" Stands Styx," said Astarte, quietly. 

" To whom does the treasure belong ? " 
shrieked Thrasaric, frantically. 

" To me," replied Modigisel. 

" Did you buy him ? " 

" No. In the last foray the animal was cap- 
tured with some camels and several other horses." 

" But not by you ? " roared Thrasaric. " You 
were at home as usual, in Astarte's broad shadow." 

" But I sent thirty mercenaries in my place ; 
they captured the animal, tied in the Moorish 
camp; arid what the mercenary captures — " 

" Is his employer's property," said Thrasabad, 
who had entered the box again. 

" So — this wonder — belongs to — you ? " ex- 
claimed Thrasaric, wild with envy. 

^* Yes, and to you as soon as you wish." 

Thrasaric emptied a huge goblet of wine. 



io6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" No, no," he said; " at least not so — not by 
my will. She is a free woman, no slave, whom I 
could give away, even if I should ever desire it." 

" Only resign your right to her. It will be 
easy — for money — to find a reason for annulling 
the marriage." 

" She is a Catholic, he an Arian," whispered 
Astarte. 

" Of course ! That will do ! And then merely 
let me — Gelimer cannot always strike down her 
abductor." 

" No ! Silence ! Not so ! But — we might 
throw dice ! Then the dice, chance, would have 
decided — not I ! Oh, I can, I can — think no 
longer ! If I throw higher, each shall keep what 
he has ; if I throw lower, I will — no, no ! I will 
not ! Let me sleep ! " And overcome by the 
wine, in spite of the uproar around him, he 
dropped his huge rose-garlanded head on both 
arms, which lay folded on the marble front of 
the box. 

Modigisel and Astarte exchanged significant 
glances. 

" What do you expect to gain by it ? " asked 
Modigisel. " He won't exchange for you ; only 
for the horse." 

" But she — that nun-faced girl — shall not 
have him ! And my time will come later ! " 

" If I release you from my patronage." 

"You will." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 107 

" I don't know yet/' 

" Oh, yes, you will," she answered coaxingly. 

But even as she spoke, she again threw back 
her head and closed her eyes. 

• • • • 

After a brief slumber the bridegroom was 
shaken rudely by his brother. 

"Up!" cried the latter; "Eugenia has come 
back. Let her take her place — " 

" Eugenia ! I did not throw dice for her. I 
don't want the horse. I made no promise." 

He started in terror ; for Eugenia was standing 
before him with the Ionian ; her large dark-brown 
eyes, whose whites had a bluish cast, were gazing 
searchingly, anxiously, distrustfully, into the very 
depths of his soul. But she said nothing ; only 
her face was paler than usual. How much had 
she heard — understood? he asked himself. 

Thrasabad's slave humbly made way for her. 

" I thank you. Aphrodite." 

" Oh, do not call me by that name of mockery 
and disgrace ! Call me as my dear parents did 
at home before I was stolen, — became booty, a 
chattel." 

" I thank you, Glauke." 

" The races cannot take place," lamented Thra- 
sabad, to whom a freedman had just brought a 
message. 

"Why not?" 

" Because no one will bet against the stallion 



io8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

which Modigisel entered last of all. It is Styx ; 
you know him." 

" Yes, I know him ! I made no promise, did I, 
Modigisel ? " he asked in a low, hurried tone. 

" Yes, certainly ! To throw the dice. Recol- 
lect yourself! " 

"Impossible!" 

" You said : Mf I throw higher, each shall 
keep what he has ; if I throw lower — ' " 

" Oh, God ! Yes ! It 's nothing, little one ! 
Don't heed me." 

He turned again to Modigisel, whispering, 
" Give me back my promise ! " 

" Never ! " 

" You can break it," sneered Astarte. 

" Serpent ! " he cried, raising his clinched fist, 
but he controlled himself; then, helpless as a bear 
entangled in a net, the giant turned beseechingly 
to Modigisel : " Spare me ! " 

But the latter shook his head. 

" I will withdraw the stallion from the races," 
he said aloud to Thrasabad. " I am satisfied with 
the fact that no one dares to run against him." 

" Then the race can take place, but at the end 
of the entertainment. First, there are two sur- 
prises which I have prepared for you in another 
place. Come, Glauke, your hand ; up, rise ! 
Follow me, all you guests of Thrasaric, follow 
me to the Amphitheatre." 



CHAPTER XV 

HERALDS, with blasts of the tuba, an- 
nounced the invitation throughout the 
whole spacious building, and, thanks to 
the admirable arrangements and the great num- 
ber of exits, the arena was very quickly emptied. 
The thousands of spectators, amid the music of 
flute-players, now moved in a stately procession 
to the neighboring Amphitheatre. 

This was an oval building, the axis of its inner 
ellipse measuring two hundred and forty feet. 
The plan resembled that of the Circus, an outer 
wall in two stories of arches, each story adorned 
with statues and pillars. Here, too, from the 
oval arena, the rows of seats ascended in steps 
divided by vertical walls, separated into triangles 
by the stairs leading to the exits, or vomitories. 

The host and his most distinguished guests 
were assigned places in the raised gallery on the 
podium directly adjoining the arena, formerly 
occupied by the Senators of Carthage. 

The Amphitheatre had a subterranean connec- 
tion with the adjacent lake. From the grated 
cellars, concealed by curtains, the mingled cries of 
various animals greeted the entering spectators. 



no THE SCARLET BANNER 

Often the snarls and yells partially died away, 
and a mighty, ominous howl, or rather roar, rose 
from the farthest cellar, dominating the voices of 
the smaller beasts, which sank into silence, as if 
from fear. 

" Are you afraid, my little bird ? " asked Thra- 
saric, who was leading his bride by the hand. 
"You are trembling." 

" Not of the. tiger,'* she answered. 

When the seats of honor were occupied, Thra- 
sabad again appeared before them, and, bowing, 
said : " The Roman emperors long ago prohib- 
ited contests between gladiators and fights be- 
tween animals. But we are not Romans. True, 
our own kings — especially our present sovereign, 
King Gelimer — repeated the command — " 

" If he should hear of this ! " interrupted 
Thrasaric, in a tone of warning. 

" Pshaw ! He is not expected here until to- 
morrow morning. Even if he returns sooner — 
he is now staying in the Capitol; it is two full 
leagues distant. The noise of the festival will 
not reach there for a long time ; and we shall not 
tell him to-morrow." 

'" And the gladiators ? " 

** Nor they either. Dead men do not gossip. 
We will keep them fighting until none are left 
to betray us." 

" Brother, that is almost too — Roman ! " 

" Ah, only the Romans knew how to live ; our 



THE SCARLET BANNER iii 

bear-like ancestors, at the utmost, only how to die. 
Do you suppose I have studied merely the verses 
of the Romans ? No, I boast of vying with them 
in their customs. Speak, Gundomar ; shall we fear 
King Gelimer? " 

" We Vandal nobles will allow ourselves to be 
denied nothing that gives us pleasure. Let him 
try to keep us away from here ! " 

" And at my brother's wedding an exception is 
permitted, nay, required. So I will feast your 
eyes with old Roman * hunts ' and old Roman 
gladiatorial combats." 

Roars of applause greeted this announcement. 
Thrasabad disappeared to give his orders. 

" It is easy to say where he obtained the ani- 
mals,*' remarked Gundomar. " Africa is their 
breeding-ground. But the gladiators?" 

" He told me the secret," replied Modigisel. 
" Some are slaves ; some are Moors captured in 
the last expedition. The white sand of the arena 
will soon be stained crimson." 

" How I shall rejoice ! " panted Astarte, who 
rarely spoke. Modigisel looked at her with an 
expression almost of horror. 

" Gladiators ! " cried Thrasaric, wrathfully. 
" Eugenia, do you want to go away ? " 

"I will shut my eyes — and stay. Only let 
me remain with you !* Do not send me from 
you — I beseech ! " 

The roll of drums was heard, and a cry of 



112 THE SCARLET BANNER 

astonishment from thousands of voices filled the 
Amphitheatre. The arena suddenly divided, mov- 
ing to the right and left, in two semi-circles which, 
drawn sideways, disappeared in the walls. Twenty 
feet below, a second space, covered with sand, 
appeared, and over this poured from every di- 
rection, foaming and dashing, a flood of seething 
water. The bottom was swiftly transformed into 
a lake. Then two wide gateways at the right 
and left opened, and toward each other swept, 
fully manned and equipped for battle, two stately 
war-ships with lofty masts. These vessels, it is 
true, carried no sails, for there was no wind in 
the walled enclosure, but they were supplied with 
archers and slingers. 

"Aha ! a naumachia ! A naval battle! Capital ! 
Glorious ! " shouted the spectators. 

" Look, a Byzantine trireme ! " 

" And a Vandal corsair ship ! How the scarlet 
flag glows ! " 

" And above it, at the mast-head, the golden 
dragon." 

"The Vandal is attacking! Where are the 
rowers ? " 

"Out of sight. They are working under 
the deck. But above — look, in front, on 
the prow, stand the crew with spears and axes 
uplifted ! " 

" See, the Byzantine is going to ram. He is 
dashing forward with tremendous force." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 113 

" Look at the "sharp spur close to the water 
line!" 

" But the Vandal is turning swiftly. The 
ship has escaped the shock. Now the spears 
are flying." 

" There ! A Roman falls on the deck. He 
doesn't stir." 

" A second is flung overboard. He is still 
swimming — " 

" He is throwing his arms out of the water — " 

" There he sinks." 

" The water around him is stained with blood," 
said Astarte, bending eagerly forward. 

" Let me go ! oh, let me go, and come with 
me 1 " pleaded Eugenia. 

" Child, not now ; you must stay now. I 
must see this," replied Thrasaric. 

" Now the Vandal is alongside of the Byzan- 
tine." 

"They are leaping across — our men. How 
their fair locks fly! Victory, victory to the 
Vandals ! " 

" Why, Thrasaric ! They are only slaves in 
disguise." 

" No matter ! They bear our flag. Victory, 

victory to the Vandals ! But look, there is a 

terrible hand-to-hand conflict — man to man ! 

How the shields crash ! How the axes glitter ! 

Alas! the Vandal leader is falling! Oh, if I 

were only on that accursed Roman ship ! " 

8 



114 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" There ! Another Vandal falls ! More Romans 
are coming up from the lower deck. Alas! 
That is treachery ! " 

" The Romans have the superior force. Two 
more Vandals have fallen." 

" They lured our men on board by stratagem." 

" Brother ! Thrasabad ! Where are you ? " 

" On a boat over yonder, beside the two 
ships," cried Glauke, full of terror. 

" It is no use ! The Vandals are overpowered ; 
they are leaping into the water ! " 

" The others on the Roman ship are bound." 

" The Romans are throwing fire into our ship. 
It is burning ! " 

" The mast is blazing brightly." 

" The helmsman and rowers are jumping over- 
board." 

" Where is Thrasabad ? " 

Mercury again appeared in the podium. 

" Look you, brother, that is a bad omen," said 
Thrasaric. f 

Thrasabad shrugged his shoulders. 

" The fortune of war. I did not allow my- 
self to interfere. No agreement was made about 
the result. Five Romans and twelve Vandals are 
dead. Away, away with the whole ! Vanish, sea ! " 

He waved the Hermes staflF; the water sank 
rushing into the depths, with the corpses it had 
swallowed. The Roman ship, amply manned 
and obeying her helm, succeeded, by rowing 



THE SCARLET BANNER 115 

powerfully to the right, in passing through the 
gate by which it had entered. The empty, burn- 
ing, unguided Vandal vessel was drawn into the 
seething, whirling funnel ; it turned more and 
more swiftly on its own axis; the water dashed 
over the deck, extinguishing the flames as far as 
it reached them ; the mast leaned farther and 
ferther to the right, still blazing brightly. Sud- 
denly it fell completely over on the right side 
and disappeared in the abyss. Gurgling, whirl- 
ing, and foaming, the rest of the water followed. 

" The sea has vanished ! " cried Thrasabad. 
" Let the desert and its monsters, warring with 
each other, appear in its place I " 

And at the height of the former flooring, far 
above the level of the sea, the two halves of the 
arena, covered with white sand, were again pushed 
together from the right and left. Slaves, clad 
only with aprons — fair-skinned ones, yellow- 
complexioned Moors, and negroes — appeared in 
countless numbers and drew back the curtains 
which covered the gratings of the cages contain- 
ing the wild animals. 

" We will present to you — " Thrasabad cried 
amid the breathless silence. 

But his voice died away ; the terrible roar, 
which had either ceased or been drowned during 
the tumult of the naval battle, again echoed 
through the Amphitheatre, and a huge tiger 
leaped with such force and fury from the back 



ii6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

of its tolerably long cage against the grating in 
front that its bars bent outward, splinters of the 
wood in which they were imbedded were hurled 
into the arena. 

" Brother," said Thrasaric, in a low tone, " that 
cage is too long. Take care ! The animal has 
too much space to run. And the wooden floor 
is rotten. Are you afraid, Eugenia? " 

"I am with yoUy* the young bride answered 
quietly. " But I want to know no more about 
men fighting — dying. I did not look at them." 

" Only at the end, little sister-in-law, a captive 
Moor." 

" Where did you get him ? " asked Modigisel. 

" Hired, like most of the others, from a slave- 
dealer. But this one is sentenced to death." 

"Why?" 

"He strangled his master, who was going to 
have him flogged. He is a handsome, slender 
fellow, but very obstinate ; he will name neither 
his tribe nor his father. The brother and heir 
of the murdered man oflFered him to me cheap 
for the naumachia, and if he survived — for the 
tiger. He could not be induced, no matter how 
many blows he received, to fight in the naval 
battle. His master was obliged to bind him 
hand and foot behind the scenes. Well, he will 
probably be compelled to fight when he stands 
fully armed in the arena, and we let loos" the 
tiger; it has been kept fasting for two day 



THE SCARLET BANNER 117 

" Oh, Thrasaric, my husband ! My first 
entreaty — " 

" I cannot help you, little bird ! I promised 
to let him rule without interference to-day ; and 
one's word must be kept, even though it should 
lead to folly and crime." 

"Yes," whispered Modigisel, bending forward. 
" One's word must be kept. When shall we 
throw the dice ? " 

Thrasaric sprang up in fury. 

"I will kill you — " 

" That will be useless. Astarte knows it. Keep 
your word ! I advise you to do it. Or to-morrow 
all the Vandal nobles shall know what your honor 
and faith are worth." 

" Never ! I will sooner kill the child with my 
own hands." 

" That would be as dishonorable as if I should 
slay the horse fi-om envy. Keep your word, 
Thrasaric; you can do nothing else." 

Then a glance from Eugenia rested on Mod- 
igisel. She could not have understood anything ; 
but he was silent. 

" But when you have her," Astarte murmured 
under her breath to her companion, " you will 
set me wholly free ? " 

" I don't know yet," he growled. "It does n't 
look as if I should win her." 
^^^.^ me free ! " Astarte repeated earnestly. 

if was meant for an entreaty, but the tone 



ii8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

conveyed so sinister a threat that the nobleman 
gazed wonderingly into her black eyes, in whose 
depths lurked an expression which made him 
afraid to say no. He evaded an answer by 
asking rudely : " What is there in the giant that 
attracts you as a magnet draws iron ? " 
. " Strength," said Astarte, impressively. " He 
could wrap you around his left arm with his 
right hand.*' 

" / was strong enough, too," replied the Van- 
dal, gloomily. " Africa and Astarte would suck 
the marrow out of a Hercules." 

The whispering wsts. interrupted by Thrasabad, 
who now, the tiger bei^g silent, addressed the 
audience: "We will haveSbrought out to fight 
before you six African bears rKpm the Atlas, with 
six buffaloes from the mountain Valley of Aurasia ! 
a hippopotamus from the Nile, amd a rhinoceros; 
an elephant and three leopards, a powerful tiger — 
do you hear him ? Silence, Hasdruft^l, till you 
are summoned — with a man in full anpoi*> who 
has been condemned to death." 

" Aha ! Good ! That will be splendid \' ran 
through the Amphitheatre. 

"And lastly, — as I hope Hasdrubal will be 
the victor, — the tiger will fight all the survfivors 
of the other conflicts, and a pack of twelve Bifctish 
dogs." 

Loud shouts of delight rang through Vhe 
building. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 119 

" I thank you ! " replied the director of the 
festival. " But we cannot live by gratitude alone. 
Your Mercury also desires nectar and ambrosia. 
Before we witness any more battles, let us enjoy 
a light luncheon, some cool wine, and a graceful 
dance. What say you, my friends ? Come, fair 
Glauke ! " 

Without waiting for an answer — he seemed to 
be tolerably sure of it, and it came in the form of 
still more vehement applause — he again waved 
his staff. The heavy stone walls, separating the 
podium and the higher rows of seats from the 
arena and the lower rows, sank and were trans- 
formed into sloping stone steps that led down to 
the arena, into which at the same time invisible 
hands lifted long tables, hung with costly draperies 
and set with magnificent jugs, vessels, and goblets 
of gold and silver, and large shallow dishes filled 
with choice fruit and sweet cakes. In the centre 
of the arena rose an altar, its three steps thickly 
garlanded with wreaths of flowers, the top crowned 
by a figure closely wrapped in white cloths. From 
the sides of the building a hundred Satyrs and 
Bacchantes flocked in, who instantly began a 
•pantomimic dance of pursuit and flight, whose 
rhythm was accompanied by the noisy, stirring 
music of cymbals and tympans from the open, 
wing-like sides of the Amphitheatre. Enraged by 
the uproar, more and more furiously roared the 
Hyrcanian tiger. 



CHAPTER XVI 

MANY of the guests — all who had been 
seated in the podium — descended to 
the arena, helped themselves from the 
dishes, and ate the fruit and cakes. Gayly dressed 
slaves carried th^ refreshments to others, who had 
remained in the rows of seats. 

As soon as the barriers between the arena and 
the spectators were removed, the guests passed 
freely to and fro, sometimes down to the arena, 
sometimes back to their places; nay, they even 
mingled in the dance of the Satyrs and Bac- 
chantes. Many of the latter were suddenly 
embraced by the Vandals, who swung with them 
, in the frantic whirl. 

The confusion grew more' chaotic. Cheeks 
glowed with a deeper crimson, fair and dark locks 
fluttered more wildly, and the musicians were 
constantly obliged to play faster to keep pace 
with the increasing excitement of the dancers. 

Thrasabad now poured the wine most freely, 
for he was exhausted by his exertions, and his 
vanity was stirred by the applause bestowed upon 
his arrangements for the festival. Reclining on 



THE SCARLET BANNER 121 

a soft panther-skin, in front of a low drinking- 
table, he drained one goblet after another. 

Glauke, whom he clasped with one arm, gazed 
anxiously at him, but dared not utter a warning. 

Thrasaric noticed her expression. 

" Listen, brother," he said ; " take care. The 
director of the festival is the only one who must 
remain sober. And the wine is heavy, and you 
know, little brother, you can't stand much be- 
cause you talk too fast while you are drinking." 

" There — is — no — no danger ! " replied the 
other, already stammering the words with difficulty. 
" Come forth. Iris and ye gods of love ! " He 
waved the staff; it fell from his hand and Glauke 
laid it by his side. 

Suddenly the arched roof of the large silk tent 
which spanned the arena opened. A rain of 
flowers — principally roses and lilies — fell upon 
the altar, the tables, the dancers ; a fragrant 
liquid, scarcely perceptible as a light mist, was 
sprinkled from invisible pipes over the arena and 
the seats of the* spectators. All at once, breaking 
through a gray cloud high up at the back of the 
arena, appeared a sun, shedding a soft golden 
light. 

" Helios is smiling through the shower of 
rain," cried Thrasabad ; " so Iris is probably not 
far distant." 

At these words the seven-striped bow, glowing 
magnificently in vivid colors, arched above the 



122 THE SCARLET BANNER 

whole arena. A young girl, supported by golden 
clouds, and holding a veil of the seven hues 
draped gracefully about her head, flew from the 
right to the left high above the stage. As soon 
as she had vanished, the rainbow and the sun 
disappeared too, and while shouts of surprise still 
rang through the Amphitheatre, a band of charm- 
ing Loves — children from four to nine years 
old, boys and girls — were seen floating by chains 
of roses from the opening of the tent to the steps 
of the altar. Received by slaves, who released 
them from the flowery fetters, they grouped them- 
selves on the steps around the muffled figure, 
toward which all eyes were now directed with 
eager curiosity. 

Then Thrasabad, still clasping Glauke, sprang 
from the drinking table to the altar. The Ionian 
had just taken a freshly filled goblet from his 
hand. The roars of applause which now burst 
forth fairly turned the vain youth's head ; he stag- 
gered visibly as he stood on the highest step, 
dragging the struggling girl with* him. "Look, 
brother," he called in an unsteady voice ; " this is 
my wedding gift. In the senator's villa at Cirta — 
what is his name ? He was burned because he 
clung obstinately to the Catholic faith. Never 
mind. I bought the villa from the fiscus; it 
stands on the foundations of a very ancient one, 
adorned with imperial splendor, superb mosaics, 
hunting scenes, with stags, hounds, noble horses. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 123 

beautiful women under palm-trees ! In repairing 
the cellar this statue was dug out from beneath 
broken columns ; it is said to be more than five 
hundred years old, — a gem of the best period of 
Greek art. So my freedman says, who under- 
stands such things, an Aphrodite. Show your- 
self, Queen of Paphos ! I give her to you, 
brother." 

He seized a broad-bladed knife which lay on 
the pedestal, cut a cord, and dropped the knife 
again. The covers fell; a wonderfully beauti- 
ful Aphrodite, nobly modelled in white marble, 
appeared. 

The Loves knelt around the feet of the god- 
dess, and twined garlands of flowers about her 
knees. At the same moment a dazzling white 
light fell from above upon the altar and the god- 
dess, brilliantly irradiating the arena, which was 
usually not too brightly illumined by lamps. 

The acclamation of thousands of voices burst 
forth still more tumultuously, the dancers whirled 
in swifter circles, the drums and cymbals crashed 
louder than ever ; but the sudden increase of up- 
roar and the vivid, dazzling light also reached the 
open grating of the tiger's cage. He uttered a 
terrible roar and sprang with a mighty leap against 
the bars, one of which fell noiselessly out on the 
soft sand. No one noticed it, for another scene 
was taking place around the goddess on the high 
steps of the altar. 



124 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" I thank you, brother," cried Thrasaric. " She 
is indeed the fairest woman that can be imagined." 

"Yes," replied Modigisel. "What do you 
mean, Astarte ? Are you sneering ? What fault 
can you find there ? " 

" That is no woman," said the Carthaginian, 
icily, scarcely parting her lips ; " that is only a 
stone. Go there, kiss it, if it seems to you more 
beautiful than — " 

" Astarte is right," shouted Thrasabad, madly. 
" She is right ! What use is a stone Aphrodite ? 
A lifeless, marble-cold goddess of love! She 
clasps her arms forever across her bosom ; she 
cannot open them for a blissful embrace. And 
what a stern dignity of expression, as though 
love were the most serious, deadly-earnest, sacred 
thing. No, marble statue, you are not the fairest 
woman ! The fairest woman — far more beauti- 
ful than you — is my Aphrodite here. The 
fairest woman in the world is mine. You shall 
acknowledge it with envy ! I will, I will be en- 
vied for her ! You shall all confess it ! " 

And with surprising strength he dragged the 
Greek, who resisted with all her power, up beside 
him, swung her upon the broad pedestal of the 
statue, and tore wildly at the white silk coverlet 
which, while on the ship, Glauke had thrown 
over her shoulders, and the transparent Coan 
robe. 

" Stop ! Stop, beloved ! Do not dishonor me 



THE SCARLET BANNER 125 

before all eyes ! " pleaded the girl, struggling in 
despair. " Stop — or by the Most High — " 

But the Vandal, who had lost all self-control, 
laughed loudly. "Away with the envious veil ! " 

Once more he pulled down the coverlet and 
the robe. Steel flashed in the light (the Ionian 
had snatched the knife from the pedestal), a warm 
red stream sprinkled Thrasabad's face, and the 
slight figure, already crimsoned with blood, sank 
at the feet of the marble statue. 

" Glauke ! " cried the Vandal, suddenly sobered 
by the shock. 

But at the same moment, outside the Amphi- 
theatre rose in a note of menace a brazen, war- 
like blare, dominating the loudest swell of the 
music, — for the dance of Satyrs and Bacchantes 
was still continuing, — the blast of the Vandal 
horns. And from the doors, as well as from the 
highest seats, which afforded a view of the grove, 
a cry of terror from thousands of voices filled the 
spacious building : " The King! King Gelimer ! " 

The spectators, seized with fear, poured out of 
all the exits. 

Thrasaric drew himself up to his full height, 
lifted the trembling Eugenia on his strong arm, 
and forced his way through the throng. The 
voice of the director of the festival was no longer 
heard. Thrasabad lay prostrate at the k^t of 
the silent marble goddess, clasping in his arms 
the beautiful Glauke — lifeless. 



126 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Soon he was alone with her in the vast deserted 
building. 

Outside — far away — rose the uprqar of voices 
in dispute, but the silence of death reigned in the 
Amphitheatre ; even the tiger made no sound, as 
if bewildered by the sudden stillness and emptiness. 

It was past midnight. 

A light breeze rose, stirring the silk roof of 
the fent, and sweeping together the roses which 
lay scattered over the arena. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THRASARIC'S guests were standing in 
the large open square of the grove, di- 
rectly in front of the Amphitheatre they 
had just left, most of them with the expression 
and bearing of children caught by their master in 
some forbidden act. 

Thrasaric had shaken off the last vestige of 
intoxication. 

" The King ? " he murmured in a low tone. 
"The hero? I am ashamed of myself." He 
pulled at the rose-wreath on his shaggy locks. 

Gundomar, sword in hand, approached him 
with a defiant air. 

"Fear was ever a stranger to you, son of 
Thrasamer. Now we must defy the tyrant. 
Face him as we do." 

But Thrasaric made no answer ; he only shook 
his huge head, and repeated to Eugenia, whom 
he had placed carefully on the ground by his 
side : " I am ashamed in the King's presence. 
And my brother ! My poor brother ! " 

" Poor Glauke ! " sighed Eugenia. " But per- 
haps she is to be envied." 



128 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Now the Vandal horns blared again, and 
nearer. The King, whose approach along the 
straight Street of the Legions was distinctly seen 
from a long distance, dashed into the square, 
far in advance of his soldiers. Only a few 
slaves bearing torches had succeeded in follow- 
ing him ; his brothers, who had summoned a 
troop of horsemen, were behind with them. The 
King checked his snorting cream-colored charger 
directly in front of Thrasaric and the nobles 
so suddenly that it reared. 

" Insubordinate men! Disobedient people of 
the Vandals ! " he shouted reproachfully. " Is 
this the way you obey your sovereign's command ? 
Do you seek to draw upon your heads the wrath 
of Heaven? Who gave this festival? Who 
directed it ? " 

" I gave it, my King," said Thrasaric, moving 
a step forward. " I deeply repent it. Punish 
me. But spare him who at my request directed 
it, my brother. He has — " 

" Vanished with the dead girl," interrupted 
Gundobad. " I wanted to appeal to him also to 
support with us.Gundings the cause of the nobles 
against the King — " 

" For this hour," added Gundomar, " will de- 
cide whether we shall be serfs of the Asdings or 
free nobles." 

" Yes, I am weary of being commanded," said 
Modigisel. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 129 

" We are of no meaner blood than his," cried 
Gundobad, with a threatening glance at the King. 
Already a large band of kinsmen, friends, and 
followers, many of whom were armed, was gath- 
ering round the Gundings. 

Thrasaric was stepping into their midst to try 
to avert the impending conflict, but he was now 
surrounded by throngs of his own and his brother's 
slaves. 

"My Lord," they cried, " Thrasabad has dis- 
appeared. What shall be done ? The festival — " 

" Is over. , Alas that it ever began ! " 

" But the races in the Circus opposite ? " 

" Will not take place ! Lead the horses out ! 
Return them to their owners." 

" I will not take the stallion until after we have 
thrown the dice," cried Modigisel. " Ay, trem- 
ble with rage. I hold you to your word." 

" And the wild beasts ? " urged a freedman. 
"They are roaring for food." 

" Leave them where they are ! Feed them ! " 

" And the Moorish prisoner ? " 

He could not answer; for while the race- 
horses, the stallion among them, were being led 
from the Circus into the square between it and the 
Amphitheatre, loud shouts rang from the exits 
of the latter. 

" The Moor ! The captive ! He has escaped ! 
He is running a\yay ! Stop him ! 

Thrasaric turned, and saw the figure of the 
9 



I30 THE SCARLET BANNER 

young Moor coming toward him. He had been 
bound hand and foot, and though successful in 
breaking the rope around his ankles, he had been 
unable to sever the one firmly fastened about his 
wrists, and was greatly impeded in forcing a way 
through the crowd by his inability to use his hands. 

" Let him go ! Let him run ! " ordered 
Thrasaric, 

" No," shouted the pursuers. " He has just 
knocked his master down by a blow of his fist. 
His master commanded it ! He must die ! A 
thousand sestertii to the man who captures him." 

Stones flew, and here and there a spear 
whizzed by. 

" A thousand sestertii ? " cried^ one Roman to 
another. " Friend Victor, let us forget our quar- 
rel and earn them together." 

" Done. Halves, O Laurus ! " 

The fugitive now darted like an arrow straight 
toward Thrasaric. His lithe, noble figure came 
nearer and nearer. Lofty wrath glowed on the 
finely moulded young face. Then, close beside 
Thrasaric, Laurus grasped at the rope hanging 
from the Moor's wrists. A violent jerk, the 
youth fell. Victor grasped his arm. 

" The thousand sestertii are ours," cried Laurus, 
drawing the rope toward him. 

" No," exclaimed Thrasaric, snatching his short- 
sword from its sheath. The weapon flashed 
through the cord. " Fly, Moor ! " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 131 

The youth was instantly on his feet again; 
one grateful glance at the Vandal, and he was in 
the midst of the race-horses. 

" Oh, the stallion ! My stallion ! " shouted 
Modigisel. But the Moor was already on the 
back of the magnificent animal. A word in its 
ear, the horse sprang forward, the crowd scat- 
tered shrieking, and already Styx and his rider 
were flying over the road to Numidia in the shel- 
tering darkness of the night. 

"The stallion," muttered Modigisel. "That 
will cost me the casting of the dice for the young 
wife." 

Thrasaric gazed after the horse in amazement. 
"O God, I thank Thee! I will deserve it; I 
will atone. Come, little one. To the King! 
He seems to need me." 

Meanwhile the nobles and their followers had 
pressed forward threateningly against the King, 
who did not yield a step. 

" We will not be ruled by you," cried Gun- 
domar. 

" We will not be forbidden to enjoy the pleas- 
ures of life ! " exclaimed Modigisel. " To-mor- 
row, whether you are willing or not, I will invite 
my friends. We will meet again in this arena." 

" No, you will not," said the King, quietly, and 
taking the torch from the hand of the nearest 
slave he rose in his stirrups, and, with a sure aim, 
hurled it high over the heads of the crowd into 



132 THE SCARLET BANNER 

the silk tent, which instantly caught fire and 
blazed up brightly. Loud roars came from the 
cages of the wild beasts. 

" Do you dare ? " shrieked Gundobad. " This 
house is not yours. It belongs to the Vandal 
nation ! How dare you destroy their pleasures, 
merely because you do not share them ? " 

"And why do you not share them?" added 
Gundomar. " Because you are no true man, no 
real Vandal." 

" An enthusiast — no king of a race of 
heroes ! " 

" Why do you so often tremble ? " 

"Who knows whether some secret sin does 
not burden you ? " 

" Who knows whether your courage will not 
fail when danger — " 

Just at that moment, drowning every other 
sound, a shrill shriek of horror, of mortal fear, 
rang from many hundred throats ; a short, exult- 
ing roar could scarcely be heard through the 
tumult. " The tiger ! The tiger is free ! " rose 
from the arena. 

And rushing thence in a dense crowd, frantic 
with terror, came men, women, and children, 
all struggling together. Everywhere they met 
other throngs, and, unable to go farther, jostled, 
pushed, stumbled, fell, and were trampled under 
foot. 

Above them, on the first story of the Amphi- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 133 

theatre, directly opposite to the King, the broken 
chain trailing from its collar, crouched the huge 
tiger, lashing his flanks with his tail, his jaws 
wide open, hesitating between the spur of his 
fierce hunger and the fear of the torches and 
human beings. At last hunger conquered. The 
beast's eyes had rested upon one of the race-horses 
in front of the Amphitheatre, and lingered on it 
as though spellbound. A throng of people 
surged between the animal and its prey. The 
leap was almost beyond its powers ; but greed 
urged on the monster and, with a low cry, it 
sprang over the heads of the multitude upon its 
chosen victim. 

All the shrieking people pressed in the same 
direction. The horses shied; the tiger's leap 
fell short; he reached the ground scarcely two 
feet from the racer, which broke its halter and 
dashed away. The tiger never repeats a spring 
it has missed. Hasdrubal was shrinking back, as 
if ashamed; but as he stretched out his right 
fore-paw, it fell upon warm, soft, living flesh. A 
child, a little girl about four years old, in the 
gay, spangled dress of a Love, had been torn 
from the side of her mother and thrown down 
by the fugitives. There she was, lying on her 
face in the soft grass, the delicate rosy flesh 
between her head and shoulders rising above her 
little white dress. The tiger thrust his paw for- 
ward and held the child down by the neck — but 



134 THE SCARLET BANNER 

only for an instant. Suddenly he drew back the 
length of his body, uttering a roar whose fury 
far exceeded any previous one, for an enemy 
advancing on foot dared to dispute possession of 
his prey. The great cat gathered himself to leap, 
the terrible leap which must overthrow any man. 
But before the beast could straighten himself for 
the bound, his adversary thrust a Vandal sword 
between the yawning jaws to the very hilt, and 
pierced the spine. 

Carried down by the impetus of the blow, the 
man fell for a moment on the dead tiger ; but he 
instantly sprang up, stepped back, and lifted the 
stupefied child from the ground. 

" Gelimer ! Hail to King Gelimer ! Hail to 
the hero ! " shouted the crowd. Even the Romans 
joined in the acclamation. " Are you unharmed, 
O King ? " asked Thrasaric. 

" As the child," said the latter, calmly, placing 
the little one in the arms of its weeping, trem- 
bling mother, who kissed the hem of the white 
royal mantle, stained with the wild beast's 
blood. 

Gelimer wiped his sword-blade on the tiger's 
soft skin and thrust it into the sheath. Then 
he went back to his horse and stood drawn up to 
his full height, leaning against its shoulder, his 
helmeted head held proudly erect. He had re- 
tained as king the old helmet vrith the wings of 
the black vulture (they seemed now to stir in 



THE SCARLET BANNER 135 

menace), and merely added Genseric's pointed 
crown. A look of sorrowful contempt rested on 
the throng; Deep silence reigned for the mo- 
ment; speech failed even the boldest of the 
nobles. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE King's brothers, at the head of their 
horsemen, now entered the square ; they 
had witnessed the horrible incident from 
their saddles. Springing to the ground, they 
passionately clasped Gelimer's hands. 

" What troubles you, brother ? " asked Giba- 
mund. " That is not the glance of the rescuer." 

" O my brother," sighed Gelimer, " pity me ! 
I feel a loathing for my people; and that is 
hard." 

" Yes, for it is the best thing we possess," re- 
plied Zazo, gravely. 

" On earth," answered the King, thoughtfully. 
"Yet is it not a sin to love even this earthly 
thing so ardently? All earthly possessions are 
but vanity. Is it not true of our people and our 
native land? — " He sank into a deep reverie. 

" Wake, King Gelimer ! " called a voice from 
the throng in friendly warning. 

It was Thrasaric. The sudden change had 
roused his wonder. He, too, had turned to meet 
the tiger, but the King, who, from his seat on 
horseback, had seen the animal crouching to 
spring, anticipated him. Him — and another. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 137 

The older of the two foreigners had stood still, 
his spear poised to hurl. 

" That was a good thrust, Theudigisel," he 
whispered. " But let us see how it will end. 
This King is losing the best moment." 

And so it seemed. For meanwhile the nobles 
had somewhat recovered from their confusion, 
and, though no longer quite so insolently as be- 
fore, but still defiantly enough, Gundomar stepped 
forward, saying : "You are a hero, O King ! It 
was ungrateful to doubt it, but you are not easy 
to understand, yet we neither will nor can serve 
and obey even a hero as our ancestors, Genseric's 
bears, served him." 

" It is neither necessary nor possible," Modi- 
gisel added. He attempted to lisp and drawl 
according to the Roman fashion, but, carried away 
by genuine emotion, soon forgot the affectation. 
" We are no longer Barbarians, like the comrades 
of the bloody sea-king. We have learned from 
the Romans to live and to enjoy. Spare us the 
heavy weapons. Ours, indisputably, securely 
ours, is this glorious country, where men can 
only revel, not toil. Pleasure, pleasure, and 
again pleasure is alone worth living for. When 
death comes, all will be over. So, as long as I 
live, I will kiss and drink, will not fight, and 
will — " 

" Become a slave of Justinian," the King angrily 
interrupted. 



138 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Pshaw, those little Greeks ! They will not 
dare to attack us." 

" Let them come ! We will drive them pell- 
mell into the sea." 

" Ah, if the kingdom were in peril — the Gun- 
dings know that honor calls them to the head of 
the wedge in every Vandal battle." 

" But no war is threatening." 

" No one is trying to quarrel with us." 

" Only it pleases the Asdings to make it a pre- 
text for ordering the noblest of the Vandals hither 
and thither like Moorish mercenaries or ready 
slaves." 

" But we will no longer — We — " 

Modigisel could not finish ; the loud blast of 
a horn and the noise of galloping horses drowned 
his voice ; a white figure on a dark charger was 
dashing forward at the head of several mounted 
men. Two torch-bearers were on the right and 
left, but could barely keep up with her ; long 
golden locks were fluttering in the wind, and a 
large white mantle enveloped both horse and 
rider. 

" That is Hilda," cried Gibamund. 

" Yes, Hilda and war ! " exclaimed the Prin- 
cess, exultingly, instantly checking her snorting 
steed. Her eyes were blazing, and in her right 
hand she waved a parchment, crying : " War ! 
King of the Vandals. And I — I was permitted 
to be the first to announce to you the fateful 



THE SCARLET BANNER 139 

word which, like the brazen voices of the battle 
horns, summons you, all you Asdings, to victory 
and honor." 

" She is glorious," said Thrasaric to Eugenia. 

The bride nodded. 

"A cloak," he went on. "She — Hilda — 
must not see me in this absurd, disgraceful guise. 
Lend me your cloak, friend Markomer." 

Stripping off the panther-skin, and throwing 
down the thyrsus, he flung the brown cloak of 
the leader of the horsemen over his bare shoulders. 

" How do you, a woman, come with such a 
message ? " asked Gelimer, taking the parchment 
from her hand. 

Hilda now sprang from the saddle into her 
husband's open arms. " Verus sends me. The 
swift-sailing ships which he expected have just 
run into the harbor. He intended to bring you 
this letter — the first one he received — himself. 
But several other important ones were immedi- 
ately delivered, — some from the King of the 
Visigoths, — which he was obliged to translate 
in part from cipher. So he ordered that I should 
be waked. * To wake Hilda means to wake 
battle,' my ancestor Hildebrand taught me," she 
added, laughing, with sparkling eyes. 

"And in truth she came dashing among us 
like the leader of the Valkyries," said Thrasaric, 
rather to himself than to Eugenia. 

"Verus of course knows nothing of that," 



I40 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Hilda went on. " Yet he smiled strangely as 
he said : ^ You are the right bearer of this mes- 
sage and my errand to the King/ I did not 
linger. I bring you war, and — I feel it, O King 
of the Vandals — certain victory ; read." 

Gelimer unrolled the parchment, whose seal 
had been broken, and motioning to a torch-bearer, 
read aloud: 

" * To Gelimer, who calls himself* the King of 
the Vandals — '" 

" Who is the insolent knave ? " interrupted 
Zazo. 

" Goda, formerly Governor, now King of 
Sardinia." 

" Goda ? The scoundrel ! I never trusted 
him," cried Zazo. 

" ^ Since, by a false accusation, you have de- 
throned and imprisoned King Hilderic, I refuse 
you allegiance, usurper. You credulous fools 
forgot that I am an Ostrogoth ; but I never 
did. Almost the only one left alive in the mas- 
sacre of my people, I have since thought only of 
vengeance. In blind confidence you gave me 
this governorship ; but I have won the Sardinians, 
and shall henceforth rule this island as its sover- 
eign. If you dare to attack me, I shall appeal, 
and I have received the promise of the great Em- 
peror Justinian's protection. I would far rather 
serve a powerful Imperator than a Vandal tyrant/ 

" Ay, this is war ! " said Gelimer, gravely. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 141 

" Certainly with Sardinia. Perhaps also with 
Constantinople, though the last letters from 
there spoke only of peace. Did you hear it ? " 
— he now turned with royal dignity to the 
nobles. *^ Did you hear, you nobles and people 
of the Vandal race ? Shall I tell the rebel, shall 
I write to the Emperor : ^ Take and keep what- 
ever you desire ! Genseric's descl^endants shrink 
from the weight of their weapons ' ? Will you 
now continue to hold festivals in the Circus, or 
will you — " 

" We will have war ! " loudly shouted the giant 
Thrasaric, forcing his way swiftly through the 
group of nobles. " O King Gelimer, your deed, 
your words, the sight of this glorious woman, 
and that bold traitor's insolent letter have again 
waked in me — surely, in us all — what, alas ! 
has slumbered far, far too long. And like 
the effeminate ornament of these roses," — he 
snatched the wreath from his head and hurled it 
on the ground, — "I cast from me all the ener- 
vating, corrupting pleasures and luxuries of life. 
Forgive me, my King, great King and hero. I 
will atone. Believe me, I will make amends in 
battle for the wrongs I have done." 

Stretching out both hands, he was bending the 
knee. But the King drew him to his breast : 

" I thank you, my Thrasaric. This will rejoice 
your ancestor, the hero Thrasafrid, who now looks 
down upon you from heaven." 



142 THE SCARLET BANNER 

But Thrasaric, breaking from the embrace and 
turning to the nobles, cried : " Not I alone ; I 
must win back all, all of you around me, to 
duty, to heroic deeds ! Oh, if my brother were 
only here ! Comrades, kinsmen, hear me! Will 
you, like me, aid the valiant King ? Will you 
obey him? Follow him in battle loyally unto 
death ? " 

" We will ! We will ! To battle and death ! " 
shouted the nobles. Modigisel's voice was louder 
than any of the rest. Gundomar alone hesitated 
a moment ; then, drawing himself up to his full 
height, he stepped forward, saying, — 

" I did not believe that war was threatening. I 
really thought it only a pretext of the over-strict 
King to force us from our life of pleasure to the 
pursuit of arms. But this Goda's insolence and the 
treacherous Emperor's promised aid to him are 
not to be borne. Now it is in truth a conflict 
for our kingdom. There the Gundings will 
stand on the shield side of the Asdings, now, as 
in former days and forever. King Gelim6r, you 
are right. I was a fool. Forgive me ! " 

" Forgive us all," cried the nobles, surging in 
passionate excitement toward the King. Gelimer, 
deeply moved, held out both hands, which they 
eagerly clasped. 

" Oh, Hilda," said Thrasaric, " you were waked 
at the right time. This is, in great measure, your 
work." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 143 

Before the Princess could answer, he drew 
Eugenia from the clump of myrtles, into which 
she had shyly retreated. 

" Do you remember this little maid, my King? 
You nod ? Well — I have won her for my wife. 
Not by force ! She will say so herself; she loves 
me. It is hard to believe, is n't it ? But she will 
say so herself. The priest has blessed our union 
in the presence of all the people. Marry us ac- 
cording to ypur ancient royal right." 

The King smiled down upon the bride. " Well, 
then ! Let this marriage be the symbol of rec- 
onciliation, the uniting of the two nations. I 
will — " 

But a woman's haughty figure had forced a way 
through the crowd to Eugenia's side; a purple 
mantle gleamed in the red glare of the torches. 
Bending to the delicate, slender girl, she whis- 
pered something in her ear. E.ugenia turned 
pale. The woman's low, hissing tones ceased, 
and she pointed with outstretched arm to the 
Numidian road, down which the stallion had 
vanished. 

" Oh, can it be? " moaned the bride, interrupt- 
ing the King's words ; she tried to move away 
from Thrasaric's side, but her feet faltered. She 
sank forward fainting. 

Soft arms received her. It was Hilda, the 
Valkyria who had just exulted so eagerly in the 
thought of battle. Holding the light figure to 



144 THE SCARLET BANNER 

her bosom with her left arm, she extended her 
right hand as if to protect her against Thrasaric, 
who in bewilderment wished to seize her. 

"Back," she said sternly. "Back! What- 
ever it may be that has bowed this lily's head, 
she shall first lift it again upon my breast and 
under my protection. It was a wrong not easy 
to forgive to celebrate a wedding with a Eugenia 
here in the Grove of Venus." A withering 
glance wandered over Astarte, without resting 
upon her. " Thrasaric, decide for yourself. Are 
you worthy to lead this bride home now, from 
this place ? " 

The giant's powerful figure trembled; his broad 
chest heaved ; he panted for breath, then, sighing 
deeply, he shook his head and buried it in the 
folds of his cloak. 

" Eugenia shall stay with me," said Hilda, 
gravely, pressing a kiss on the pale brow of the 
reviving girl. Thrasaric cast one more glance at 
her, then vanished in the throng. 

Modigisel rushed angrily toward Astarte. 

" Serpent ! " he cried with no trace of lisping. 
" Fiend ! What did you whisper in the poor 
girl's ear ? " 

"The truth." 

" No ! He never really, seriously meant it. 
And the stallion has gone to the devil ; my 
game is over." 

" Mine is not." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 145 

" But you shall not. I am ashamed of the 
base trick." 

" I am not," she answered with a short laugh, 
gazing after Thrasaric. 

"Obey, slave, or-*—" 

He raised his arm for a blow. Again she 
threw back her beautiful head, but now so vio- 
lently that the magnificent black hair burst from 
the gold fillets and fell over her rounded, dazzling 
shoulders ; she closed her eyes and this time 
actually gnashed her beautiful little white teeth. 

The Vandal dared not strike this threatening 
creature. 

" Just wait till we reach home. There — " 

"There we will make friends again," she 
answered, smiling, flashing a side glance at him 
from her black eyes. It was open mockery. 
But a feeling of horror stole over him, and he 
shuddered as if from fear. 

" But grant me, my brother and my King, the 
joy of punishing this Goda," cried Zazo, who 
had long been struggling with his impatience, 
and could no longer control himself. " The fleet 
is ready to sail; let me go. Give me only five 
thousand picked men — " 

"We Gundings will join you," cried Gun- 
domar. 

" And I will promise to force Sardinia back to 

allegiance in a single battle and to bring you the 

traitor's head." 

10 



146 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Gelimer hesitated. " Now ? Send away the whole 
fleet and the flower of the foot-soldiers ? Now ? 
When the Emperor may threaten us here on the 
mainland at any moment ? This must be con- 
sidered. I must consult Verus — " 

" Verus ? " cried Hilda, eagerly. " I forgot 
to tell you. Verus bade me say to you that 
he advised trampling out these first sparks with- 
out delay. * I send you, Hilda,' he said with a 
peculiar smile, * because I know that you will 
urge and fan the flame of a swift warlike expedi- 
tion.' You, O King, ought at once, before you 
return to the Capitol, to prepare the fleet in the 
harbor for departure and send it to Sardinia 
under Zazo." 

" It is prepared," cried the latter, joyously. 
" For three days it has been ready to meet the 
Byzantines. But the nearest foe is the best one. 
Oh, give the command, my King." 

" Did Verus counsel it ? " said the latter, 
gravely. " Then it is advisable, is for my wel- 
fare. Then, Zazo, your wish shall be fulfilled." 

"Up! to the ships! to the sea! to battle!" 
shouted the latter, exultingly. " Up, follow me. 
Vandals ! Tread the decks of the fame-crowned 
vessels again ! The sea, the ocean, was ever the 
heaving blue battlefield of your greatest victories. 
Do you feel the breath of the morning wind, the 
strong south-southeast ? It is the fair one for 
Sardinia." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 147 

" The god of wishes himself, who breathes in 
and rules the wind, is sending it to you, descend- 
ants of Genseric. Follow it; it is the breath of 
victory that fills your sails. To battle! To 
battle ! On to the sea ! On to the sea ! On to 
Sardinia ! " a thousand voices shouted tumultu- 
ously. Full of passionate excitement, overflowing 
with warlike enthusiasm, the Vandals poured out 
of the Grove of Venus toward Carthage and the 
harbor. 

The Romans gazed after them in amazement ; 
the whole living generation had never witnessed 
any trace of this spirit in their luxurious, eflfemi- 
nate rulers. 

" What do you say now, my Lord ? " asked the 
younger stranger. " Have you not changed your 
opinion ? " 

"No." 

"What? Yet you saw — " he pointed to 
the dead tiger. 

" I saw it. I heard the war-cry of the crowd 
too. I am sorry for the brave King and his 
family. Let us go to our ship. They will all 
be lost together." 



CHAPTER XIX 

DURING the day following the nocturnal 
festival the fleet sailed out of the har- 
bor of Carthage ; it was only necessary 
to choose the troops intended for the campaign 
and to send them on board. 

On the evening of this day Gibamund, Hilda, 
and Verus had gathered around Gelimer in the 
great hall of the palace, whose lofty arched win- 
dows afforded a wide view of the sea. Beside the 
marble table, heaped with papers, stood Gelimer, 
his head bowed as if by deep anxiety ; his noble 
features expressed the gravest care. 

" You sent for me, friend Verus, to listen with 
Gibamund to important tidings which had arrived 
within the few hours since Zazo left us. They 
must be matters of serious moment, from the ex- 
pression of your face. Begin ; I am prepared for 
everything. I have strength to bear the news." 

" You will need it," replied the priest, in a hol- 
low tone. 

"But shall Hilda also?" 

" Oh, let me stay, my King," pleaded the 
young wife, pressing closer to her husband. " I 
am a woman ; but I can keep silence. And I 
wish to know and share your dangers." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 149 

Gelimer held out his hand to her. "Then 
brave sister-in-law ! And bear with us 
whatever may be allotted by the stern Judge in 
heaven." 

" Yes," Verus began, " it seems as if the wrath 
of Heaven indeed rested on you, King Gelimer." 
Gelimer shuddered. 

"Chancellor," cried Gibamund, indignantly, 
"cease such words, such unhallowed thoughts. 
You are always thrusting the dagger of such say- 
ings into the soul of the best of men. It seems 
as if you tortured him intentionally, fostered this 
delusion." 

" Silence, Gibamund ! " said the King, with a 
deep groan. " It is no delusion. It is the most 
terrible truth which religion, conscience, the his- 
tory of the world teach; sin will be punished. 
And when Verus became my Chancellor, h« re- 
mained my confessor. Who but he has the right 
and the duty to bruise my conscience and, by 
warning me of the wrath of God, break the defi- 
ant pride of my spirit? " 

" But you need strength. King of the Vandals," 
cried Hilda, her eyes sparkling wrathfully, " not 
contrition." 

Gelimer waved his hand, and Verus began : 

"It is almost crushing, blow upon blow. As 
soon as the fleet had left the roadstead (the last 
sail had barely vanished from our sight), the mes- 
sages of evil came. First, from the Visigoths. 



I50 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Simultaneously with the news from Sardinia a 
long, long letter from King Theudis arrived. It 
contained merely the repetition in many words — 
it came from Hispalis — that he must consider 
everything maturely, must test what we could do 
in war." 

" Test from Hispalis ! " muttered Gibamund. 

But Verus went on : " A stranger delivered this 
letter at the palace soon after our fleet went out to 
sea. It ran as follows : — 

" * To King Gelimer King Theudis. 

" M am writing this in the harbor of Car- 
thage—'" 

"What? Impossible!" cried the three lis- 
teners. 

" * — which I am just leaving. I wished to see 
the condition of affairs with my own eyes. For 
three days I remained among you unrecognized. 
Only my brave General, Theudigisel, accom- 
panied me in the fishing boat which bore me 
across the narrow arm of the sea from Calpe, and 
will be carrying me home again when you read 
this, Gelimer. You are a true king, a true hero. 
I saw you slay the tiger to-night ; but you can- 
not kill the serpent of degeneration which has 
coiled around your people. Your guards sleep 
at their posts ; your nobles go naked, or in 
women's garb. I saw them flame up at last, 
but it is a fire of straw. Even if they really 
desired to improve, they could not change in a 



THE SCARLET BANNER 151 

few weeks what the slothfulness of two genera- 
tions has accomplished. The punishment, the 
recompense, for our sins does not fail/ " The 
King sighed heavily. "*Woe betide him who 
sought to unite his destiny to your sinking race! 
I offer you not alliance, but refuge. If after the 
battle is lost, you can escape to Spain, — and I 
will gladly aid you to do so, — no Justinian, no 
Belisarius shall reach you with us. Farewell ! ' " 

" The subterfuge of cowardice," said Gibamund, 
resentfully. 

" This man is no coward," replied Gelimer, 
sadly. "He is wise. Well, then, we will fight 
alone." 

" And invite this wise King Theudis to be 
our guest at our banquet to celebrate the 
victory ! " exclaimed Hilda. 

" Do not challenge Heaven by idle boasting," 
warned Gelimer. " But be it so. The aid of 
the Visigoths in the war is of less value to us 
than to have the Ostrogoths at least remain 
neutral ; to have Sicily — " 

" Sicily," interrupted Verus, " if war should be 
declared, will be the bridge over which the enemy 
will march into Africa." 

The King's eyes opened wider in astonishment ; 
Gibamund started up, but Hilda, turning pale, 
exclaimed, — 

" What ? My own people ? The daughter of 
the Amalungi ? " 



152 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" This letter from the Regent has just arrived ; 
Cassiodorus composed it. I should know by 
the scholarly style if he had not affixed his 
signature. She writes that, too weak to avenge, 
by her own power, the blood of her father's sis- 
ter and many thousand Goths, she will joyfully 
see the vengeance of Heaven executed by her 
imperial friend in Constantinople." 

"The vengeance of Heaven, — retribution," 
Gelimer repeated in a hollow tone. " All, all, 
unite in that!" 

" What ? " cried Gibamund, in an outburst 
of rage. " Has the learned Cassiodorus grown 
childish ? Justinian, the wily intriguer, an aveng- 
ing angel of God! And especially that she- 
devil, whose name I will not utter in my pure 
wife's presence ! That pair the avengers of 
God ! " 

"That proves nothing," Gelimer murmured, 
talking to himself as if lost in reverie. " The 
Fathers of the Church teach that God often uses 
evil, sinful men for His deeds of vengeance." 

"A wise utterance," said the priest, nodding 
his head gravely. 

" I cannot believe it," cried Gibamund. 
" Where is the sentence ? " Snatching the letter 
from Verus's hand, he rapidly glanced through 
it. " Sicily shall stand open to the Byzantines, 
— Justinian her only real friend, her protector 
and gracious defender." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 153 

" Ah," cried Hilda, sorrowfully, " does the 
daughter of the great Theodoric write that?" 

" But," Gibamund went on in astonishment, 
" the sentence about the vengeance of Heaven 
— it is not here at all — not one word of it." 

" Not in the mere wording, but the meaning 
is there," said the priest, taking the letter again 
and concealing it in the folds of his robe. 

The King had not noticed the incident. He 
was pacing up and down the spacious hall with 
slow, hesitating steps, talking to himself. Now 
he again approached the table, saying wearily : 
"Go on. I suppose this is not all? But the 
end is coming," he added, unheard by the 
others. 

"Your messenger. King Gelimer, sent to 
Tripolis to bring Pudentius here to be tried 
before your tribunal, has returned." 

" When did he arrive ? " 

« Within an hour." 

"Without Pudentius?" 

"He refuses to obey." 

"What? I gave the messenger a hundred 
horsemen to bring the traitor by force if 
necessary." 

"They were received with a discharge of 
arrows from the walls. Pudentius had locked 
the gates, armed the citizens; the city has for- 
sworn its allegiance to you. The whole province 
of Tripolitana has also risen, probably relying 



154 THE SCARLET BANNER 

upon aid from Constantinople. Pudentius 
called from the battlements to your messenger, 
^ Now Nemesis is overtaking the bloody 
Vandals/ " 

The King made a gesture as if to ward off 
invisible powers assailing him. 

" Nemesis ? " cried Gibamund. " Yes, she 
will overtake — the traitor. And while such 
peril threatens us close at hand in Africa itself, 
we send our best weapon, — the fleet, — the 
flower of our army, and the hero Zazo to dis- 
tant Sardinia! How could you counsel that, 
Verus?" 

" Am I omniscient ? " replied the priest, shrug- 
ging his shoulders. " I told you that the mes- 
senger returned from Tripolis only an hour 
ago." 

"Oh, brother, brother," urged Gibamund, 
" give me two thousand men, — no, only one 
thousand. I will fly to Tripolis on the wings 
of the wind and show the faithless wretch 
Nemesis as she looks in the Vandal dragon 
helmet." 

" Not until Zazo returns," replied the King, 
who had drawn himself up to his full height. 
"We will not divide our strength still more. 
Zazo must come back at once! It was a grave 
error to send him. I wonder that I did not per- 
ceive it. But your counsel, Verus — Hush ! 
That is not meant for a reproach. But a swift- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 155 

sailing ship must follow the fleet instantly to 
summon it back." 

" Too late, my King," cried Gibamund, who 
had hurried to the arched window. " See how 
high the sea is running, and from the north ! 
The wind has veered since we came in here, 
shifted from the southeast to the north. No 
ship can overtake the fleet which, borne by a 
strong south wind, has a start of many hours." 

" O God," sighed Gelimer, " even Thy storms 
are against us. Only — " and again he drew him- 
self up — " who knows whether we may not err in 
believing the peril so close at hand ? Constan- 
tinople may send a small body of troops to aid 
Sardinia, but whether Justinian will really dare 
to attack us on our own soil here in Africa — " 

" Oh, if he would but dare ! " cried Giba- 
mund. 

Just at that moment a priest — he was a dea- 
con from Verus's basilica — hastened in, and, 
bowing humbly, handed to his superior a sealed 
letter, saying : "This has just been brought by a 
swift-sailing ship from Constantinople." He 
bowed again and left the hall. 

At the first sight of the cord fastening the 
papyrus Verus started so violently that neither of 
the three could fail to notice it as extraordinary 
in the man who, usually possessing almost super- 
human self<:ontrol, never betrayed his emotion 
by a glance or even a vehement gesture. 



156 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" What fresh misfortune has happened ? " cried 
even the brave Hilda. 

" It is the sign agreed upon," said Verus, now 
gazing at the letter again with such icy calmness 
that the very transition from such agitation to 
such composure could not fail to perplex the 
witnesses afresh. But the little group were not 
overwhelmed with astonishment long, and waited 
impatiently while Verus, with a sharp dagger 
which he drew from the breast of his cloak, sev- 
ered the brownish-red cord. The pieces, with 
the dainty little wax-seal fastening them, fell on 
the floor. Casting a single glance at the let- 
ter, the priest instantly handed it, without a 
word, to Gelimer. The King read, — 

" You will receive a visit in Africa ; the grain 
ship has sailed. The Persian merchant is in 
command." 

" This was the agreement between me and my 
spy in Constantinople: the brownish-red cord 
means that war is certain ; ^ visit * is landing ; 
^ grain ship * is the fleet ; * the Persian merchant ' 
is Belisarius." 

" Ah, that sounds like a war-song," cried Hilda. 

" Welcome, Belisarius," cried Gibamund, 
grasping his sword. 

The King threw the letter on the table. His 
expression was grave but calm : " Had this 
paper been in my hand only a day, only a few 
hours earlier, all would have been diflFerent. I 



THE SCARLET BANNER 157 

thank you, Verus, that you obtained the news to- 
day, at least." 

An almost imperceptible smile — did it mean 
pride ? or was it flattered vanity ? — flickered 
over the priest's pallid, bloodless lips. " I 
have old connections in Constantinople; since 
this danger threatened I have eagerly fostered 
them." 

" Well, then," said the King, " let them come ! 
The decision, the certainty, exerts a soothing, 
beneficial influence after the long period of sus- 
pense. Now there will be work, military work, 
which always does me good ; it prevents ponder- 
ing, thinking." 

" Yes, let them come," cried Gibamund ; " they 
break into our country like robbers, and we will 
resist them as if they were robbers. What right 
has the Emperor to interfere with the succession 
to the Vandal throne ? Right is on our side ; 
God and victory will also be with us." 

"Yes, right is on our side," said the King. 
" That is my best, my sole support. God defends 
the right. He punishes wrong ; so He will. He 
must, be with us." 

This praise of justice, and this joyous confi- 
dence in their own cause seemed by no means to 
please the priest. With a gloomy frown on his 
brow he raised his sharp, penetrating voice, fixing 
his eyes threateningly on Gelimer, — 

"Justice? Who is just in the eyes of God? 



158 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The Lord finds sin where we see none. And 
He punishes not only present — " 

At these words the King relapsed into his 
former mood ; his eyes lost the bright sparkle of 
resolution. But Verus could not finish. A loud 
noise of voices in angry dispute rose in the cor- 
ridor leading to the hall. 



CHAPTER XX 

I KNOW those tones," saidGelimer, anxiously, 
turning toward the entrance. 
"Yes; it is our boy," cried Gibamund. 
" He seems very angry." 

Even as he spoke young Ammata rushed in, 
dragging with him by his short hair and the open 
neck of his robe a lad considerably larger, clad in 
a richly ornamented tunic, who struggled vainly 
as the other jerked him with both hands through 
the entrance, which was closed only by a curtain. 
The dark eyes, clear-cut features, and round, 
short head of Ammata's foe indicated his Roman 
lineage. 

" What is it, Ammata ? " 

" What has happened, Publius Pudentius ? " 

" No, no ! I won't let you go," shouted the 
Vandal prince. "You shall repeat it in the pres- 
ence of the King 1 And the King shall give you 
the lie! Listen, brother! We were playing in 
the vestibule; we were wrestling together. I 
threw him. He rose angrily, and, grinding his 
teeth, said, * That does n't count. The devil, the 
demon of your race, helped you.* 

"^Who?' I asked. 



i6o THE SCARLET BANNER 

" * Why, that Genseric, the son of Orcus. You 
Asdings boast of your descent from pagan gods ; 
but these, so the priest taught us, were demons. 
That is the reason of his luck, his victories/ 

" I laughed, but he went on : * He said so him- 
self. Once, when Genseric left the harbor of 
Carthage on his corsair ship and the helmsman 
asked where he should turn the prow, the wicked 
tyrant answered : " Let us drift with the wind and 
waves toward whomsoever God's ange/ is directed 
against." ' Is that true, brother ? " 

" Yes, it is true ! " retorted the young Roman. 
" And it is also true that Genseric was as cruel as 
a demon to the defenceless and the prisoners. 
From rage because he was defeated in an attack 
upon Taenarus he landed at Zacynthus, dragged 
away as captives five hundred noble men and 
women, and, when out at sea, ordered them — 
the whole five hundred — to be hacked into 
pieces from the feet upward, and flung into the 
waves." 

" Brother, surely this is not true ? " cried Am- 
mata, pushing back his waving locks from his 
flushed face. "What? You are silent? You 
turn away ? You cannot — " 

" No, he cannot deny it," cried Pudentius, de- 
fiantly. " Do you see how pale he turns ? Gen- 
seric was a demon. You have all sprung from 
hell. He and his successors have committed hor- 
rible deeds of cruelty upon us Romans, us Catho- 



THE SCARLET BANNER i6i 

lies ! But wait ! It will not remain unpunished. 
As surely as there is a God in Heaven ! This 
curse of sin rests upon you. What do the Scrip- 
tures say ? * I will visit the sins of the fathers 
upon the children unto the third and fourth 
generation.' " 

A hollow groan escaped the lips of the King. 
He tottered, sank upon the couch, and covered 
his face with the folds of his purple mantle. 
Ammata gazed at him in terror. Hilda hastily 
pushed him and the young Roman away. 

" Go ! " she whispered. " Make friends with 
each other; you must stop quarrelling. What 
have you boys to do with such things ? Make 
friends, I say." Ammata held out his right 
hand pleasantly; the Roman clasped it slowly, 
angrily. 

" Look," said Ammata, stooping, " how lucky ! " 
He lifted from the floor the bit of brownish-red 
cord, to which the little wax seal hung. 

"Yes, indeed," exclaimed Pudentius, in surprise; 
" the same seal that Verus would not give us for 
our collection of seals and impressions." 

"It is very odd, — a scorpion surrounded by 
flames." 

" Last week, when I saw the open letter lying 
on his table with the seal and cord, how I begged 
him for it ! " 

" He struck my fingers when I seized it." 

" I wondered why it should be so valuable." 



i62 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" And to-day we find it thrown away, on the 
floor." 

" He might have given it to us, then, after the 
letter was opened." 

" He do a kind act ? He looks as though he 
came straight from the nether world." 

" Come, let us go.'* 

The two lads left the hall together, apparently 
friends again. But for how long a time ? No 
one had heard their whispered conversation. 

Gibamund bent over his brother. 

" Gelimer," he cried sorrowfully, " rouse your- 
self! Calm yourself! How can the words of a 
child—" 

" Oh, it is true, all too true ! It is the torture 
of my life. It is the worm boring into my brain. 
Even the children perceive it, utter it ! God, the 
terrible God of vengeance, will visit the sins of 
our fathers upon us all, — on our whole nation, 
especially on Genseric's race. We are cursed for 
the guilt of our ancestors. And on the Day of 
Judgment, even from the depths of the sea, ac- 
cusers will rise against us. When the Son of 
Man returns in the clouds of Heaven, when the 
summons is heard : * Earth, open thy heights ! 
mighty ocean, give up thy dead ! ' those mutilated 
forms will bear witness against us." 

" No, no, thrice no ! " cried Gibamund. " Ve- 
rus, do not stand there with folded arms, so cold, 
so silent. You see how your friend, your priestly 



THE SCARLET BANNER 163 

charge, is suffering. You, the shepherd of his 
soul, help him ! Take his delusion from him. 
Tell him God is a God of Mercy, and every man 
suffers for his own sins only." 

But the priest answered gloomily : " I cannot 
tell the King that he is wrong. You, Prince, 
talk like a youth, like a layman, like a German, 
almost like a pagan. King Gelimer, a mature 
man, has acquired the ecclesiastical wisdom of 
the Fathers of the Church and the secular 
knowledge of the philosophers. And he is a 
devout Christian. God is a terrible avenger of 
sin. Gelimer is right, and you are wrong." 

" Then I will praise the folly of my youth." 

" And I my paganism ! " said Hilda. " They 
make me happy." 

" The King's (or your) Sacred Wisdom makes 
him miserable." 

" It might paralyze his strength ! " 

" Had he not inherited such unusual vigor 
from his much-despised ancestors." 

"And with it the curse of their sins," said 
Gelimer to himself. 

"We might consider," said Verus, slowly, 
"whether it would not be wise to cast into 
prison, with the other captives, this Publius 
Pudentius, the son of Pudentius the rebel, whom 
he could not take with him in his hasty flight." 

" The lad ? Why ? " asked Hilda, reproachfully. 

"With shrewd caution, your former kings 



l64 THE SCARLET BANNER 

reared the sons of aristocratic Romans at their 
courts, in the palace," Verus went on quietly, 
" apparently to do honor to their fathers ; really 
as hostages for their fidelity." 

"Shall Gelimer the Good visit the father's 
guilt on the innocent son, like your terrible 
God ? " cried Gibamund. 

" That I would never do," said Gelimer. 

" The traitor knew it," replied Verus. " He 
calculated on your mildness ; that is why he dares 
to rebel while his son is in your hands." 

" Let all these boys go in peace to their families." 

" That will not do. They are old enough, and 
have seen enough of our preparations and our 
weak points to do us serious injury if they 
should talk of them to our foes. They must 
remain in the city, in the palace. I will leave 
you now; my work summons me." 

" One thing more, my Verus. It grieves me 
that I could not extort from Zazo before his 
departure a consent which I have long striven 
to win from him." 

" What do you mean ? " asked Hilda. 

" I can guess," said Gibamund. 

" It concerns the prisoners in the dungeons of 
the citadel. When, against the entreaties of the 
whole nation and Zazo's urgency especially, 
Gelimer protected the lives of Hilderic and 
Euages, changing the sentence of death pro- 
nounced by the Council of the Nation to im- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 165 

prisonment, he was obliged to promise Zazo that 
at least he would never liberate the prisoners 
without his consent." 

" I wished to release them now. But Zazo has 
my promise, and he could not be softened." 

" He is right, — a rare instance," said Verus. 

" What ? You, the priest, counsel against pity 
and pardon ? " asked Hilda, in astonishment. 

" I am also chancellor of this kingdom. The 
former King would be far too dangerous if he 
were set at liberty. Romans, Catholics, — he is 
said secretly to have joined this church, — might 
gather round him, and * the rightful King of the 
Vandals ' would be a much-desired weapon against 
the * Tyrant' Gelimer. The prisoners will be better 
off where they are. Their lives are safe — " 

" They have repeatedly requested an audience ; 
theywish to justify themselves. These petitions — " 

"Were always granted. I have heard them 
myself." 

" What resulted from them ? " 

" Nothing that I did not already know. Did 
you not feel the armor under Hilderic's robe, 
wrest the dagger from his hand yourself? " 

" Alas, yes ! Yet I so easily distrust myself. 
Ambition, desire for this crown (one of my 
heaviest sins), made me only too ready to believe 
in Hilderic's guilt. And now the captive King, 
protesting his innocence, appealing to a warning 
letter received by him on that day, which would 



i66 THE SCARLET BANNER 

explain and prove everything, requests another 
trial. Yet you have fulfilled the prisoner's wish 
and searched for it in the place he named ? " 

" Certainly," said Verus, quietly, his lifeless 
features growing even more rigid, more sternly 
controlled. "That letter is an invention. As 
Hilderic repeatedly asserted that he had con- 
cealed it in a secret drawer of * Genseric's Golden 
Chest,' — you know the coffer, Gibamund ? — 
I searched the whole chest with my own hands 
and alone. I even found the secret drawer and 
opened it ; nothing of the kind was there. 
Nay, at the prisoner's earnest entreaties, I had 
the coffer carried to his dungeon and examined 
by himself in the presence of witnesses. He, 
too, found nothing." 

" And no one could have previously removed 
the letter ? " asked Gelimer. 

" You and I alone have the keys to the chest 
which contains the most important documents. 
But I must leave you now," said the priest. " I 
have many letters to write to-night. Farewell ! " 

" I thank you, my Verus. May the angel of 
the Lord watch over me in Heaven as faithfully 
as you watch and care for me on earth." 

The priest closed his eyes a moment, then 
smiling faintly, nodded, saying : " That is my 
prayer also." 

He glided noiselessly across the threshold. 



CHAPTER XXI 

HILDA followed Verus's retreating figure 
with a long, long look ; at last, with a 
slight shake of her beautiful head, she 
went up to Gelimer and said : " Do not be 
angry, my King, if I ask a question which nothing 
gives me the right to utter, except my anxiety for 
your welfare, and that of all our people." 

"And my love for you, brave sister-in-law," 
replied Gelimer, gently stroking her flowing 
golden hair, and seating himself on the couch 
again. " For," he added, smiling, " though you 
are a wicked pagan and often cherish — as I well 
know — secret resentment, nay, animosity, against 
me, I love you, foolish, impetuous young heart." 

She sank down at his feet, on a high, soft 
cushion covered with leopard skins, while Giba- 
mund paced slowly up and down the spacious 
hall, often gazing out through the lofty arched 
window over the wide sea. No light was burning 
in the apartment; but the full moon, which 
meanwhile had risen above the dark flood and 
the harbor wall, poured in the full splendor of 
her rays, which, falling on the features of the 



i68 THE SCARLET BANNER 

three noble human beings, illumined them with 
a spectral light. 

" I will not," Hilda began, " as Zazo and my 
Gibamund have repeatedly done, until you wrath- 
fiilly forbade it, warn you against this priest, 
who — " 

With neither impatience nor anger, Gelimer 
interrupted : " Who first discovered the wiles of 
Pudentius ; who revealed to us the treachery of 
Hilderic ; to whom alone I am indebted for my 
escape from assassination that night; who has 
saved the kingdom of the Vandals from the 
snare." 

Gibamund paused in his walk. 

" Yes, it is true. I had almost said, unfortu- 
nately true. For I would rather have owed it to 
any other man." 

" It is so strikingly true that even our Zazo, 
who at first accused him harshly to me, could 
scarcely find any objection to mutter, when I took 
the brilliant man among my councillors and in- 
trusted to him (for he is an expert in letter- 
writing) the care of the correspondence. And 
how unweariedly he has toiled since, priest and 
chancellor at the same time ! I marvel at the 
number of papers he lays before me every morn- 
ing ; I do not believe he sleeps three hours." 

" Men who neither sleep nor fight, drink nor 
kiss, are unnatural to me," cried Gibamund, 
laughing. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 169 

" I do not warn," said Hilda, " but I ask " — 
she laid her hand lightly on the King's arm — 
" how does it happen, how is it possible, that you, 
the warlike Prince of the Vandals, loved this 
gloomy Roman, this renegade, better than all who 
stood nearest to you ? " 

" There you are mistaken, fair Hilda," smiled 
the King, stroking her hand. 

"Yes," she answered, correcting herself; 
" doubtless you love Ammata better ; he is the 
apple of your eye." 

" My father, on his death-bed, confided this 
brother (he was then only a prattling boy) to my 
care. I cherished him in my inmost heart, and 
reared him as though he were my own child," 
said Gelimer, tenderly. " It is not love," he went 
on, " that binds me to Verus. What constrains 
me to revere in him my guardian spirit on earth, 
to look up to him with ardent gratitude, with 
blind, credulous trust, is the confidence, nay, 
the superhuman certainty: yes," here he shud- 
dered slightly, " it is a revelation of God, a 
miracle." 

"A miracle?" Hilda repeated. 

" A revelation ? " Gibamund asked incredu- 
lously, stopping before them. 

" Both," replied the King. " Only, to under- 
stand it, you must know more, you must know 
all, you must learn how my mind, my soul, was 
tossed to and fro by conflicting powders ; you 



lyo THE SCARLET BANNER 

must live through with me once more my wan- 
derings, my perils, and my deliverance. Yes, 
and you shall, you who are my nearest and 
dearest, now and here; who knows when the 
impending war will grant us another hour of 
leisure ? 

" Even in my earliest childhood, my father 
told me, I was not like ordinary children ; I 
dreamed, I asked questions beyond my years. 
Then, it is true, came the happy days of boy- 
hood: arms, arms, and again arms, my only 
sport, my only labor, my only study. At that 
time I grew to the power and the pleasure in 
the use of weapons — " his eyes flashed in the 
moonlight. 

" Which made you the hero' of your people," 
cried Gibamund. 

" But suddenly an end came. By chance the 
leader of the hundred who was commanded to 
execute the order fell sick, and I was next in the 
list: I, a lad of sixteen, was sent with my troop 
to witness the terrible tortures of Romans, 
Catholics, who would not abjure their faith, in the 
courtyard of this citadel. The shrieks of agony 
which pierced through the thick walls had re- 
peatedly roused the Carthaginians to insurrection ; 
it was absolutely necessary to guard the dungeons. 
I had heard that such things were done ; I was 
told that they were needful ; that the Catholics 
were all traitors to the kingdom, and the rack 



THE SCARLET BANNER 171 

was used only to compel them to reveal the 
secrets of their disloyal plans. But I had never 
witnessed the scene. Now suddenly I beheld it. 
The boy of sixteen was himself th^ commander 
of the executioners. Horrible ! horrible ! About 
a hundred persons, among them women, old men, 
boys and girls scarcely as old as I. I commanded 
a halt. * By order of the King ! ' replied the 
Arian priest. I wanted to rush to the aid of the 
tortured prisoners. Alas ! Verus's whole family 
were among the victims. I wanted to tear his 
gray-haired mother from the stake, from the 
ascending flames, amid which, in spite of her iron 
chains, she writhed, shrieking in unutterable 
agony. My own soldiers held me ! * By order 
of the King ! ' they shouted. I struck about me, 
I foamed, I raged. In vain ! I shut my eyes 
that I might see the terrible scene no longer ! 
But ah — " 

The King hesitated and passed his hand across 
his brow. Then he went on, — 

" My name, in a shrill scream, reached my 
ear. I involuntarily opened my eyes again and 
saw, stretched toward me, the naked, fettered, 
arm of the gray-haired woman. * Curses on you, 
Gelimer ! ' she shrieked. ^ Curses on you upon 
earth and in hell ! Curses on all you Asdings ! ^ f^^ti. 
Curses on the Vandal people and kingdom ! ^ 

God's vengeance for your own and your fathers' 
sins shall pursue you from childhood to old age. 



172 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Curses, curses on you, murderer Gelimer ! ' And 
I saw ker eyes, horribly disfigured by suffering 
and hate, piercing mine. Then I sank down 
in the convulsions which, later, often attacked 
me, and lay gasping under the burden of the 
thought: even though I myself am free from 
sin, the despairing woman cursed me as she 
died ; she bore the curse to the throne of God. 
I must bear the burden of guilt of all our 
family." He trembled, beads of perspiration 
stood on his brow. 

" For God's sake, brother, stop ! Your illness 
might return." 

But Gelimer continued : " When I came to 
my senses, I was no longer a youth ; I was an 
old man ; or crushed, half mad, as you will call 
it. I threw off my sword-belt, helmet, shield, 
and all my weapons, and — oh, never shall I 
forget it — that one terrible word alone pressed 
through my poor brain, deadening all else : * Sin 
— the curse of sin rests upon me, my family, my 
people ! ' 

" I sought comfort. I seized the Bible. I 
had been taught that God speaks to us through 
the oracles of the Sacred Book. With a sharp 
dagger in my hand I unrolled the passages of 
Holy Writ. I appealed to God. * O Lord, wilt 
Thou *really punish me for the sins of my 
ancestors ? * I struck haphazard with my dagger 
at the open page ; it pierced the verse : * For I 



THE SCARLET BANNER 173 

the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the 
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the 
third and fourth generation/ 

" I almost died of terror. Once more I con- 
trolled myself. From the street below rose the 
blast of the Vandal horns; glittering in brilliant 
armor, our horsemen were going out to battle 
with the Moors. That was my joy, my pride. 
Twice already I myself had mingled in the vic- 
torious conflict. My heart, my courage, my joy 
in life, revived. I said to myself: ^ Even though 
all pleasure is forever dead to me, my people, 
the Vandal kingdom, the hero's duty to live, 
to fight, to die for his country, summon me. Is 
this, too, nothing ? Is sin, too, an idle nothing ? ' 
Again, in another place, I questioned the word 
of God. I closed the roll, opened it again, and 
my dagger's point touched the words : All is 
vanity ! 

"Then I sank down in despair. So people 
and country and heroism, which our ancestors 
had fostered and praised as at once the highest 
duty and the greatest pleasure, — this, too, is 
vanity, is sin before the eyes of the Lord." 

" It is a cruel chance," said Gibamund, wrath- 
fUlly. 

"And it is folly to believe it," cried Hilda. 
" O Gelimer, thou hero, grandson of Genseric, 
does not every pulsation of your heart give the 
lie to this gloomy delusion." She sprang up. 



174 THE SCARLET BANNER 

throwing back her flowing hair and fixing a fiery 
glance upon him. 

" Sometimes, doubtless, fair leader of the. Val- 
kyrie," replied Gelimer, smiling. " And especially 
since — since God saved me by a miracle. And 
fear not, granddaughter of Hildebrand, you will 
have no cause to be ashamed of your brother-in- 
law, the Vandal King, when the tuba of Belisarius 
summons us to battle." He raised his noble 
head, clenching his fist. 

" Oh, joy to us, my husband," cried Hilda, 
" that is still the inmost care of his being — the 
hero ! " And she eagerly pressed her husband's 
hand. 

"Who knows the inmost care of his own 
being ? " GeHmer went on. " At that time — 
and for years after — all joy in the pomp and 
glitter of arms was over for me. I was so ill ! 
At that second oracle the convulsions returned ; 
and later they came very frequently, so that my 
father was compelled to yield to my earnest desire, 
for I was not yet fit for military service. I was 
permitted to enter a monastery of the monks of 
our religion as a pupil, and to remain there in the 
solitude of the desert. I spent many years within 
those walls, and during that time I. burned all 
the war songs which I had written in our lan- 
guage to sing to the accompaniment of the 
harp." 

" Oh, what a shame ! " exclaimed Hilda. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 175 

"But a few were preserved by the lips of 
our soldiers," said Gibamund, consolingly ; " for 
instance, — 

" * Grandsons most noble 
Of ancestors noblest. 
Ancient blood of the Asdings, 
Gold-panoplied race 
Of mighty Genseric, 
To ye hath descended 
The Sea-Kings' power.' " 

" And the fatal harvest of his sins ! " said 
Gelimer, bowing his head gloomily. He was 
silent for a time, then he began again, — 

" Instead of the Vandal verse, I now composed 
Latin penitential hymns. My brothers thought 
that the tortures of the condemned groaned, the 
flames of hell darted through these trochees. 
Doubtless there were flames — those which I had 
seen consume living human beings. There was 
no mortification, no asceticism, which I did not 
practise to excess. I raged against my flesh ; I 
hated myself, my sinful soul, my body, which 
dragged with it the curse of mortal sin. I fasted, 
I scourged myself, I wore the nail-studded belt 
till it pierced deep wounds. I secretly invented 
fresh tortures, when the abbot forbade the undue 
infliction of the old ones. At the same time I 
devoured all the books in the monastery and the 
libraries of Carthage. I persuaded my father to 
let me go to Alexandria, to Athens, to Constan- 



176 THE SCARLET BANNER 

tinople, to hear the teachers there. I had become 
more learned, not wiser, when I returned from 
those schools to the monastery in the desert. At 
last my father summoned me from this monastery 
to his deathbed ; he committed to me, as a sacred 
legacy, the care of my youngest brother, the child 
Ammata. I could not selfishly hasten from my 
father's grave to the desert, as I desired ; the care 
of the child was a human, healthy duty which re- 
stored me to the world. I lived for the darling boy." 

" No father could watch over him more ten- 
derly," cried Gibamund. 

"At that time I was urged to marry. The 
King, the whole nation wished it. The lady 
belonged to the royal race of the Visigoths, and 
came to visit Carthage. A beautiful, noble, 
brilliant Princess, she charmed my heart and 
ray eyes. I ruled both, and said. No." 

" To live solely for Ammata ? " asked Hilda. 

*^Not that alone. The thought entered my 
mind," his brow clouded again, " the curse which 
the old woman had called down upon my head 
should not, according to those terrible words of 
Scripture, be transmitted by me from generation 
to generation. I should tremble to see in my 
children's faces the features of their accursed 
father. So I remained unwedded." 

" What a gloomy idea ! " Gibamund whis- 
pered in the ear of his beautiful wife, as, drawing 
her tenderly toward him, he kissed her cheek. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 177 

" I suppose it was at that time," said Hilda, 
" that you composed that denunciation which con- 
demns all love as sin ? " 

"Maledictus amor sextus, 
Maledicta oscula, 
Sint amplexus maledicti 
Inferi ligamina." 

" It is all untrue," she added smiling, warmly 
returning her husband's embrace. 

But Gelimer went on : " The result will teach 
us the truth — on the Day of Judgment. The 
care of the boy cured me. I again turned to 
the practice of arms ; it would soon be necessary 
to teach my pupil their use. But a still greater 
aid was the duty — " 

" You owed your people and your native land," 
interrupted Hilda. 

" Yes," added Gibamund. " At that time the 
Moors had proved greatly superior to our 
effeminate troops, and especially our unwarlike 
King. We were defeated in every battle, and 
could no longer hold our own in the open 
field against the camel-riders. Our frontier was 
harried year after year. Nay, the robbers of 
the desert grew bold enough to penetrate deep 
into the heart of the proconsular province, till 
they made forays to the very gates of Carthage. 
Then I was summoned to become the shield 
of my people; I did so gladly. The old love 



178 THE SCARLET BANNER 

of arms waked anew, and I said to myself: ' No 
vain, sinful greed for fame urges you on/ ** 

" What ? Is heroism called a sin ? *' cried 
Hilda. "You were fighting only to defend 
your people." 

"Ah, but he found much pleasure in it," 
replied Gibamund, smiling at his wife. "And 
he often pursued the Moors farther into the 
desert, and in following them killed many more 
with his own hand than the protection of Car- 
thage would have required." 

" May Heaven pardon all that I did beyond 
what was necessary," said Gelimer, in a troubled 
tone. " The thought, * It is a sin,* often para- 
lyzed my arm, even in the midst of battle. 
Often, too, I was overwhelmed by the old 
melancholy, the torturing fear of sin, the con- 
sciousness of guilt, the burden of the curse of 
the burning woman, the words piercing to the 
quick : ^ All is sin, all is vanity ! * 

" Then came the day which brought to me 
the most terrible ordeal, — tortures little less than 
those suffered by the Catholics, the parents and 
relatives of Verus, and at the same time the 
decision, rescue, deliverance, through Verus. 
Yes, as Jesus Christ is my Redeemer in Heaven, 
this priest became my savior, my redeemer on 
earth." 

" Do not blaspheme," warned Gibamund. " I, 
unfortunately, am not so devout a Christian 



THE SCARLET BANNER 179 

as you ; but the Saviour is only like unto, not 
equal with, God — *' 

" You have learned your Arian creed by heart, 
my dear one," cried Hilda, laughing. " But old 
Hildebrand said he was neither like nor equal to 
the gods of our ancestors." 

" No, for they are demons," said Gelimer, 
wrathfully, making the sign of the cross. 

" Yet I should not like to compare the gloomy 
Verus with Christ," replied Gibamund. 

" I had felt toward him as you, as Zazo, 
as almost all did ; he did not attract, he rather 
repelled me. That he — he alone of all his kin- 
dred, whose death for their faith he had wit- 
nessed, should have adopted the religion of 
their executioners ! Was it from fear, or really 
from conviction ? I distrusted him ! It dis- 
pleased me, too, that King Hilderic, the friend 
of the Byzantines, whose plots against my own 
succession to the throne I already suspected, so 
greatly favored him. How greatly I wronged 
Verus there he has now proved ; he — he alone 
saved me and the Vandal kingdom. Thus he 
has done visibly what God's ^ign announced 
to me in the most terrible moment of my life. 
Now listen to what only our Zazo yet knows ; 
I told him, as an answer to his warning. Hear, 
marvel, and recognize the signs and wonders of 
God. 



CHAPTER XXII 

IT was three years ago. We had again 
marched against the Moors, this time to 
the southwest to meet the tribes which 
pitch their tents at the foot of the Auras Moun- 
tains. We passed through the Proconsularis, then 
Numidia, and from Tipasa forced the foe out of 
the level country up the steep mountains, where, 
amid inaccessible rocks, they sought refuge. We 
encamped on the plain, keeping them surrounded 
until hunger should force them to yield. Days, 
weeks elapsed. The time grew too long for me, 
and often, riding along the mountain chain, I 
sought some spot where lower cliffs might render 
it possible to scale or storm them. 

"On one of these lonely rides (I needed no 
companion, for the enemy did not venture down 
into the valley) I had gone a long, long distance 
from our camp. Riding in a wide circuit around 
a projecting cliff, I lost the right direction in the 
vast, monotonous desert. I had never examined 
this side of the mountains, they seemed less 
difficult to scale ; I felt no anxiety about return- 
ing, though my panting horse had covered many 
a mile, — the prints of his hoofs would guide me 



THE SCARLET BANNER i8i 

back. Already the rays of the ardent sun were 
falling more aslant, and brown mists were gather- 
ing around the glowing disk. I wished to see 
what lay beyond the nearest clifF, and, guiding 
my horse close to the rocky base, I turned the 
corner. Instantly a terrible sound deafened my 
ears, — a roar that made every nerve quiver. My 
horse reared in terror ; I saw, only a few paces 
in front of me, a huge lion, a monster in size, 
crouching to spring. I hurled my spear with 
all my force ; but at the same moment my horse, 
frantic with fear, reared still higher, overbalanced 
himself, and fell backward, burying me under his 
weight. A sharp pain in the thigh was the last 
thing I felt. Then my senses failed." 

He paused, deeply agitated by the remembrance 
of the scene. 

Hilda, her lips half parted, gazed at him in 
breathless suspense. " A lion ? " she faltered. 
"They usually shun the desert." 

" Yes," said Gibamund. " But they like to 
prowl among the mountains close to the border. 
I know that you were brought back to Carthage 
with a broken thigh," he added. " Many, many 
weeks passed before you were cured ; but I was 
not aware — " 

" When I recovered consciousness the sun was 
setting. It was burning hot — everything — the 
air,' the dry sand on which the back of my head 
rested (for the helmet had slipped off in my fall). 



i82 THE SCARLET BANNER 

the heavy horse which lay motionless on my 
right leg and thigh. He had broken his neck. 
I tried to drag myself from beneath the heavy 
burden. Impossible; I could not move the 
broken limb. By , bracing my right hand and 
arm on the sand, I attempted to raise the upper 
part of my body above the carcass of the horse. 
I succeeded. Directly in front of me was the 
lion ! The animal lay motionless on his belly 
a few feet away; the handle of my spear pro- 
truded from his breast just beside his right 
fore-paw. My heart exulted at his death. But 
alas, no ! Now that I had stirred, a low angry 
growl came from his half-open jaws. The mane 
bristled ; he tried to rise, but could not, and 
remained lying where he had fallen. Then the 
claws clenched the sand deeper, evidently in the 
attempt to drag the body nearer, while the mon- 
ster's glittering eyes were fixed full on mine. 
And I ? — I could not draw back a single inch. 
Then — I will not deny it — fear, base, abject, 
trembling terror seized me. I let myself fall 
back upon the sand ; I could not bear the horri- 
ble sight. Through my brain darted the thought : 
* Woe betide you, what will be your fate ? * 
And in my despair, my mortal terror, I shrieked 
as loud , as I could, * Help, help ! ' But I 
repented horribly ; my voice must have roused 
the fury of the wounded animal ; a roar answered 
me, — a roar so frightful in its rage and menace 



THE SCARLET BANNER 183 

that my breath failed. When silence followed, 
my blood rushed, seething, through my veins. 
What threatened me ? What end awaited me ? 
No cries for aid would be heard by our troops ; 
many, many miles of untrodden desert sands 
separated me from our farthest outposts. I had 
not seen during my whole ride a single trace of 
the foe among the mountains ; how gladly would 
I have surrendered myself into their hands as a 
captive ! But to languish here, under the scorch- 
ing sun, on the burning sands — to perish slowly, 
for already thirst was torturing me with its terri- 
ble pangs ! Ah, and I had heard that this agoniz- 
ing death by thirst might drag along for days in 
the lonely wilderness. 

" Then, looking up to the pitiless, leaden sky, 
I asked in a whisper, — I confess that I was 
afraid to wake the lion's voice again, — * God, 
God of Justice, why ? What sin have I com- 
mitted to be forced to suffer thus ? ' 

" Then through my brain darted the terrible 
answer of Holy Writ: *I will visit the iniquity 
of the fathers upon the children unto the third 
and fourth generation.' You are atoning, I 
groaned, for the sins of your ancestors ; the 
curse of those who were burned at the stake is 
burning you here. You are condemned upon 
earth and in hell. Is this already hell that com- 
passes me with such scorching heat, that sears 
my eyes, my throat, my chest, nay, my very 



i84 THE SCARLET BANNER 

soul ? And hark ! More terrible, louder still, 
it seemed to me, nearer, rose the roar of the 
monster. My senses failed again. 

" I lay unconscious all night, probably passing 
from the fainting fit into a dream. In my half- 
doze I again saw everything that had happened. 
* Ah,' I murmured, smiling, *it is only a dream; 
it can be nothing but a dream. Such things do 
not belong to the world of reality. You are lying 
in your tent, with your sword by your side.' Rous- 
ing, I grasped at the tiilt. Oh, horrible ! I clutched 
the desert sand. It was no dream. 

" Day had already dawned, and the sun again 
shone pitilessly with its scorching rays upon my 
unprotected face. Now the thought came, * My 
sword ! A weapon ! ' Bear the same torture, the 
same mortal anguish, for long hours ? No ! 
God forgive the heavy sin, but I would end 
my life ; I was already condemned to hell ! I 
grasped my sword-belt; an empty sheath hung 
from it. The blade had dropped out in the fall. 
I glanced around and saw the trusty weapon 
lying very near. Never had I loved it as I did 
at that moment; it was just at my left; I tried to 
seize it — in vain. Far as I could stretch my 
arm, my fingers, the faithful blade lay — perhaps 
barely six inches away — but beyond my reach. 
Then a low growl reminded me of the lion, and 
by a great effort (my strength was failing) I raised 
myself high enough to see the animal. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 185 

"Alas! Was it an illusion, indicative of ap- 
proaching madness ? For my thoughts were dart- 
ing through my brain like clouds whirling before 
the blast of the coming storm. No ! It was true. 
The monster had moved nearer, much nearer 
than the day before. It was no illusion. I could 
estimate clearly. Yesterday, no matter how far 
he stretched his paw, he could not reach the large 
black stone which had fallen from the cliff directly 
in front of my horse ; now it lay almost by the 
wild beast's hind leg. During these hours, urged 
by increasing hunger, the lion had pushed him- 
self forward almost the entire length of his body, 
and now lay only a foot and a half or two feet 
from me. If he should advance still farther — 
if he should reach me ? Helpless, defenceless, I 
must allow myself to be devoured alive ! Then 
terror darted through my heart. In mortal an- 
guish I prayed aloud to God, struggled with Him 
in appeal : * No, no, my God, Thou must not 
abandon me ! Thou must save me, God of 
Mercy ! ' At this moment I suddenly remem- 
bered the belief of our whole people concerning 
the guardian spirits whom God has allotted to us 
in the form of helpful human beings. Do you 
remember ? The attendant spirits." 

" Yes," said Gibamund. " And by fervent 
prayer we can, in the hour of supreme peril, con- 
strain God to show us the guardian spirit sent by 
Him to our rescue." 



i86 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" My ancestor, too," said Hilda, " believed 
in them firmly. He said that our forefathers 
imagined the guardian spirits in the form of 
women who invisibly followed the chosen he- 
roes everywhere to protect them. But since 
the Christian religion came — " 

" These demon women have left us," said Geli- 
mer, crossing himself, " and God has assigned to 
us men^ who are our keepers, counsellors, saviors, 
and guardian spirits here on earth. * Send me, O 
God,' I cried, in an agony of entreaty, * send me 
in this hour of utmost need the man whom Thou 
hast appointed to be my guardian spirit here on 
earth. Let him save me ! And so long as I 
breathe, I will trust him as I would Thyself, will 
revere in him Thy wondrous power.' 

" When I had ended this fervent prayer, my 
heart suddenly grew lighter. True, great weak- 
ness, almost faintness, stole over me; but there 
blended with it something infinitely sweet, inex- 
pressedly happy and full of relief And now, in 
my feverish illusion, I suddenly beheld alluring 
visions of deliverance ; the terrible thirst which 
tortured me painted a spring of delicious water 
gushing from the rocks close beside me. The 
rescuers, too, were already coming ! Not Zazo, 
not Gibamund ; I knew that they had marched 
against other Moors, far, far westward of my 
camp. No, it was some one else, whose features 
I could not see distinctlv. He dashed forward 



THE SCARLET BANNER 187 

on a neighing horse ; he slew the lion ; he 
dragged the constantly-increasing weight of my 
dead horse from my body. Then I heard only 
a rushing, ringing noise in my ears, which said : 
* Your deliverer is here ! Your guardian spirit/ 
Suddenly the ringing died away, and — it was no 
fevered dream — I heard in reality behind me, 
from the direction of our camp, the neighing of a 
horse. With my last strength I turned my head 
and saw a few paces behind me a man who had 
just sprung from his horse. He was standing in 
a hesitating, doubting attitude, as if reflecting, 
with his hand clenched on his sword-hilt, gazing 
at me and fhe lion." 

" He hesitated ? " cried Hilda. " He reflected; 
A Vandal warrior ? " . 

"He was no Vandal." 

"A Moor? A foe?" 

" It was Verus, the priest." 

« « My guardian spirit,' I cried, * my preserver ! 
God has sent you. Take my whole life ! ' Then 
my senses failed again. 

" Verus told me afterwards that he cautiously 
approached the lion, and, seeing how deeply the 
weapon had penetrated, he hastily tore the spear 
from the wound; a tremendous rush of blood 
followed, and the monster died. Then he dragged 
me from under the dead horse, lifted me with 
difficulty on his own, bound me firmly on its 
back, and carried me slowly to the camp. My 



i88 THE SCARLET BANNER 

soldiers had sought me solely in the path along 
which they saw me ride out ; Verus, who accom- 
panied our army, was the only one who noticed 
that, after leaving the encampment that morning, 
I turned eastward. And when I was missed, he 
searched until he found me." 

" Alone ? " 

^' Entirely alone." 

" How strange ! " said Hilda ; " how easily, 
alone, he might have failed in his purpose ! " 

" God enlightened and sent him." 

" And did you — did he never tell others ? " 

Gelimer shook his noble head gravely. " The 
miracles of God are not to be the subject of idle 
talk. I earnestly besought his forgiveness that, 
formerly, I had almost distrusted him. He gen- 
erously pardoned me. * True, I felt it,' he said. 
* It grieved me. Now atone by trusting me 
fully. For in truth you are right. God really 
did send me to you ; I am your fate, I am the 
tool in God's hand that watches over your life 
and guides it to its predestined goal. I saw 
you — as if in a dream, though I was awake — 
lying helpless in the desert, and a secret voice 
urged me on, saying : " Seek him. Thou shalt 
become his fate ! " And I could not rest until 
I had found you.' 

"Now I have confided this to you that you 
may no longer wound me by your doubts. No, 
Hilda, do not shake your head. No objection ; 



THE SCARLET BANNER 189 

I will suffer none. How your distrust angers 
me ! Has he not saved me a second time ? Do 
you want a third sign from God, unbeliever ? I 
would not wish to be incensed against you, so I 
will leave you. It is late. Believe, trust, and 
keep silence." With a bearing of lofty dignity, 
he left the room. 

Hilda gazed after him thoughtfully. Then 
she shrugged her shoulders. " Mere chance," 
she said, " and superstition ! How can delusion 
ensnare such a mind ? " 

" Such danger threatens just such minds. I 
rejoice that mine is less exalted." 

" And that your soul is healthy ! " cried Hilda, 
starting from her reverie with a gesture of relief, 
and throwing both arms* around her beloved 
husband. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

EARLY on the morning of the third day 
after the meeting in the great hall of the 
palace, Hilda and her young charge, 
Eugenia, were sitting together in one of the 
women's apartments, talking eagerly over the 
work at which they were industriously toiling. 

The narrow but lofty arched window afforded 
a view of. the large square courtyard of the palace. 
In which there was an active stir of military prep- 
aration. In one portion of the wide space newly 
arrived Vandal recruits were being divided into 
bands of tens and hundreds ; in another they 
were discharging arrows and hurling spears at 
targets made of planks which, in height, width, 
and general appearance, resembled as closely as 
possible Byzantine warriors in full defensive 
armor. A special oval enclosure was reserved for 
the inspection of horses and camels offered for 
sale by Moorish traders. The King, Gibamund, 
and the Gundings went from group to group. 
Hilda was sitting on a pile of cushions, from 
which, whenever she looked up, she could see 
the whole courtyard without the least difficulty. 
She was working industriously upon a large piece 



THE SCARLET BANNER 191 

of scarlet woollen cloth which lay spread over 
the laps of both women. Often the needle fell 
from her hand, while a radiant glance flashed 
down at the noble figure of her slender husband. 
If he met it and waved his hand to her, — few of 
her glances escaped his notice, — a lovely flush of 
shy, sweet happiness glowed on the young wife's 
cheeks. 

Hilda saw that Eugenia stretched her delicate 
neck forward several times to obtain a glimpse of 
the courtyard. But she did not succeed ; her seat 
was too far back from the window ; and when at 
another attempt she perceived that her effort had 
been noticed, she crimsoned with alarm and 
shame far more deeply than Hilda had just done 
from pleasure. 

" You have finished the lower hem," said 
Hilda, kindly. "Push another cushion on the 
stool. You must sit higher now, on account of 
the work." The young Greek eagerly obeyed, 
and a stolen glance flew swiftly down into the 
courtyard. But her lashes drooped sorrowfully, 
and she drew her gold-threaded needle still faster 
through the red cloth. 

" New hundreds will soon arrive," remarked 
Hilda, " and then other commanders will come 
into the courtyard." 

Eugenia made no reply, but her face brightened. 

" You have been so diligent that we shall soon 
finish," Hilda went on. " The setting sun will 



192 THE SCARLET BANNER 

see Genseric's old banner floating again in re- 
stored beauty from the palace roof." 

" The golden dragon is nearly mended, only 
one wing and the claws — " 

"They probably grew dull during the long years 
of peace, when the banner lay idle in the arsenal." 

" There were frequent battles with the Moors." 

" Yes, but Genseric's old battle-standard was 
not shaken from its proud dreams on account 
of those little skirmishes. Only small bodies of 
mounted troops rode forth, and the majestic 
signal of war was not unfurled on the palace. 
But now that the kingdom is threatened, Gelimer 
has commanded that, according to ancient custom, 
the great banner should be unfurled on the roof. 
My Gibamund brought it to me to replace the 
worn embroidery with fresh gold." 

"We should have finished it before, if you had 
not placed those strange little signs half hidden 
along the hem — " 

" Hush," whispered Hilda, smiling, " he must 
not know it." 

"Who?" 

" Why, the pious King. Alas, we shall never 
understand and agree with each other ! " 

" Why must he know nothing about it ? " 

" They are the ancient runes of victory of our 
people. My ancestor Hildebrand taught them 
to me. And who can tell whether they may 
not help?" 



THE SCARLET BANNER 



^93 



As she spoke, she passed her hand over her 
work with a tender, caressing motion, humming 
softly, — 

'* Revered and ancient 
Runes so glorious^ 
Magical symbols 
Of victory's bliss. 
Float ye and sway 
With the fluttering banner 
High o'er our heads ! 
Summon the swift. 
Lovely, and gracious 
Maids, brave and bold. 
Hovering swan-like 
Our heads far above ! 
Givers of victory. 
Radiant sisterhood. 
Fetter the foe. 
Stay their proud columns. 
Weaken their sword-strokes. 
Shiver their spears. 
Break their firm shields, 
Shatter their breastplates. 
Hew off their helmets ! — 
Unto our warriors 
Victory send ye; 
Joyous pursuit, 
Speeding on swift steeds. 
Shouting in glee. 
After the flying 
Ranks of the vanquished ! " 



« ' 



There ! The ancient rune has often helped 
the Amalungi; why should it not aid the As- 

13 



194 THE SCARLET BANNER 

dings ? Aha ! Now let the dragon fly again. 
He has moulted," she added, laughing merrily ; 
"now his wings have grown new." 

Springing to her feet, she raised the long heavy 
shaft, terminating in a sharp point, to which the 
square scarlet cloth was fastened with gold-headed 
nails, and with both hands she waved the banner 
joyously around her head. It was a beautiful pic- 
ture: Gibamund and many of the warriors below 
saw the floating banner and the lovely woman's 
head surrounded by her flowing golden hair. 

" Hail, Hilda, hail ! " rose in an echoing shout. 

Startled, the young wife sank on her knees to 
escape their eyes. Yet she had heard his voice, 
so she smiled, happy in her embarrassment, and 
charming in her confusion. 

Eugenia, doubtless, felt the winsome spell, for, 
suddenly slipping down beside the Princess, she 
covered her hands and beautiful round white 
arms with ardent kisses. "Oh, lady, why are 
you so glorious ? I often look up to you with 
fear. When your eyes flash so, when, like Pallas 
Athene, you talk so einthusiastically of battle and 
heroic deeds, fear or awe steals over me and 
holds me away from you. Then again, when — 
as has so often happened during these last few 
days — I have seen your shy, sweet happiness, 
your love, your devotion to your husband, then, 
oh, then — pardon my presumption — I feel as 
near, as closely akin to you, as — as — " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 195 

"As a sister, my Eugenia," said Hilda, clasp- 
ing the charming creature warmly to her heart. 
" Believe me, brave, fearless heroism does not 
exclude the most loyal, the most devoted wifely 
love. I have often argued that question with 
the most beautiful woman in the whole world." 

" Who is that ? " asked Eugenia, doubtfully ; 
for how could any one be fairer than Hilda ? 

" Mataswintha, granddaughter of the great 
Theodoric, in the laurel-grown garden at Ra- 
venna. She would have become my friend ; but 
she desired to hear only of love, nothing of 
heroism and duty to people and kingdom. She 
knows only one right, one duty — love. This 
separated us sharply and rigidly. Yet how 
touchingly both may be united, a beautiful old 
legend celebrates. My noble friend, Teja, once 
sang it for my grandfather and me to the accom- 
paniment of his harp, in measures so sorrowful 
and yet so proud — ah, as only Teja can sing. 
I will translate it into your language. Come, let 
us mend this corner of the golden hem ; mean- 
while, I will tell you." 

Both took their seats by the open window 
again. Once more Eugenia's glance, still in 
vain, often flitted over the courtyard, and while 
the two were industriously embroidering, the 
Princess began : 

" It was in ancient times : when eagles shrieked, 
holy waters flowed from heavenly mountains. 



196 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Far, far away from here, in the Land of Thule 
in Scandinavia, a noble hero was born of the 
Wolsung race. His name was Helgi, and he 
had no peer on earth. When, after great victo- 
ries over the Hundings, the hereditary foes of his 
family, he sat resting on a rock in the fir-woods, 
light suddenly burst from the sky, from whose 
radiance beams darted like shining lances, and 
from the clouds rode the Valkyries, who — ac- 
cording to the beautiful religion of our ancestors 
— are hero-maidens who decide the destinies of 
battle, and bear the fallen heroes up to the shield- 
wainscoted halls of the god of victory. They 
rode in helmets and breastplates; flames blazed 
at the points of their spears. One of them, 
Sigrun, came to the lonely warrior, clasped his 
hand, greeted him, and kissed his lips beneath his 
helmet, and they loved each other deeply. 

" But Sigrun's father had betrothed her to 
another, and Helgi was compelled to wage a hard 
battle for his love. He killed her lover, her 
father, and all her brothers except one. Sigrun 
herself, hovering in the clouds, had given him 
the victory, and she became his wife, though he 
had slain her father and her brothers. But soon 
Helgi, the beloved hero, was murdered by the 
one brother whom he had spared. True, the 
assassin tried to make amends to the widow ; 
but she cursed him, saying : * May the ship 
that carries you never move forward, though a 



THE SCARLET BANNER 197 

fair wind is blowing ! May the steed that bears 
you stop running, when you are fleeing from 
your foes ! May the sword you wield cease to 
cut, and may it whirl around your own head! 
May you live in the world without peace, as the 
hunted wolf wanders through the forest ! ' Dis- 
daining all comfort, she tore her hair, saying: 

* Woe betide the widow who accepts consolation ! 
She never knew love, for love is eternal. Woe 
to the wife who has lost her husband ! Her 
heart is desolate ; why should she live on ? ' " 

Eugenia softly repeated the words : " Woe 
betide the widow who accepts consolation ! She 
never knew love, for love is eternal. Woe to 
the wife who has lost her husband ! Her heart 
is desolate; why should she live on ? " 

"' Helgi towered above all other heroes, as the 
ash towers above thorns and thistles. For the 
widow there remains but one spot on earth — 
her husband's grave. Sigrun will no longer find 
pleasure in this world, unless perchance a light 
should burst from the doors of his tomb, and 
I might again embrace him.' 

"And so mighty, so all-constraining is the 
longing of the true widow, that it will even 
break the power of death. In the evening a 
maid-servant came running to Sigrun, saying: 

* Hasten forth, if you wish to have your husband 
again. Look ! the mound has opened ; a light is 
streaming from it ; your longing has brought the 



198 THE SCARLET BANNER 

hero from the heaven of the god of victory ; 
he is sitting in the mound and beseeches you 
to stanch his bleeding wounds/" 

Eugenia, in a low, trembling voice, repeated : 
" The longing of the true widow will even break 
the power of death." 

" Sigrun went in to Helgi, kissed him, stanched 
his wounds, and said : * Your locks are drenched 
with moisture ; you are covered with blood ; your 
hands are cold — how shall I keep you?' *You 
are the sole cause,' he replied. * You shed so 
many tears, and each fell a blood-stain upon 
Helgi's breast.' 'Then I will weep no more,' 
she cried; * but will rest upon your heart, as I did 
in life.' * You will remain in the mound with 
me, in the arms of the dead, though you still 
live,' cried Helgi, exultingly. 

"You will remain in the mound, in the arms of 
the dead, though you still live," Eugenia repeated. 

" But the legend relates that when Sigrun also 
died, both were born again : he a victorious hero, 
but she a Valkyrie. This is the ballad of how 
a woman's true love, a widow's true anguish, 
conquers death, and, in omnipotent yearning, 
even forces a passage into the grave to the be- 
loved one." 

" And in omnipotent yearning forces a passage 
into the grave to the beloved one." 

Hilda looked up suddenly. " Child, what is 
the matter? " The Princess had spoken with such 



THE SCARLET BANNER 199 

enthusiasm that at last she paid no heed to her 
listener. But now she heard a low sob, and, in 
bewilderment, saw the Greek kneeling on the 
floor, bending forward over the stool, hiding her 
lovely face in both hands ; tears were streaming 
between the slender fingers. 

"Eugenia!" 

" O Hilda, it is so beautiful. It must be so 
blissful to be loved ! And it is also happiness to 
love unto death. Oh, happy Gibamund's Hilda ! 
Oh, happy Helgi's Sigrun ! How this song makes 
the heart ache and yet rejoice! How beautiful 
and, alas, how true it is, that love conquers all 
things, and draws the loving woman to her be- 
loved, even to his grave! They are united in 
death, if no longer in life. That thought pos- 
sesses stronger power than spell or magnet." 

" O sister, does this little heart love so strongly, 
so fervently, so genuinely? Speak freely at last. 
Not a single word during all these days have 
you — " 

" I could not ! I was so ashamed for myself, 
and, alas ! for him. And I dare not speak of my 
Igve! It is a disgrace and shame. For he, my 
bridegroom, — no, my husband, — does not love 
me ! " 

" Indeed he does love you, or why should the 
reckless noble have wooed you so humbly ? " 

" Alas, I do not know.. Hundreds of times 
during, the last few days have I asked myself 



200 THE SCARLET BANNER 

that question. I do not know. Trae, I be- 
lieved — until the day before yesterday — it was 
from love. And often this foolish heart believes 
it still. But, no, it was not love. Caprice — 
weariness — perhaps," and now she trembled 
wrathfully, " a wager, — a game that he desired 
to win and which lost its charm as soon as he 
succeeded." 

" No, my little dove ! Thrasaric is incapable 
of that." 

" Oh, yes, oh, yes ! " Eugenia sobbed despair- 
ingly. " He is capable of it." 

" I do not believe it," said the Princess, and, 
sitting down beside her, she lifted the forsaken 
little bride into her arms as if she were a child, 
dried her wet cheeks with the folds of her own 
white mantle, stroked her burning lids, smoothed 
her tangled hair, pressed the little head to her 
soft bosom, and rocked gently to and fro, saying 
soothingly : " Everything will be well again, little 
one, and soon ; for he does love you. That is 
certain." 

A suppressed sob and a slight shake of the 
head said, No ! 

" Certain ! I do not know, nor do I wish to 
know, what that woman hissed into your ear. 
But I saw how it wounded you, like a poisoned 
arrow. Whatever it may be — " 

" I will never, never, never tell ! " the girl fairly 
shrieked. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 201 

" I do not wish to know, I told you. What- 
ever his guilt may be, the Christians have a 
beautiful saying : / Love beareth all things/ " 
" Love beareth all things," murmured Eugenia. 
"But, of course, love only. Tell me, little 
sister, do you really love him?" 

The weeping girl, springing from the Princess's 
clasping arms, stood erect, and stretching both 
arms wide exclaimed, in a low tone, " Alas ! 
Unspeakably ! " and threw herself again on her 
friend's breast. Her large soft eyes sparkled 
through her tears as she went on in a low whis- 
per, as though fearing that strangers might hear 
in the secluded chamber: "That is my sweet 
secret, — the secret of my shame." She smiled 
radiantly. " I loved him long ago, I believe 
even as a child. When he came to my father to 
buy grain for his villas, he lifted me in his strong 
arms like a feather, until I — gradually — forbade 
it. The older I grew, the more ardently I loved, 
and therefore the more timidly I avoided him. 
Oh, do not betray it as long as you live — when 
he seized me, bore me away in the public street — 
fiercely as my wrath, my honor rebelled, deeply 
as I suffered from pity for my father — yet — 
yet — yet! While struggling desperately in his 
iron arms, screaming for help — yet ! — in the 
midst of all the mortal fright and anger, there 
blazed here in my heart, secretly, a warm, happy, 
blissful emotion : ' He loves me ; he tortures me 



202 THE SCARLET BANNER 

from love ! ' And, amid all the keen suffering, I 
was happy, nay, proud, that he dared so bold a 
deed for love of me ! Can you understand, can 
you forgive that ? " 

Hilda smiled bewitchingly : " Forgive ? No ! 
I am utterly bewildered with sheer pleasure. 
Forgive me^ little one. I had not expected from 
you so much genuine, ardent woman's love ! 
But, you obstinate little creature, you hypo- 
crite, — why did you so long conceal and deny 
your feelings toward him from your father and 
your friend ? " 

"Why? That is perfectly plain," exclaimed 
the girl, indignantly. " From embarrassment and 
shame. It is terrible, it is a frightful disgrace, 
for a young girl, instead of hating the man who 
seized her in the public market-place, and even 
kissed her at the same time, to love him. It is 
utterly abominable." 

Half weeping, half smiling, she hid her face 
on her friend's breast, tenderly kissing a little 
gold cross that she wore round her neck attached 
to a thin silver chain, and lovingly pressing to 
her bosom a bronze semi-circle, inscribed with 
runes, that she wore on her arm. 

" His betrothal and, alas, his marriage gift," 
she sighed. 

" Yes, you love him deeply," said Hilda, 
smiling. " And he ? He sent my Gibamund 
to me with frequent messages of the anguish he 



THE SCARLET BANNER 203 

was suffering, and he was as grateful as a blind 
man who has been restored to sight when I told 
him that he was indeed wholly unworthy of you ; 
but if he really desired to win you for his wife, 
he must ask you if you would wed him, and 
then beg your father for your hand. This 
simple bit of wisdom made him as happy as a 
child. He followed the counsel, and now — " 

" Now ? " Eugenia interrupted, in almost comi- 
cal indignation. " Now he has not been seen at 
all for nearly three days. Who knows how far 
away he may be ? " 

" Not very far," cried Hilda, laughing ; " he 
is just riding into the courtyard below." 

Eugenia's little head was at the window like 
a flash of lightning. A. half-stifled cry of joy 
escaped her lips, then she instantly stooped 
again. 

" Oh, oh, how magnificent he looks ! " cried 
Hilda, clasping her hands with the most joyful 
surprise. "In full, heavy armor, a huge bear- 
head with gaping jaws on his helmet — " 

" Oh, yes ! He killed it himself on the Auras 
Mountain," murmured the little bride. 

" And how the skin floats around his mighty 
shoulders ! He carries a spear as thick as a sap- 
ling, and on his shield — What is the emblem ? 
A stone-hammer ? " 

" Yes, yes," cried Eugenia, eagerly, lifting her 
head cautiously to the window-sill, " that is his 



204 THE SCARLET BANNER 

house-mark. His family descends, according to 
ancient tradition, from a red-bearded demon with 
a hammer — I don't remember the name." 

" What demon ? " exclaimed Hilda. " The god 
Donar is his ancestor, and Thrasaric does him 
honor. He is talking with Gibamund. They 
are looking up ; he is saluting me. Oh dear, 
how pale and sad the poor giant looks ! " 

" Is that true ? " The little brown head flew 
up again. 

" Stoop, little one ! He must not see that we 
are far less able to bear the yearning than he. 
My husband is waving his hand to me. He is 
coming upstairs ; Thrasaric seems to be follow- 
ing him." 

Eugenia had already vanished in the next 
room. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

HILDA flew to the threshold to meet her 
husband, and the young couple tenderly 
embraced. 

" Are you alone ? " asked Gibamund, glancing 
around him. " I thought I saw your little ante- 
lope at the window." 

Hilda pointed silently to the curtains at the 
door of the adjoining room ; her husband nodded. 
"You will have a visitor presently/' he said, 
raising his voice. "Thrasaric wishes to speak 
to you. He has all sorts of important things to 
say." 

"He will be welcome." 

" Have you finished the banner? " 

"Oh, yes." 

Seizing the pole, she raised the heavy standard 
aloft ; the scarlet cloth, more than five feet long 
and two and a half feet wide, flowed in long 
heavy folds around the two slender figures. It 
was a beautiful, solemn sight. 

Gibamund took the banner from her. "I 
will place it on the battlements of the loftiest 
tower, that it may wave a bloody welcome to our 
foes. Oh, thou choicest jewel, shield of the 



2o6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Vandal fame, Genseric's victorious standard, 
never shalt thou fall into the hands of the foe 
so long as I draw breath ! " he cried enthusias- 
tically. " I swear it by the head of the beloved 
wife over which thy folds are floating." 

" Neither your eyes nor mine shall ever wit- 
ness that. I, too, swear it," said Hilda, with 
deep earnestness, and a slight shiver ran through 
her limbs as a gust of wind blew the scarlet cloth 
closely around her shoulders and breast. 

Gibamund kissed the fair brow and the beau- 
tiful eyes which were lifted with a radiant light 
to his own, and hurried out of the room with 
the banner. On the threshold he met Thrasaric. 
Hilda sat down again beside the window. 

"Welcome, Thrasaric!" she said loudly, as 
the curtain in the doorway of the adjoining room 
waved to and fro. " I commend you. In full 
armor! It suits you better than — other cos- 
tumes. I hear that you have been made com- 
mander of many thousand men. You are to 
fill Zazo's place until his return. What brings 
you to me ? " 

These friendly words evidently soothed the 
embarrassment of the giant, whose face had crim- 
soned when he entered the apartment. He cast 
a searching glance around the room, hoping to 
discover some trace — some article of clothing; 
but he did not find it. His whole soul was burn- 
ing with the desire to speak of Eugenia, to ask 



THE SCARLET BANNER 207 

about her, to learn her feelings. Yet he so 
feared to approach the subject. He did not 
know whether his bride had told her friend of 
his heavy, heavy sin. He feared it. Surely it 
was probable that the Princess had asked the girl 
the cause of her terror ; and why should Euge- 
nia keep silence ? Why should she spare him ? 
Had he deserved it? Had not the indignant 
girl, with the utmost justice, cast him off forever ? 
All these questions, over which he had been pon- 
dering, now pressed at once on his bewildered 
brain. He was so bitterly ashamed of himself, 
he would rather have marched alone to meet Bel- 
isarius's entire army than talk now with this 
noble woman ; yet he had boldly encountered 
harder things. As he made no reply, but merely 
stood with laboring breath, Hilda repeated the 
question, — 

" What brings you to me, Thrasaric ? " 

He must answer — he saw that. So he replied, 
but Hilda was almost startled when he cried 
loudly, " A horse." 

" A horse ? " asked the Princess, slowly. 
"What am I to do with it?" 

Thrasaric was glad to be able to speak, and 
at some length, of subjects not connected with 
Eugenia. So he now answered, quickly and 
easily : " To ride it." 

" Yes," laughed Hilda, " I suppose so ! But 
to whom does the horse belong ? " 



2o8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" To you. I give it to you. Gibamund has 
permitted it. He commands you to accept it 
from me. Do you hear? He commands." 

" Well, well ! I have n't refused yet. So 
I thank you cordially. What kind of horse 
is it?" 

" The best one on earth." 
» The answers now came with the speed of 
lightning. 

" Gibamund and my brother-in-law said that 
of Cabaon's stallion." 

" It is the very horse." 

" That belongs to Modigisel." 

" Not now." 

"Why?" 

"Oh, for many reasons. In the first place, it 
is now yours. Secondly, the animal lately ran 
away from Modigisel at night, was carried off. 
Thirdly, Modigisel is dead. And, fourthly, the 
stallion belongs to me." 

These replies had come almost too rapidly. 
Hilda gazed at him without understanding. 

" Modigisel dead ? Incredible ! " 

" But it is true. And really — except for him- 
self — no great misfortune. A short time ago, 
at night, I helped a young Moorish prisoner to 
escape. I could not foresee that he would use 
the horse in doing so. But afterwards I rejoiced 
over it, very, very deeply. Early this morning, 
a Moor, not the fugitive, brought the stallion into 



THE SCARLET BANNER 209 

my courtyard. The lad I had saved was Sersaon, 
Cabaon's famous grandson. Cabaon, in his grati- 
tude, sent me the magnificent horse." 

" But must not you return him to Modigisel ?" 

"Perhaps so. On np account — never, never 
— would I have kept the animal. I would rather 
have the devil in my stable ; I would rather ride 
the steed of hell ! " 

"Why?" 

"Why? Why? You ask why?" cried 
Thrasaric, joyously. " Then you do not know ? " 

" If I knew, I would not ask," said Hilda, 
calmly. 

But she was startled by the effect of these 
words; the gigantic man threw himself on his 
knees before her, pressing her hands till she 
could almost have screamed with pain, as he 
cried : " That is glorious, that is divine ! " But 
the next instant he sprang up again, saying mourn- 
fully, " Alas ! This is even worse. Now I must 
tell her myself. Forgive me. No, I am not 
mad. Just wait. It is coming. — So I ordered 
the horse to be led at once to Modigisel. The 
slave returned immediately with the message that 
'Modigisel was dead." 

" Then it is true ? The day before yesterday 
in perfect health ! How is it possible ? " 

" Astarte, of course. You know nothing about 
such creatures. His freedwoman and friend ; she 
lived in the next house. It is very strange. The 

14 



2IO THE SCARLET BANNER 

slaves say that after — after returning from the 
Grove of the Holy Virgin," he stammered the 
words with downcast eyes, " Modigisel and 
Astarte had a violent quarrel. That is, she did 
not make an outcry — she said very little ; but 
she demanded for the thousandth time her com- 
plete freedom. Modigisel had reserved numer- 
ous rights. He refused, shouted, and raged ; he 
is said to have beaten her. But yesterday they 
made friends again. Astarte and the Gundings 
dined with him. After the banquet they strolled 
about the garden. Before their eyes Astarte 
broke four peaches from a tree. She and the 
two Gundings ate three of them ; Modigisel the 
fourth. And, after eating it, he dropped dead at 
Astarte's feet." 

" Horrible ! Poison ? " 

" Who dares to say so ? The peach grew on 
the same tree with the others. The Gundings 
bear witness to it ; they do not lie. And the 
Carthaginian is impenetrably calm, even now." 

" You have seen her, have talked with her ? " 

The powerful warrior flushed crimson : " She 
came to my house at once, from the dead man. 
But I — well — she went away again very soon. 
She was hastening to take possession of the villa 
at Decimum, which Modigisel bequeathed to her 
long ago." 

" What a woman ! " 

" Nay, no woman, — a monster, but a beautiful 



THE SCARLET BANNER 211 

one. So the horse remained in my possession. 
But I — will not keep the animal. Then I 
thought that of all the women of our nation you 
are the most glorious — I mean, the best rider. 
And I believe war will soon break out, and, from 
what I know of you, I believe that nothing will 
prevent you from going with Gibamund to the 
field." 

"There you are right," laughed Hilda, with 
sparkling eyes. 

"Then I begged Gibamund — and so the 
stallion is yours, do you see ? He is just being 
led into the courtyard." 

" A magnificent creature indeed ! I thank you." 

" So that is the story of the horse." 
• He spoke very sorrowfully, for he did not 
know what to say next. 

Hilda came to his assistance. 

" And your brother ? "•she asked. 

" Unhappily he has disappeared. I have 
searched for him everywhere — in his own villas 
and mine. There was not a trace. The body 
of the beautiful Ionian who — died that night, 
could not be found either. There was no sign 
of it in the city or country. It is possible that 
he left Carthage by ship. So many have gone 
out of the harbor during these last few days, 
even — " he suddenly turned pale — "even 
bound for Sicily." 

"Yes," said Hilda, carelessly, glancing out 



212 THE SCARLET BANNER 

of the window. "The horse is a splendid 
animal." 

"She is changing the subject," thought 
Thrasaric. "Then it is so." 

"Several sailed also for Syracuse," he went on, 
watching her intently. 

The Princess leaned from the casement. " Only 
one, so far as I know," she replied indifferently. 

" Then it is true," cried the Vandal, suddenly, 
in despair. " She has gone. She has gone to 
her father in Syracuse. She has deserted me for- 
ever ! O Eugenia ! Eugenia ! " Pressing his arm 
against the window-frame in bitter anguish, he 
laid his face on it. 

So he did not see how violently the curtains 
at the door of the next room swayed to and fro. 

" O Princess," he cried, controlling himself, 
" it is only just. I ought not to blame you, I 
must praise you for having snatched her from 
my arms on that wild night. Nor can I con- 
demn her for casting me off. No, do not try to 
comfort me. I know I am not worthy of her. 
It is my own fault. Yet not mine alone ; the 
women — that is, the maidens of our nation — 
are also to blame. Do you look at me in wonder ? 
Well, then, Hilda, have you taken a single 
Vandal girl to your heart as a friend ? Eugenia, 
the Greek, the child of a plain citizen, is far 
more to you than the wives and daughters of 
our nobles. I will not say — far be it from me 



THE SCARLET BANNER 213 

— that the Vandal women are as corrupt and 
degenerate as, alas, most of us men. Certainly 
not ! But under this sky, in three generations, 
they, too, have deteriorated. Gold, finery, lux- 
ury, and again gold, fill their souls. They long 
for wealth, for boundless pleasure, almost like 
the Romans. Their souls have grown feeble. No 
one understands or shares Hilda's enthusiasm." 

"Yes, they are vain and shallow," said the 
Princess, sadly. 

" Is it any wonder, then, that we men do not 
seek to wed these pretentious dolls ? Because I 
am rich, fathers and, still more, eager, anxious 
mothers, and even — well, I will not say it ! In 
short, I might have married many dozen 
Vandal girls, had I desired to do so. But I 
said, no. I loved no one of them. I cared only 
for this child, this little Greek. Her I love 
ardently, from the very depths of my soul, and 
faithfully too. For my whole life ! " 

Hilda's glance darted over him from her high 
seat to the swaying curtains. 

" And now — now, I love even more than ever 
the pearl I have lost. She honors the love she 
once felt for me by sparing the unworthy man. 
She has not told you the wrong I did her, the 
crime I committed. But — " he straightened 
himself to his full height, his manly, handsome 
countenance illumined by the loftiest feeling — "I 
have imposed it upon myself as a penance, if she 



214 THE SCARLET BANNER 

said nothing, to confess it to you with my own 
lips. Write and tell her so; perhaps then she 
will think of me more kindly. It is the heaviest 
punishment to tell you ; for. Princess Hilda, I 
revere you as I would a goddess, aye, the pro- 
tecting goddess of our people. The thought 
that you will now despise me is like death. But 
you shall know ! I have — so I am told ; I do 
not know, but it is doubtless true — I have — 
Eugenia — I did it while intoxicated, after drink- 
ing an ocean of wine — but I did it ! And I am 
not worthy ever to see her again. I have — " 

" Not you, my beloved, it was the wine," cried 
an exultant voice, and a slender figure clung 
passionately yet shyly to his broad breast, and, 
while ardently embracing him with her right arm, 
she laid the little fingers of her left hand upon 
his mouth to stay his words. 

" Eugenia ! " exclaimed the giant, flushing crim- 
son. " You heard me ? You can forgive ? You 
still love me ? " 

" Unto death ! Unto the grave ! No, beyond 
death. I would seek you in the grave if I lost 
you ! With you, in life and in death ! For I 
love you ! " 

" And that is eternal," said Hilda, passing her 
hand lightly over the young wife's hair. Then 
she floated out of the room, leaving the happy 
lovers alone with their joy. 



BOOK TfTO 
IN THE WAR 

CHAPTER I 

PrOCOPIUS of C-ffiSAREA TO CORNELIUS CeTHEGUS CiESARIUS : 

THERE is no longer either sense or 
reason in concealing my name; the 
bird would still be recognized by its 
song. And now I am almost certain that these 
sheets will not be seized in Constantinople; for 
we shall soon be swimming on the blue waves. 

So it is war with the Vandals ! The Empress 
has accomplished her design. She treated her 
husband, after he hesitated, very coldly, even in- 
solently. That is always effectual. What motive 
urged and still impels her to this war, Hell 
knows certainly, Heaven vaguely, and I not at 
all. 

Perhaps the blood of the heretics must again 
wash away a few spores of her sins. Or she 
expects to gain th/t treasures brought to the 
capitol in Caj*lTage from every land by Genseric's 
corsair shipis, — the riches of the temple of Jeru- 





1 




; 






/ 


i 

t 



2i6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

sal em are among them. In short, she wanted war, 
and we have it. 

A devout bishop from an Asiatic frontier city 

— his name is Agathos — came to Constanti- 
nople. The Empress summoned him to a pri- 
vate audience. I heard it from Antonina, the wife 
of Belisarius, who was the only person present. 
Theodora showed him a letter which he had 
written to the Persian King. The Bishop fell 
prostrate on the floor with fright. She pushed 
him with the tip of her golden slipper. " Rise, 
O Agathos, man of God," she said, " and dream 
to-night of what I now say to you. If you do 
not tell this dream to the Emperor, before to- 
morrow noon I will give him this letter to-mor- 
row afternoon, and before to-morrow evening, O 
most holy man, you will be beheaded." 

The Bishop went out and dreamed as he had 
been commanded — probably without sleeping. 
Before the early bath on the following day he 
sought Justinian, and, in the utmost excitement, 

— which was not feigned, — told him that Christ 
had appeared to him the night before in a dream . 
and said : " Go to the Emperor, O Agathos, and 
rebuke him for having faint-heartedly given up 
the plan of avenging me upon these heretics. 
Tell him : Thus saith Christ the Lord : ' March 
forth, Justinian, and fear not. For I, the Lord, 
will aid thee in battle, and will force Africa and 
Its treasures beneath thy rule.' " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 217 

Then Justinian was no longer to be restrained. 
War was determined. The opposing Prefect 
was thrown into prison. Belisarius was made 
commander-in-chief. The priests proclaimed the 
pious Bishop's dream from the pulpits of all the 
basilicas. The soldiers were ordered by hundreds 
to the churches, where courage was preached to 
them. Court officials told the dream in the 
streets, in the harbor, and on the ships. By 
the command of the Empress, Megas, her hand- 
somest court poet, put it into Greek and Latin 
verses. They are astonishingly bad, worse than 
even our Megas usually writes ; but they are 
easy to learn, so by day and night soldiers and 
sailors sing them in the streets and the wine- 
shops, as children sing in the dark to keep their 
courage up; for our heroes really do not yet 
feel very anxious to make the holy voyage to 
Carthage. So we shout incessantly, — 

** Christus came to the holy Bishop; Christus warned Justinian: 
* Avenge Christus, Justinianus, on the wicked Arian. 
Christus himself will slay the Vandals, Africa give to thy 
hand!'" 

The poem has two merits : first, it can be 
repeated as often as you please; secondly, it 
makes no difference with which verse you begin. 
The Empress says — and of course she must 
know — that the Holy Ghost inspired Megas. 

We are working night and day. The shaggy 
little nags of the Huns are neighing in the streets 



2i8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

of Constantinople. Among these troops are six 
hundred excellent mounted archers, commanded 
by the Hunnish chiefs, Aigan and Bleda, Ellak 
and Bala. There are also six hundred Herulians, 
led by Fara, a Prince of that people. They are 
Germans in Justinian's pay ; for " Only diamond 
cuts diamond," Narses says: "always Germans 
against Germans is our favorite old game." 

Strong bands of other Barbarians march also 
through our streets : Isaurians, Armenians, and 
others, under their own leaders. We call them 
our allies ; that is, we "give" them money or grain, 
for which they pay with the blood of their sons. 
Among the nations of our own enipire, the 
Thracians and lUyrians are the best soldiers. In 
the harbor the ships are rocking, impatiently 
tugging at their anchors in the east wind, their 
eager prows turned toward the west. 

The army is gradually being placed on 
board of the fleet : eleven thousand foot, five 
thousand horse, upon five hundred keels, with 
twenty thousand sailors. Among them, as the 
best war-ships, are one hundred and two swift- 
sailing galleys manned by two thousand rowers 
from Constantinople ; the other sailors are Egyp- 
tians, lonians, and Cilicians. The whole array 
presents a beautiful warlike spectacle which I 
would rather gaze at than describe ; but the 
most glorious part of it is the hero Belisarius, 
surrounded by his bodyguard, the shield and 



T^HE SCARLET BANNER 219 

lanc<e bearers, battle-tried men, selected from all 
thq/ nations of the earth. 

,/ . 

/ Already half the voyage lies behind us. I am 
/writing these lines to you in the harbor of 
Syracuse. 

Hitherto everything has been wonderfully suc- 
cessful ; the goddess Tyche, whom you Latins 
call Fortuna, is certainly blowing our sails. The 
embarkation was completed by the end of June. 
Then the General's ship, which was to convey 
Belisarius, was summoned to the shore in front 
of the imperial palace. Archbishop Epiphanius 
of Constantinople appeared on board ; an Arian 
whom he had just baptized into the Catholic 
faith was brought on deck as the last man ; then 
he blessed the ship, Belisarius, and all the rest of 
us, including the Pagan Huns, went down into 
his boat again, and, amid the exulting shouts of 
thousands, led the way, in advance of the Gen- 
eral's vessel, for the whole fleet. We are very 
pious people, all of us whom the Empress and 
the dutifully dreaming Bishop and Justinian send 
forth to extirpate the heretics. It is a holy war 
— we are fighting for the Christus. We have 
said it so often that we now believe it ourselves. 

Our course led past Perinthus — it is now 
called Heraclea — to Abydos. There some 
drunken Huns began to fight among themselves, 
and two of them killed a third. Belisarius in- 



220 THE SCARLET BANNB|L R 

stantly ordered both to be hung on a hill aT^ix 1 
the city. The Huns, especially the kinsmeirfed of 
the two who were executed, made a great outer 
according to their law murder is not punishe 
with death. I suppose the justice of the Hun^ 
permits the heirs of the murdered man to carouse^ 
with the murderers at their expense till they all 
lie senseless on the ground together. And when 
they wake, they kiss each other, and all is for- 
gotten ; for the Huns are worse drinkers than the 
Germans — and that is saying a great deal. Their ( 
pay contract only requires them to fight for the ' 
Emperor ; he is not permitted to deal with them 
according to the Roman law. Belisarius assem- i 
bled the Huns under the gallows from which the j 
two were dangling, surrounded them with his. '. 
most loyal men, and roared at them like alkli^. 
I don't believe they understood his Latin, or 
rather mine, for I taught him the speech ; but he 
pointed often enough to the men on the gallows : 
they understood that. And now they obey like 
lambs. 

The voyage continued past Sigeum, Taenarum, 
Metone, where many of our men died, for the 
commissary at Constantinople, instead of baking 
the soldiers' bread twice, had lowered it, as raw 
dough, into the public baths (how appetizing! 
but, to be sure, it cost nothing) ; and when it 
was completely saturated with water, had it 
browned quickly on the outside upon red-hot 



THE SCARLET BANNER 22-^ 

pfates. So it weighed much heavier (the Em- ^^ 
peror pays for it by weight), and he gained 
several ounces in every pound. But it gently 
melted into most evil-smelling mush, and five 
hundred of our men died from it. The Em- 
peror was informed; but Theodora interceded 
for the poor commissary (he is said to have paid 
one-tenth of his profits for her Christian media- 
tion), and the man received only a reprimand, 
so we heard later. From Metone we went past 
Zacynthos to Sicily, where, at the end of sixteen 
days, we dropped anchor in an old roadstead, now 
unused, — the place is called Caucana, — oppo- 
site Mount iEtna. 

Now heavy thoughts assailed the hero Beli- 
siarius. He so thirsts for battle that he dashes 
blii^dlf wherever a foe is pointed out. Yet 
anxiety is increasing. Not one of the numerous 
spies who were sent from Constantinople to 
Carthage long before our departure has returned 
— neither to Constantinople, nor to any of the 
stopping-places on our route that were assigned 
to them. So the General knows as much about 
the Vandals as he does of the people in the 
moon. 

What kind of people they are, their method 
of warfare, how he is to reach them — he has no 
idea. Besides the soldiers have fallen back into 
their old fear of Genseric's fleet, and there is no 
Empress on board who might order some one to > 



i...22 THE SCARLET BANNER 

dream again. The limping trochees of the court 
poet are rarely sung; the men have grown dis- 
gusted with the verses ; if any one strikes up the 
air half unwillingly, two others instantly drown 
his voice. Only the Huns and the Herulians — 
to the disgrace of the Romans, be it said — refrain 
from open lamentations; they remain sullenly 
silent. But our warriors, the Romans, do not 
shrink from loudly exclaiming that they would 
fight bravely enough on land, they are used to 
it ; but if the enemy should assail them on the 
open sea, they would force the sailors to make 
off with sails and oars as fast as possible. They 
could not fight Germans, waves, and wind, all 
at the same time, upon rocking ships, and it 
was not in their contract for military service. 
Belisarius, however, feels most disturbed by his 
uncertainty concerning the plans of the enemy. 
Where is this universally dreaded fleet hiding? 
It is becoming mysterious now that we see and 
hear nothing of it. Is it lying concealed behind 
one of the neighboring islands? Or is it lurking, 
on the watch for us, upon the coast of Africa ? 
Where and when shall we land? 

I said yesterday that he ought to have con- 
sidered this somewhat earlier. But he muttered 
something in his beard, and begged me to atone 
for his errors to the best of my ability. I must 
go to Syracuse and, on the pretext of buying 
provisions from your Ostrogoth Counts, inquire 



THE SCARLET BANNER 223 

everything about these Vandals, of whom he 
is ignorant and yet ought to know. So I have 
been here in Syracuse since yesterday, asking 
everybody about the Vandals, and they all laugh 
at me, saying : " Why, if Belisarius does not 
know, how should we? We are not at war 
with them." It seems to me that the insolent 
fellows are right. 



{ 



CHAPTER II 

TRIUMPH, O Cethegus! Belisarius's 
former good fortune is fluttering over 
the pennons at our mast-heads : the 
gods themselves are blinding the Vandals ; they 
are depriving them of their reason, consequently 
they must desire their destruction. Hermes is 
breaking the path for us, removing danger and 
obstacles from our way. 

The Vandal fleet, the bugbear of our valiant 
warriors, is floating harmless away from Carthage 
toward the north; while we, with all sails set — 
the east wind is filling them merrily — are flying 
from Sicily over the blue flood westward to 
Carthage. We cut the rippling waves as if on 
a festal excursion. No foe, no spy, far or near, 
to oppose us or give warning of our approach to 
the threatened Vandals, on whom we shall fall 
like a meteor crashing from a clear sky. 

That all this has come to the General's knowl- 
edge, and that he can make instant use of it, is 
due to Procopius, or — to speak more honestly 
— to blind chance, the capricious goddess Tyche. 
It seems to me, though I am no philosopher, 



THE SCARLET BANNER 225 

that she rather than Nemesis guides the destinies 
of nations. 

I wrote last that I was running about the 
streets of Syracuse, somewhat helplessly, not 
without being laughed at by the mockers, asking 
all the people whether no Vandals had been seen. 
One — this time it was a Gothic count named 
Totila, as handsome as he was insolent — had just 
answered, laughing and shrugging his shoulders : 
"Seek your enemies yourselves. I would far 
rather go with the Vandals to find and sink you." 
I was thinking how correctly this young Bar- 
barian had perceived the advantage of his people 
and the folly of his Regent, when, vexed with 
the Goths, with myself, and most of all with 
Belisarius, I turned a street corner and almost 
ran against some one coming from the opposite 
direction. It was Hegelochus, my schoolmate 
from Cassarea, who, I knew, had settled as a 
merchant, a speculator in grain, somewhere in 
Sicily, but I was ignorant in which city. 

" What are you doing here ? " he asked, after 
the first exchange of greetings. 

" I ? — I am only looking for a trifle," I 
answered rather irritably, for I already heard in 
imagination his jeering laugh. " I am searching 
everywhere for a hundred and fifty to two hun- 
dred Vandal war-ships. Do you happen to know 
where they are ? " 

" Certainly I do," he replied, without laughing. 
15 



126 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"They are lying in the harbor of Caralis in 
Sardinia." 

" Omniscient grain-dealer," I cried, rigid with 
amazement, "where did you learn that? " 

"In Carthage, which I left only three days 
ago," he said quietly. 

Then the questioning began. And often as 
I squeezed the shrewd, sensible man like a 
sponge, a stream of news most important for us 
flowed out. 

So we have nothing to fear for our fleet from 
the Vandal war vessels. The Barbarians as yet 
have no suspicion that we are advancing upon 
them. The flower of their army has gone on 
the dreaded galleys to Sardinia. Gelimer feels 
no anxiety for Carthage, or any other city on the 
coast. He is in Hermione, in the province of 
Byzacena, four days* journey from the sea. What 
can he be doing there, on the edge of the desert ? 
We are, therefore, safe from every peril, and can 
land in Africa wherever wind, waves, and our 
own will may guide us. 

During this conversation, and while I was 
constantly questioning him, I had wound my 
arm around my friend's neck, and now asked 
him to come to the harbor with me and look at 
my ship, which lay at anchor there. It was a 
very swift sailer of a new model. The merchant 
agreed. As soon as I had him safely on board, 
I drew my sword, cut the rope which moored us 



THE SCARLET BANNER 227 

to the metal ring of the harbor mole, and ordered 
my sailors to take us swiftly to Caucana. 

Hegelochus was startled; he scolded and 
threatened. But I soothed him, saying : " For- 
give this abduction, my friend; it is absolutely 
necessary that Belisarius himself, not merely his 
legal adviser, should talk with and question you. 
He alone knows everything that is at stake. And 
I will not undertake the responsibility of having 
foiled to inquire about some important point or 
of having misunderstood some answer. Some 
god who is angered against the Vandals has sent 
vou to me ; woe betide me if I do not profit by 
it. You must tell the General everything you 
have learned; you must accompany our ships, 
nay, guide them to Africa. This one involuntary 
voyage to Carthage will bring you richer profits 
from the royal treasures of the Vandals than sail- 
ing to and fro with wheat many hundred times. 
And the reward awaiting you in Heaven for your 
participation in the destruction of the heretics — 
I will not estimate." 

He grinned, calmed down, then laughed. But 
the hero Belisarius smiled far more joyously when 
he saw before him the man "just from Carthage," 
and could question him to his heart's content. 
How he praised me for the accident of this meet- 
ing ! The command to sail was given with the 
blast of the tuba. How the sails flew aloft ! How 
proudly our galleys swept forward ! Woe to thee. 



218 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Vandalia ! Woe to the lofty towers of Genseric's 
citadel ! 

• • • • 

The swift voyage continued past the islands of 
Gaulos and Melita, which divide the Adriatic from 
the Tyrrhenian Sea. At Melita the wind, as if 
ordered by Belisarius, grew still fresher, — a strong 
east-southeast gale which, on the following day, 
drove us upon the African coast at Caput Vada, 
five days' march from Carthage. That is, for a 
swift walker without baggage; we shall probably 
require a much longer time. Belisarius ordered 
the sails to be lowered, the anchors dropped, and 
summoned all the leaders of the troops to a coun- 
cil of war on his own ship. It was now to be de- 
cided whether we should disembark the troops 
and march against Carthage by land, or keep 
them on the fleet and conquer the capital from 
the sea. Opinions were very conflicting. 

• . . • 

The decision has been reached; we shall march 
against Carthage by land. True, Archelaus, the 
Quaestor, protested, saying that we had no har- 
bor for the ships without men, no fortress for the 
men without ships. Every storm might scatter 
them upon the open sea, or hurl them against the 
cliflFs along the shore. He also called attention to 
the lack of water along the coast region, and the 
want of means to supply food. " Only let no one 
ask me, as quaestor, for anything to eat," he cried 



THE SCARLET BANNER 229 

angrily. "A quaestor who has only the office, 
but no bread, cannot satisfy you with his posi- 
tion." He advised hastening by sea to Carthage, 
to occupy the harbor of Stagnum, which could 
hold the entire fleet, and was at that time entirely 
undefended ; thence to rush from the ships upon 
the city, which could be taken at the first attack, 
if the King and his army were really four days' 
march from the coast. 

But Belisarius said : " God has fulfilled our 
most ardent desire; He has permitted us to 
reach Afi-ica without encountering the hostile 
fleet. Shall we now remain at sea, and perhaps 
yet meet those ships before which our men 
threaten to fly ? As for the danger of tempests, 
it would be better to'j have the galleys lost when 
they are empty, than while filled wif h our troops. 
We have still the advantage of surprising the un- 
prepared foe; every delay will enable them to 
make ready to meet us. Here we can land with- 
out fighting; elsewhere and later we must per- 
haps battle against the wind and the enemy. 
So I say, we will land here. Walls and ditches 
around the camp will supply the place of a for- 
tress. And have no anxiety about stores : if we 
defeat the foe, we shall also capture his pro- 
visions." Thus spoke Belisarius. I thought 
that, as usual, his reasoning was weak, but his 
courage strong. The truth is, he always chooses 
the shortest way to the battle. 



ijo THE SCARLET BANNER 

The council of war closed. Belisarius's will 
was carried out. 

We brought the* horses, weapons, baggage, and 
implements of war to land. About fourteen 
thousand soldiers and nineteen thousand sailors 
began to shovel, to dig, to drive stakes into the hot, 
dry sand; the General not only threw out the 
first spadeful, but, working uninterruptedly, 
the last. His perspiration abundantly bedewed 
the soil of Africa, and the men were so spurred 
by his example that they vied with each other 
valiantly. Before night closed in, the ditch, the 
wall, and the palisade were completed around the 
entire camp. •Only one-fifth of the archers spent 
the night on the ships. 

So far all was well. Our galleys still contained 
an ample stor§ of provisions, thanks to the hos- 
pitality of the Ostrogoths in Sicily. These simple- 
tons, by the learned Regent's command, almost 
gave us everything an army needs for man and 
horse (the troublesome Totila, who is no well- 
wisher of ours, was instantly recalled). In reply 
to our amazed questions, they answered, by the 
learned Cassiodorus's instructions : " You will pay 
us by avenging us upon the Vandals." Well, 
Justinian will reward them. I wonder if the 
scholar knows the fable of how the horse, be- 
cause he hated the stag, carried the man upon 
his back and hunted the stag to death? The 
free animal had taken the man on his back 



THE SCARLET BANNER 231 

for this ride only, but never again was he rid of 
his captor. But the water is giving out. What 
we have with us is scanty, foul, and putrid ; and 
to march for days under the African sun with 
no water for men and beasts — how will it end ? 
.... 

I shall really soon believe that we are God's 
chosen favorites — we, the chaste-hearted warriors 
of Justinian the truthfol and Theodora ! Or 
have the Vandals and their King called down 
upon themselves the wrath of Heaven so heavily 
that miracles continually happen against these 
Barbarians and in our favor? 

Yesterday evening we all, from the General 
to the camel, were in sore anxiety about water. 
To-day the slave Agnellus — he is a countryman 
of yours, O Cethegus, and the son of a fisherman 
from Stabiae — brought to my tent whole am- 
phorae of the most delicious spring water, not 
only for drinking, but amply sufficient for bath- 
ing. With the last strokes of the spade our 
Herulians opened a large bubbling spring on 
the eastern edge of the camp — an unprece- 
dented thing in the Byzacena province, between 
the sea and the " desert," — so the people here call 
all the country southwest of the great road along 
which we are marching, and surely quite unjustly, 
for some of it is very fertile ; yet it is old desert 
ground and often merges imperceptibly into the 
real wilderness. At any rate, this spring gushed 



232 THE SCARLET BANNJE^R 

forth for us from the surrounding dry sand. 
The stream of water is so abundant that men 
and animals can drink, boil, and bathe, pour out 
the foul water from the ships, and replace it with 
the best. I hastened to Belisarius and con- 
gratulated him, not only because of the actual 
usefulness of this discovery^ but because it is 
an omen of victory. " Water gushes out of the 
wilderness for you. General," I exclaimed. "That 
means an effortless victory. You are the favorite 
of Heaven." He smiled. We always like to hear 
such things. 

• . • • 

Belisarius commissioned me to compose an 
order to be read aloud at the departure of each 
body of troops. 

A few dozen of our precious Huns dashed out 
into the country and seized some of the harvests 
just ripening in the fields, over which they 
became involved in a discussion with the Roman 
colonists. As the Huns, unfortunately, speak their 
Latin only with leather whips and lance-thrusts, 
there were several dead men after the conference, 
— of course only on the side of the wicked peas- 
ants, who would not let the horses of the Huns 
eat their fill of their best grain. Our beloved 
Huns cut off the heads of the men whom they 
had thus happily liberated from the Vandal yoke, 
hung them to their saddles, and brought them to 
the General for a dessert. Belisarius foamed with 



THE SCARLET BANNER 233 

rage. He often foams; and when Belisarius 
lightens, Procopius must usually thunder. 

So it was now. So I wrote a proclamation that 
we were the saviors, liberators, and benefactors of 
the provincials, and therefore would neither con- 
sider their best grain-fields as litter for our horses 
nor play ball with their heads. "In this case," 
I wrote convincingly, " such conduct is not only 
criminal, but extremely stupid. Our little body 
of troops could venture to land only because we 
expect that the inhabitants of the provinces will 
be hostile to the Vandals and helpful to us." 
But I appealed to our heroes still more impres- 
sively, addressing not their honor or their con- 
science, but their stomachs ! " If ye die of 
hunger, O admirable men," I wrote, " the peas- 
ants will bring us nothing to eat. If ye kill 
them, the dead will sell you nothing more and 
the living almost less. You will drive the pro- 
vincials to be the allies of the Vandals — to say 
nothing of God and His opinion of you, which 
is already somewhat clouded. So spare the peo- 
ple, at least for the present, or they will discover 
too early that Belisarius's Huns are worse than 
Gelimer's Vandals. When the Emperor's tax- 
officers once rule the land, then, dear descendants 
of Attila, you will no longer need to impose any 
constraint upon yourselves ; then the ' liberated ' 
will have already learned to estimate their free- 
dom. You cannot go as far as Justinian's to*- 



234 THE SCARLET BANNER 

collectors, beloved Huns and robbers." The 
proclamation was of that purport, only dressed in 
somewhat fairer words. We are marching for- 
ward. No sign of the Barbarians. Where are 
they hiding? Where is this King of the Vandals 
dreaming? If he does not wake soon, he will 
find himself without a kingdom. 

We were still marching on. One piece of 
good fortune follows another. 

A day's march westward from our landing 
place at Caput Vada on the road to Carthage 
near the sea, is the city of Syllektum. The 
ancient walls, it is true, had been torn down 
since the reign of Genseric, but the inhabitants, 
to repel the attacks of the Moors, had again put 
nearly the whole city in a state of defence. 
Belisarius sent Borais, one of his bodyguard, 
with several shield-bearers, to venture a recon- 
noissance. It was entirely successful. After 
nightfall the men stole to the entrances (they 
could not be called gates, only openings of 
streets), but found them barricaded and guarded. 
They spent the night quietly in the ditch of the 
old fortifications, for there might still be Vandals 
in the city. In the morning peasants from the 
surrounding country came driving up in carts 
with racks : it was market day. Our men threat- 
ened the terrified rustics with death if they uttered 
a word, and forced the drivers to conceal them 



THE SCARLET BANNER 235 

under the tilts. The watchmen of Syllektum 
removed the barricades to admit the wagons. 
Then our soldiers jumped down, took possession 
of the city without a sword-stroke. There was 
not a Vandal in it. We occupied the Curia and 
the Forum ; we summoned the Catholic Bishop 
and the noblest inhabitants of Syllektum, — they 
are remarkably stupid people, — and told them 
that they were now free; happy also, for they 
were the subjects of Justinian. At the same 
time, with swords drawn, our men asked for 
breakfast. The Senators of Syllektum gave 
Borais the keys of their city, but unfortunately 
the gates for them were missing; the Vandals 
or Moors had burned them long ago. The 
Bishop entertained them in the porch of the 
basilica. Borais said the wine was very good. 
At the end of the repast, the Bishop blessed 
Borais, and asked him to restore the true, pure 
faith quickly. The warrior, a Hun, is unfortu- 
nately a pagan; so he had little comprehension 
of what was expected of him. But he repeated 
to me several times that the wine was excellent. 
So we have already saved one city in Africa. In 
the evening we all marched through. Belisarius 
enjoined the most rigid discipline. Unfortunately, 
a large number of houses burst into flames. 

Beyond Syllektum we again made a lucky 
capture. The chief official of the whole Vandal 



236 THE SCARLET BANNER 

mail service, a Roman, had been sent out from 
Carthage by the King several days before with 
all his horses, numerous wagons, and many slaves, 
to carry the sovereign's commands in all directions 
through his empire. On his way to the east he 
had heard of our landing, and he sought us out 
with everything he still had in his possession. All 
the letters, all the secret messages of the Vandals, 
are in the hands of Belisarius — a whole basket 
of them, which I must read. 

It really seems as if an angel of the Lord had 
led us into the writing-room and the council hall 
of the Asdings. Verus, the Archdeacon of the 
Arians, dictated most of the letters. But we 
were thoroughly deceived in this priest. Theo- 
dora believed him to be her tool, yet he has 
become Gelimer's chancellor. Strange that these 
secrets were intrusted to a Roman for convey- 
ance and protection, not to a Vandal. Besides, 
must not Verus have known how near we were, 
when he sent the papers, unguarded, directly to us. 

True, the most important thing for us to 
know, — namely, where the King and his army 
are at present, — does not appear in these letters, 
which were written a week ago. Yet we learn 
from them at last what induced him to remain 
so far from Carthage and the coast, on the 
edge of the desert and within it. He has made 
contracts with many Moorish tribes, and been 
promised thousands of foot-soldiers — almost 



THE SCARLET BANNER 237 

equal in number to our whole army. These 
Moorish auxiliaries are gathering in Numidia, 
in the plain of Bulla. That is far, far west of 
Carthage, near the border of the wilderness. 
Could the Vandal intend to abandon his capital 
and all the tract of country for such a distance, 
without striking a single blow, and await us there, 
at Bulla ? 

Belisarius — what a trick of chance ! — is now 
sending to Gelimer by the Vandal mail system 
Justinian's declaration of war, and despatching 
in every direction to the Vandal nobles, army 
leaders, and officials an invitation to abandon 
Gelimer. The summons is well worded (I com- 
posed it myself) : " I am not waging war with the 
Vandals, nor do I break the compact of per- 
petual peace concluded with Genseric. We de- 
sire only to overthrow your Tyrant, who has 
broken the law and imprisoned your rightful 
King. Therefore help us ! Shake off the yoke 
of such shameless despotism, that you may enjoy 
liberty and the prosperity we are bringing you. 
We call upon God to witness our sincerity." 

Postscript, added after the close of the war : 
" Strange, yet it is certainly noble. This appeal 
did not win a single Vandal to our side dur- 
ing the entire campaign. These Germans have 
become enfeebled. But there was not even one 
traitor among them ! " 



CHAPTER III 

MANY days' march westward from the 
road which the Byzantines were follow- 
ing toward Carthage, and a consider- 
able distance south of Mount Auras, the extreme 
limit of the Vandal kingdom in Africa, lay a 
small oasis. It was within the sandy desert which 
extended southward into the unknown interior of 
the hot portion of the globe. A spring of drink- 
able water, a few date-palms in the circle around 
it, and, beneath their shade, a patch of turf of salt 
grass, affording sufficient fodder for the camels — 
that was all. The ground in the neighborhood 
was flat, except that here and there rose waves of 
the yellow, loose, hot sand swept together by the 
wind. Nowhere appeared shrub, bush, or hillock ; 
as far as the eye could rove in the brightest light 
of day, it found no resting-place till, wearied by 
the quest, it sought some point close at hand. 

But it was night now, and wonderfully, indescrib- 
ably magnificent was the silent solitude. Over 
the whole expanse of the heavens the stars were 
glittering in countless multitudes with a brilliancy 
which they show only to the sons of the desert. 
It is easy to understand that deity first appeared 



THE SCARLET BANNER 239 

to the Moors in the form of the stars. In them 
they worshipped the radiant, beneficent forces 
which contrasted benignly with the desert's scorch- 
ing heat, the desert's storms. From the course, 
position, and shining of the stars, they augured 
the will of the gods and their own future. 

Around the spring were pitched the low goat- 
skin tents of the nomad Moors, only half a dozen 
of them, for the whole tribe had not gathered. 
The faithful camels, carefully tethered by the 
feet among the tent ropes, and covered with 
blankets to protect them from the stings of the 
flies, were lying in the deep sand with their long 
necks outstretched. In the centre of the little 
encampment were the noble racers, the battle 
stallions, and the brood mares, confined in a 
circle made with ropes and lances thrust into the 
sand. On the round top of one of the tents 
towered a long spear, from whose point hung a 
lion's skin ; for this was the shelter of the chief. 

The night wind, which blew refreshingly from 
the distant sea in the northeast, played with the 
mane of the dead king of the wilderness, some- 
times tossing the skin of the huge paw, sometimes 
the tuft of hair at the end of the tail. Fantastic 
shadows fell on the light sandy soil ; for though 
the moon was not in the sky, the stars shone 
bright. A deep, solemn stillness reigned. 
Every living creature seemed buried in sleep. 
Four huge fires, one at each of the four points 



240 THE SCARLET BANNER 

of the compass, were blazing, a bow-shot from the 
tents, to frighten the wild beasts from the flocks ; 
from them arose at long intervals the only sound 
that broke the stillness ; namely, the cry of some 
shepherd who thus kept himself awake and 
warned his companions to be watchful. This 
solemn silence continued for a long, long time. 

At last a couple of stallions neighed, a weapon 
clanked outside from the direction of the fires, 
and directly thereafter a light, almost inaudible 
footstep came toward the centre of the camp, — 
toward the " Lion Tent." Suddenly it paused ; 
a slender young man stooped to the ground 
before the entrance. 

" What ? Are you lying in front of the tent, 
grandfather ? " he asked in astonishment. " Are 
you asleep ? " 

" I was watching," a low voice answered. 

" I should have ventured to rouse you. There 
is a fateful star in the heavens. I saw it appear 
when I was keeping the eastern fire-watch. As 
soon as I was relieved, I hastened to you. The 
gods are sending a warning ! But youth does not 
understand their signs ; you do, wise ancestor. 
Look yonder, to the right — the right of the 
last palm. Don't you see it ? " 

" I saw it long ago. I have expected the sign 
for many nights, ay, for years." 

Awe and a slight sense of fear thrilled the 
youth. " For years ? You knew what would 



THE SCARLET BANNER 241 

happen in the heavens ? You are very wise, 
O Cabaon." 

" Not I. My grandfather told my father, and 
he repeated the marvel to me. It was more than a 
hundred years ago. The fair-faced strangers came 
from the North across the sea in many ships, led 
by that King of terrors with whose name our women 
still silence unruly children." 

" Genseric ! " said the youth, softly ; his tone 
expressed both hate and horror. 

" At that time, from the same direction as the 

ships, a terrible star mounted into the heavens — 

blood-red, like a flaming scourge with many 

hundred thongs ; it swung menacingly over our 

country and people. And my grandfather, after 

he had seen the terrible war-king in the harbor 

of Tsocium, said to my father and to our tribe : 

* Unfasten the camels ! Bridle the noble racers, 

and set forth. Go southward, into the scorching 

bosom of the protecting Mother ! This King of 

Battles and his war-loving nation are what the 

terrible star announced. For many, many years, 

and tens of years, all who oppose them will be 

lost ; the armies of Rome and the galleys of 

Constantinople will be swept away by these 

giants from the North, like the clouds which 

seek to oppose the star.* And so it came to 

pass. The sons of our tribe, though they would 

far rather have discharged their long arrows at 

the fair^haired giants, obeyed the old man's 

16 



242 THE SCARLET BANNER 

counsel, and we escaped into the sheltering 
desert. Bonifacius, the Roman General, fell. 
Our ancestor had foretold it in the prophetic 
saying : * G will destroy B. But,* he added, 
* some day, after more than a hundred years, a 
star will rise in the east, and then B will over- 
throw G. Other tribes of our race who, with 
the imperial troops, tried to resist the invaders, 
were mowed down like them by Genseric, the 
son of darkness. And when they came howling 
to our tents, raising the death»-wail, and sum- 
moned us to a war of vengeance, my grandfather 
and afterwards my father refused, saying : * Not 
yet ! They cannot yet be conquered. More than 
two or three generations of men will pass, and 
no one will be able to stand before the giants 
from the North, neither the Romans by sea, nor 
we sons of the desert. But the children of the 
North cannot remain permanently in the land of 
the sun ! Many of those who came to our 
native country to conquer and rule us, mightier 
warriors than we, have vanquished us, but not 
this land, this sun, these deserts. Sand and sun 
and 4uxurious idleness have lessened the strength 
of the strangers* arms, the might of their will. 
So will also fare these tall, blue-eyed giants. 
The vigor will leave their bodies, and the lust 
for battle their souls. And then — then we will 
again wrest from them the heritage of our an- 
cestors.* So it was predicted, so it has been. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 243 

" For tens of years our archers, our spearmen 
could not withstand the fierce foes ; then their 
strength decayed, and we often drove them back 
when they entered the sacred desert. When, 
some day, a star like this returns, my ancestor 
declared, the reign of the strangers will be over. 
Take heed whence a scourge-like star comes 
again ; for from that direction will come the 
foe that will hew down the yellow-haired men. 
The star to-night came from the east ; and from 
the east will come the conquerors of Genseric's 
people ! 

"We have news that the Emperor has made 
war upon the Vandals, that his army has landed 
in the far East ! But it does not agree — the 
other sign ! G doubtless means Gelimer, the fair- 
haired King. But the Emperor of the Romans 
is J, Justinian. Speak, have you chanced to 
hear the name of the Roman. General ? " 

" Belisarius." 

The old man started up. " And B will over- 
throw G, — Belisarius will vanquish Gelimer ! 
Look, how blood-red the scourge-like star is 
shining ! That means bloody battles. But we, 
son of my son, we will not interpose when Roman 
sword and Vandal spear are clashing against each 
other. The conflict may easily extend as far as 
the Auras Mountain ; we will plunge deeper into 
the wilderness. Let the aliens fight and destroy 
one another. The Roman eagle, too, will not 



244 THE SCARLET BANNER 

long have its eyrie here. The star of misfortune 
will rise for them as well as for these tall sea-kings. 
The intruders come — and pass away; we, the 
sons of the country, will remain. Like the sand 
of our deserts we wander before the wind, but 
we shall not pass away ; we always return. The 
land of the sun belongs to the sons of the sun. 
And, as the sand of the desert covers and buries 
the. proud stone buildings of the Romans, so 
shall We, ever returning, bury the alien life which 
forces itself into our country, where it can never 
thrive. We retire — but we return." 

" Yet the fair King has obtained ten thousand 
of our men for the war. What must they do ? " 

" Give back the money ; leave the Vandal 
army, which the gods have abandoned ! Order 
my messengers to-morrow to dash with this 
command to every tribe where I rule — with 
this advice, where I can counsel." 

" Your counsel is a command wherever the 
desert sand extends. Only I grieve for the 
man with the mournful eyes. He has shown 
favor to many of our people, granted hospitality 
to many of our tribes ; what return shall they 
make to their friend ? " 

" Hospitality unto death ! Not fight his bat- 
tles, not share his booty; but if he comes to 
them seeking shelter and protection, divide the 
last date with him, shed the last drop of blood in 
his defence. Up, strike the basin! We will 



THE SCARLET BANNER 245 

depart ere the sun wakes. Untether the 
camels ! " 

The old man rose hastily. 

The youth dealt the copper kettle that hung 
beside the tent a blow with his curved scimetar. 
The brown-skinned men, women, and children 
were astir like a swarm of ants. When the sun 
rose above the horizon, the oasis was empty, 
desolate, silent as death. 

Far in the south whirled upward a cloud of 
dust and sand which the north wind seemed to 
be driving farther and farther inland. 



CHAPTER IV 

Procopius to Cethegus: 

WE are still marching forward, and cer- 
tainly as if we were in a friendly 
country. Our heroes, even the Huns, 
have understood, thanks less to my marching or- 
ders than to actual experience, that they cannot 
steal as many provisions as the people will volun- 
tarily bring if they are to be paid instead of being 
robbed. Belisarius is winning all the provincials 
by kindness. So the colonists flock from all 
directions to our camp and sell us everything 
we need, at low prices. When we are obliged 
to spend the night in the open fields we carefully 
fortify the camp. 

When it can be done we remain at night in 
cities, as, for instance, in Leptis and Hadrumetum. 
The Bishop, with the Catholic clergy, comes 
forth to meet us, as soon as our Huns appear. 
The Senators and the most aristocratic citizens 
soon follow. The latter willingly allow themselves 
to be " forced " ; that is, they wait till we are in 
the forum, so, in case we should all be thrown 
by our undiscoverable foes into the sea before we 
reach Carthage, they can attribute their friendli- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 247 

ness to us to our cruel violence. With the ex- 
ception of a few Catholic priests I have not seen 
a Roman in Africa for whom I felt the slightest 
respect. I almost think that they, the liberated, 
are even less worthy than we, the liberators. 

We march on an average about ten miles daily. 
To-day we came from Hadrumetum past Horrea 
to Grasse, about forty-four Roman miles from 
Carthage, — a magnificent place for a camp. 
Our astonishment increases day by day, the 
more we learn of the riches of this African 
province. In truth, it may well be beyond human 
power to maintain one's native vigor beneath this 
sky, in this region. And Grasse! Here is a 
country villa — to speak more accurately, a proud 
pillared palace of the Vandal King — gleaming 
with marble, surrounded by pleasure-gardens, 
whose like I have never seen in Europe or Asia. 
About it bubble delicious springs brought through 
pipes from a distance, or up through the sand by 
some magical discoverer of water. And what a mul- 
titude of trees ! and not one among them whose 
boughs are not fairly bending under the burden 
of delicious fruit. Our whole army is encamped 
in this fruit grove, beneath these trees; every 
soldier has eaten his fill and stuffed his leather 
pouch, for we shall march on early to-morrow 
morning; yet one can scarcely see a difference 
in the quantity. Everywhere, too, are vines loaded 
with bunches of grapes. Many, many centuries 



248 THE SCARLET BANNER 

before a Scipio entered this country, industrious 
Phoenicians cultivated vines here, between the sea 
and the desert, training them on rows of stakes a 
few feet high. Here grows the best wine in all 
Africa ; they say the Vandals drink it unmixed, 
from their helmets. I only sipped the almost 
purple liquor, to which Agnellus added half the 
quantity of water, yet I feel drowsy. I can write 
no more. Good-night, Cethegus, far away in 
Rome ! Good-night, fellow-soldier ! Just half 
a cup more ; it tastes so good. Pleasant dreams ! 
Wine makes us good-natured, so pleasant dreams 
to you, too. Barbarians ! It is so comfortable 
here. The room assigned to me (the slaves, all 
Romans and Catholics, have not fled, and they 
serve us with the utmost zeal) is beautifully 
decorated with wall paintings. The bed is so 
soft and easy ! A cool breeze from the sea is 
blowing through the open window. I will venture 
to take a quarter of a cup more ; and to-night, dear 
Barbarians, if possible, no attack. May you sleep 
well. Vandals, so that I, too, can sleep sweetly ! 
I almost believe the African sickness — dread of 
every exertion — has already seized upon me. 

a • . • 

Four days* march from the wonder-land of 
Grasse. We are spending the night in the open 
country. To-morrow we shall reach Decimum, 
less than nine Roman miles from Carthage, and 
not one Vandal have we seen yet. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 249 

It is late in the evening. Our camp-fires are 
blazing for a long distance, a beautiful scene ! 
There is something ominous in the soft, dark air. 
Night is falling swiftly under the distant trees in 
the west. There is the blast of the shrill horns 
of our Huns. I see their white sheepskin cloaks 
disappearing. They are mounting guard on all 
three sides. At the right, on the northeast, the 
sea and our ships protect us ; that is, for to-day. 
To-morrow the galleys will not be able to accom- 
pany our march as they have done hitherto, on 
account of the cliffs of the Promontory of Mer- 
cury, which here extend far out from the shore. 
So Belisarius ordered the Quaestor Archelaus, 
who commands the fleet, not to venture as for as 
Carthage itself, but, after rounding the promon- 
tory, to cast anchor and wait further orders. So 
to-morrow we shall be obliged, for the first time, 
to advance without the protection of our faith- 
ful companions, the ships; and as the road to 
Decimum is said to lead through dangerous 
defiles, Belisarius has carefully planned the order 
of marching and sent it in writing this evening to 
all the leaders, to save time in the departure early 
in the morning. 

• • • • 

The warlike notes of the tuba are rousing 
the sleepers. We are about to start. An eagle 
from the desert in the west is flying over our 
camp. 



2SO THE SCARLET BANNER 

It is reported that the first meeting with the 
enemy — only a few mounted men — took place 
during the night at our farthest western outpost. 
One of our Huns fell, and the commander of one 
of their squadrons, Bleda, is missing. Probably 
it is merely one of the camp rumors which the 
impatience of expectation has already conjured up 
several times. To-night we shall reach Deci- 
mum ; to-morrow night the gates of Carthage. 
But where are the Vandals? 



CHAPTER V 

WHEN Procopius wrote the last lines, 
those whom he was seeking were far 
nearer than he imagined. 

The first rays of the morning sun darted above 
the sea, glittered on the waves, and shone over 
the yellowish-brown sand of the edge of the 
desert, as a dozen Vandal horsemen dashed into 
the King's camp a few leagues southwest of 
Decimum. 

Gibamund, the leader, and the boy Ammata 
sprang from their horses. " What do ye bring? " 
shouted the guards. 

" Victory," answered Ammata. 

"And a captive," added Gibamund. 

They hastened to rouse the King. But Geli- 
mer came in full armor out of his tent to meet 
them. 

" You are stained with blood — both. You, 
too, Ammata ; are you wounded ? " His voice 
was tremulous with anxiety. 

" No," laughed the handsome boy, his eyes 
sparkling brightly. " It is the blood of the 
enemy." 



252 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" The first that has been shed in this war," 
replied the King, gravely, " sullies your pure 
hand. Oh, if I had not consented — " 

" It would have been unfortunate," Gibamund 
interrupted. " Our child has done well. Go to 
the tent for Hilda, my lad, while I deliver the 
report. So, chafing with impatience, we long 
endured your keeping us so far away from the 
foe ; we have followed their march at a great dis- 
tance, unsuspected even by their farthest outposts. 
When to-night you finally permitted us to ride 
nearer to their flank than usual, in order to dis- 
cover whether they really intended to go to 
Decimum to-day unprotected by the fleet, and to 
pass at noon through the Narrow Way, you said 
that if we could obtain a captive without causing 
much disturbance, it would be desirable. Well, 
we have not only a prisoner, but more ; we found 
an important strip of parchment on him. And 
it is fortunate ; for the man refuses to give any 
information. See, they are bringing him yon- 
der. There come Thrasaric and Eugenia ; and 
Ammata is already drawing Hilda here by the 
hand." 

"Welcome," cried the young wife, hastening 
toward her beloved husband, but she shrank in 
embarrassment from his embrace, for the captive 
was already standing before the King. With hands 
bound behind his back, he darted savage glances 
from beneath his bushy brows at the Vandals, 



THE SCARLET BANNER 253 

especially at Ammata. Blood trickled from his 
left cheek upon the white sheepskin that cov- 
ered his shoulders ; his lower garment also — it 
reached only to the knee — was of untanned 
leather ; his feet were bare ; a huge spur was 
buckled with a thong on his right heel, and four 
gold disks, bestowed by the Emperor and his 
generals in honor of brave deeds (like our orders), 
were fastened on his heavy leather breastplate. 

"So," continued Gibamund, "toward mid- 
night, with only ten Vandals and two Moors be- 
hind us, we rode out of camp toward the distant 
light of the hostile campfires, cautiously conceal- 
ing ourselves behind the long mounds of sand, 
stretching for half a league, which the desert wind 
is constantly heaping up and blowing away again, 
especially just on the edge of the wilderness. 
Under the protection of this cover, we advanced 
unseen so far eastward that we saw by the glare 
of a watchfire — probably lighted to drive away 
the wild beasts — four horsemen. Two sat 
crouching on their little nags, with their bows 
bent, gazing intently toward the southwest, 
whence we had come; the other two had dis- 
mounted and were leaning against the shoulders 
of their horses. The points of their lances glit- 
tered in the flickering light of the fire. 

" I motioned to the two Moors, whom I had 
taken with us for this clever trick. Slipping 
noiselessly from their steeds, they threw them- 



254 THE SCARLET BANNER 

selves flat on the ground and were scarcely dis- 
tinguishable in the darkness from the surrounding 
sand. They crept on all fours in a wide circle, 
one to the left, the other to the right, around the 
fire and the sentinels, until they stood northeast 
and northwest of them. They had soon van- 
ished from our sight, for they glided as swiftly 
as lizards. 

" Soon we heard, on the other side of the watch- 
fire, toward the north, the hoarse, menacing cry 
of the leopardess going out with her cubs on the 
nocturnal quest of prey. The mother was in- 
stantly answered by the beseeching cry of her 
young. The four horses of the sentinels shied, 
their manes bristled; the scream of the leop- 
ardess came nearer, and all four of the strangers 

— they had probably never heard such a sound 

— turned in the direction of the noise. One of 
the horses reared violently, the rider swayed, 
clinging to its mane; another, trying to help 
him, snatched at the bridle, his bow falling from 
his hand. Profiting by the confusion of the 
moment, we glided forward in perfect silence 
from behind the sand-hill. We had wrapped 
cloth around the horses' hoofs, and almost 
reached them unseen; not until we were close 
by the fire did one of the mounted men discover 
us. * Foes ! ' he shouted, darting away. The 
other rider followed. The third did not reach 
the saddle ; I struck him down as he was mount- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 255 

ing. But the fourth — this man here, the leader — 
was on his horse's back in an instant ; he ran 
down the two Moors who tried to stop him, 
and would have escaped, but Ammata — our 
child" — he pointed to the boy; the captive 
gnashed his teeth furiously — "shot after him 
like an arrow on his little white steed — " 

" Pegasus ! " Ammata interrupted. " You 
know, brother, you brought him to me from 
the last Moorish war. He really goes as 
though he had wings.*' 

" — reached him, and before any one of us could 
lend assistance, with a swift double thrust — " 

"You taught me, Gelimer!" cried Ammata, 
with sparkling eyes, for he could no longer 
restrain himself. 

" — of the short-sword, he thrust the enemy's 
long spear aside and dealt him a heavy blow on 
the cheek. But the brave fellow, heedless of 
the pain, dropped the spear and gripped the 
battle-axe in his belt. Then our child threw 
the noose around his neck — " 

" You know — the antelope cast ! " Ammata 
exclaimed to Gelimer. 

" And with a jerk dragged him from his horse." 

Gibamund spoke in the Vandal tongue, but 
the captive understood everything from the 
accompanying gestures, and now shrieked in 
the Latin of the camp, — 

" May my father's soul pass into a dog if that 



2s6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

be not avenged ! I, the great-grandson of Attila 
— I — dragged from my horse by a boy — with a 
noose ! Beasts are caught thus, not warriors ! " 

"Calm yourself, my little friend," replied 
Thrasaric, approaching him. " There is a good 
old motto among all the Gothic nations : ^ Spare 
the wolf rather than the Hun/ Besides, that 
royal bird, the ostrich, is captured in the same 
way when he is overtaken. So it 's no disgrace 
to you." Laughing heartily, he straightened 
the heavy helmet with the bear's head. 

"We reached the two at once," Gibamund 
continued, " bound the man, who fought like a 
wild boar, and snatched from his teeth this strip 
of parchment which he was trying to swallow." 

The prisoner groaned. 

" What is your name ? " asked the King, 
glancing hastily at the parchment. 

"Bleda." 

" How strong is your army in horsemen ? " 

" Go and count them." 

" Friend Hun," said Thrasaric, in a threaten- 
ing tone, "a king is speaking to you. Behave 
civilly, little wolf. Answer politely the ques- 
tions you are asked, or — " 

The prisoner glanced defiantly toward Geli- 
mer, saying, " This gold disk was given to me 
by the great General with his own hands after 
our third victory over the Persians. Do you 
think I would betray Belisarius?" 



THE SCARLET BANNER 257 



ii 



Lead him away," said Gelimer, waving his 
hand. " Bind up his wound. Treat him kindly." 

The Hun cast another glance of mortal hate 
at Ammata, then he followed his guards. 

Gelimer again looked at the parchment. " I 
thank you, my boy," he said, " I thank you. 
You have indeed brought us no trivial thing, — 
the order of the enemy's march to-day. Follow 
me to my tent, my generals ; there you shall hear 
my plan of attack. We need not wait for the arrival 
of the Moors. I think, if the Lord is not wrath- 
ful with us — but let us have no sinful arrogance — 
Oh, Ammata, how I rejoice to have you again 
alive ! After your departure I had a terrible dream 
about you. God has restored you to me once — 
I will not tempt Him a second time." Going close 
to the boy and laying his hand on his shoulder, he 
said in his sternest tone : " Listen ; I forbid you 
to fight in the battle to-day." 

" What ? " cried Ammata, furiously, turning 
deadly pale. "That is impossible ! Gelimer, I 
beseech — " 

" Silence," said the King, frowning, "and obey." 

" Why," cried Gibamund ; " I should think 
you might let him go. He has shown — " 

"Oh, brother, brother," exclaimed Ammata, 
tears streaming from his eyes, " how have I 
deserved this punishment ? " 

" Is this his reward for to-night's deed ? " 
warned Thrasaric. 

17 



258 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"Silence, all of you," Gelimer commanded 
sternly. " It is decided. He shall not fight 
with us. He is still a boy." 

Ammata stamped his foot angrily. 

" And oh, my darling," Gelimer added, clasp- 
ing the vehemently resisting lad in his arms, " let 
me confess it. I love you so tenderly, with 
such undue aflFection, that anxiety for you would 
not leave me for a single instant during the battle, 
and I need all my thoughts for the foe." 

" Then let me fight by your side ; protect me 
yourself! " 

" I dare not. I dare not think of you. I 
must think of Belisarius." 

" Indeed, I pity him from my inmost soul," 
cried Hilda, in passionate excitement. " I am a 
woman, and it is hard enough for me not to go 
with you : but a boy of fifteen ! " 

Eugenia timidly pulled her back by the robe, 
stroking and kissing her hand ; but Hilda, smooth- 
ing the boy's golden locks, went on : " It is a 
duty, it is a patriotic duty, that every man who 
can — especially a son of the royal house — should 
fight for his people. This lad can fight ; he has 
proved it. So do not refuse him to his people. 
My ancestor taught me that only he who is to 
fall will fall." 

" Sinful paganism ! " exclaimed the King, 
wrathfully. 

" Well, then, let me address you as a Christian. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 259 

Is this your trust in God, Gelimer ? Who in the 
two armies is as guiltless as this child ? O King, 
I am less devout than you, but I have confidence 
enough in the God of Heaven to believe that 
he will protect this boy in our just cause. Ay, 
should this purest, fairest scion of the Asding 
race fall, it would be like a judgment of God, 
proclaiming that we are indeed corrupt in His 
eyes ! " 

"Hold!" cried the King, in anguish. "Do 
not probe the deepest wounds of my breast. If 
he should fall now? If a judgment of God, as 
you called it, should so terribly overtake us? 
Doubtless he is free from guilt as far as human 
beings can be. But have you forgotten the ter- 
rible words of menace — about the iniquity of 
the fathers ? If I experienced that^ I should see 
in it the curse of vengeance fulfilled, and I believe 
I should despair." 

He began to pace swiftly up and down. 

Then Gibamund whispered to his wife, who 
shook her proud head silently but wrathfuUy, 
" Let him go. Such anxiety in the brain of the 
commander-in-chief will do more harm than the 
spears of twenty boys can render service." 

" But arrows fly far," cried Ammata, defiantly. 
" If, like a miserable coward, I remain behind 
your backs, I can fall here in the camp if the foes 
conquer. I certainly will not be taken captive," 
he added fiercely, seizing his dagger, and throw- 



26o THE SCARLET BANNER 

ing back his head till his fair locks floated over 
his light-blue armor. " Better put me in a 
church at once — but a Catholic one ; that would 
be a safe sanctuary, devout King." 

^* Yes, I will lock you up, unruly boy," Geli- 
mer now said sharply. " For that insolent jeer, 
you will give up your weapons at once — at 
once. Take them from him, Thrasaric. You, 
Thrasaric, will assail the foe in the front, from 
Decimum. In Decimum stands a Catholic 
church ; it will be inviolable to the Byzantines. 
There you will keep imprisoned during the battle 
the boy who desires to be a soldier and fabs not 
yet learned to obey his King. In case of retreat, 
you will take him with you. And listen, Thra- 
saric : that night — in the grove — you promised 
to atone for the past — " 

" I think he has done so," cried Hilda, indig- 
nantly. 

" Whose troops are the best drilled ? *' added 
Gibamund. " Who has lavished gold, weapons, 
horses, like him ? " 

"My King," replied Thrasaric, "hitherto I 
have done nothing. Give me to-day an oppor- 
tunity." 

" You must find it. I rely upon you. Above 
all, that you will not impetuously attack too 
soon and spoil my whole plan. And this rebel- 
lious boy," he added tenderly, " I commend to 
your care. Keep him out of the battle ; bring 



THE SCARLET BANNER 261 

him to me safe and unhurt after the victory, on 
which I confidently rely. I also commit to your 
charge all the prisoners, among them the hos- 
tages from Carthage ; for, in case of retreat, you 
will be at its goal — you will learn it at once, the 
first man ; therefore the captives will be most 
securely guarded with you. I intrust to you 
Ammata, the apple of my eye, because, well — 
because you are my brave, faithful Thrasaric." 
He laid both hands on the giant's broad shoulders. 

" My King," replied the Vandal, looking him 
steadfastly in the eyes, " you will see the Prince 
again, living and unhurt, or you will never see 
Thrasaric more." 

Eugenia shuddered. 

"I thank you. Now to my tent. Vandal 
generals, to hear the plan of battle ! " 



CHAPTER VI 

Procopius to Cethegus: 

WE are actually still alive, and we are 
spending the night in Decimum, but we 
have had a narrow escape from passing 
it with the sharks at the bottom of the sea ; never 
before, Belisarius says, was annihilation so near 
him. This mysterious King brought us into the 
greatest peril by his admirable plan of attack. 
And when it had already succeeded, he alone, 
the King hiinself, cast away his own victory, and 
saved us from certain destruction. I will tell you 
briefly the course of recent events, partly from 
our own experiences, partly from what we have 
learned through the citizens of Decimum and 
the Vandal prisoners. 

The King, undiscovered by us, had accompanied 
our march from the time of our landing. The 
place where he suddenly attacked us had been 
wisely chosen long before. Belisarius says that 
not even his great rival, Narses, could have made 
a better plan of battle. As soon as we left oisjr last 
camp outside of Decimum, we lost, as I wrote in 
my former letter, the protection of our fleet.' If 
a superior force assailed us here from the w^st, it 



THE SCARLET BANNER 263 

would hurl us, not — as along the whole previous 
march — upon our sheltering galleys, but directly 
into the sea from the road running along the steep 
hills close to the coast. Just before Decimum this 
road narrows greatly ; for lofty mountains tower 
at the southwest along the narrow highway. 
Over the loose sand, heaped on the mountains by 
the desert winds, neither man nor horse can pass 
without sinking a foot deep. Here, attacked 
from all three sides at the same moment, we were 
to be driven eastward into the sea at our right. 

A brother of the King, Gibamund, was to 
rush with two thousand men from the west upon 
our left flank ; a Vandal noble with a still stronger 
force was to attack us from Decimum in the 
front ; the King, with the main body, was to fall 
upon us in the rear from the South. 

Belisarius had carefully planned the order of 
our march through this dangerous portion of the 
way. He sent Fara with his brave Herulians and 
three hundred picked men of the bodyguard two 
and a half Roman miles in advance. They were 
to pass through the Narrow Way first alone, and 
instantly report any danger back to the main body 
led by Belisarius. On our left flank the Hun 
horsemen and five thousand of the excellent 
Thracian infantry under Althias were thrown out 
to guard us from any peril threatening in that 
quarter and report it to Belisarius, to prevent a 
surprise of the main body during the march. 



264 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Then, to our great good fortune, it happened 
that the attack from the north, from Decimum, 
came far too early. Prisoners say that a younger 
brother of the King, scarcely beyond boyhood, 
taking part in the battle against Gelimer's orders, 
dashed out of Decimum with a few horsemen 
upon our ranks as soon as he saw us. The noble 
wished to save him at any cost, so he also attacked 
with the small force at his disposal, — four hours 
too soon, — only sending messengers back to Car- 
thage to hasten the march of his main body. 
The youth and the noble made the most desper- 
ate resistance to the superior force. Twelve of 
Belisarius's bravest bodyguard, battle-tried men 
of former wars, were slain. At last both fell, and 
now, deprived of their leader, the Vandals turned 
their horses, and, in a mad flight, ran down and 
overthrew those who were advancing from Car- 
thage to their support, — true, in little bands of 
thirty and forty men. Fara with his swift Heru- 
lians dashed after them in savage pursuit to the 
very gates of Carthage, cutting down all whom 
he overtook. The Vandals, who had fought 
bravely so long as they saw the Asdings and the 
nobles in their van, now threw down their weapons 
and allowed themselves to be slaughtered. We 
found many thousand dead bodies on the road 
and in the fields to the left. 

After this first onset of the Vandals had re- 
sulted in defeat, Gibamund, knowing nothing of it, 



THE SCARLET BANNER 265 

attacked with his troops the greatly superior 
force of the Huns and Thracians. This happened 
at the Salt Field, — a treeless, shrubless waste on 
the edge of the desert five thousand paces west 
of Decimum. With no aid from Carthage and 
Decimum, he was completely routed ; nearly all 
his men were slain ; their leader was seen to fall, 
whether dead or living, no one knows. 

Meanwhile, entirely ignorant of what had hap- 
pened, we were marching with the main body 
along the road to Decimum. As Belisarius found 
an excellent camping-ground about four thousand 
paces from this place, he halted. That the 
enemy must be in the neighborhood he suspected ; 
the disappearance of the two Huns during the 
night had perplexed him. He established a well- 
fortified camp, and said to the troops, "The 
enemy must be close at hand. If he attacks us 
here, where we lack the support of the fleet, our 
escape will lie solely in victory. Should we be 
defeated, there is no stronghold, no fortified city, 
to receive us ; the sea, roaring below, will swallow 
us. The intrenched camp is our only protec- 
tion, the camp and the long-tested swords in our 
hands. Fight bravely ! Life, as well as fame, 
is at stake." 

He now ordered the infantry to remain in 
camp with the luggage as the last reserve, and 
led the whole force of cavalry out toward Deci- 
mum. He would not risk everything at once. 



i66 THE SCARLET BANNER 

but intended first to discover the strength and 
plans of the Barbarians by skirmishing. Sending 
the auxiliary cavalry in the van, he followed with 
the other squadrons and his mounted bodyguard. 
When the advance body reached Decimum, it 
found the Byzantines and Vandals who had fallen 
there. A few of the citizens who had hidden 
in the houses told our troops what had happened ; 
most of them had fled to Carthage on learning 
that their village had been chosen for the battle- 
ground. 

A wonderfully beautiful woman, — she. looks 
like the Sphinx at Memphis, — the owner of the 
largest villa in Decimum, voluntarily received 
our men. It was she who told us of the noble's 
death. He fell before her eyes, just in front of 
her house. 

The leaders now consulted, undecided whether 
to advance, halt, or return to Belisarius. At 
last the whole body of cavalry rode about two 
thousand paces west of Decimum, where they 
could obtain from the high sand-hills a wider 
view in every direction. There they saw rising 
in the south-southwest — that is, in the rear and 
on the left flank of Belisarius — a huge cloud of 
dust, from which sometimes flashed the arms and 
banners of an immense body of horsemen. They 
instantly sent a message to Belisarius that he 
must hasten ; the enemy was at hand. 

Meanwhile the Barbarians, led by Gelimer, 



THE SCARLET BANNER 267 

approached. They were marching along a road 
between Belisarius's main body in the east and 
the Huns and Thracians, our left wing, who had 
defeated Gibamund and pursued him far to 
the west. But the high hills along the road 
obstructed Gelimer's view, so that he could 
not see Gibamund's battlefield. Byzantines and 
Vandals, as soon as they saw each other, strug- 
gled to be first to reach and occupy the summit 
of the highest hill in the chain which dominated 
the whole region. The Barbarians gained the 
top, and from it King Gelimer rushed down with 
such power upon our men, the auxiliary cavalry, 
that they were seized with panic, and fled in wild 
confusion eastward, toward Decimum. 

About nine hundred paces west of the village 
the fugitives met their strong support, a body of 
eight hundred mounted shield-bearers, led by 
Velox, Belisarius's bodyguard. The General 
and all of us who had tremblingly witnessed the 
flight of the cavalry consoled ourselves with the 
hope that Velox would check their flight and 
march back with them to the enemy. But — oh, 
shame and horror — the weight of the Vandal 
onslaught was so tremendous that the fugitives 
and the shield-bearers did not even wait for it ; 
the whole body, mingled together, swept back in 
disorder to Belisarius. 

The General said that at this moment he gave 
us all up for lost: "Gelimer,*' he said at the 



268 THE SCARLET BANNER 

banquet that night, " had the victory in his 
hands. Why he voluntarily let it escape is in- 
comprehensible. Had he followed the fugitives, 
he would have pursued me and my whole army 
into the sea, so great was the alarm of our troops 
and so tremendous the force of the Vandal assault. 
Then the camp and the infantry would both have 
been destroyed. Or if he had even gone from 
Decimum back to Carthage, he could have de- 
stroyed without resistance Fara and his men, 
for expecting no attack from the rear, they were 
scattered singly or in couples along the streets 
and in the fields, pillaging the slain. And once 
in possession of Carthage he could easily have 
taken our ships, anchored near the city, — with- 
out crews, — and thus cut off from us every hope 
of victory or retreat." 

But King Gelimer did neither. A sudden 
paralysis attacked the power which had just over- 
thrown everything in its way. 

Prisoners told us that, as he dashed down the 
hillside, spurring his cream-colored charger far in 
advance of all his men, he saw in the narrow pass 
at the southern entrance of Decimum the corpse 
of his young brother lying first of all the bodies 
in the road. With a loud cry of anguish, he 
sprung from his horse, threw himself upon the 
lifeless boy, and thus checked the advance of his 
troops. Their foremost horses, held back with 
difficulty by the riders that they might not 



THE SCARLET BANNER 269 

trample on the King and the lad, reared, plunged, 
and kicked, throwing those behind into con- 
fusion, and stopped the whole chase. The King 
raised in his arms the mangled and bloody body 
(for our horsemen had dashed over it) ; then break- 
ing again into cries of agony, he placed it on his 
charger and ordered it to be buried by the road- 
side with royal honors. The whole did not 
probably occupy fifteen minutes, but that quarter 
of an hour wrested from the Barbarians the 
victory they had already won. 

Meanwhile Belisarius rushed to meet our fugi- 
tives, thundered at them in his resonant leonine 
voice his omnipotent " Halt," showed them, 
lifting his helmet, his face flaming with a wrath 
which his warriors dreaded more than the spears 
of all the Barbarians, brought the deeply shamed 
men to a stand, arranged them, amid terrible 
reproaches, in the best order possible in the haste, 
and, after learning all he could concerning the 
position and strength of the Vandals, led them to 
the attack upon Gelimer and his army. 

The Vandals did not withstand it. The 
sudden, mysterious check of their advance had 
bewildered, perplexed, discouraged them ; besides, 
their best strength had been exhausted in the 
furious ride. The sun of Africa, burning fiercely 
down, had wearied us also, but at the first onset 
we broke through their ranks. They turned and 
fled. The King, who tried to check them, was 



270 THE SCARLET BANNER 

swept away by the rush, not to Carthage, not 
even southwest to ^ Byzacena, whence they had 
come, but towards the northwest along the road 
leading to Numidia, to the plain of Bulla. 

Whether they took that course by the King's 
command or without it and against it, we do not 
yet know. 

We wrought great slaughter among the fugi- 
tives ; the chase did not end until nightfall. When, 
as the darkness closed in, the torches and watch- 
fires were lighted, Fara and the Herulians came 
from the north, Althias with the Huns and 
Thracians from the west, and we all spent the 
night in Decimum celebrating three victories in 
a single day : over the nobleman, over Prince 
Gibamund, and over the King. 



:h 
.lot 



CHAPTER VII 

THE flying Vandals, leaving Carthage far 
on the right, had struck into the road 
which at Decimum turns toward the 
northwest, leading to Numidia. 

In this direction also the numerous women and 
children, who had left Carthage many days before 
with the army, had gone from the camp on the 
morning of the day before, under safe escort, to 
the little village of Castra Vetera, half a day's 
march from the battlefield. Here, about two 
hours before midnight, they met the fugitives 
from Decimum ; the pursuit had ceased with the 
closing in of darkness. The main body of troops 
lay around the hamlet in the open air; the few 
tents brought by the women from the other 
camp, and the huts in the village, were used to 
shelter the many wounded and the principal 
leaders of the army. In one of these tents, 
stretched on coverlets and pillows, was Gibamund ; 
Hilda knelt beside him, putting a fresh bandage 
on his foot. As soon as she had finished, she 
turned to Gundomar, who was sitting on the 
other side of the narrow space with his head 
propped on his hand. Blood was trickling 



272 THE SCARLET BANNER 

through his yellow locks. The Princess carefully 
examined the wound, " It is not mortal," she 
said. " Is the pain severe ? " 

" Only slight," replied the Gunding, clenching 
his teeth. "Where is the King?" 

"In the little chapel with Verus. He is 
praying." 

The words fell harshly from her lips. 

" And my brother ?" asked Gundomar. " How 
is his shoulder ? " 

" I cut the arrow-head out. He is doing well ; 
he is in command of the guards. But the 
King, too, is wounded." 

" What ? " asked both the men, in startled 
tones. " He said nothing of it." 

" He is ashamed — for his people. No foe ; 
flying Vandals whom he stopped and tried to 
turn hacked his arm with their daggers." 

" Dogs," cried Gundomar, grinding his teeth ; 
but Gibamund sighed. 

" Gundobad, who witnessed it, told me ; I ex- 
amined the arm ; there is no danger." 

" And Eugenia ? " he asked after a pause. 

" She is lying in the next house as if stupefied. 
When she heard of her husband's death, she 
cried: *To him! Into his grave! Sigrun — '(I 
once told her the legend of Helgi) and tried to 
rush madly away. But she sank fainting in my 
arms. Even after she had recovered her senses, 
she lay on the couch as if utterly crushed. * To 



THE SCARLET BANNER 273 

him ! Sigrun — into his grave ! — I am coming, 
Thrasaric ! ' was all that she would answer to my 
questions. She tried to rise to obtain more news, 
but could not, and I sternly forbade her to attempt 
it again. I will tell her cautiously all that it is 
well for her to know — no more. But speak, Gun- 
domar, if you can ; I know all the rest — except 
how Ammata, how Thrasaric — " 

" Presently," said the Gunding. " Another 
drink of water. And your wound, Gibamund ? " 

" It is nothing," replied the Prince, bitterly ; 
" I did not reach the enemy at all. I sent mes- 
senger after messenger to Thrasaric, as I did not 
receive the promised report that he was leaving 
Decimum. Not one returned ; all fell into the 
hands of the foe. No message came from 
Thrasaric. The time appointed by the King 
when I was to make the attack had arrived ; in 
obedience to the order I set forth, though per- 
fectly aware of the superior strength of the 
enemy, and though the main body of the troops 
under Thrasaric had not come. When we were 
within an arrow-shot, the horsemen, the Huns, 
dashed to the right and left, and we saw behind 
them the Thracian infantry, seven ranks deep, 
who received us with a hail of arrows. They 
aimed at the horses ; mine, the foremost, and all 
in the front rank instantly fell. Your brave 
brother in the second rank, himself wounded by 

a shaft, lifted me with great difficulty on his 

18 



274 THE SCARLET BANNER 

own charger — I could not stand — and rescued 
me. The Huns now bore down upon us from 
both flanks ; the Thracians pressed forward from 
the front with levelled spears. Not a hundred 
of my two thousand men are still alive." He 
groaned in anguish. 

" But tell me how came Ammata, — against 
Gelimer's command, in spite of Thrasaric's 
guard — ? " asked Hilda. 

" It happened in this way," said the Gunding, 
pressing his hand to the aching wound in his 
head. " We had put the boy, unarmed, in the 
little Catholic basilica at Decimum, with the 
hostages from Carthage, among them young 
Publius Pudentius." 

" Hilderic and Euages too ? " 

" No. Verus had them taken to the second 
camp near Bulla. Bleda, the captured Hun, had 
been tied with a rope outside to the bronze rings 
of the church doors ; he lay on the upper step. 
On the square, in front of the little church, were 
about twenty of our horsemen. Many, by 
Thrasaric's command, — he rode repeatedly across 
the square, gazing watchftilly in every direction, 
— had dismounted. Thrusting their spears into 
the sand beside their horses, they lay flat on the 
low roofs of the surrounding houses looking 
toward the southwest to see the advancing foe. 
I sat on horseback by the open window of the 
basilica. From the corner one can see straight 



THE SCARLET BANNER 275 

to the entrance of the main road from Decimum, 
where Astarte's — formerly Modigisel's — villa 
stands. So I heard every word that was spoken 
in the basilica. Two boyish voices were disputing 
vehemently. 

" ' What ? ' cried one. * Is this the loudly 
vaunted heroism of the Vandals ? You are placed 
here, Ammata, in the asylum of the church of the 
much-tortured Catholics ? Do you seek shelter 
here ? ' 'The order of the King/ replied Ammata, 
choking with rage. ' Ah,' sneered the other ; it 
was Pudentius — I now recognized the tones — 
* I would not be commanded to do that by king or 
emperor. I am chained hand and foot, or I 
would have been outside long ago, fighting with 
the Romans/ ' The order of the King, I tell 
you.' ' Order of cowardice. Ha, if / were a 
member of the royal house for whose throne men 
were fighting, nothing would keep me in a church, 
while — Hark! that is the tuba. It is pro- 
claiming a Roman victory.' 

" I heard no more; the Roman trumpets were 
blaring outside of Decimum." 

Just at that moment the folds of the tent were 
pushed softly apart. A pale face, two large dark 
eyes, gazed in, unseen by any one. 

" At the same instant," continued the Gunding, 
" a figure sprang from the very high window of 
the basilica, — I don't yet understand how the boy 
climbed up to it, — ran past me, swung himself 



276 THE SCARLET BANNER 

on the horse of one of our troopers, tore the spear 
from the ground beside it, and with the exulting 
shout, ' Vandals ! Vandals ! ' dashed down the 
street to meet the Byzantines. 

" ' Ammata ! Ammata ! Halt ! ' Thrasaric 
called after him. But he was already far away. 
* Follow him ! Gundomar ! Follow him ! Save 
the boy ! ' cried Thrasaric, rushing past me. 

" I followed ; our men — a slender little band 
— did the same. ' Too soon ! Much too soon ! ' 
I exclaimed, as I overtook Thrasaric. 

" * The King commanded me to protect the 
lad ! ' 

" It was impossible to stop him ; I followed. 
We had already reached the narrow southern en- 
trance of Decimum. On the right was Astarte's 
villa, on the left the high stone wall of a granary. 
Ammata, without helmet, breastplate, or shield, 
with only the spear in his hand, was facing a 
whole troop of mounted lancers, who stared in 
amazement at the mad boy. 

" * Back, Ammata ! Fly, I will cover the 
entrance here,' shouted Thrasaric. 

" * I will not fly ! I am a grandson of Gen- 
seric,' was the lad's answer. 

"'Then we will die here together. Here is 
my shield.' 

" It was high time. Already the lances of the 
Byzantines were hurtling at us. Our three 
horses fell. We all sprang up unhurt. A spear 



THE SCARLET BANNER 277 

struck the shield which Thrasaric had forced 
upon the boy, penetrating the hammer on it. 
A dozen of our men had now reached us. Six 
sprang from their horses, levelling their lances. 
We were enough to block the narrow entrance. 
The Byzantines dashed upon us; only three 
horses could come abreast. We three killed 
two horses and one man. Our foes were obliged 
to remove the dead animals, our three and the 
fourth, to gain space. While doing this Am- 
mata sprang forward and struck down another 
Byzantine. As he leaped back an arrow grazed 
his neck ; the blood burst forth ; the boy laughed. 
Again the foes dashed forward. Again two fell. 
But Ammata was obliged to drop the hammer 
shield, there were now so many spears sticking 
in it, and Thrasaric received a lance-thrust in 
his shieldless left arm. Behind the Byzantines 
we now heard German horns ; the sound was 
like the blast announcing the approach of our 
Vandal horsemen. 'Gibamund, or the King!' 
our men shouted. 'We are saved.' 

" But we were lost. They were Herulians 
in the Emperor's pay. Their leaderj a tall 
figure with eagle wings on his helmet, instantly 
assumed command of all the forces. He ordered 
several men to dismount and climb the wall 
of the granary at his right ; others trotted toward 
the left, to ride around the villa, and at the same 
time they overwhelmed us with a shower of 



278 THE SCARLET BANNER 

spears. The boar's helm flew from my head, 
two lances had struck it at the same moment ; 
a third now hit my skull and stretched me on 
the ground. At that moment, when our eyes 
were all fixed upon the enemy in front, a man 
on foot forced his way through our horsemen 
from the basilica behind. I heard a hoarse cry : 
' Wait, boy ! ' and saw the flash of a sword. 
Ammata fell forward on his knees. 

"It was Bleda, the captive Hun. The torn 
rope still dragged from his ankle. He had 
wrenched himself free and seized a weapon ; 
before he could draw the sword from the boy's 
back Thrasaric's spear pierced him through and 
through. But the noble had forgotten the foes 
in front, and no longer struck the flying lances 
aside. Two spears pierced him at once ; he 
received a deep wound in the thigh and staggered 
against the wall of the villa. 

" A narrow door close beside him opened, and 
on the threshold stood Astarte. * Come, my 
beloved, I will save you,' she said, seizing his 
arm. 'A secret passage from my cellar — ' 

" But Thrasaric silently shook her off and 
threw himself before the kneeling boy. For 
now Herulians and Byzantines, on foot and 
on horseback, were pressing forward in dense 
throngs. The door closed. 

" I tried to rise, but could not ; so, unable 
to aid, helpless myself, but covered by a dead 



THE SCARLET BANNER 279 

horse behind which I had fallen, I saw the end. 
I will make the story brief. So long as he could 
move an arm, the faithful giant protected the 
boy with sword and spear; finally, when the 
spear-head was hacked off, the sword broken, 
he sheltered the boy with his own body. I 
saw how he spread the huge bearskin over him 
as a shield, and clasped both arms around the 
child's breast. 

" * Surrender, brave warrior,' cried the leader of 
the Herulians. But Thrasaric — hark ! What 
was that?" 

" A groan ? Yonder ! Does your foot ache, 
my Gibamund ? " 

" I made no sound. It was probably a night- 
bird — outside — before the tent." 

" But Thrasaric shook his huge head and 
hurled his sword-hilt into the face of the nearest 
Byzantine, who fell, shrieking. Then so many 
lances flew at the same instant that Ammata sank 
lifeless on the ground. Thrasaric did not fall, 
but stood bending forward, his arms hanging 
loosely. The Herulian leader went close to 
him. 'In truth,' he said, * never have I seen 
anything like this. The man is dead; but he 
cannot fall, so many spears, with handles resting 
on the ground, are fixed in his breast.' He 
gently drew out several ; the strong noble slid 
down beside Ammata. 

" Our men had fled as soon as they saw us 



28o THE SCARLET BANNER 

both fall. Past me — I lay as though lifeless — 
swept the foe in pursuit. Not until after a long 
time, when everything was still, did I succeed 
in raising myself a little. So I was found beside 
Ammata by the King, to whom I told the fate 
of both. The rest — how he lost the moment 
of victory, nay, threw away the victory already 
won, you know." 

" We know it," said Hilda, in a hollow tone. 

" And where is Ammata — where is Thrasaric 
buried ? " questioned Gibamund. 

"Close beside Decimum, in two mounds. 
The land belongs to a colonist. According to 
the custom of our ancestors, our men placed 
three spears upright upon each hillock. The 
King's horsemen then carried me back, and 
placed me on a charger, which bore me through 
this pitiable flight. Shame on this Vandal people ! 
They let their princes and nobles fight and bleed 
— alone ! The masses have accomplished nothing 
but a speedy flight." 



/ 



\ 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE intense darkness of the night was 
already yielding in the eastern sky to 
a faint gray glimmer of twilight, but the 
stars were still shining in the heavens, when a 
slender little figure glided noiselessly, but very 
swiftly, through the streets of the camp. 

The shaggy dogs watching their masters* tents 
growled, but did not bark ; they were afraid of 
the creature slipping by so softly. A Vandal, 
mounting guard at a street-corner, supersti- 
tiously made the sign of the cross and avoided 
the wraith floating past. But the white form 
approached him. 

"Where is Decimum? I mean, in which 
direction ? " it asked in low, hurried tones. 

" In the east, yonder." He pointed with his 
spear. 

"How far is it?" 

" How far ? Very distant. We rode as fast 
as the horses could run ; for fear pursued us, — 
I really do not kriow of what, — and we did not 
draw rein till we reached here. We dashed 
along six or eight hours before we arrived." 

" No matter." 



282 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The hurrying figure soon reached the exit of 
the camp. The guards stationed there let her 
pass unmolested. One called after her: 

" Where are you going ? Not that way ! The 
enemy is there." 

" Don't stay long ! " a Moor shouted after 
her ; " the evil wind is rising." 

But she was already gone. Directly behind 
the camp she turned from the path marked by 
many footprints, also by weapons lost or thrown 
away, — if that name could be given to this track 
through the desert. Running several hundred 
paces south of the line extending from west to 
east, she plunged into the wilderness, crossing, 
meanwhile, several high, dome-like sand-hills. 
These mounds are piled up by the changing 
winds blowing through the desert in every direc- 
tion, but most frequently from the south to 
north ; and the narrow sand ravines beside them 
often, for the distance of a quarter of a league, 
obstruct the view of the person passing through 
them over the nearest sand-wave. 

Not until she believed herself too far from the 
road to be seen, did she again turn in her original 
direction, eastward, or what she thought was 
east. Meantime, it is true, the fiery, glowing 
rising sun had extinguished the light of the stars 
and marked the east ; but soon thereafter the crim- 
son disk vanished behind vaporous clouds, the 
exhalations of the desert. She ran on and on 



THE SCARLET BANNER 28f 

and on. She was now entirely within the domain ' 
of the desert. There was no longer any dis- 
tinguishing object, — no tree, no bush, nothing 
but sky above and sand below. True, there 
were sometimes sand valleys, sometimes sand 
heights, but these, too, were perfectly uniform. 
On, on she ran. " Only to reach his grave ! *' 
she thought. " Only his grave. Always straight 
on ! " It was so still, so strangely still. 

Once only she fancied that she saw, far, far 
away on her left, corresponding with the " path," 
hurrying cloud-shadows ; perhaps they were 
ostriches or antelopes. No, she thought she 
heard human voices calling, but very, very dis- 
tant. Yet it sounded like " Eugenia ! " 

Startled, she stooped down close to the sand- 
hill at her left ; it would prevent her being seen 
from that direction. Even if the valley in which 
she was now cowering could be overlooked from 
a hillock, the back of the mound would protect 
her. "Eugenia!" Now the name seemed to 
come again more distinctly ; the tones were like 
Hilda's voice. The low, distant sound died 
tremulously away, sorrowful, hopeless. All was 
still again. She started up, and ran on breath- 
lessly. 

But the fugitive now grew uneasy, because she 
had lost her direction. What if she was not 
keeping a perfectly straight course ? Then she 
thought of looking back. The print of every 



2284 THE SCARLET BANNER 

one of her light footsteps was firmly impressed 
upon the sand. The line was perfectly straight ; 
she rejoiced over her wisdom. Then she often 
glanced behind — at almost every hundred steps 
— to test. Only forward, forward ! She was 
growing anxious. Drops of perspiration had 
long been falling from her forehead and her 
bare arms. It was growing hot, very hot, and 
so strangely sultry — the sky so leaden gray. A 
light, whistling wind sprang up, blowing from 
south to north. 

Eugenia glanced back again. Oh, horror! 
She saw no sign of her footsteps. The whole 
expanse lay behind her as smooth as though she 
were just starting on her way. As if dazed by 
astonishment, she stamped on the sand ; directly 
after, before her eyes, the impression was filled 
up, completely eflTaced by the finest sand, which 
was driven by the light breeze. 

Startled, she pressed her hand upon her beating 
heart — and grasped sand ; a fine but thick layer 
had incrusted her garments, her hair, her face. 
Through her bewildered thoughts darted the re- 
membrance of having heard how human beings, 
animals, whole caravans, had been covered by 
such sand-storms, how, heaped by the wind, the 
sand often rose like huge waves, burying all life 
beneath it. She fancied that on her right, on 
the south, a hill of sand was towering ; it seemed 
moving swiftly onward, and threatened to bar her 



THE SCARLET BANNER 285 

way. So she must run yet faster to escape it. 
Her path was still open. Just at that moment, 
from the south, a gust of wind suddenly blew 
with great force. Snatching the braided hat from 
her head, it whirled it swiftly northward. In an 
instant it was almost out of sight. To overtake 
it was impossible. Besides, she must go toward 
the east. Forward ! 

The wind grew stronger and stronger. The 
sun, rising higher, darted scorching rays upon 
her unprotected head ; her dark-brown hair flut- 
tered wildly around. Incrusted with salt, it 
struck her eyes or lashed her cheeks and stung 
her keenly. She could scarcely keep her eyes 
open ; the fine sand forced its way through their 
long lashes. On. The sand entered her shoes ; 
the band across the instep of the left one broke. 
She lifted her fcfbt ; the wind tore off the shoe 
and whirled it away. It was certainly no mis- 
fortune, yet she wept — wept over her helpless- 
ness. She sank to her knees; the malicious 
sand rose slowly higher and higher. A shrill, 
harsh, disagreeable cry fell on her ear, — the 
first sound in the tremendous silence for many 
hours ; a dark figure, flying from north to south, 
flitted for a moment along the horizon. It 
was an ostrich, fleeing in mortal terror before the 
simoom. With head and long white neck far 
outstretched, aiding the swift movement of its 
long legs by flapping its curved dark wings like 



286 THE SCARLET BANNER 

sails, it glided on like an arrow. Already it was 
out of sight. 

" That bird is hurrying with such might to 
save its life. Shall my strength fail when I am 
hastening to the man I love ? * For shame, little 
one ! ' he would say." Smiling through her tears, 
she ran forward. So an hour passed — many 
hours. 

Often she thought that she must have lost 
the right direction, or she would have reached 
the battlefield long ago. The wind had risen 
to a tempest. Her heart beat with suffocating 
strength. Giddiness seized her; she tottered; she 
must rest. Now, here, no Vandal could overtake 
her to keep her by force from her sacred goal. 

Just at that moment something white appeared 
above the sand close beside her. It was the first 
break for hours in the monotonous yellow surface. 
The object was no stone. Seizing it, Eugenia 
dragged it from the sand. Oh, despair and horror ! 
She shrieked aloud in desperation, in terror, in 
the sense of cheerless, hopeless helplessness. It 
was her own shoe, which she had lost hours 
before. She had been wandering in a circle. Or 
had the wind borne it far away from the place 
where she lost it ? Yet, no ! The shoe, which 
she now flung down, weeping, was swiftly covered 
with sand, instead of being carried away by the 
wind. After exhausting the last remnant of her 
strength, she was in tlje same spot. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 287 

To die — now — to give up all efFort — to 
rest — to sleep — now sweet was the temptation 
to the wearied limbs. 

But, no ! To him ! What were the words ? 
" And it constrained the faithful one and drew 
her to the grave of the dead hero." To him ! 

Eugenia raised herself with great difficulty, 
she was already so weak. And when she had 
barely gained her feet, the storm blew her down 
once more. Again she rose, trying to see if 
some human being, some house, if not the path, 
was visible. Just then she perceived before her 
in the north a sand-hill, higher than any of the 
others. It was probably more than a hundred 
feet. If she could succeed in climbing it, she 
would be able from the top to get a wide view. 
With inexpressible difficulty, sinking knee-deep 
at nearly every step in the looser sand, until her 
foot reached the older, firmer soil, she pressed 
upward, often falling back several paces when she 
stumbled. While she did so the strangest, most 
alarming thing happened, — at every slip the 
whole sand-hill creaked, trembled, and began to 
slide down in every direction. At first Eugenia 
stopped in terror ; she thought the whole moun- 
tain would sink with her. But she conquered 
her fear, and at last climbed upward on her 
knees, for she could no longer stand ; she thrust 
her hands into the sand and dragged herself up. 
The wind — no, it was now a hurricane — assisted 



288 THE SCARLET BANNER 

her ; it blew from south to north. At last — the 
climb seemed to her longer than the whole pre- 
vious way — at last she reached the top. Open- 
ing her eyes, which she had kept half closed, she 
saw — oh, bliss ! she saw deliverance. Before 
her, at a long distance, it is true, yet plainly 
visible, glittered a steel-blue line. It was the 
sea ! And at the side, eastward, she fancied she 
saw houses, trees. Surely that was Decimum ; 
and a little farther inland rose a dark hill — the 
end of the desert. She imagined, — yet surely it 
was impossible to see so far, — she believed or 
dreamed that, on the summit of the hill, she 
beheld three slender bkck lines relieved against 
the clear horizon. Surely those were the three 
spears on the grave. " Beloved One ! My hero ! " 
she cried, " I am coming." 

With outstretched arms she tried to hurry 
down the sand-hill on the northeastern : side, 
but, at the first step, she sank in to the knee, 
— deeper still, to the waist. She could still 
see the blue sky above her. Once more, with 
her last strength, she flung both arms high 
above her head, thrusting her hands into the 
sand to the wrists to drag herself up ; once 
more the large beautiful antelope eyes gazed 
beseechingly — ah, so despairingly — up to the 
silent sky ; another wild, desperate pull — a 
hollow sound as of a heavy fall. The whole ' 
sand-mountain, shaken by her struggles and 



THE SCARLET BANNER 289 

swept by the hurricane from the south, fell over 
her northward, burying her nearly a hundred 
feet deep, stifling her in a moment. Above her 
lofty grave the desert storm raved exultingly. 
• • • • 

For decades the beautiful corpse lay undisturbed, 
unprofaned, until that ever-changing architect, the 
wind, gradually removed the sand-hill and, one 
stormy night, at last blew it away entirely. 

Just at that time a pious hermit, one of the 
desert monks who begged his scanty fare in 
Decimum and carried it to his sand cave, passed 
along. Often and often he had come that way ; 
the hurricane had bared the skeleton only 
the day before. The old man stood before it, 
thoughtful. The little dazzlingly white bones 
were so dainty, so delicate, as if fashioned by 
an artist's hand; the garments, like the flesh, 
had long been completely consumed by the 
trickling moisture ; but the lofty sand ridge had 
faithfully kept its beautiful secret, not a bone 
was missing. For a human generation the dry 
sand of the desert, though garments and flesh 
had gone to decay, had preserved uninjured 
the outlines of the -figure as it had been pressed 
into the sand under the heavy weight. One 
could see that the buried girl had tried to pro- 
tect eyes and mouth with her right hand; the 
left lay in a graceful attitude across her breast; 
her face was turned toward the ground. 

19 



290 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"Who were you, dainty child, that found a 
solitary death here ? " said the holy man, deeply 
touched. " For there is no trace of a companion 
near. A child, or a girl just entering maiden- 
hood ? But, at any rate, a Christian — no 
Moor ; here on her neck, fastened by a silver 
chain, is a gold cross. And beside it a strange 
ornament, — a bronze half-circle with characters 
inscribed on it, not Latin, Greek, nor Hebrew. 
No matter. The girl's bones shall not remain 
scattered in the desert. The Christian shall 
sleep in consecrated ground. The peasants 
must help me to bury her here or in the 
neighborhood." 

He went to Decimum. The traces of the 
Vandal battle had long since vanished. The 
village children who had then fled were now 
grown men, the owners of the houses and fields. 
The peasant to whom the hermit related his 
touching discovery listened attentively. But 
when the latter spoke of the bronze half-circle 
with the singular characters, he interrupted him, 
exclaiming : 

" Strange ! In the hill-tomb, the great stone 
vault outside of our village, — I own the hill, 
and vines grow on the southern slope, — there 
lies, according to trustworthy tradition, a Vandal 
boy-prince who fell here, and beside him a 
mighty warrior, a terrible giant, who is said 
to have remained faithfully by his side. The 



THE SCARLET BANNER 291 

priests say he was a monster, a god of thunder, 
one of the old pagan gods of the Barbarians, 
with whose fall fortune deserted them. Well, 
the giant has hanging on his arm a half-circle 
exactly like the one you describe. Perhaps the 
two belonged together? Who knows? We 
cannot dig a grave in the desert; even if we 
try, the wind will blow it away. Come, I *11 
harness the horses to my wagon ; we will go 
out to the dead woman and lay her beside the 
giant; his grave has already been consecrated 
by the priests." 

This was done. But when they had placed 
the delicate form beside the mighty one, and 
the monk had muttered a prayer, he asked : 
"Tell me, friend, — I saw with joyful surprise 
that you had left all the ornaments upon the 
dead; and that you should receive nothing for 
your trouble with the poor girl's skeleton is not 
exactly — " 

" Peasant custom, do you mean ? You are 
right, holy father. But you see. King Gelimer, 
who once reigned here, enjoined upon my father 
after the battle to take faithful care of the 
graves ; he was to keep them as if they were 
a sanctuary until Gelimer should return and 
carry the bodies to Carthage. King Gelimer 
never returned to Decimum. But my father, 
on his deathbed, committed the care of this 
tomb to me; and so shall I, before I die, to 



292 THE SCARLET BANNER 

the curly-headed boy who helped us to carry 
the little skeleton. For King Gelimer was kind 
to every one, — to us Romans, too, — and had 
done my father many a favor in the days of the 
Vandals. Already many say he was no man, 
but a demon, — a wicked one, according to some, 
a good one, most declare. But, man or demon, 
good he certainly was; for my father has often 
praised him." 

So little Eugenia at last reached her hero's 
side. 



CHAPTER IX 

Procopius to Cethegus : 

I AM writing this —7 really and truly, though 
it is not yet three months since we left 
Constantinople — in Carthage, at the capi- 
tol, in the royal palace of the Asdings, in the 
hall of Genseric the Terrible. I often doubt the 
fact myself — but it is so! On the day after 
the battle at Decimum the infantry, coming from 
the camp, joined us, and the whole army marched 
to Carthage, which we reached in the evening. 
We chose a place to encamp outside of the city, 
though no one opposed our entrance. Nay, the 
Carthaginians had opened all their gates and 
lighted torches and lanterns everywhere in the 
streets and squares. All night long the bonfires 
shone from the city into our camp, while the few 
Vandals who had not fled sought shelter in the 
Catholic churches. 

But Belisarius most strictly prohibited entering 
the city during the night. He feared an ambush, 
a stratagem of war. He could not believe that 
Genseric*s capital had actually fallen into his 
hands with so little trouble. 



294 THE SCARLET BANNER 

On the following day, borne by a favoring 
breeze, our ships rounded the promontory. As 
soon as the Carthaginians recognized our flag, 
they broke the iron chains of their outer harbor, 
Mandracium, and beckoned to our sailors to 
enter. But the commanders, mindful of Belisa- 
rius's warning, anchored in the harbor of Stag- 
num, five thousand paces from the city, waiting 
further orders. Yet that the worthy citizens of 
Carthage might make the acquaintance of their 
liberators on the very first day, a ship's captain, 
Kalonymos, with several sailors, entered Man- 
dracium, against the orders of Belisarius and the 
Quaestor, and plundered all the merchants — Car- 
thaginians as well as strangers — who had their 
homes and storehouses on the harbor. He took 
all their money, many of their goods, and even 
the beautiful candlesticks and lanterns which they 
had brought out in honor of our arrival. 

We had hoped — Belisarius gave orders for a 
diligent search — to liberate the captive King 
Hilderic and his nephew. But this, it appears, 
was not accomplished. In the royal citadel, high 
up on the hill crowned by the capitol, is the 
gloomy dungeon where the usurper held the 
Asdings prisoners, as he barred all his foes here. 
The executioner supplied the place of a jailer to 
his predecessors. He also held captive many 
merchants of our empire, fearing (and my Hege- 
lochus showed with what good reason ; the 



THE SCARLET BANNER 295 

General sent him to-day with rich gifts to Syra- 
cuse) that, if allowed to sail thither, they might 
bring us all sorts of valuable information. When 
the jailer, a Roman, heard of our victory at Deci- 
mum, and saw our galleys rounding the promon- 
tory, he released all these captives. He wanted 
to set the King and Euages free also, but their 
dungeon was empty. No one knows what has 
become of them. 

At noon Belisarius ordered the ships' crews to 
land, all the troops to clean their weapons and 
armor, to present the best appearance, and now 
the whole army marched in full battle-array — for 
we still feared an ambush of the Vandals — 
through the " Grove of the Empress Theodora " 
(so I hear the grateful Carthaginians have re- 
baptized it) ; then through the southern Byzace- 
nian gate, and finally through the lower city. 
Belisarius and the principal leaders, with some 
picked troops, went up to the capitol, and our 
General formally took his seat upon Genseric's 
gold and purple throne. Belisarius ordered the 
noonday meal to be served in the dining-hall 
where Gelimer entertained the Vandal nobles. It 
is called " Delphica," because its principal orna- 
ment is a beautiful tripod. Here the General 
feasted the leaders of his army. A banquet had 
been prepared in it the day before for Gelimer, 
but we now ate the dishes made to celebrate his 
victory ; spiced by this thought, their flavor was 



296 THE SCARLET BANNER 

excellent. And Gelimer's servants brought in the 
platters, filled the drinking vessels with fragrant 
wine, waited upon us in every way. This is 
another instance of the goddess Tyche*s pleasure 
in playing with the changing destinies of mortals. 
You, O Cethegus, I am well aware, have a different 
opinion of the final causes of events ; you see the 
fixed action of a law in the deeds of human beings, 
as well as in storms and sunshine. This may be 
magnificent, heroic, but it is terrible. I have a 
narrow mind, and am precisely the opposite of a 
hero ; I cannot endure it. I waver skeptically to 
and fro. Sometimes I see only the whimsical 
ruling of a blind chance, which delights in alter- 
nately lifting up and casting down ; sometimes I 
think an inscrutable God directs everything to 
mysterious ends. I have renounced all philoso- 
phizing, and enjoy the motley current of events, 
not without scorn and derision for the follies of 
other people, but no less for those of Procopius. 

And yet I do not wish to break off entirely 
all relations with the Christian's God. We do 
not know whether, after all, the Son of Man may 
not yet return in the clouds of heaven. In that 
case, I would far rather be with the sheep than 
with the goats. 

The people, the liberated Romans, the Catholics, 
in their delight over their rescue, see signs and 
wonders everywhere. They regard our Huns as 
angels of the Lord. They will yet learn to know 



THE SCARLET BANNER 297 

these angels, especially if they have pretty wives 
or daughters, or even only full money-chests. 
The comical part of it is that (except Belisarius's 
body-guard), our soldiers, with all due respect to 
the Emperor, are principally a miserable lot of 
rascals from all the provinces of the empire, and 
all the Barbarian peoples in the neighborhood; 
they are always as ready to steal, pillage, and 
murder as they are to fight Yet we ourselves, 
in consequence of the amazing good fortune 
which has accompanied us throughout this whole 
enterprise, are beginning to consider ourselves 
the chosen favorites of the Lord, His sacred 
instrument — thieves and cut-throats though we 
are ! So the entire army, pagans as well as 
Christians, believe that that spring gushed out 
for us in the desert only by a miracle of God. 
So both the army and the Carthaginians believe 
in a lantern miracle in the following singular 
incident. 

The Carthaginians' principal saint is Saint 
Cyprian, who has more than a dozen basilicas 
and chapels, in which all his festivals, " the great 
Cypriani," are magnificently celebrated. But the 
Vandals took nearly all the churches from the 
Catholics, and dedicated them to the Arian wor- 
ship. This was the case with the great basilica 
of Saint Cyprian down by the harbor, from which 
they drove the Catholic priests. The loss of this 
cathedral caused them special sorrow, and they 



298 THE SCARLET BANNER 

said that Saint Cyprian had repeatedly appeared 
to devout souls in a dream, comforted them, 
and announced that he would some day avenge 
the wrong committed by the Vandals. This 
seems to me rather «»saintly in the great saint; 
we poor sinners on earth are daily exhorted to 
forgive our enemies, and the wrathful saint ought 
to let his vengeful feelings cool, and thus remain 
the holy Cyprian. The pious Catholics, thus 
pleasantly strengthened and justified in their 
thirst for revenge by their patron saint, had long 
waited, in mingled curiosity and anxiety, for the 
blow Saint Cyprian was to deal the heretics. 
On this day it became evident. The festival of 
the great Cyprian was just at hand ; it fell on 
the day following the battle of Decimum. On the 
evening before, the Arian priests themselves had 
decorated the entire church magnificently, and 
especially arranged thousands of little lamps, in 
order to have a brilliant illumination at night 
to celebrate the victory ; for they did not doubt 
the success of their own army. By the written 
order of the Archdeacon Verus, — he had accom- 
panied the King to the field, — all the church 
vessels and church treasures of every description 
were brought out of the hidden thesauri and 
placed upon the seven altars of the basilica. 
Never would these unsuspected riches have been 
found in the secret vaults of the church, had not 
Verus given these directions and sent the keys. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 299 

But we, not the Vandals, won the battle of 
Decimum. At this news the Arian priests fled 
headlong from the city. The Catholics poured 
into the basilica, discovered the secret treasures 
of the heretics, and lighted their lamps to celebrate 
the victory of the champions of the true faith. 
" This is the vengeance of Saint Cyprian ! " " This 
is the miracle of the lamps ! " Through the city 
they went, roaring these words and cuffing and 
pounding every doubter until he believed and 
shouted with them : " Yes, this is Saint Cyprian's 
vengeance and the miracle of the lamps 1 " 

Now I have not the least objection to an 
occasional miracle. On the contrary, I am 
glad when something often happens that the 
all-explaining philosophers who have so long 
tormented me cannot understand. But then it 
must be a genuine, thorough-going miracle. If 
a miracle cannot present itself as something en- 
tirely beyond the limits of reason, it would better 
not attempt to be a miracle at all ; it is n't worth 
while. And this miracle appears to me far too 
natural. Belisarius reproved my incredulous 
derision. But I replied that Saint Cyprian 
seems to me the patron saint of the lamplighters ; 
I don't belong to that society. 

Fara, the Herulian, captured the fairest booty at 
Decimum. True, he received from the noble a 
sharp lance-thrust in the arm through his brazen 



300 THE SCARLET BANNER 

shield. But the shield had done its duty ; the 
point did not penetrate too deeply into the flesh. 
And when he entered the nearest villa, — he was 
just breaking in, — the door opened, and a won- 
derfully beautiful woman, with superb jewels and 
scarlet flowers in her black hair, came to meet 
him. Except the flowers and gems, she was not 
burdened with too much clothing. 

The vision held out a wreath of laurel and 
pomegranate blossoms. 

" Whom did you expect ? " asked the Heru- 
lian, in amazement. 

"The victor," replied the beautiful woman. 

A somewhat oracular reply ! This Sphinx — 
she looks, I have already told you, exactly like 
one — would undoubtedly have given her wreath 
and herself just as willingly to the victorious 
Vandals. After all, what does the Carthaginian 
care for either Vandals or Byzantines? She is 
the prize of the stronger, the conqueror — perhaps 
to his destruction. But I think the Sphinx has 
now found her CEdipus. If one of this strange 
pair of lovers must perish, it will hardly be my 
friend Fara. He took me to her; he has some 
regard for me, because I can read and write. He 
had evidently praised me. In vain. She scanned 
me from head to foot, and from foot to head, — 
it did not consume much time ; , I am not very 
tall, — then, with a contemptuous curl of her full 
red lips, she moved far away from me. I will 



THE SCARLET BANNER 301 

not assert that I am handsome, while Fara, next 
to Belisarius, is certainly the stateliest of all our 
six and thirty thousand men. But I was indig- 
nant that my mortal part at once so repelled her 
that she did not even desire to know the immortal 
side. I am angered against her, I wish her no 
evil; but it would neither greatly surprise, nor 
deeply grieve me, if she should come to a bad 
end. 



r 



CHAPTER X 

BELISARIUS is pushing the work on the 
walls day and night. Besides the whole 
army and the crews of the ships, he has 
employed the citizens. They grumble, saying 
that we came to liberate them, and now compel 
them to harder labor than Gelimer ever imposed. 
The vast extent of the city wall shows many 
gaps and holes ; we think that may be the reason 
the King did not retreat into his capital after the 
lost battle. Verus, who, even in secular matters, 
holds a high place in the esteem of the " Tyrant " 
(this, according to Justinian's command, is the 
name we must give the champion of his people's 
liberty), is said, according to the statements of the 
prisoners, to have advised the King from the 
first to shut himself up in Carthage and let us 
besiege him there. If that is true, the priest 
knows more about lamps than he does of war, but 
that is natural. The very first night, our General 
says,Ve could have slipped in through some gap, 
especially as many thousand Carthaginians were 
ready to show us such holes. And we should 
have captured the whole Vandal grandeur at one 
blow, as if in a mouse-trap ; while now we must 



THE SCARLET BANNER 303 

seek the enemy in the desert. The King instantly 
rejected the counsel. 

The goddess Tyche is the one woman in whom 
I often really feel tempted to believe. And also in 
Ate, — Discord. To you, Ate and Tyche, mighty 
sisters, not to Saint Cyprian, we must light lan- 
terns to show our gratitude. The goddess of 
Fortune is not weary of playing ball with the 
destinies of the Vandals, but she could not do it, 
if Ate had not placed this ball in her hands. 

Yesterday a little sail-boat ran into the harbor 
from the north. It bore the scarlet Vandal flag. 
Captured by our guard-ships, which were lurking 
unseen behind the high wall of the harbor, the 
Barbarians on board were frightened nearly to 
death ; they had had no idea of the capture of 
their capital. They had come directly from 
Sardinia ! To send the flower of their fleet and 
army there, while we were already lying oflF Sicily, 
was surely prompted by Ate. On the captain 
was found a letter with the following contents : 

" Hail, and victory to you, O King of the Vandals ! 
Where now are your gloomy forebodings ? I announce 
victory. We landed at Caralis, the capital of Sapdinia. 
We took harbor, city, and capitol. Goda, the traitor, 
fell by my spear ; his men are dispersed or prisoners ; 
the whole island is again yours. Celebrate a feast of 
victory. It is the omen of a greater day, when you will 
crush the insolent foes who, as we have just heard here, 



304 THE SCARLET BANNER 

are really sailing against our coasts. Not one must 
return from our Africa ! This writes Zazo, your faithful 
General and brother." 

That was yesterday; and to-day one of our 
cruisers brought into the harbor a Vandal galley 
captured on its way to Sardinia. It bore a mes- 
senger from Gelimer with the following letter : 

^^It was not Goda who lured us to Sardinia, but a 
demon of hell in Goda's form, whom God has per- 
mitted to destroy us. You did not set forth that we 
might vanquish Sardinia, but that our foes might con- 
quer Africa. It was the will of Heaven, since God 
ordained your voyage. You had scarcely sailed, when 
Belisarius landed. His army is small, but fortune as 
well as heroism abandoned our people. The nation 
has no good^uck, and its King no discernment ; even 
wise plans are ruined by the impetuosity of one or 
the kind heart of another. Ammata, our darling, has 
fallen ; Thrasaric the faithful has fallen ; Gibamund is 
wounded ; our army was defeated at Decimum. Our 
ship-wharves, our harbors, our armory, our horses, 
Carthage itself are in the hands of the enemy. But 
the Vandals whom I still hold together seem to have 
been stupefied by the first blow ; they cannot be roused, 
though everything is at stake. The short-lived out- 
burst of energy has vanished from nearly all. It is 
shameful to say, but there is far more capacity for war 
in the twelve thousand Moorish mercenaries, whom 
I hired with heavy gold and have assembled in a strong 
camp at Bulla, than in our whole intimidated army. 
Should these men also fail me, the end would soon 



THE SCARLET BANNER 305 

come. Our sole hope is on you and your return. Let 
Sardinia and the punishment of the rebellion go ; fly 
hither with the whole fleet. Do not land at Carthage, 
however, but far to the left, on the boundary between 
Mauritania and Numidia. Let us avert or bear together 
the threatening destruction. Gelimer." 

The letters of the brothers cross each other, 
and both fall into our hands ! And now the 
King will vainly await his fleet in the west. 
Come, Goddess Tyche, puflF out your cheeks, 
blow upon the sails of the Vandal galleys, and 
bring them all in safety with the victorious army, 
Gelimer's last hope, into the harbor of Carthage 

— to captivity. 

The Goddess Tyche, too, is just a woman, like 
the rest. Suddenly she turns her back upon us 

— at least a little — and coquets with the fair- 
haired warriors. I might be inclined to turn 
again to the holy lamplighter. The "Tyrant" 
is making progress. How? By his kind heart 
and friendliness, people say. He is winning the 
country population, — not the Moors, no, — the 
Romans, the Catholics. Hear and help, O 
Saint Cyprian ! He is drawing them from us 
to his side. He maintains strict discipline ; but 
the only time our Huns do not rob, plunder, and 
steal is when they are standing in rank and file 
before Belisarius — or when they are asleep ; but 

then they at least dream of pillaging. So the 

20 



3o6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

peasants whom we have liberated flee in throngs 
from their deliverers to the camp of the Bar- 
barian King. They prefer the Vandals to the 
Huns. They collect together, fall upon our 
plundering heroes (true, they are largely camp- 
followers), cut oflF their pagan, nay, even their 
Christian heads, and receive in exchange from 
the "Tyrant** a heretical gold-piece. That 
alone would not be so bad, but the peasants 
serve the Vandal as spies, and tell him every- 
thing he desires to know, so far as they know 
it themselves. This kindness of heart is un- 
doubtedly hypocrisy, but it helps, — perhaps 
more than if it were genuine. 

I am really almost sorry for the Sphinx. She 
was so wonderfully beautiful ! Only it is a pity 
that she did not become an animal instead of 
a woman. Fara discovered that she also allowed 
Althias the Thracian and Aigan the Hun to 
divine the mystery of her nature. At first the 
three heroes intended to fight to the death for 
the marvel. But this time the Hun was wiser 
than either the German or the Thracian. By 
his suggestion, they fraternally divided the woman 
into equal portions by strapping her on a board, 
and, with two blows of an axe, separating her 
into three parts. Fara received the head, as 
was fair ; he had the best right to it. For when 
she noticed his distrust, she tried to soothe him 



THE SCARLET BANNER 307 

by the offer of some fruit which she broke fresh 
from the tree. But she made a mistake there ; 
Fara, the Herulian and pagan, likes horse-flesh 
far better than he does peaches. He gave it 
to her ape. The animal bit it, shook itself, and 
lay dead. This disturbed the German, and he 
did not rest until he had solved all the riddles 
of the many-sided Sphinx, even her natural 
faithlessness. Then, as I said, they divided the 
beautiful body into three parts. I advised them 
to bury the corpse very deep, or at night scorch- 
ing red flames would burst from her grave. 
«... 

A little defeat. 

Belisarius was complaining he knew too little 
of the enemy. So he sent one of the best men 
of his body-guard, Diogenes, towards the south- 
west to obtain news. He and his men spent the 
night in a village. The peasants swore that 
there was not a Vandal within two days' march. 
Our heroes slept in the best house, — it belonged 
to the villicus, — in the second story ; of course 
they had first been a long time under the lower 
story, that is, in the cellar. They posted no 
sentinels, certainly not; they are the liberators 
of the peasants. The fact that they had just 
drunk all the wine contained in all the amphorae 
in the village, killed the people's cattle, embraced 
their wives, had nothing to do with the matter. 
Peasants must expect such things. 



3o8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Soon they were all snoring, Diogenes in the 
lead. Night fell. The peasants quickly brought 
the Vandals, — from the immediate neighborhood, 
— who surrounded the house. But Saint Cyprian 
is stronger than the heaviest drunken sleep. He 
caused a sword to drop on a metal shield below ; 
it waked — this is a miracle in which I believe, 
for no mortal could accomplish it — it waked one 
of the sleepers. Under cover of the darkness 
most of the men succeeded in escaping ; Diogenes 
came back, too — with three wounds in his face 
and neck, minus the little finger of his sword- 
hand, and without a single piece of useful 
information. 

• • • . 

The Goddess Tyche is blowing badly. The 
Vandal fleet has not yet run into Carthage to its 
destruction. 

• • • • 

The Tyrant seems to have roused his army 
from its stupor. Our outposts, horsemen whom 
we send forth around the city, report: "Vast 
clouds of dust are rising in the southwest, which 
can be caused only by an approaching army." 

No Zazo. Has he, in spite of the capture of 
that letter, received warning and chosen another 
landing-place ? The Vandals were undoubtedly 
hidden in that cloud of dust. Our Herulians 
have captured a few peasants ; we have already 



THE SCARLET BANNER 30^ 

perceived in this almost liberated Africa that the 
peasants must be captured by their deliverers, if "^v 

we wish to get sight of them. They seek refuge 
with the Barbarians from liberty. The prisoners 
say that the King himself is marching against us. 
He ordered a Vandal noble who had stolen a 
colonist's wife to be hanged on the high door of 
the colonist's house. And this nobleman's shield- 
bearer, who had taken two of the colonist's geese, 
to be hanged on the low stable door, beside his 
master. Strange, is it not ? But it pleases the 
peasants. " Equalizing justice," Aristoteles calls 
it. This wonderful Vandal hero must surely 
have studied philosophy, as well as the art of 
throwing spears. 

Belisarius has sent an urgent warning to Con- 
stantinople concerning the long-delayed pay of 
the Huns. They are growing troublesome. It 
is now six months since we left fhe city ; Decem- 
ber has come. Desert storms sweep over Car- 
thage to the leaden-hued sea, which long since 
lost its beautiful blue. The Huns are threaten- 
ing to leave the service. They excuse their pil- 
laging on the ground that the citizens of Carthage 
and the peasants will trust neither them nor the 
Emperor (in which they are not wrong). We 
cannot pay with money lying in Constantinople, 
they say. To-day a ship arrived from there, but 
did not bring a single solidus in money. There 
were, however, thirty tax-collectors, and a com- 



^lo THE SCARLET BANNER 

mand to send the first taxes from the conquered 
province. 

• • • • 

If King Gelimer hangs, we hang too. But we 
hang Romans, not Vandals. The resentment 
against us is no longer confined to the peasants. 
It is seething in Carthage, under our own eyes. 
The common people, the tradesmen and the 
smaller merchants especially, who did not feel 
the oppression of the Barbarians as heavily as the 
wealthy Senators, are growing rebellious. A con- 
spiracy has been discovered. Gelimer's army is 
not far from the western, the Numidian gate. 
His horsemen range at night as far as the walls 
of the suburb of Aklas. The Vandals were to be 
admitted under cover of the darkness through 
the gaps still remaining in the walls of the lower 
city. Belisarius ordered two Carthaginian citizens 
convicted of this agreement, Laurus and Victor, 
to be hanged on the hill outside of the Numidian 
gate. Belisarius likes hills for his gallows. Then 
the General's administration of justice can be 
seen for a long distance swaying in the wind. But 
Belisarius does not dare to leave the city with the 
army while the Carthaginians are in such a mood. 
At least the walls must first be repaired. The 
citizens are now compelled to work on them at 
night too ; it is making them very discontented. 

No Zazo! and the Huns are on the brink of 



THE SCARLET BANNER 311 

open mutiny. They declare that they will not 
fight in the next battle ; that they have had no 
pay yet, and that they have been lured here across 
the sea, contrary to the agreement for military 
service. They are afraid that, after the defeat of 
the Vandals, they will be left here to do garrison 
duty, and never be taken home. Belisarius has 
already looked for a more spacious hill, but has 
not found one that would be large enough. 
There are too many of them. And the rest of 
us are, on the whole, too few. Besides, they are 
among our best troops. So the General invited 
their leaders (the order to hang them was written 
yesterday) to dine with him to-day. This is the 
greatest honor and pleasure to them ; ^unfortu- 
nately it is much less pleasant to the regular 
guests of Belisarius. He praised them, and 
offered them wine. Soon all were drunk and 
perfectly content. 

• • • • 

They have slept off their carouse, and now are 
more dissatisfied than ever, — thirstier too. We 
have an ample supply of wine, but, during the 
last three hours, no water. The Vandals have 
cut the magnificent aqueduct outside the Numid- 
ian gate. The Huns can do without it, easily ; 
but not we, the horses, the camels, and the 
Carthaginians. So the King will thus force a 
decisive battle in the field. He cannot sur- 
round the city, as we control the sea. He can- 



312 THE SCARLET BANNER 

not storm it, since at last the fortifications are 
completed according to Belisarius's plan. He 
desires, he seeks a battle in the open field. His 
confidence, or that of his " stupefied army," 
must have returned mightily since that sorrowful 
letter. 

Belisarius has no choice ; he will lead us out 
early to-morrow morning to meet the foe. He 
is anxious lest the Huns may secretly harbor 
some evil design, and has charged Fara to keep 
a sharp watch upon them. If the battle should 
waver, the Huns will waver too. Then we shall 
see in the van a conflict between Byzantines and 
Vandals, and in the rear a struggle between 
Herulians and Huns. That may become excit- 
ing. But this very suspense, this charm of dan- 
ger, attracted me to Belisarius's service, drew me 
to his camp. Better a Vandal arrow in my brain 
than the philosophy over which I had studied 
myself ill. — To-morrow ! 



CHAPTER XI 

THE following day, after again inspecting 
the restored fortifications of Carthage, 
and finding them suflliciently strong to 
receive, in case of necessity, his defeated army 
and defy a siege, Belisarius sent all the cavalry, 
except five hundred picked lUyrians, out of the 
gates to meet the foe. To Althias the Thracian 
he assigned the chosen body of shield-bearers 
with the imperial banner. They were not to 
shun, but rather invite a skirmish with the out- 
posts. He himself was to follow the next day 
with the main body of the infantry and the 
five hundred Illyrian horsemen. Only the few 
soldiers absolutely required to guard the gates, 
towers, and walls remained in the city. 

At Trikameron, about seventeen Roman miles 
— seventeen thousand paces — west of Carthage, 
Althias met the foe. 

The front ranks of both troops exchanged a 
few arrow-shots, and returned to their armies with 
the report. The Byzantines pitched their camp 
where they stood. Not far from them blazed 
the numerous watch-fires of the Vandals. A 
narrow brook ran between the two positions. 



314 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The whole region was flat and treeless, with the 
exception of one hill of moderate size that rose 
from the sandy soil very near the stream on the 
left wing of the Romans. 

Without waiting for Althias's command or 
permission, Aigan, the principal leader of the 
Huns, dashed up the hill as soon as he heard 
that the men were to encamp here to-day and 
fight on the morrow. The other leaders and 
their bands darted after him with the speed of an 
arrow. He sent a message to Althias that the 
Huns would spend the night on the hill, and take 
their position the next day. Althias avoided 
forbidding what he could not prevent without 
bloodshed. But the hill dominated the surround- 
ing neighborhood. 

At a late hour of the night, the chieftains of 
the Huns met on the top of the hill. 

"Is there no spy near ? " asked Aigan. " This 
Herulian Prince never leaves us." 

" My lord, I obeyed your commands. Seventy 
Huns are lying on guard in a circle around our 
station ; not a bird can fly over them unnoticed." 

" What shall we do to-morrow ? '* asked a 
third, leaning against his horse's shoulder and 
patting its shaggy mane. " I no longer trust the 
word of Belisarius. He is deceiving us." 

" Belisarius is not deceiving us. His master is 
deluding him^ 

" I saw a strange sign," the second leader 



THE SCARLET BANNER 315 

began anxiously. "Just as darkness closed in, 
litde blue flames danced upon the points of the 
Romans' spears. What does that mean ? " 

" It means victory," cried the third, greatly 
excited. "There is a tradition in our tribe, — 
my great-grandfather saw it himself, and it was 
transmitted from generation to generation, before 
the terrible day in Gaul when the scourge of 
the great Attila broke." 

" Atta in the clouds, great Atta, be gracious to 
us," murmured all three, bowing low toward the 
east. 

"My ancestor was on guard duty one dark night 
beside a rushing stream. On the opposite shore 
two men, with spears on their shoulders, were 
riding to examine the neighborhood. My great- 
grandfather and his companions slipped among 
the tall rushes and bent their bows, which never 
failed. They took aim . * Look, -ffiltius,' cried one, 
^ your spear is shining.' * And yours too. King of 
the Visigoths,' replied the other. Our ancestors 
looked up, and, in truth, blue flames were dancing 
around the spears of the enemy. Our people fled 
in terror, not daring to shoot those whom the gods 
protected. And the day after Atta — " 

" Atta, Atta, be not angry with us ! " they again 
whispered, gazing in terror up at the clouds. 

"What then meant victory to the Germans 
and misfortune to their foes," replied Aigan, 
distrustfully, " may have the same meaning now. 



3i6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

We will wait. Wherever victory turns, we will 
turn too ; that is why I chose this hill for our 
station. From here we can see clearly the whole 
course of the battle. Either straight across the 
brook on the Vandals' left flank — " 

" Or to the right on the Romans' centre — like 
a whirlwind ! " 

" I would rather plunder the Vandals' camp. 
It is said to be very rich in yellow gold." 

"And in white-bosomed women." 

"But all Carthage has more gold than the 
Vandal Prince in his tent." 

" But the best part is, the decision will probably 
come before the Lion of the Romans arrives." 

" You are right: I would not willingly spur my 
horse against the wrathful lightning of his eyes." 

" Patience. Wait quietly. Wherever I send 
an arrow, we will rush ; and Atta will hover, 
high in the air, above his children." 

Removing his helmet of thick black sheepskin, 
he threw it upward, singing softly : 

** Atta, Atta, booty grant us. 
Booty to thy much-loved children. 
Yellow gold and shining silver. 
And the red blood of the vineyard. 
And the foeman's fairest women." 

All, with bared heads, repeated the words in the 
deeoest, most fervent reverence. Then Aigan 
replaced his helmet : 

" Silence ! Let us separate." 



CHAPTER XII 

IN the Vandal camp on the left bank of the 
stream, Genseric's great banner floated from 
the royal tent, its folds often lifted by the 
night wind, rustling softly in the warm, dark air. 
In a somewhat lower tent, close beside the King's, 
Gibamund and Hilda sat silent, hand in hand, 
upon a couch. The table before them was 
covered with Gibamund's weapons; the lamp 
hanging from the roof cast a dim light upon 
them, which was reflected by the polished metal. 
Beside these bright arms lay a dark dagger with 
a beautiful hilt in a black leather sheath, all of 
very artistic work. 

" It was hard for me," said Gibamund, starting 
up impatiently, "to obey the King's order and 
take command in the camp to-day until his 
return, — the suspense, the expectation is so 
great." 

" Yes, if the Moors should fail us ! How many 
are there, did you say ? " 

"Twelve thousand. They ought to have 
arrived the day before yesterday, if they had 
hastened here from the camp at Bulla, according 
to the agreement. The King sent messenger 



3i8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

after messenger, urging haste, in vain. At last, 
full of impatience, he himself rode along the 
Numidian road to meet them. For if twelve 
thousand infantry fail us to-morrow, — they were 
to form our whole left wing, — our position will 
be — hark ! that is the horn of the camp-guard. 
The King must have returned. Let me ask." 

But already footsteps and the clank of weapons 
were heard close at hand ; the husband and wife, 
springing up, hurried to the entrance of the tent. 
The curtains were drawn back from the outside, 
and before them, the helmet on his lofty head, 
stood Zazo. 

"You, brother?" 

" You back again, Zazo ! Oh, now all is well ! " 

Graver, quieter than usual, but resolute and 
calm, the strong warrior stood between the two 
who clung to him, pressing his hands. It was a 
joy, a consolation, to look at the erect, steadfast 
man. 

"All is not well, my sweet sister-in-law," he 
answered sadly though firmly. "Alas for Am- 
mata, and the whole day of Decimum ! I do 
not understand it," he added, shaking his head, 
" but much may yet be retrieved." 

" Whence came you so suddenly ? Have you 
seen Gelimer ? " . 

"He will be here soon. He promised me. 
He is still praying in his tent, with Verus." 

" You are from — ? " 



THE SCARLET BANNER 319 

"Sardinia, direct. A letter from the King, 
sent by Verus, urging me to a speedy return and 
warning me not to enter the harbor of Carthage, 
did not reach me. But a second, despatched by 
my brother himself, brought the whole tale of 
disaster. I landed at the point named, and 
marched to Bulla to meet the Moorish mer- 
cenaries and lead them here. I reached Bulla 
and found — " He stamped his foot. 

"Well, what?" 

" The empty camp." 

" Had the Moors started to come here ? " 

" They have scattered, the whole twelve thou- 
sand, into the desert." 

"For God's sake — " 

"The traitors!" 

"Not traitors. They sent the money back 
to the King. Cabaon, their prophet and chief, 
warned them, forbade them to take part in this 
battle. All obeyed. Only a few hundred men 
from the Pappua Mountains — " 

" They are bound by the ties of hospitality to 
Gelimer, to the whole Asding race." 

" — accompanied us, led by Sersaon, their chief." 

"This destroys the King's whole plan for 
to-morrow's battle." 

" Well," said Zazo, quietly, " to make amends 
he has unexpectedly received my troops. Not 
quite five thousand, but — " 

" But you are their leader," cried Gibamund. 



320 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"He met on the Numidian road, first, the 
messengers I had sent in advance, then me and 
my little army. What a sorrowful hour ! How 
I had rejoiced over my victory ! But now — 
Gelimer's tears flowed fast as he lay on my 
breast, and I myself — Oh, Ammata ! Yet, no, 
we must remain firm, calm, and manly, ay, hard ; 
for this King is far too soft-hearted." 

"Yet he has recovered himself since the battle 
of Decimum," said Gibamund. "At that time 
he was utterly crushed." 

"Yes," cried Hilda, resentfully, "more than a 
man should permit himself to be." 

" I loved Ammata scarcely less than he," re- 
plied Zazo, and his lips quivered. " But to let 
certain victory escape him merely to mourn for, 
to bury the boy — " 

" You would not have done so, my Zazo," 
said a gentle voice. 

Gelimer had entered. He uttered the words 
very quietly ; the others turned, startled. 

" Your censure is just," he added. " But I 
saw in this dispensation — he was the first Van- 
dal who fell in the war — a judgment of God. 
If the most innocent of us all must die, God's 
punishment for the iniquity of the fathers rests 
upon us all." 

Zazo shook his head angrily and set his buffalo 
helmet on the table so heavily that it rattled. 
" Brother, brother ! This gloomy, brooding 



THE SCARLET BANNER 321 

delusion may destroy you and your whole peo- 
ple. I am not learned enough to argue with 
you. But I, too, am a Christian, a devout 
one, — no pagan like beautiful Hilda yonder, — 
and I tell you — No, let me finish. How that 
terrible verse concerning God's vengeance is to 
be interpreted I do not know. It troubles me 
very little. But this I do know : if our kingdom 
fall, it will fall not on account of the^ias of 
our ^ances^prs, but of our own. The iniquity of 
tlie fathers — of course it, too, will be avenged. 
Vices and disease are also hereditary. Enfeebled 
themselves, they have begotten a feeble genera- 
tion. They have bequeathed to their children 
their love of pleasure and fostered it in them. 
And the iniquity of the fathers is also avenged 
upon us in other ways, but without any miracle 
of the saints. That the- Catholics, tortured for 
years, turned to the Emperor against us; that 
the Ostrogoths aid our foes, are certainly pun- 
ishments for the iniquity of our fathers. But 
God needs to work no miracle for that ; indeed, 
he would be compelled to work a miracle to 
prevent it. And Ammata — ^is he innocent? 
Against your command he dashed recklessly into 
the battle. And Thrasaric ? Instead of leaving 
the disobedient boy to his fate, according to his 
duty as General, and not attacking until Giba- 
mund was at hand, he followed only the ardent de- 
sire of his heart to save your darling. And — " 



32a THE SCARLET BANNER 

He hesitated. 

" And the King ? " Gelimer went on. " Instead 
of doing his duty, he succumbs at the sight of 
the dead. But that is the curse, the vengeance 
of the Lord." 

" No," replied Zazo. " This, too, is no mir- 
acle. This is because you, also, O brother, are no 
longer a true Vandal ; I have said so before. You 
are absorbed, — not like the people, in luxury and 
pleasure, — but in brooding. And again it is a 
consequence of the misdeed of the father ; if you 
had not when a boy witnessed that horrible scene 
of torture — But it is useless to ask how the past 
is to blame for the present ; the aim should be to 
do our duty to-day, to-morrow, every day, firmly, 
faithfully, and without brooding. Then we shall 
conquer, and that will be well ; or we shall fall like 
men, and that, too, is no evil thing. We can 
do no more than our duty. And the dear Lord 
in Heaven will deal with our souls according to 
His mercy. I am not anxious about mine, if I 
fall in battle for my people." 

"Oh," cried Hilda, joyously, "that does one 
good. It is like the fresh north wind scattering 
the sultry mists." 

Sorrowfully but with no reproach in his tone, 
Gelimer answered : " Yes, the sound man cannot 
understand why the sick man does not sing and 
leap. I must ^ brood,' as you call it; I cannot 
do otherwise. Yet often I think my way through. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 323 

Often I, too, in my way, break through the mists. 
So now, by fervent prayer, I have again won my 
way to the old strong consolation. Verus, my 
confessor, knows these conflicts and the cause of 
my victory: right is on my side. I am not a 
usurper, as the Emperor falsely calls me. Hil- 
deric, the assassin, was justly deposed. No guilt 
cleaves to me; I have done Hilderic no wrong; 
the Emperor has no injustice to avenge on me. 
This is my stay, my support, and my staff. — Ah, 
Verus, we never hear you enter." 

Zazo measured the priest with a hostile glance. 

" I came to summon you, O King. There are 
still some written orders to prepare. Besides, I 
was to remind you of the prisoners." 

"Oh, yes. Listen, Zazo; give the consent I 
have so long asked. Let me release Hilderic 
and Euages." 

" By no means," cried Zazo, striding up and 
down the narrow tent. " OV no account. Least 
of all on the eve of a decisive battle. Shall Beli- 
sarius replace him on the throne of Carthage after 
we have fallen ? Or shall he, after we have con- 
quered, be kept continually at the court of Con- 
stantinople as a living pretext for attacking us 
again ? Off^ with the murderers' heads ! Where 
are they ? " 

" Here in the camp, in safe keeping." 

" And the hostages ? " 

"They were — Pudentius's son among them — 



324 THE SCARLET BANNER 

confined in Dccimum," Vems answered* " After 
the lost battle, thejr were freed by the victors." 

^That might be repeated to-morrow/* cried 
Zazo, angrily. '' Amid the tumult of conflict, the 
foe might easily, for a short time, enter this open 
camp. I entreat, my King — " 

** So be it," interrupted the latter, and turning 
to Verus he ordered : " Have Hilderic and 
Euages taken away/' 

"Where?" 

" To some safe place where no Byzantine can 
liberate them." 

Verus bowed and hurriedly left the tent. 

" I will follow you," the King called after him. 
" Do not judge me too sternly in your hearts, 
you thoroughly healthy people," he now added 
in a gentle voice, turning to the others. " I am 
a tree blasted by the lightning. Bdt to-morrow," 
he went on, drawing himself up to his full height, 
" to-morrow, I hope, you shall be satisfied with 
me. Even you, Hilda ! Send me your little 
harp; I believe you will not regret it." 

Hilda brought the instrument from a corner 
of the tent. " Here ! But you know," she said, 
smiling, " its strings will break if any one tries to 
play on them an accompaniment to Latin verses 
of penitential hymns." 

" They will not break. Good-night." 

The King left the tent. 

" I think I have seen that harp of plain black 



THE SCARLET BANNER 325 

wood in some other hand. Where was it ? " 
asked Zazo. "In Ravenna, was it not?" 

Hilda nodded. " My friend Teja, my teacher 
on the harp and in the use of arms, bestowed it 
on me as a wedding gift. And his noble, faith- 
ful heart has not forgotten me. In my happiness 
he made no sign. But now — " 

"Well?" asked Zazo. 

" As soon as the first news of our defeat at 
Decimum reached Ravenna," said Gibamund, 
" brave Ostrogoths, the old instructor in the use 
of arms, Teja, and several others, wished to come 
to our assistance with a body of volunteers ; for 
it was rumored that I had fallen. Probably the 
mistake arose through the death of Ammata. 
The Regent strictly forbade it. Then Teja sent 
to my widow, as he supposed, this magnificent 
dagger of dark metal." 

"The workmanship is exquisite," said Zazo, 
drawing out the blade and examining it. " What 
a superb weapon ! " 

"And he forged it himself," cried Hilda, 
eagerly. " Look here ; his housemark on the 
hilt." 

" And on the blade a motto inscribed in runes," 
added Zazo, stepping under the lamp : " ^ The 
dead are free.' H'm, a stern consolation. But 
not too stern for Hilda. Keep this carefully." 

" Yes," replied Hilda, quietly. " The dagger in 
my girdle, and the consolation in my thoughts." 



326 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" But not too soon, Hilda," said Zazo, in a tone 
of warning, as he left the tent. 

" Have no fear," she answered, throwing both 
arms around her husband ; " it is the consolation 
and weapon of the widow^ 



CHAPTER XIII 

AT sunrise the next morning the long- 
drawn notes of the horns aroused the 
sleeping camp of the Vandals. 

Concealed from the eyes of the Romans by 
the first row of tents, the Barbarians' army was 
formed in order for battle within its own camp. 
The leaders had received written orders the even- 
ing before concerning their positions, and now exe- 
cuted them without confusion. A breakfast of 
bread and wine was served to the men wherever 
they stood or lay. The camp was a large one, 
narrow but very long, following the course of the 
little stream. Besides the soldiers, it had been 
compelled to shelter many women, children, and 
old men who had fled from Carthage and other 
districts occupied or threatened by the foe. 

Now the blare of trumpets summoned the 
subordinate officers and the leaders of the thou- 
sands to the centre of the camp, where the King 
and his two brothers, mounted on their chargers, 
were in the midst of a large open space. With 
them, leaning against the shoulder of her splendid 
stallion, stood Hilda, a muffled spear-shaft in 
her hand; beside her, in full priestly insignia. 



328 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Verus sat on horseback. Outside the leaders 
were massed the men with whom Zazo had recon- 
quered Sardinia. 

Again the blare of the trumpets echoed through . 
the streets of tents, then Zazo rode a few paces 
forward. Thundering cheers greeted him. In 
loud, clear tones he began: — 

"Listen, army of the Vandals. We shall fight 
to-day, not for victory alone; we are struggling 
for all we are and have, — the kingdom of Genseric 
and its renown, the wives and children in yonder 
tents, who will become slaves if we yield. To-day 
we must look death and the enemy closely in the 
eye. The King has commanded that this battle 
is to be fought by the Vandals with the sword 
only, not with bow and arrow, not with lance 
and spear. Look, I cast my own spear from me ; 
you will do the same ; with sword in hand, press 
close to the body of the foe." He dropped his 
lance; all the soldiers followed his example. 
" One spear alone," he added, "will tower aloft 
to-day in the Vandal army, — this." 

Hilda stepped forward. Taking the shaft from 
her hand, he tore off the cover and waved high 
aloft a floating scarlet banner. 

" Genseric's flag ! Genseric's conquering drag- 
on ! " shouted thousands of voices. 

" Follow this standard wherever it calls you. 
Do not let it fall into the hands of the enemy. 
Swear to follow it unto death." 



THE SCARLET BANNER 329 

" Unto death ! " came the answer in solemn 
tones. 

" That is well. I believe you. Vandals. Now 
listen to your King. You know that he has the 
gift of song and harp-playing. He has planned 
the order of battle wisely, skilfully ; he has also 
composed the battle-song which is to sweep you 
into the conflict." 

Then Gelimer, throwing back his long purple 
mantle, raised Hilda's — Teja's — dark triangular 
harp, and, to the accompaniment of its clear notes, 
sang : — 

«* On, on. Vandals brave. 
Forward to battle ! 
Follow the standard. 
The fame-heralded 
Consort of Victory. 

** Dash on the foemen ! 
Strive with and strike them. 
Breast 'gainst breast pressing. 
In close combat down I 

** Guard ye, O Vandals, 
The heritage noble 
Of ancestors stainless. 
Our kingdom and fame ! 

** Vengeance is preparing 
High in the heavens 
The avenger of right : 
God crown with victory 
The cause that is just.** 



330 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" God crown with victory the cause that is 
just ! " repeated the warriors, in an exulting shout, 
and dispersed through the streets of the camp. 

The King and his brothers now dismounted 
from their horses, to hold another short council 
and to drink the wine which Hilda herself offered 
to them. Just at that moment, as Gelimer gave 
back the harp to Hilda, a strange figure pressed 
through the dispersing ranks ; the King and the 
Princes gazed at it in astonishment. A tall man 
clad from head to ankles in a gown of camel's 
hair, fastened around the loins, not by a rope, but 
by a girdle of thick braided strands of a woman's 
light-brown tresses ; no sandals protected the 
bare feet, no covering the closely shaven head. 
The cheeks were sunken ; glowing eyes sparkled 
fi-om deep sockets. Throwing himself before the 
King, he raised both hands imploringly. 

" By Heaven ! I know you, man," said 
Gelimer. 

" Yes," cried Gibamund, " it is — " 

" Thrasabad, Thrasaric's brother," added Zazo. 

" The vanished nobleman whom we have long 
believed dead," said Hilda, with a timid glance at 
him, drawing nearer. 

" Yes, Thrasabad," replied a hollow voice, " the 
miserable Thrasabad. I am a murderer, her mur- 
derer. King, judge me ! " 

Gelimer bent forward, took his right hand, and 
raised him. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 331 

" Not the Greek girl's murderer. I have heard 
the whole story from your brother/* 

" No matter ; her blood rests on my soul. I 
felt that as I saw it flow. Lifting the beautiful 
body on a horse that very night, I dashed away 
with it from the eyes of men. Away, always 
deeper into the desert, till the horse fell. Then, 
with these hands, I buried her in a sand ravine 
not far from here. Her wonderfully beautiful hair 
I cut off; how often I have stroked and caressed 
it! And I prayed and did penance ceaselessly 
beside her grave. Pious desert monks found me 
there, watching and fasting, almost dead. And I 
confessed to them my heavy sin. They promised 
God's forgiveness if, as one of their brotherhood, 
I would do penance beside that grave forever. I 
took the vows. They gave me the dress of their 
order; I wound Glauke's hair around it to remind 
me always of my sin ; and they brought me food in 
the lonely ravine. But since I heard of the day 
of Decimum and my brother's death ; since the 
decisive conflict drew nearer and nearer ; since you 
and the enemy pitched your camp close beside 
my hiding-place ; since, two days ago, I heard 
the war horns of my people, — I have had no 
peace in my idle praying ! Once I wielded the 
sword not badly. My whole heart yearned to 
follow once more, for the last time, the call of the 
battle trumpets. Alas ! I dared not ; I knew I 
was not worthy. But last night, in a dream, she 



332 THE SCARLET BANNER 

appeared to me, — her human beauty transfigured 
into an angel's radiant loveliness, no longer any 
trace of earth about her ; and she said : ' Go to 
your brothers-in-arms, ask for a sword, and fight 
and fall for your people. That will be the best 
atonement.' Oh, believe me, my King ! I do 
not lie with the name of that saint on my lips. 
If you can forgive me for her sake — oh, let 
me — " 

Zazo stepped forward, drew the sword from 
the sheath of one of his own warriors, and gave 
it to the monk. " Here, Thrasabad, son of 
Thrasamer ! I will answer for it to the King. Do 
you see ? He, too, is nodding to you. Take this 
sword and go with my men. You will probably 
need no scabbard. Now, King Gelimer, let the 
horns bray. Forward ! at the foe ! " 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE King, with a keen eye of a general, 
had seen that the crisis of the battle 
would be decided in the centre of the 
two armies, where on the southwest at the left, 
and on the northeast at the . right of the little 
stream, rose a succession of low hills. Besides, 
deserters from the Huns had reported that in the 
next encounter these troops would either not 
fight at all, or take a very inactive part; therefore 
Gelimer expected from the right Roman wing no 
peril to his own left flank. He stationed the 
right wing of the Vandal troops tolerably far 
back, so that the enemy would have to march a 
considerable distance to reach it. Perhaps by 
that time the centre might already have won the 
victory, and thereby obtained the accession of 
the Huns. 

So the King placed the best strength of his 
troops in the centre. By far the larger portion 
consisted of cavalry ; there was a small force of 
infantry, Zazo's warriors, numbering neariy five 
thousand ; here, too, he had posted Gibamund 
with his faithfiil two hundred men; here were 
the two Gundings and their numerous kinsmen. 



J 



334 THE SCARLET BANNER 

with boar helmets and boar shields, like their 
leaders ; here he himself took his station with 
a large body of cavalry, to which he added the 
few faithful Moors from the Pappua Mountains 
under their young chief, Sersaon. The command 
of the two wings he had intrusted to two other 
noblemen. Before the beginning of the battle 
and during its course, Gelimer dashed in person 
on a swift horse everywhere through the ranks, 
rousing and stimulating the courage of his men. 
The conflict began as the King had planned, 
by a total surprise of the foe. Just at the time 
the Byzantines were busied in preparing the 
morning meal, Gelimer suddenly led the centre 
of his army from behind the shelter of the row 
of tents to the left bank of the marshy litde 
brook. This stream was so small that it had 
no name, yet it never dried up. And the left 
bank occupied by the Vandals was higher than 
the right. Belisarius was not yet on the ground, 
but his subordinate officers arranged their men 
as well as they could in their haste, where each 
division happened to be standing or lying. The 
right Roman wing on the hill consisted of the 
Huns, who did not move. Next to them, ac- 
cording to secret orders, stood Fara with the 
Herulians, watching these doubtftil allies. Then 
followed, in the centre, Althias the Thracian and 
Johannes the Armenian, with their picked troops 
of their fellow-countrymen, and the shield and 



THE SCARLET BANNER 335 

lance bearers of Belisarius's bodyguard. Here 
gleamed the imperial standard, the vexillum pra- 
torium^ the flag of the General, Belisarius. The 
left Roman wing was formed of the other aux- 
iliary troops except the Huns. The Byzantines, 
too, had perceived that the victory would be 
decided in the centre of the two armies. When 
Gibamund, on his white charger, led his men 
forward, Hilda on her splendid stallion rode 
at his side. By her husband's wish she had 
protected her beautiful head with a light helmet, 
on which rose two white falcon wings ; her bright 
golden locks flowed over her white mantle. He 
had also pressed upon her a small, shining shield, 
with a light silvery hue. Her white lower robe 
was girdled with the black belt which supported 
the sheath of Teja's dagger; but she had re- 
fused a breastplate on account of its weight. 

" You will not let me fight with you or even 
ride by your side," she complained. 

Already the Byzantines* arrows were flying 
over the Vandals and striking among Gibamund's 
men. 

" Halt, love," he commanded, " go no far- 
ther ! Not within reach of the arrows ! Wait 
here, on this little hill. I will leave ten men 
as a guard. From this spot you can see a long 
distance. Watch the white heron's wings on 
my helmet, and the dragon banner. I shall 
follow it." A clasp of the hand; Gibamund 



336 THE SCARLET BANNER 

dashed forward; Hilda quietly checked the 
docile horse. Her face was very pale. 

The first encounter came at once. 

Johannes the Armenian, one of Belisarius*s best 
leaders, pressed with his countrymen through the 
stream, which reached only to their knees, and 
rushed out of it up the steeper Vandal shore. 
He was instantly hurled back. Zazo, with his 
foremost warriors, darted upon him with the 
weight with which a bird of prey strikes small 
game. Down the slope, into the midst of the 
stream, whose water was soon dyed red, and up 
the opposite bank, swept the Vandal pursuit. 
Hilda saw it plainly from her station. " Oh, 
at last, at last," she cried, "a breath of victory!" 

But Zazo followed no farther. He prudently 
led his men back to the left bank of the stream. 
"We* will pitch them down here again," he said, 
laughing; "we will profit once more by our 
position on the height." 

The Armenians bore their brave leader away 
with them in their flight. Johannes, who had 
received through his shield a wound in the arm 
from Zazo's sword, said grimly to Marcellus, 
the commander of the bodyguard: "The devil 
has got into the cowards of Decimum. It con- 
fuses my spearmen to have them fight solely 
with the sword. The Barbarians thrust the 
long spears to the right, run under them, and 
cut the men down. And this fellow with the 



THE SCARLET BANNER 337 

bufialo helm actually butts like a mountain bull. 
Give me your shield-bearers ; I will try again." 

With the shield-bearers, led by Martinus, the 
Armenians renewed the attack. Not an arrow, 
not a spear, flew to meet them ; but as soon 
as they began to climb the Vandal shore, the 
Germans dashed down on them with the sword 
in a hand-to-hand conflict. Martinus fell by 
. Gibamund's sword. Then the shield-bearers 
fled; the Armenians hesitated, wavered, fell 
into confusion, finally they, too, fled, pursued 
by the Vandals. 

** Dash on the foemen ! 
Strive with and strike them 
Down in close combat ! ** 

rose in a roar from Zazo's troops, whom the 
latter again led to the left shore. 

" They must repeatedly see the backs of the 
dreaded Byzantines before they have the courage 
to defeat them entirely," he said to Gibamund, 
who urged pursuit. " And where is Belisarius ? " 

The latter, with his five hundred horsemen, 
had reached the centre from Carthage just in 
time to see the flight of his men. When he 
learned that this was the second attack which had 
been repulsed, he ordered all his bodyguard, 
men trained to fight on foot as well as on horse- 
back, to dismount and advance with Althias's 
Thracians for the third assault. His own special 



338 THE SCARLET BANNER 

standard, the " General's banner," he commanded 
to be borne before them. 

It was a mighty, a menacing spectacle. The 
tuba of the Romans blared to greet the standard 
of the commanding General. The Byzantines, in 
firmly closed ranks, advanced like a moving wall 
of bronze, their long lances levelled. Zazo saw 
that his men hesitated. " Forward ! Cross the 
stream ! On to the attack ! " 

He dashed on in advance of his troops. But 
he soon perceived that only a very few — the 
Gundings and their boar-helmeted kinsmen — were 
following. " Forward ! " he commanded again. 
But the Vandals delayed. They felt that the 
rush down from the height had made their 
success far easier ; they did not wish to leave the 
vantage-ground, and — they had seen Belisarius 
in the distance. The ranks of levelled lances, 
terrible, threatening, drew nearer and nearer. 

" If we only had our spears ! " cried voices in the 
ranks behind him. The Byzantines had already 
reached the stream ; now they were wading 
through the marshy rivulet, — yet the Vandals 
on the heights did not obey the command to 
charge. 

"You will not cross?" cried Zazo, furiously. 
" Then you must ! " With these words he tore 
Genseric's dragon banner from the hand of the 
horseman at his right and shouting: " Bring back 
the standard and your honor ! " he hurled it with 



THE SCARLET BANNER 339 

all his strength across the stream into the midst 
of the Byzantines. Loud cries rose from friends 
and enemies. 

One of the Byzantines instantly snatched the 
banner from the ground, raised it aloft, and was 
hurrying with it to Belisarius. But he did not go 
far. For when they saw the treasure of the 
kingdom in the hands of the foe, all the Vandals, 
on horseback and on foot, following their nobles, 
rushed down the slope into the stream and the 
midst of the enemy. By Zazo's side, on a power- 
ful stallion, rode a strange figure, — a monk 
without helmet, shield, or breastplate; he wore 
a gray cowl and carried a sword. Breaking a 
passage through the hostile ranks, he reached the 
captor of the scarlet banner, tore it from his hand, 
and, with a single sword-stroke, cleft helmet and 
skull. It was Valerianus, the commander of the 
lance-bearers. 

The victor swung the rescued standard high 
aloft, and instantly fell from his horse, pierced by 
five lances. But Gundobad, the Gunding, raised 
the banner from the hand of the sinking figure. 

" Here, to the rescue," he shouted, " kinsmen 
of the Gundings ! Here, you boars ! " 

Immediately his brother and the whole troop 
of boar helms gathered around him ; the banner 
and its bearer were cut out for the moment. The 
ranks of the foe nearest to the Vandal banner 
wavered, yielded. 



340 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Victory ! '* shouted the Vandals, pres^ng 
boldly forward, singing, — 

'* Forward to battle ! 
Follow the standard. 
The ^me-heralded 
Consort of victory.** 

They struck their sword-blades on their shields 
till the sound echoed far and wide. 

"Victory!" cried Hilda, exultantly, as she 
witnessed the whole magnificent spectacle. 



CHAPTER XV 

B ELI SARI US also witnessed it from his 
station on the hill. " Fly/* he cried to 
Procopius ; " fly to Fara and the Heru- 
lians! They must swing to the left and take 
those red rags." 

" And the Huns ? " asked Procopius under 
his breath. " Look yonder ; they are riding 
slowly forward, but not westward, not against 
the Vandals." 

" Obey ! This German war dance around the 
red banner must first be put to a bloody end, or 
their Teutonic battle fiend will take possession 
of them, and then all is over. My face alone will 
keep the Huns in check, should there be need 
of it." 

Meanwhile the dragon banner had again 
changed bearers. All the lances and arrows were 
aimed at the dangerous emblem, visible far and 
wide. Gundobad's horse fell ; its rider did not 
rise again. But his brother Gundomar took the 
standard from the dying noble's hand and ran 
the point of its shaft into the throat of Cyprianus, 
the second leader of the Thracians, whose battle- 



342 THE SCARLET BANNER 

axe had cleft Gundobad's helmet and head as he 
tried to spring up from his dead charger. 

Hilda had seen the red banner disappear for a 
moment, and anxiously gave her stallion a light 
blow with her hand. The fiery animal shot for- 
ward in frantic haste ; not until she reached the 
edge of the stream could the Princess draw rein. 
Her companions gained the new position much 
later. 

Althias now reached the second Gunding. 
Unequal, unfavorable to every bearer of the 
standard was the conflict. His left hand, hold- 
ing the bridle and the heavy standard, could not 
use the shield, and this burden also impeded very 
considerably the action of his right arm in defence. 
After a short struggle Gundomar, transfixed by 
the Thracian's spear, sank from his horse. But 
Gibamund was already on the spot, and Zazo, 
dashing close behind him, no sooner saw the 
standard safe in his brother's hand than he shouted, 
" Belisarius has a banner too." 

Turning swiftly to the left, by the mere weight 
of his horse he burst through a rank of the 
Thracians, reached Belisarius's bodyguard, who 
bore the gold-embroidered standard, and, with a 
sword-stroke through the front of the helmet 
into his brow, felled him. The Roman General's 
banner sank, while Gibamund, surrounded and 
protected by his band of picked warriors, waved 
the scarlet dragon standard high in the air. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 343 

Hilda saw it distinctly. Involuntarily she 
obeyed the impulse to go forward after the 
victory. The stallion, yielding to the lightest 
movement, bore her across the stream, whose 
water barely wet the edge of her long white 
robe. She was on the other side. She was pur- 
suing victory. Before her, a little to the left, 
she already saw Gelimer and his troops ; the 
whole Vandal centre was advancing. It was the 
crisis, the turning-point of the battle. 

Again Althias tried to force his way through 
the Vandal ranks to Gibamund himself; he had 
almost reached him, and they had exchanged two 
whizzing sword-strokes, which made the sparks 
fly from their blades, when from the left cries of 
grief and rage fell on the Thracian's ear from the 
Byzantines. He turned, and saw his GeneraFs 
banner sink. 

This was the second time; for Zazo had 
already struck down the second man who bore 
it. The victor was stretching his hand toward 
the shaft, which no third man seemed inclined to 
lift. 

Just at that moment, close at hand on the 
right, German horns sounded in Zazo's ears. 
The Herulians, dashing on their snorting horses 
upon the Vandals' flank, broke through several 
of their ranks to their leader. 

A spear — well aimed, for Fara had hurled 
it — shattered the buffalo helm on the hero's 



344 THE SCARLET BANNER 

head. He could no longer think of Belisarius's 
banner. He was obliged to consider his own 
safety. 

" Help, brother Gelimer ! " he shouted. 

" I am here, brother Zazo," rang the answer. 
For the King was already at hand. Slowly fol- 
lowing the advance of the brothers, he had led 
his Vandals and Moors nearer and nearer, and 
noticed the second charge and the moment of 
peril. 

" Forward ! Cut Zazo out," he shouted, dash- 
ing upon the Herulians at the head of his men. 
A warrior sprang to meet him, clutched the 
bridle of the cream-colored charger with his left 
hand, and aimed his spear with the right. Before 
it flew, Gelimer's sword had pierced the Heru- 
lian's throat. Hilda saw it ; for, as if irresistibly 
attracted by the battle, she rode nearer and 
nearer. 

Just at this moment she perceived Verus in full 
priestly robes, unarmed, dash past her straight 
to the King. It was no easy task to force a 
passage to his side through the Moors and Van- 
dals. Gelimer struck down a second spear-man, 
a third. Already he was close to Zazo. The 
charge of his Vandals now came full upon the 
Herulians. The latter did not yield, but they 
no longer gained a foot of ground. As two 
wrestlers, with arms interlocked, each unable to 
move the other from the spot, measure equal 



THE SCARLET BANNER 345 

strength, the German warriors surged to and fro. 
Victory hung in the balance. 

" Where are the foot-soldiers ? " asked Beli- 
sarius, glancing anxiously toward the distant 
heights where the Numidian road extended 
toward Carthage. 

" I have sent out three messengers," answered 
Procopius. " There ! The Thracians are yielding ! 
The Armenians are falling back ! The Herulians 
are now pressed by greatly superior numbers." 

" Forward, lUyrians, save the battle for me. 
Belisarius himself will lead you — " 

And with a loud blare of trumpets, the General 
dashed down the hill to the aid of the Herulians. 
Gelimer heard the flourish, saw the charge, and 
summoned reinforcements from the rearguard. 

" There," he shouted, pointing with his sword, 
" and join me in the battle-song, 

«* Vengeance is preparing 
The avenger of right." 

" You here, Verus ? What news do you 
bring ? Your face is — " 

"O King!" cried the priest, "what blood- 
guiltiness ! " 

" What has happened ? " 

" The messenger I sent to the prisoners — one 
of my freedmen — misunderstood your words : 
^ Have them taken away, where no one can free 
them.' " 



346 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"WeU?" 

" He has — he reported it to me, and fled 
when he saw my wrath." 

"Well, what is it?" 

" He has — killed Hilderic and Euages." 

" Omniscient God ! " cried the King, paling. 
" That was not my wish." 

" But still more," Verus went on. 

" Help, Gelimer ! " Zazo's voice shouted from 
the densest ranks of the conflict. 

Belisarius and his Illyrians had now reached 
him. Gibamund was by his side. Gelimer also 
spurred his horse. 

But Verus grasped his bridle, shouting in his 
ear : " The letter, the warning to Hilderic — I 
found it just now, wedged between two drawers 
in the coflTer. Here it is. Hilderic did not lie ! 
He only wished to protect himself against you. 
Innocent — he was deposed, imprisoned, slain ! " 

Gelimer, speechless with horror, stared for a 
moment into the priest's stony face ; he seemed 
stupefied. Then the battle-song of his men 
echoed in his ears : — 

** Vengeance is preparing 
High in the heavens 
The avenger of right ! '* 

" Woe, woe is me ! I am a criminal, a mur- 
derer," the King shrieked aloud. The sword 
slipped from his grasp. He covered his face 



THE SCARLET BANNER 347 

with both hands. A terrible convulsion shook 
him. He seemed falling from the saddle. Verus 
supported him, wheeled the King*s horse so that 
his back was toward the foe, and gave the animal 
a blow on the hind quarter with all his strength. 
The charger dashed madly away. Sersaon and 
Markomer, the leaders of the cavalry, supported 
the swaying figure on the right and left. 

" Help ! help ! I am being overcome, brother 
Gelimer ! " Zazo's voice again rose, — more 
urgently, nay, despairingly. But it was drowned 
by the wild, frantic cries of the Vandals. 

'' Fly ! fly ! The King himself has fled ! Fly ! 
Save the women, the children ! " And the Vandals, 
by hundreds, now wheeled their horses and dashed 
away toward the stream and the camp. 

Then Hilda, now only a few paces from the 
tumult, saw Zazo's towering figure disappear. 
His horse, pierced by a spear, fell; it was bleed- 
ing from more than one wound. But the hero 
sprang up again. 

Fara the Herulian reached him from the left, 
and cleft his dragon-shield with his battle-axe. 
Zazo flung the pieces at the helmet of the Heru- 
lian, stunning him so that he swayed in his saddle. 
Now Barbatus, the Illyrian leader, his long 
lance levelled, pressed upon Zazo from the right. 
With his last strength Zazo pushed it aside, 
sprang to the right, the shieldless side of the rider, 
and thrust his sword into his neck between the 



348 THE SCARLET BANNER 

helmet and breastplate. Barbatus sank slowly 
from the saddle toward the left. But, in spring- 
ing back, Zazo had fallen on his knees. Before 
he could rise, two horsemen with levelled lances 
stood before him. 

" Help, Gibamund ! '* called the kneeling 
Prince, raising his left arm above his head in 
place of a shield. He looked around. Every- 
where foes, no Vandal. Yes, — one. Yonder 
still waved the scarlet banner. " Help, Giba- 
mund ! " he cried. 

One of his two assailants fell from his horse. 
Gibamund was at Zazo's side. He had struck 
the man under the shoulder of his upraised arm 
with the spear-point of the banner staff. But 
now Fara, who meanwhile had recovered from 
Zazo's blow, dropping his bridle, grasped with 
his left hand at the shaft of the scarlet standard. 
With great difficulty Gibamund defended himself 
with his sword against the tremendous blows the 
Herulian's right arm dealt with his battle-axe. 
And already the other horseman, in front of 
Zazo, bent a leonine face toward him. 

" Yield, brave man. Yield to me. I am 
Belisarius." 

But Zazo shook his head. With failing 
strength he sprang up, his sword raised to strike. 
Then the Roman General drove the point of his 
spear with all his force through his breastplate 
up to the handle. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 349 

The dying warrior cast one more glance to- 
ward the left. He saw Gibamund's white horse, 
covered with blood-stains, falling; he saw the 
scarlet banner sink. " Woe betide thee, Van- 
dalia ! " he cried, as his eyes grew dim in death. 

^^That was indeed a hero,*' said Belisarius, 
bending over him. " Where is Genseric's banner, 
Fara?" 

" Gone ! '' replied the latter, wrathfuUy. " Far 
away. Do you see ? It is already vanishing over 
there, beyond the stream." 

"Who has — ?" 

"A woman. In a falcon helmet. With a 
shining white shield. I believe it was a Val- 
kyria," said the pagan, with a slight shiver of 
fear. "It happened so swiftly I scarcely saw it. 
I had just struck down the young standard- 
bearer's horse. Just at that moment a black 
steed — I never saw such an animal — plunged 
against my own horse so that it fell back upon 
its haunches. I heard a cry : ^ Hilda ! I thank 
you ! ' At the same moment the black charger 
dashed far, far away from me. I think it now 
carried two figures! A long fluttering white 
mantle — or was it swan-wings ? — and above 
floated the scarlet banner. There, now they are 
vanishing in that cloud of dust. ' Hilda ! * the 
German murmured to himself. The name suits 
too. Yes, the Valkyria bore him away." 

" Forward ! " shouted Belisarius. " Follow ! 



350 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Over the stream ! There is no longer a Vandal 
army. The centre is broken and defeated. Their 
left wing — aha, look yonder, our right wing, the 
faithful Huns — " He laughed grimly. "Now 
they are rushing from their hill, hewing down 
the flying Barbarians. What heroism ! And 
how they are all struggling to reach the camp 
to plunder ! Now, at last, our infantry have 
joined our left wing ; there, too, the Vandals are 
flying without a struggle. On, to the camp! 
Do not let the Huns secure the whole booty. 
All the gold and silver for the Emperor, the 
pearls and precious stones for the Empress! 
Forward 1 " 



CHAPTER XVI 

Procopius to Cethegusi 

I HAVE witnessed many a battle, many 
a conflict of Belisarius, — usually from a 
very safe distance, — but never have I 
seen so strange an encounter. In this, which 
decides the fate of the Vandal kingdom, we have 
lost in all only forty-nine men, but solely picked 
warriors, and among them eight commanders. 
Fara, Althias, and Johannes, — all three are 
wounded. Yet we have not many — perhaps 
a hundred — wounded men, as the Vandals 
fought only with the sword. That yields al- 
most as many killed as wounded. Most of 
our dead and wounded may be credited to the 
three Asdings, two noblemen in boar helmets, 
and an apparently crazy monk. Eight hundred 
Vandal corpses covered the field, by far the larger 
number of these fell during the flight. We have 
captured, sound and wounded, about ten thou- 
sand men; women and children unnumbered. 
In our two wings we did not lose a single 
warrior, except one Hun whom Belisarius was un- 
fortunately compelled to hang. He had stufi^ed 
pockets, shoes, hair, and ears with pearls and 



352 THE SCARLET BANNER 

gems which he picked up in the Vandal camp, 
especially in the women's tents, and which our 
Empress has honestly earned. 

Our pursuit of the Vandals was checked only 
by our greed. The fallen and captive Vandals 
had many ornaments of gold and silver on their 
persons, their horses, and themselves ; our heroes 
plundered every one before passing on. Our 
horsemen, who reached the camp first, did not 
venture, in spite of their longing to pillage, to 
enter it at once ; they thought it impossible that 
a force so superior in numbers should not defend 
their own camp, their wives and children. 

The King is said to have paused a moment as 
if stupefied ; but when Belisarius with our whole 
body appeared before the tents, he exclaimed, 
" The avenger ! " and pursued his flight toward 
Numidia, attended by a few relatives, servants, 
and faithful Moors. Now all the Vandal warriors 
who had reached the camp scattered in wild con- 
fusion, surrendering their shrieking children, their 
weeping wives, their rich possessions, without a 
single sword-stroke ; and these men are, or were, 
Germans ! It would be no wonder if Justinian 
should now try at once to liberate Italy and 
Spain from the Goths. 

Our men dashed after the fugitives. All the 
rest of the day and the whole moonlight night 
they slaughtered the Vandals without resistance ; 
they seized women and children by thousands 



THE SCARLET BANNER 353 

to use them as slaves. Never yet have I be- 
held so much beauty. Nor have I ever seen 
such heaps of gold and silver money as in the 
tents of the King and the Vandal nobles. It 
is incredible. 

Belisarius was tortured after his victory by the 
most terrible anxiety. For in this camp, filled 
to overflowing with the most beautiful women, 
treasures of every description, wine and pro- 
visions, the whole army forgot every trace of 
discipline. Fairly intoxicated with their un- 
dreamed of good fortune, they lived solely for 
the pleasure of the moment ; every barrier gave 
way, every curb broke; they could not satisfy 
themselves. The demon of Africa, pleasure, 
seized upon them. They roved, singly and 
in couples, through the camp and its vicinity, 
following the track of the fugitives wherever 
the search for booty or revelry lured them. 
There was no thought of the enemy, no fear 
of the General. Those who were still sober, 
laden with treasure and driving their captives 
before them, tried to escape to Carthage. Beli- 
sarius says that if the Vandals had attacked us 
again an hour after we took possession of their 
camp, not a man of us all would have escaped. 
The victorious army, even his bodyguard, had 
entirely thrown off his control. 

At the gray dawn of morning with the blast of 
the trumpets he summoned all the warriors ; that 

23 



354 THE SCARLET BANNER 

IS, all who were sober. His bodyguard now 
came hastily in deep shame. Instead of thanks 
and praise, he gave leaders and men a lecture 
such as I never before heard from his lips. We 
have become mere hired soldiers, adventurers, 
ruffians, fierce and brave, like greedy beasts of 
prey ; well suited for bloody pursuit, like hunting 
leopards, but not fit to leave the captured game to 
the hunter or bring it in and fasten it in a cage ; 
we must first have our share of the blood and the 
food. It is by no means beautiful ; yet it is far 
more enjoyable than philosophy and theology, 
rhetoric, grammar, and dialectics. But the Van- 
dal War is over, I think. To-morrow we shall 
doubtless capture the fugitive King. 

I always say so. The most weighty decisions 
hinge upon the most trivial incidents. Or, as I 
express it when I am in a very poetical mood, 
the goddess Tyche likes to sport with the des- 
tinies of men and nations, as boys toss coins in 
the air and determine gain and loss by " heads " 
or " tails." 

You, O Cethegus, have condemned my philoso- 
phy of the world's history as old wives' croaking. 
But judge for yourself. A bird's cry, a blind de- 
light in hunting, a shot sent to the wrong mark, 
and the result is this : the Vandal King escapes 
when already within the grasp of our fingers; 
the campaign, which seemed ended, continues, and 



THE SCARLET BANNER 355 

your friend must spend weeks in an extremely 
tiresome besieging camp before an extremely un- 
necessary Moorish mountain village. 

Belisarius had committed the pursuit of the 
fugitive King to his countryman, the Thracian 
Althias. " I choose you," he said, " because I 
trust you above all others where swift, tireless 
action is needed. If you overtake the Vandal 
before he finds refuge, the war will be over to- 
morrow ; if you permit him to escape, you will 
give us long-continued severe toil. Choose your 
own men, but do not take time to breathe by 
night or day until you seize the tyrant, dead or 
alive." 

Althias blushed like a flattered girl. He took 
besides his Thracians several of the bodyguard 
and about a hundred Herulians under Fara. He 
asked me also to accompany him, less, probably, 
for the sake of my sword than my counsel. I 
willingly consented. 

And now a flying chase, such as I had never 
imagined possible, began in the rear of the Van- 
dals. Five days and five nights, almost without 
a pause, we pursued the fugitives ; their hoof- 
marks and footprints in the sand of the desert 
were unmistakable. We gained on them more 
and more, so that on the fifth night we were sure 
of overtaking and stopping them the next day 
before they reached the protection of the moun- 
tain — Pappua, it is called. 



356 THE SCARLET BANNER 

But the capricious goddess did not wish to 
have Gelimer fall into the hands of Althias. 
Uliari, one of the Alemanni bodyguards of Beli- 
sarius, is a brave, strong man, but reckless, fond 
of drink like all Germans, and, like nearly all his 
countrymen, a passionate lover of the chase. He 
had been repeatedly punished because, while on 
the march, he pursued every animal that appeared. 
On the morning of the sixth day, just at sunrise, 
as we were remounting our horses after a short 
rest, Uliari saw a big vulture perched on a prickly 
bush about the height of a man, which rose alone 
from the desert plain. To seize his bow, snatch 
an arrow from the quiver, aim, and shoot was the 
work of a single instant. The cord twanged, the 
bird flew away, a cry rose. Althias, who had 
again dashed forward in advance of us all, fell 
from his horse, wounded in the back of the head 
under his helmet. Uliari, usually an unerring 
marksman, had not yet slept oflF his potations of 
the night before. Horrified by his deed, he set 
spurs to his horse and fled to the nearest village 
to seek sanctuary in its chapel. 

But we were all trying to help the dying 
Althias, though he commanded us by signs to 
leave him to his fate and continue the pursuit. 
We could not bring ourselves to do it. Nay, 
when Fara and I, after our friend had died in our 
arms, wished to go on; his Thracians demanded 
with threats that the body should first be buried. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 357 

otherwise the soul would be condemned to wail 
around the place until the Day of Judgment. So 
we dug a grave and interred the dead hero with 
every honor. These few hours decided Gelimer's 
escape; we could not make up the lost time. 
The fugitives reached their goal, the Pappua 
Mountains on the frontier of Numidia, whose 
steep, inaccessible peaks everywhere bristle with 
jagged rocks. The Moors who dwell here are 
bound to Gelimer by ties of loyalty and gratitude. 
An ancient city, Medenus, now a mere hamlet of 
a few huts on the northern crest of the mountain, 
received him and his train. To storm this nar- 
row antelope path is impossible; a single man 
can bar the ascent with his shield. The Moors 
have scornfully rejected an offer of a large reward 
to deliver up the fugitives. So the watchword is 
" patience." We must pitch our tents at the foot 
of the mountain, bar all the outlets, and starve the 
people into a surrender. 

That may occupy a great deal of time. And 
it is winter ; the mountain peaks are often covered 
in the morning with a light snow, which, it is 
true, the sun soon melts when he breaks through 
the clouds. But he does not always break 
through. On the other hand, mist and rain 
continually penetrate the camel-skin coverings 
of our tents. 



CHAPTER XVII 

WE are still encamped before the entrance 
of the mountain ravine of Pappua. We 
cannot get in ; they cannot get out. I 
have seen a cat watch a mouse-hole a long time 
in the same way, — very tiresome for the cat. 
But if the hole has no other outlet, the little 
mouse finally either starves or runs into the 
cat's claws. 

To-day news and reinforcements came from 
Carthage. Belisarius, who had been informed of 
the state of affairs, gave the chief command to 
Fara in the place of Althias. Fara and his 
Herulians won Belisarius's most glorious victory, 
in the Persian battle at Dara, when the Roman 
ranks were beginning to waver and only the 
German boldness which is nearly allied to mad- 
ness could save the day. Fara left more than half 
his Herulians dead on the field. The General 
himself is marching on Hippo. 

• . • • 

Fresh news — from Hippo. 

Belisarius took the city without resistance. 
The Vandals, among them numerous nobles. 



/ 



THE SCARLET BANNER 359 

fled to the Catholic churches, and left these asy- 
lums only on the assurance that their lives would 
be spared. And again the wind blew, literally, 
rich gains into our hands. The Tyrant, distrust- 
ing the fidelity of the citizens and the broken 
walls, had prudently removed the royal treasure 
of the Vandals from the citadel of Carthage, and 
placed it on a ship^ He ordered Bonifacius, 
his private secretary, in case the victory of the 
Vandals seemed uncertain, to sail to Hispania 
to Theudis, the King of the Visigoths, with 
whom, if the kingdom fell, Gelimer intended 
to seek refuge, perhaps with the expectation 
of recovering the treasure by the aid of the 
Visigoths. 

A violent storm drove the ship back into the 
harbor of Hippo, just after Belisarius had occu- 
pied it. The treasure of the Vandals, gathered 
by Genseric fi-om the coasts and islands of three 
seas, will go into the hands of the imperial 
pair at Constantinople. Theodora, your piety is 
profitable ! 

Yet no; the royal treasure of the Vandals will 
not reach Constantinople absolutely intact. And 
this is due to a singular circumstance, which is 
probably worth relating. Perhaps, too, I may 
mention the thoughts which the incident aroused 
in my mind. Of all the nations of whom I have 
any knowledge, the Germans are the most foolish : 
these fair-haired giants blindly follow their im- 



36o THE SCARLET BANNER 

pulses and run to open ruin. True, these im- 
pulses and delusions are in a measure honorable 
— for Barbarians. But the excess, the fury with 
which they obey their impulses, must ruin them, 
aided by their so-called virtues. " Heroism," 
as they term it, they carry to the sheerest ab- 
surdity, even to contempt of death, keeping their 
promises from mere obstinacy; for instance, when, 
in the blind excitement of gambling, they stake 
their own liberty on the last throw. They call 
this fidelity. Sometimes they manifest the most 
diabolical craftiness, yet they often carry truthful- 
ness to actual self-destruction, when a neat little 
lie, a slight, clever manipulation of the bald truth, 
or even a calm silence would surely save them. 
All this is by no means rooted in a sense of duty, 
but in their tameless pride, in arrogance, in de- 
fiance ; and they call it honor. The key of all 
their actions, their final unspoken motive is this : 
" Let none think, far less be able to say, that a 
German does or fails to do anything because he 
fears any man, or any number of men ; he would 
rather rush to certain death." Therefore, no 
matter what any one of these stubborn fools 
may have set his heart upon, to go to destruction 
for it is "heroic," "honorable." True, they 
often set their hearts on their people, liberty, 
fame; but just as frequently on swilling, — it 
cannot be called drinking, — on brawling, on dice- 
throwing. And they pursue the heroism of swill- 



THE SCARLET BANNER 361 

ing and gambling just as blindly as that of battle. 
Anything rather than to yield! If "honor" 
(that is, obstinacy) is once fixed upon anything, 

— wise or foolish, — then pursue it even to de- 
struction. Though pleasure in the game has 
long been exhausted, out-drink or out-wrestle 
the other man; do anything but own that 
strength and spirit are consumed; rather die 
thrice over. I can speak thus, because I know 
these Germans. Many thousands of them — 
from nearly every one of their numerous tribes 

— have I seen in war and peace, as soldiers, 
prisoners, envoys, hostages, mercenaries, colo- 
nists, in the service of the Emperor, as leaders of 
the army, and as magistrates. I have long won- 
dered how any Germans are left ; for, in truth, 
their virtues vie with their vices in hastening their 
destruction. 

Of all the nations I know, the shrewdest are 
the Jews, if shrewdness consists first in the art 
of self-preservation, and then in the acquisition 
and increase of worldly goods. They are the 
least, as the Germans are the most ready, to rush 
upon ruin through blind passion, through noble 
or ignoble impetuosity and defiance. They are 
the most crafty of mortals and at the same time 
by no means the worst. But they are clever to 
a degree which makes one marvel why they did 
not long ago rule all other peoples ; something 
must be lacking there too. 



362 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Do you ask, O Cethegus, how in the camp of 
Belisarius before Mount Pappua I have attained 
this singular view of the much-despised Hebrews ? 
Very simply. 

They have accomplished something which I 
consider the most impossible. They have not 
plundered; by no means, not even stolen, for 
they steal almost less than the Christians ; but 
they have actually talked many thousand pounds 
of gold belonging to the Vandal booty out of 
the avaricious hands of the Emperor Justinian. 
The Emperor Titus, after the fall of Jerusalem, 
brought to Rome the treasures of the Jewish 
Temple, — candlesticks, vessels, dishes, jugs, and 
all sorts of gold and silver articles set with pearls 
and precious stones. When Genseric pillaged 
Rome, he bore away the Temple treasures on his 
corsair ships to Carthage. The Empress knew 
this, and probably it was not the least of the 
reasonjs for which the Bishop was compelled to 
dream. Belisarius wished to exhibit all the booty 
on his entrance into Constantinople ; but when 
it was unloaded at Hippo, to be taken at once, 
with the rest of the treasure, to Carthage, the 
oldest of the Jews in Hippo went to him and 
said : " Let me warn you, mighty warrior ! Do 
not convey these treasures to Constantinople. 
Listen to a tale from the lips of your humble 
servanL 

*^ The eagle stole from the sacrifice burning on 



THE SCARLET BANNER 363 

the altar a piece of meat and bore it to his eyrie. 
But a few glimmering coals clung to the offering 
which had been consecrated to God. And these 
glimmering coals set fire to the nest of the great 
bird of prey, and burned the young, which were 
not yet able to fly, and the eagle mother. The 
male eagle, trying to save the young brood, dashed 
into the flames and scorched his wings. So 
perished miserably the strong robber that had 
borne to his own abode what belonged to God. 
Indeed, indeed, I tell you, the capitol of Rome 
fell into the hands of the foe because it contained 
the sacred vessels of Jehovah ; the citadel of the 
Vandals fell into the hands of the foe because it 
concealed these treasures. Must the stronghold 
of the Emperor — God bless the protector of 
justice — at Constantinople become the third 
eyrie which is destroyed for their sake ? In 
truth I say unto you, thus saith the Lord : This 
gold, this silver, will wander over the earth, will 
destroy all the cities to which the stolen treasure 
is dragged, until the gold and the silver again lie 
in the holy city, Jerusalem." 

And, lo, Belisarius was startled. 

He wrote to the Emperor Justinian the story 
of the old Jew, and — really and truly — the 
patriarch Moses can work still greater miracles 
than Saint Cyprian. Justinian, more greedy and 
avaricious than the whole race of Jews put to- 
gether, ordered these treasures to be taken, not 



364 THE SCARLET BANNER 

to Constantinople, but Jerusalem, where they are 
to be divided among the Christian churches and 
the Jewish synagogues. 

So the old Jew has recovered a portion of the 
treasures of his people, — without a single sword- 
stroke, — while Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, 
gained them only after fierce battles arid much 
bloodshed. Does the old man believe in the 
curse that rests upon the treasure ? I think he 
does. He does not lie, and it is useful for his 
purpose to believe it ; so he credits it easily and 
seriously. The German says : " Gain by blood 
rather than by sweat. '* The Jew says : " Gain 
by sweat rather than by blood, and far, far rather 
by money than by sweat ! " It may be said in 
praise of the Jews that both their faults and their 
virtues vie in preserving them and increasing 
their wealth and their numbers, while the Germans 
destroy themselves, their lives, their possessions, 
and their power by boundless indolence and 
boundless revelling no less than by their bound- 
less obstinacy and their stupid heroism of honor. 
(True,^these Vandals in their carousing have even 
forgotten their obstinacy and their love of fight- 
ing !) We hate and despise the Jews ; I think we 
ought to fear and — in their good qualities — 
strive to excel them. 

• . • • 

I have read aloud my opinion of the Germans 
to my friend Fara, whose thirst for honor did 



THE SCARLET BANNER 365 

not impel him toward reading and writing ; 
he heard me quietly to the end, drained a cup 
of unmixed wine, stroked his long reddish-yellow 
beard thoughtfully, and said : 

" Little Greek ! You are a shrewd little 
Greek 1 Perhaps you are not altogether wrong. 
But to me my German faults are much dearer 
than the virtues of all other nations." 

Gradually — so we learn — all the rest of the 
Barbarian kingdom will be plucked leaf by leaf, 
like an artichoke, without a sword-stroke, for 
Justinian's wide-open mouth. Belisarius's first 
care, after his victory over the land forces, was 
to secure the hostile fleet. 

He discovered its landing-place from the pris- 
oners, and also learned that it was lying at anchor 
almost wholly without men ; Zazo had taken all 
his troops to his brother. A few of our triremes, 
sent from Carthage, were sufficient to capture the 
one hundred and fifty galleys which were occupied 
only by sailors ; not a single spear flew. Genser- 
ic's much-dreaded dragon-ships were towed to 
Carthage ; they allowed themselves to be cap- 
tured without resistance, like a flock of wild 
swans, which, storm-beaten, wearied, and crippled, 
enter an inclosed pond ; the proud birds can be 
grasped with the hand. One of Belisarius's 
commanders obtained Sardinia ; it was necessary, 
but amply sufficient, to show them Zazo's head 
on a spear ; the islanders would not believe in 



366 THE SCARLET BANNER 

the defeat of the Vandals before ; now that they 
could touch the head of their dreaded conqueror, 
they did believe it. 

Corsica, too, submitted. Also populous Caesa- 
rea in Mauritania, and one of the Pillars of 
Hercules ; Septa, with Ebusa and the Balearic 
Isles. Tripolis was besieged by Moors, who, 
during the battle between the Byzantines and 
the Vandals, were trying to win land and people 
on their own account. The city was occupied 
by our troops and received from the hands of 
Pudentius for the Emperor. 

One might think the whole Vandal nation 
existed in its royal family and a few of the 
nobles. When Zazo and the nobles about 
him fell, after the King vanished, all resistance 
ceased; it was like a bundle of sticks: when 
the string that fastens them is cut, they all fall 
apart. Since the day of Trikameron the Bar- 
barians everywhere allow themselves to be seized 
like sheep without defence. They are mainly 
to be found weaponless in the Catholic basili- 
cas, where, seeking refuge, they embrace the 
altars which they have so often dishonored. 
The men are just the same as the women and 
children. 

Really, if their brothers in Italy and Spain, and 
their cousins, the Franks, Alemanhi, or whatever 
else the Barbarians in Gaul and Germany are 
called, were as highly educated as these Vandal 



THE SCARLET BANNER 367 

writers of Greek and Latin poetry, the Imperator 
Justinianus could speedily recover the whole 
West through Belisarius and Narses. But I 
fear the Vandals alone have attained such a 
degree of culture. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

MORE news ! Perhaps another war and 
conquest close at hand. 
Am I really, O Cethegus, to be 
permitted speedily to seek you in your Italy 
and help to free Rome by the aid of Huns and 
Herulians ? Your tyrants, the Ostrogoths, have 
made the bridge for us into this country ; it was 
their Sicily. Justinian's gratitude is swift-winged. 
By the Emperor's command — Belisarius received 
it sealed, directly after our departure from Con- 
stantinople, with the direction not to open the 
papyrus until after the destruction of the Vandal 
kingdom — our General has already demanded 
from the court of Ravenna the cession of a con- 
siderable portion of Sicily, — Lilybaeum, the im- 
portant promontory and castle, and all that the 
Vandals had ever possessed in that island. For 
the Vandal kingdom had now lapsed to Constan- 
tinople, so everything that had ever belonged 
to that domain also fell to it, A man is not 
Emperor of the Pandects for nothing. 

True, it seems to me somewhat brutal to set 
their limitless stupidity before the eyes of the 
deluded people quite so speedily. Though of 



THE SCARLET BANNER 369 

course it is the acme of statecraft to defeat the 
first with the help of the second, and then, in 
token of gratitude, overthrow the second. Yet 
it is long since it was done so openly. Belisarius 
is obliged to threaten war at once, not only 
upon Sicily, but all Italy, Ravenna, and Rome. 
The letter to the Regent Amalaswintha con- 
cludes, — I had to compose it for Belisarius in 
his tent, according to the Emperor's secret order 
directly after the battle of Trikameron : "If 
you reftise, you must know that you will not 
incur merely the danger of war, but war itself, 
in which we shall take from you not only Lily- 
baeum, but everything you possess contrary to 
justice ; that is, all ! " To-day came the news 
that there had been a revolution in Ravenna. 
Very wicked men, who had already wished to 
support the Vandals against us, do not love 
Justinian (but also unfortunately do not fear 
him), barbaric names, — you will be more familiar 
with them than I, O Cethegus ! Hildebrand, 
Vitigis, Teja, have seized the helm there and 
flatly refuse our demand. It seems to me that 
there is the blast of the tuba in the air. 

But first of all we must subdue this Vandal 
King without a kingdom up above there. The 
siege is lasting too long for the patience of Beli- 
sarius. Hitherto all proposals for surrender have 
been refused, even those on the most absurdly 
favorable conditions, made because Belisarius 

24 



370 THE SCARLET BANNER 

desires to bring the w^r here swiftly to an end, — 
as it seems to me that he may be able speedily 
to celebrate a triumph in Constantinople such 
as has not been witnessed there for centuries, 
and then continue in Italy what he had begun 
here. 

And since this singular King, who sometimes 
seems to be soft wax, sometimes the hardest 
granite, is not to be influenced by fair words, we 
will address him to-morrow with spears. 

Fara hopes that hunger has so enfeebled the 
Vandals and Moors that they cannot withstand a 
violent assault. The truth is : Fara, a German, 
— and a thoroughly admirable one, — can endure 
everything except long-continued thirst and in- 
activity. And we have very little wine left. 
Poor wine too ! There is nothing to do except 
by turns to sleep and mount guard before the 
mouse-hole called Pappua. He is tired of it. 
He wants to t^e it by force. The Herulians 
will fight like madmen ; that is their way. But 
I look at the narrow ascent in those yellow cliflFs, 
and have my doubts of success. I think, unless 
Saint Cyprian and Tyche work in our behalf 
to-morrow, we shall get, not Gelimer and the 
Vandals, but plenty of hard knocks. 

We have had them, — the hard knocks ! And 
they were our just due. The Vandals and Moors 
up yonder vied with each other in trying which 
could serve us worst, and we paid the penalty. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 371 

Fara, as leader and warrior, managed matters as 
well as it is possible to do in dealing with the im- 
possible. He divided us into three bodies : first, 
the Armenians, then the Thracians, lastly, the 
Herulians. The Huns — whose horses can do 
much, but cannot climb like goats — remained be- 
low before our camp. In bands of two hundred 
strong we rushed in a long line of two men 
abreast up the only accessible path. I will make 
the story short. The Moors rolled rocks, the 
Vandals hurled spears, at us. Twenty Armenians 
fell without having even seen the crest of a foe- 
man's helmet ; the others drew back. The 
Thracians, despising death, took their places. 
They advanced probably a hundred feet higher; 
by that time they had lost thirty-five of their 
number, had not seen an enemy, and also turned 
back. " Cowardice," cried Fara. " It is im- 
possible," replied Arzen, the severely wounded 
leader of the Armenians, — a Vandal spear with 
the house-mark of the Asdings, a flying arrow, 
had pierced his thigh. 

" I don't believe it," shouted Fara, " follow 
me, my Herulians." 

They followed him. So did I ; but very near 
the last of the line. For, as the legal councillor 
of Belisarius, I do not consider myself under obli- 
gation to perform any deeds of special heroism. 
Only when he himself fights do I often foolishly 
imagine that my place is by his side. 



372 THE SCARLET BANNER 

I have never seen such a storm. Fragments 
of boulders and lances hurled by invisible hands 
crushed and spitted the men. But those who 
were left climbed, leaped, crept higher and higher. 
The top of the mountain — which neither of the 
two former scaling parties had approached — was 
gained. The hiding-places of many of the Moors 
concealed under the cliffs of the central portion 
were discovered, and numbers of these lean brown 
fellows paid for their loyal hospitality to the fugi- 
tives with their lives ; I saw Fara himself kill 
three of them. He was just ranging his breath- 
less band, and on the point of giving the order to 
rush up to the narrow gateway in the rocks that 
yawns in the mountain summit, when from this 
gateway burst the Vandals, the King in advance ; 
the crown on his helmet betrayed him. I saw 
him very close at hand, and never shall I forget 
that face. He looked like a rapturous monk, 
and yet also like the hero Zazo, whom I saw fall 
before Belisarius. Behind him was a youth who 
strongly resembled him. The scarlet banner, I 
believe, was borne by a woman. Yet I am prob- 
ably mistaken; for the whole charge fell upon 
us with the speed and might of a thunderbolt. 
The first rank of the Herulians was scattered as 
completely as if it had never stood there. 

" Where is the King ? " cried Fara, springing 
forward. 

" Here," rang the answer. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 373 

The next instant five of his Herulians were 
supporting their sorely wounded leader. This I 
saw, then I fell backward. The young Vandal 
behind the King had sent his spear whizzing 
against my firm coat of mail; I staggered, fell, 
and slid like an arrow down the smooth sandy 
incline, much faster and more easily than I had 
climbed it. When I came to myself and rose 
again, Fara's faithful followers were bearing him 
past me on two shields. The leader of the Ar- 
menians was leaning on his spear. 

" Do you believe it now, Fara ? " he asked. 
" Yes," replied the German, pressing his bleeding 
head. " I believe it now. My beautiful hel- 
met," he went on, laughing. " But better to have 
the helmet cleft than the skull under it, too." 
. When he reached the bottom of the mountain 
he laughed no longer ; one hundred and twenty 
of his two hundred Herulians lay dead among 
the rocks. I think this will be the only storming 
of Mount Pappua. 

. • • • 

Fara's wound is healing. But he complains 
a great deal of headache. 

They must be miserably starving to death on 
that accursed mountain. Deserters often come 
down now, but only Moors. Not a single Van- 
dal during the- whole campaign has voluntarily 
joined us, in spite of my fine invitation to treason 



374 THE SCARLET BANNER 

and revolt ! Of the much-lauded German virtues 
fidelity seems to be almost the only one which 
has remained to these degenerates. 

Fara gave orders that no more should be 
received. 

" The more mouths and stomachs Gelimer has, 
the smaller his stock of food will be," he said. 

But now, as they will no longer be accepted as 
comrades in arms, the Moors sell themselves for 
slaves for a bit of bread. Fara also prohibited 
this sorrowful trading. He said to his men : 

" Let them starve up there ; you will get them 
all as captives of war so much the sooner." 

Yet it does the Vandals (it is said that there 
are not more than forty of them) all honor that 
they still hold out while the Moors succumb. 
It is the strongest contrast conceivable ; for every- 
thing we heard in Constantinople concerning the 
luxury and effeminacy of the Vandals was sur- 
passed by what we saw in their palaces, villas, and 
houses, and by what the Carthaginians have told 
us. Two or three baths daily, their tables supplied 
with the dainties of all lands and seas, all their 
dishes of gold, nothing but Median garments, 
spectacles, games in the Circus, the chase, — but 
with the least possible exertion, — dancers, mimes, 
musicians, outdoor pleasures in beautifully kept 
groves of the finest fruit-trees, daily revels, daily 
drinking bouts, and the most unbridled enjoy- 
ment of every description. As the Vandals led 



THE SCARLET BANNER 375 

the most luxurious, the Moors led the most 
simple lives of all peoples. Winter and summer, 
they are half clad in a short gray garment, and 
live in the same low felt hut or leather tents, 
where one can scarcely breathe ; neither the snow 
of the high mountains nor the scorching heat of 
the desert affects them ; they sleep on the bare 
ground, only the richest spread a camel-skin 
under them ; they have neither bread, wine, nor 
any of the better foods. Like the animals, they 
chew unground, even unroasted barley, spelt, and 
corn. 

Yet now the Vandals endure starvation with- 
out yielding, while the Moors succumb. 

It is incomprehensible ! Sons of the same 
nation from whom, in two short battles, we 
wrested Africa. To our wondering question how 
this can be, all the deserters make one reply : 
" The holy King." He constrains them by his 
eyes, his voice, by magic. But Fara says his 
magic cannot hold out long against hunger and 
thirst. And since, as these strong Moors, ema- 
ciated to skeletons, say that the King and his 
followers do not utter a word of complaint while 
enduring these sufferings, Fara thought, from 
genuine kindness of heart, that he would try to 
end this misery. He dictated to me the follow- 
ing epistle : " Foi^ve me, O King of the Vandals, 
if this letter seems to you somewhat foolish. My 
head was always more fit to bear sword-strokes 



376 THE SCARLET BANNER 

than to compose sentences. And since you and 
my head met a short time ago, thinking has been 
still more difficult than usual. I write, or rather 
I have these words written, plainly, according to 
the Barbarian fashion. Dear Gelimer, why do 
you plunge yourself and all your followers into 
the deepest abyss of misery? Merely to avoid 
serving the Emperor ? For this word, * liberty,' 
is probably your delusion. Do you not see that, 
for the sake of this liberty, you are becoming 
under obligations of gratitude and service to 
miserable Moors, that you are dependent upon 
these savages ? Is it not better to serve the great 
Emperor at Constantinople, than to rule over 
a little band of starving people on Pappua ? Is 
it disgraceful to serve the same lord as Belisarius ? 
Cast aside this folly, admirable Gelimer ! Think, 
I myself am a German, a member of a noble 
Herulian family. My ancestors wore the badge 
of royalty of our people in the old home on the 
shore of the dashing sea, near the islands of the 
Danes — and yet I serve the Emperor, and am 
proud of it. My sword and the swift daring of 
my Herulians decided the victory on the day 
of Belisarius's greatest battle. I am a general, 
and have remained a hero, even in the Emperor's 
service. The same fate will await you. Belisarius 
will secure you on his word of honor life, liberty, 
estates in Asia Minor, the rank of a patrician, 
and a leadership in the army directly under him. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 377 

Dear Gelimer, noble King, I mean kindly by 
you. Defiance is beautiful, but folly is — foolish. 
Make an end of it ! " 

• • • • 

The messenger has returned. He saw the 
King himself. He says the sight of him was 
almost enough to startle one to death. He looks 
like a ghost or the King of Shades ; gloomy eyes 
burn from a spectral face. Yet when the un- 
yielding hero read the well-meant consolation of 
his kind-hearted fellow-countryman, he wept. 
The very man who struck down the unconquerable 
Fara and endures superhuman privations wept 
like a boy or a woman. Here is the Vandal's 
answer : — 

" I thank you for your counsel. I cannot 
follow it. You have given up your people; 
therefore you are drifting on the sea of the world 
like a blade of straw. I was, I am King of the 
Vandals. I will not serve the unjust foe of my 
people. God, so I believe, commands me and 
the remnant of the Vandals to hold out even now. 
He can save me if He so wills. I can write no 
more. The misery surrounding me benumbs 
my thoughts. Good Fara, send me a loaf of 
bread ; a delicate boy, the son of a dead noble, 
is lying very ill, in the fever caused by starvation. 
He begs, he pleads, he shrieks for bread — it 
tears one's heart-strings ! For a long time not 
one of us has tasted bread. 



378 THE SCARLET BANNER 



cc 



And a sponge dipped in water ; my eyes, 
inflamed by watching and weeping, burn painfully. 

" And a harp. 1 have composed a dirge upon 
our fate, which I would fain sing to the accom- 
paniment of the harp." • 

Fara granted the three requests, — the harp 
could be obtained only by sending to the nearest 
city, — but he guards even more closely than 
before the " Mountain of Misery," as our people 
call it. 



CHAPTER XIX 

DULL, misty, and gray, a cold damp 
morning in early March dawned upon 
the mountain. The sun could not pene- 
trate the dense clouds. 

The ancient city of Medenus had long since 
been abandoned by its Carthaginian and Roman 
founders and builders. Most of the houses, 
constructed of stone from the mountain, stood 
deserted and ruinous. Nomad Moors used the 
few which still had roofs as places of refuge in 
winter. The largest structure was the former 
basilica. Here the King and his household had 
found shelter. A scanty fire of straw and fagots 
was burning in the centre on the stone floor. 
But it sent forth more smoke than heat, for the 
wood was wet, and the damp fog penetrated 
everywhere through the cracks in the walls, 
through the holes in the roof, pressing down the 
slowly rising yellowish-gray smoke till, trailing 
and gliding along the cold wall, it sought other 
means of escape through the entrance, whose 
folding-doors were missing. In the semicircular 
space back of the apses coverlets and skins had 



38o THE SCARLET BANNER 

been spread upon the marble floor. Here sat 
Gibamund, hammering upon his much-dented 
shield, while Hilda had laid the scarlet standard 
across her lap, and was mending it. 

" Many, many arrows have pierced thee, an- 
cient, storm-tried banner. And this gaping rent 
here, — it was probably a sword-stroke. But 
thou must still hold together to the end." 

" The end," said Gibamund, impatiently com- 
pleting the nailing of the edge of the shield with 
one last blow of the hammer. " I wish it would 
come. I can bear to witness the suffering — 
your suffering — no longer. I have constantly 
urged the King to put an end to it. Let us, 
let all the Vandals, — the Moors can surrender as 
prisoners, — charge upon the foe together, and — 
He would never let me finish. * That would be 
suicide,* he answered, * and sin. We must bear 
patiently what God has imposed upon us as a 
punishment. If it is His will. He can yet save 
us, bear us away from here on the wings of His 
angels. But the end is approaching — of itself 
The number of graves on the slope of the moun- 
tain is daily increasing.' " 

" Yes, the row constantly lengthens ; some- 
times the high mounds of our Vandals sur- 
mounted by the cross ! " 

" Sometimes the faithful Moors' heap of stones 
with the circle of black pebbles. Yesterday even- 
ing we buried the delicate Gundoric ; the last 



THE SCARLET BANNER 381 

scion of the proud Gundings, the darling of his 
brave father Gundobad." 

" So the poor boy's sufferings are over ? In 
Carthage the child was always clad in purple silk 
as he rode through the streets in a shell carriage 
drawn by ostriches." 

" Day before yesterday the King brought to 
the miserable heap of straw where he was lying 
the fragrant bread he had begged from the enemy. 
The child devoured it so eagerly that we were 
obliged to check him. We turned our backs a 
moment, — I was getting some water with the 
King for the sick boy, — when a cry of mingled 
rage and grief summoned us. A Moorish lad, 
probably attracted by the smell of the bread, had 
sprung in through the open window and torn it 
from between the child's teeth. It made a very 
deep impression on the King. * This child, too, 
the guiltless one ? O terrible God ! ' he cried 
again and again. I closed the boy's dying eyes 
to-day." 

"It cannot last much longer. The people 
have killed the last horse except Styx." 

" Styx shall not be slaughtered," cried Hilda. 
" He bore you from certain death ; he saved 
you." 

^^ Tou saved me, with your Valkyria ride," 
exclaimed Gibamund; and, happy in the midst 
of all the wretchedness, he pressed his beauti- 
ful wife to his heart, kissing her golden hair. 



38a THE SCARLET BANNER 

her eyes, her noble brow. " Hark ! what is 
that?" 

" It is the song which he has composed and is 
singing to the harp Fara sent him. Well for 
thee, Teja's stringed instrument, that thou art 
not compelled to accompany such a dirge," she 
cried wrathfuUy, springing up and tossing back 
her waving locks. " I would rather have shat- 
tered my harp on the nearest rocks than lent it 
for such a song." 

" But it works like a spell upon the Moors and 
Vandals." 

"They do not understand it at all ; the words 
are Latin. He has rejected alliteration as pagan, 
as the magic of runes ! He allows no one to 
mention his last battle-song." 

" Of course they scarcely understand it. But 
when they see the King as, almost in an ecstasy, 
like a man walking in his sleep, with his burning 
eyes half closed, his wan, sorrowful face sur- 
rounded by tangled locks, his ragged royal mantle 
thrown around his shoulders, his harp on his arm, 
he wanders alone over the rocks and snows of this 
mountain ; when they hear the deep, wailing voice, 
the mournful melody of the dirge, it affects them 
like a spell, though they understand little of the 
meaning. Hark ! there it rises again." 

Nearer and nearer, partly borne away by the 
wind, came in broken words, sometimes accom- 
panied by the strings, the chant: 



THE SCARLET BANNER 383 

*' Woe to thee ! I mourn, I mourn ! 
Woe to thee, O Vandal race ! 
Soon forgot, will be thy name. 
Which the world, a tempest, swept. 

Gloriously didst thou arise 
From the sea, — a meteor. 
Fame and radiance lost for aye. 
Thou wilt sink in blackest night. 

" All the earth's rich treasures heaped 
Genseric in Carthage £ut. 
Starving beggar with the foe, 
Now for bread his grandson pleads. 

" Let thy heroes strengthen me ; 
God's wrath on thee resteth sore; 
Leave fame and honor to the Goths, 
To the Franks : — they are but toys.** 

" I will not listen ; I will not bear it/* cried 
Hilda. " He shall not revile all that makes life 
worth living." 

Nearer, more distinctly, sounded the slow, 
mournful notes. 

" Vanity and sin are all 

Thou hast cherished. Vandal race ; 
Therefore God hath stricken thee. 
Therefore bowed thy head in shame. 

** Bow thee, bow thee to the dust. 
Bruised race of Genseric ; 
Kiss the rod in gratitude. 
It is God the Lord Who smites." 



384 THE SCARLET BANNER 

The dirge died away. The royal singer 
ascended with tottering steps the half-ruined 
stairs of the basilica, his harp hanging loosely 
from his left arm. Now he stood between the 
gray, mouldering pillars of the entrance, and, 
laying his right arm against the cold stone, 
pressed his weary head upon it. 

Just at that moment a young Moor came 
hurrying up the steps ; a few bounds brought 
him to the top. Gibamund and Hilda went 
toward him in astonishment. 

"It is long since I have seen you move so 
swiftly, Sersaon," said Gibamund. 

"Your eyes are sparkling," cried Hilda. 
"You bring good tidings.*' 

The King raised his head from the pillar and, 
shaking it sorrowfully, looked at the Moor. 

" Yes, wise Queen," replied the latter. " The 
best of tidings : Rescue ! " 

"Impossible!" said Gelimer, in a hollow 
tone. 

" It is true, my master. Here, Verus will 
confirm it." 

With a slow step, but unbroken strength, the 
priest ascended the mountain-top. He seemed 
rather to be prouder, more powerful than in the 
days of happiness ; he held his head haughtily 
erect. In his hand he carried an arrow and a 
strip of papyrus. 

"To-night^" the young Moor went on, "I 



THE SCARLET BANNER 385 

had the watch at our farthest point toward the 
south. At the earliest glimmer of dawn, I heard 
the call of the ostrich : I thought it a delusion, 
for the bird never ascends to such a height, and 
this is not the mating season. But this call is 
our concerted signal with our allies among the 
Southern tribes, the Soloes. I listened, I watched 
keenly ; yes, yonder, pressing close against the 
yellowish-brown cliff, so motionless that he could 
scarcely be distinguished from the rock, crouched 
a Soloe. I softly answered the call ; instantly 
an arrow flew to the earth close beside me, — a 
headless arrow, into whose hollow shaft, instead 
of the tip, this strip had been forced. I drew it 
out ; I cannot read, but I took it to the nearest 
Vandals. Two of them read it and rejoiced 
greatly. Verus happened to pass by ; he wanted 
to tear the papyrus, wished to forbid our speaking 
of it to you, but hunger, the hope of rescue, are 
stronger than his words — " 

" I thought it treachery, a snare ; it is too 
improbable,'* interrupted Verus. 

Gibamund snatched the strip and read : " The 
path descending southward, where the ostrich 
called, is unguarded ; it is supposed to be im- 
passable. Climb down singly to-morrow at mid- 
night; we will wait close by with fresh horses. 
Theudis, King of the Visigoths, has sent us gold 
to save you, and a little ship. It is lying near 
the coast. Hasten." 

25 



3B6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"There is still fidelity. There are still friends 
in need ! " cried Hilda, exultingly, throwing her- 
self with tears of joy, on her husband's breast. 

The King's bowed figure straightened ; his eyes 
lost their dull, hopeless expression. 

"Now you see how wicked it would have 
been to seek death. This is the finger which 
God's mercy extends to us. Let us grasp 
it." 



CHAPTER XX 

VERUS, in order to make the enemy 
wholly unsuspicious, offered to propose 
to Fara an interview with Gelimer at 
noon the following day, on the northern slope 
of the mountain, in which the last offers of Beli- 
sarius should be again discussed. After some 
scruples of conscience, the King consented to 
this stratagem of war. Verus reported that Fara 
was very much pleased with his communication, 
and would await Gelimer on the following day. 
Nevertheless, the besieged band kept a sharp 
watch upon the besiegers' outposts and camp — 
the high mountain-top afforded a foil view of 
their position — to note any movement in the 
direction of the descent which might indicate 
the discovery of the intended flight or the Soloe 
hiding-place at the foot of the mountain. Noth- 
ing of the sort was apparent ; the foemen below 
spent the day in the usual manner. The guards 
were not strengthened, and after darkness closed 
in, the watchfires were neither increased nor 
changed. At nightfall the besiegers also lighted 
their fires on the northern side in the same places 
as before. 



388 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Shortly before midnight the little procession 
began its march. The Moors, who were familiar 
with the way, went first provided with ropes and 
iron braces. At every step the fugitives were 
obliged to feel their way cautiously with the 
handles of their spears, testing the smooth, 
crumbling surface of the rock to try whether 
it would afford a firm foothold. Next followed 
Gibamund and Hilda; the Princess had folded 
Genseric's great banner closely and tied it about 
the pole, which she used as a staff; then came 
Gelimer, behind him Verus and the small remain- 
ing band of Vandals. So they moved for about 
half an hour along the summit of the mountain, 
until they reached the southern side, down which 
the narrow path led. Each step was perilous to 
life ; for they dared not light torches. 

As the little group began the descent, Gelimer 
turned. " Oh, Verus," he whispered, " death may 
be very near to us all. Repeat a prayer — where 
is Verus?" 

" He hastened back some time ago," replied 
Markomer. " He wished to bring a relic he had 
forgot. He bade us go on, saying that he would 
overtake us at the next turn in the road before 
we descended the ravine." 

The King hesitated, and began to murmur the 
Lord's Prayer. 

" Forward ! " whispered Sersaon, the leading 
Moor. " There is no more time to lose. We 



THE SCARLET BANNER 389 

need only pass quickly around the next project- 
ing rock — Ha! Torches, treason ! Back to — " 

He could say no more ; an arrow transfixed his 
throat. Torches glared with a dazzling light 
into the eyes of the fugitives just as they turned 
the jutting clifF. Weapons flashed, and before 
the ranks of the Herulians stood a man holding 
aloft a torch to light the group. 

" There, the second one is the King," he cried. 
" Capture him alive." He took a step forward. 

" Verus ! " shrieked Gelimef, falling back un- 
conscious. Two Vandals caught him and bore 
him up the height. 

" On ! Storm the mountain ! " Fara orderejl 
below. But it was impossible to storm a height 
which could be climbed only by clinging with 
both hands to the perpendicular clifF. Fara him- 
self instantly perceived it when, by the torchlight, 
he beheld the path and saw Gibamund standing 
with levelled spear on the last broader ledge of 
rock which afforded a firm footing. 

" It is a pity ! " he shouted. " But now this 
loophole will henceforth be barred also. Sur- 
render ! " 

" Never 1 " cried Gibamund, hurling his spear. 
The man by Fara's side fell. 

" Shoot ! Quickly ! All at once ! " the Heru- 
lian leader angrily commanded. Behind the 
Herulians were twenty archers, dismounted Huns. 
Their bows twanged ; Gibamund sank silently 



390 THE SCARLET BANNER 

backward. Hilda, with a cry of anguish, caught 
him in her arms. 

But Markomer, raising his lance threateningly, 
already stood in the place of the fallen man. 

" Cease," Fara ordered. " But keep the out- 
let strongly guarded. The priest said that they 
must yield either to-morrow or on the following 
day." 

. • • • 

Gelimer was roused from his unconsciousness 
by Hilda's shriek. 

" Now Gibamund, too, has fallen," he said very 
calmly. " All is over." 

Supported by his spear, he climbed wearily 
back. A few Vandals followed him. He van- 
ished in the darkness of the night. 

Hilda sat silent with the head of her lifeless 
husband in her lap, and the staff of the banner 
resting on her shoulder. She had no tears, but 
groped in the thick gloom for the beloved face. 
At last she heard a Vandal, returning from the 
King, say to Markomer : 

" This was the final blow. To-morrow — I 
am to announce it to the enemy — Gelimer will 
submit." 

Now she sprang up, and asking two of the 
men to help her — she would not release the dear 
head from her clasping hands — carried the dead 
Prince to the top of the mountain. In a little 
grove of pines, just outside the city, a small 



THE SCARLET BANNER 391 

wooden hut had been built which had formerly 
contained stores of every kind. Now it was half 
empty except for a large pile of the wood used 
for fires. In this hut she spent the night and 
the dark morning alone with the dead. When it 
grew light she sought the King, whom she found 
in the basilica on the spot where formerly — the 
remains of some steps showed it — the altar had 
stood. Here Gelimer had placed in a crack be- 
tween two stones a wooden cross, roughly made 
of boughs laid across each other. He lay prone 
on his face before it, clasping the cross with both 
arms. 

" Brother-in-law Gelimer," she said in a curt, 
harsh tone, " is it true ? Do you mean to sur- 
render?" 

He made no reply. 

She shook him by the shoulder. 

" King of the Vandals, do you mean to 
give yourself up as a captive ? " she cried more 
loudly. "They will lead you through the streets 
of Constantinople as a spectacle ! Will you 
shame your people — your dead people — still 
more ? " 

" Vanity," he answered dully. " Vanity speaks 
from your lips ! All that you are thinking is 
sinfiil, vain, arrogant." 

" Why do you do this so suddenly ? You 
have held out for months." 

"Verus!" groaned the King. "God has 



392 THE SCARLET BANNER 

abandoned me ; my guardian spirit has betrayed 
me. I am condemned on earth, and in the world 
beyond the grave. I can do nothing else ! " 

"Yes. Here, Gelimer, here is your sharp 
sword." 

Stooping, she tore it from the sheath which lay 
with the sword-belt at the foot of the steps. 
" * The dead are free * is a good motto." 

But Gelimer shook his head. 

" Vanity. Pride of heart. Pagan sin. I am 
a Christian. I will not kill myself. I will bear 
my cross — as Christ bore His — until I sink 
beneath it." 

Hilda flung the sword clanking at his feet and 
turned from him without a word. 

" Where are you going ? What do you mean 
to do ? " 

" Do you suppose I loved less truly and deeply 
and fervently than that delicate Greek child ? I 
come, my hero and my husband." 

She walked across to a building now turned 
into a stable, the former curia of Medenus, where, 
a short time before, many horses had stamped. 
Only Styx, the stallion, now stood in it. Hilda 
grasped his mane, and the wise, faithful animal 
followed like a lamb. The Princess went with 
the horse to the hut. It hung back a moment 
before following her into the narrow inclosure, 
which was dimly lighted by a pine torch in afi 
iron ring by the door. 



JTHE SCARLET BANNER 393 

\ Come in," Hilda said coaxingly, drawing the 
horie gently after her. " It will be better for 
you too. You will perish miserably. Your 
beauty and your strength have gone. And after 
serving love in that brave ride through the battle, 
the enemy shall not seize you and torment you 
with base labor. What says the ancient song : 

** Heaped high for the hero 
Log on log laid they : 
Slain, his swift steed 
Shared the warrior's death. 
And, gladly, his wife. 
Nay, alas ! his widow. 
Burden of life's weary 
Days sad and desolate 
Would she, the faithful. 
Bear on no farther." 

She led the stallion to the side of the lofty 
pile of wood, where she had laid the beautiful 
corpse, drew Gibamund's sword from its sheath, 
and, searching with her hand for the throbbing 
of the heart, thrust the blade into it with one 
powerful blow. Styx fell lifeless. Hilda threw 
down the blood-stained weapon. 

" Oh, my love ! " she cried. " Oh, my husband, 
my life ! Why did I never tell you how I loved 
you ? Alas ! because I did not know myself — 
until now ! Hear it, oh, hear it, Gibamund, I 
loved you very dearly. I thank you. Friend 
Teja ! Oh, my all, I follow you." 



394 THE SCARLET BANNEF^ 

And now she drew from her girdle the Ifeen 
black dagger. Severing with one cut the (ong 
floating banner from its staff, she spread it over 
the corpse like a pall. It was so wide that it 
covered the whole space beside the body. Then, 
with the blazing torch, she lighted the lowest 
wood, bent over the dead Prince, again kissed the 
pale lips fervently, and seizing the dark wea{)on, 
which flashed brightly in the light of the flames, 
buried it in her brave, proud heart. 

She fell forward on her face over her beloved 
husband, and the fire, crackling and burning, 
seized first the scarlet banner which enfolded the 
young pair. 

The morning breeze blew strongly through 
the half-open door and the chinks between the 
logs — and the bright flames soon blazed high 
above the roof. 



CHAPTER XXI 

Procopius to Cethecus : 

IT is over ! 
Thank God, or whoever else may be 
entided to our gratitude. Three months, 
full of utter weariness, we remained encamped 
before the mountain of defiance. It is March ; 
the nights are still cool, but at noonday the sun 
already burns with scorching heat. An attempted 
flight was baffled by treachery ; Verus, Gelimer's 
chancellor and closest friend, deserves the credit 
of this base deed. Obeying the priest's direc- 
tions we sought the Soloes concealed on the south- 
ern slope who were to accompany the fugitives to 
the sea, but found only the prints of numerous 
hoofs. We blocked the outlet. Then the King 
voluntarily, without any farther trouble, offered 
to surrender. Fara was greatly delighted; he 
would have granted any condition that enabled 
him to deliver the King a captive to Belisarius, 
who was even more impatient for the end of the 
war than we. At the entrance of the ravine, 
which we had never been able to penetrate, I 
received the little band of Vandals — about twenty 
were left. The Moors, too, came down; at 



396 THE SCARLET BANNER 

Gelimer's earnest entreaty, Fara immediately set 
them at liberty. These Vandals — what images 
of misery, famine, privation, sickness, sufFering ! 
I do not understand how they could still hold 
out, still offer resistance. They could scarcely 
carry their arms, and willingly allowed us to take 
them. 

But when I saw and talked with Gelimer — 
crushed though he is now — I realized that this 
man's mind and will could control, fule, support 
others as long as he desired. I have never seen 
any human being like him, — a monk, an en- 
thusiast, and yet a royal hero. 

I entreated Fara to let me shelter him in my 
tent. While we could scarcely restrain the others 
from immoderately greedy indulgence in meats 
and other foods of which they had long been 
deprived, he voluntarily continued the fast so 
long forced upon him. Fara with difficulty in- 
duced him to drink some wine; the Herulian 
probably feared that his prisoner would die on 
the way, before he could deliver him to Beli- 
sarius. For a long time he refused; but when 
I suggested that he was probably seeking death 
in this way, he at once drank the wine and ate 
some bread. 

Long and fully, for nearly half the night, he 
talked with me, full of gentle submission, concern- 
ing his destiny. It is touching, impressive, to 
hear him attribute everything to the providence 



THE SCARLET BANNER 397 

of God. But I cannot always follow his train of 
thought. For instance, I remarked that, after 
holding out so long, the baffled attempt to escape 
had probably caused the sudden resolution to 
surrender. He smiled sadly and replied : " Oh, no. 
Had our flight been frustrated by any other 
reason, I would have held out unto death. But 
Verus, Verus ! " He was silent, then he added : 
" You will not understand it. But now I know 
that God has abandoned me, if He was ever 
with me. Now I know this, too, was sin, was 
hollow vanity, that I loved my people so 
ardently that from pride in the Asding blood, 
in our ancient warlike fame, I would not yield, 
would not surrender. We must love God alone, 
and live only for Heaven ! " 

Just at that moment Fara broke into the tent 
somewhat rudely. 

" You have, not kept your promise. King ! " he 
cried wrathfully. " You agreed to deliver up all 
the weapons and field flags, but the most im- 
portant prize, — Belisarius specially urged me to 
look to it, for he saw it rescued from the battle, 
and I myself noticed it in a woman's hand a 
short time ago, when we made the attack, — King 
Genseric's great banner, is missing. Our people, 
I myself, guided by Vandals, have searched every- 
where on the mountain ; we found nothing except, 
among the ashes of a burned hut, with some 
bones, these gold nails, — the Vandals say they 



398 THE SCARLET BANNER 

belonged to the pole of the banner. Did you 
burn it ? " 

" Oh, no, my Lord, I should not have grudged 
you and Belisarius the bauble; a woman did it — 
Hilda. She killed herself. O God, I beseech 
Thee for her : forgive her ! " And this is nat 
hypocrisy. I hardly understand it. Yet these 
strange events force upon me thoughts which 
usually I would willingly avoid. Whoever has 
once meddled with philosophy — I shun it, but 
carry it ever in my brain — will never again 
escape the questioning concerning the Why ? 

Lucky accidents have always happened in 
the destinies of men ; but whether any enterprise 
has ever been attended with such good fortune 
as ours is doubtful. Belisarius himself marvels. 
Five thousand horsemen, — for our foot-soldiers 
scarcely entered the battle, — strangers who, after 
they were put on shore, had no refuge, no citadel, 
possessed no spot of ground in all Africa except the 
soil on which they stood, did not know where they 
were to lay their heads, — five thousand horse- 
men, in two short conflicts, against ten times their 
number, destroyed the kingdom of the terrible 
Genseric, took his grandson prisoner, seized his 
royal citadel and royal treasures ! It is incom- 
prehensible. If I had not witnessed it myself, I 
would not have believed it. After all, is there a 
God dwelling in the clouds who wonderfully 
guides the destinies of men ? 



THE SCARLET BANNER 399 

9 

Belisarius's generalship, and our brave, battle- 
trained army did much ; something, though not 
a large share, was accomplished, as now appears, 
by Verus's long-planned treachery, carried out 
to the end. Without our knowledge, he has 
corresponded all this time with the Emperor, and 
especially with the Empress. The most was due 
to the degeneracy of the people, except the royal 
House, which lost three men jn the struggle. 
The incomprehensible, contradictory nature of 
this King also contributed to the destruction. 
Yet all these things would not have produced 
the result so speedily, but for the unexampled 
good fortune which has attended us from the 
beginning. 

And this luck — is it blind ? Is it the 
work of God, Who desired to punish the Van- 
dals for the sins of their forefathers and for 
their own ? It may be so. And not without 
reverence do I bow to such a rule. But — and 
here again the mocking doubt which never en- 
tirely deserts me, again rises in my mind — 
then we must say that God is not fastidious in 
His choice of tools, for this Gelimer and his 
brothers are hardly surpassed in virtue by Theo- 
dora, Justinian, Belisarius himself; perhaps, O 
Cethegus, not even by the friend who has 
written you these lines. 



CHAPTER XXII 

THE day after Gelimer's surrender Fara's 
camp was broken up and the train of 
victors and captives began the march to 
Carthage. Couriers were despatched in advance 
to Belisarius. 

At the head rode Fara, Procopius, and the 
other leaders on horses and camels ; in the centre 
were led the captive Vandals, bound, for the 
sake of precaution, hand and foot with chains 
which permitted walking and even riding, but 
not running, and surrounded by foot-soldiers; 
the Hun cavalry formed the rear. So, resting at 
night in tents, they slowly traversed in fourteen 
days the road over which, in their swift pursuit, 
they had gone in eight. 

Verus usually rode alone; he avoided the 
Vandals, and the Byzantines shunned him. 

On the second day after the departure from 
Mount Pappua, — Fara and Procopius were far 
in advance, — at a turn in the road, the priest 
checked his horse and waited. The prisoners 
approached. Many a fettered hand was raised 
against him, many a curse was called down on 
his head ; he neither saw nor heard. At last, 
holding in his manacled right hand a staff that 



THE SCARLET BANNER 401 

extended into a cross, Gelimer tottered forward 
on foot. Verus urged his horse through the 
ranks of the guards, and now rode close beside 
him ; the prisoner looked up. 

"You, Verus!" 

He shuddered. 

"Yes, I, Verus. I waited for you here — 
you and this hour, — this hour which at last has 
come, slowly, lingeringly; this hour for which I 
have wished, longed, labored by prayer, by coun- 
sel and action, for which alone I have lived, suf- 
fered, struggled during years and tens of years." 

" And why, O Verus, why ? What injury have 
I done you ? " 

Verus uttered a shrill laugh, and reined in his 
horse, stopping suddenly, 

Gelimer started. He had rarely seen this man 
smile, never had he heard him laugh aloud. 

"Why? Ha ! ha ! You can still ask ? Why ? 
Because — But to answer this question I should 
have to repeat the whole story of our — the 
Romans', the Catholics' — sufferings from the 
first step which Genseric took upon this soil. 
Why? Because I am the avenger, the requiter 
of the hundred years of crime called ^ the Van- 
dal kingdom in Africa.' Hear it, ye saints in 
Heaven ! This man — he was present when all 
my kindred were horribly murdered, and he asks 
why I have hated and, so far as I had power, de- 
stroyed him and his people ? " 

26 



402 THE SCARLET BANNER 

"I know — " 

" You know nothing ! For you can ask me : 
Why? You know, you mean, of my dying 
mother'is curse. But this you do not know — for 
you had fallen senseless, — that when she hurled 
the curse at you I wrenched myself free from my 
ropes, from my martyr's stake, sprang to her into 
the midst of the flames, clasped her in my arms, 
and wished to die with her. But she thrust me 
back out of the fire, crying : * Live, live and 
avenge me — and all your kindred — and fulfil 
the curse upon that Vandal and all his people ! ' 
Again I pressed forward, clasped the dying 
woman's hand, and swore it. Your warriors tore 
me away from her ; I saw her fall back into the 
flames, and my senses failed. 

" But when I recovered consciousness, I was 
no longer a boy — I was the avenger ! I saw, 
heard, and felt nothing but that last clasp of my 
mother's hand, her glance, and my vow. And I 
abjured my religion — apparently. And you, 
miserable Barbarians, made stupid by arrogance, 
you believed that I had done this from cowardice, 
iFrom fear of torture and the flames ! Oh, how 
often in former years I have felt your silent, 
scarcely-concealed contempt, you foolish simple- 
ton, and borne it with mortal hatred, with a fiiry 
which burned my heart. Arrogant brood of vain 
fools ! Cowardice, fear, to you the most infamous 
of insults, you attributed to me without hesitation. 



THE SCARLET BANNER 403 

Blind fools ! As if I did not suffer more, ten 
times more than death in the flames, during all 
these years, while ruling myself, enduring without 
a word of explanation the scorn of the Cartha- 
ginians, the Catholics, for my apostasy ; stifling 
every emotion of hate and wrath and hope in my 
heart, that you might not perceive them, wearing 
an outward semblance of stone, while my whole 
soul was seething with fury, to serve you, to 
conduct your blasphemous service of God as your 
priest, bearing your insufferable boasting ! For 
you Germans, without boasting aloud (your loud 
braggart is easily endured, we despise him), are 
silent boasters. You walk over the earth as 
if you must constantly crush something; you 
throw back your heads as if you were greeting 
and nodding to your ancestors in heaven: *Yes, 
yes, the world belongs to us ! ' And that you do 
not know and feel it, while you are insulting us 
mortally by such conduct, because it is a matter 
of course — is the most unbearable thing about it. 
Oh, how I hate you ! " He struck with his whip 
at the figure walking by his side, who received 
the blow, but did not seem to feel it. "You 
Barbarians, who, a few generations ago, were cattle- 
thieves on the frontier of our empire, whom we 
slaughtered, enslaved, threw to the beasts by hun- 
dreds of thousands, — naked, starving beggars 
who gratefully picked up the crumbs flung to 
them by Roman generosity, — hence with you 



404 THE SCARLET BANNER 

all, all, you wolves, you bulls, you bears, whom 
only bestial strength and God's permission — as 
a punishment for our sins -:— allowed to break 
into the Roman Empire ! Hence with you ! " 
He again raised his whip to strike, but seeing a 
Herulian warrior's eye fixed threateningly upon 
him, he lowered his arm in embarrassment. 

Gelimer remained silent, except for frequent 
sighs. 

"And your conscience?" he now said very 
gently. "Has it never rebuked you? I — 
since escaping the lion — I have trusted you en- 
tirely, I laid my heart in your hands, you became 
my confessor ; did you feel no shame then ? " 

A scarlet flush dyed the priest's pallid face for 
an instant, but it passed like a flash of lightning. 
The next moment he answered : 

" Yes ! So foolish was my heart — often. 
Especially at first. But," he went on wrathfully, 
" I always conquered this weakness by saying to 
myself whenever I felt it, and your insulting 
arrogance made me feel it daily (oh, that Zazo ! 
I hated him most of all) : They deem you so 
base that, in the presence of the dead bodies of 
all your kindred, you abjured your faith ! These 
insolent, incredibly stupid Barbarians — but it is 
arrogance, even more than stupidity — believe 
that you, you, the son of these parents, could 
really be devoted to them, could forget your 
martyrs, to serve them and their brutal, imperious 



THE SCARLET BANNER 405 

splendor. They think that you can be so in- 
conceivably base ! Avenge yourself, punish them 
for this unbearable presumption ! Oh, hate, too, 
is a joy, the hatred of nation for nation ! And 
so long as a drop of blood flows in the veins of 
other nations, you Germans must be hated, unto 
death, until you are trampled under foot/' 

He dealt a heavy blow with his clenched fist 
upon the uncovered head of the tottering King. 
Gelimer did not look up, did not even start. 

"What threat are you muttering in your 
beard ? " asked Verus, bending toward him. 

" I was only praying, * As we forgive our 
debtors.' But perhaps that, too, is vanity, sin. 
Perhaps — you are not my debtor. Perhaps you 
are really," again he shuddered, " my angel, 
whom God sends, not to protect me, as I sup- 
posed in my vanity, but in punishment." 

" I was not your good angel," laughed the 
other. 

"But — if I may ask — ?" 

" Ask on ! I want to enjoy this hour to the . 
utmost." 

" If you hated me so bitterly, desired to avenge 
your mother on me, why did you carry on this 
game for so many long years ? Often and often, 
— when I lay helpless in the lion's power, you 
might have killed nie, so why — ? " 

" A stupid question ! Have you not under- 
stood even yet? Fool! True, I hated you. 



4o6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

but even more — your nation. To kill you had 
its charm. And I struggled sorely with my hate 
at that time, in order not to kill you instead of 
the lion." 

" I saw that." 

" But I perceived : here, in this man, lives the 
soul of the Vandal people. To raise him to the 
throne, and then rule him, is to rule his people. 
If I should kill him now, I should drive Hilderic 
to a secret treaty with Constantinople. Zazo, 
Gibamund, others, will resist long and bravely. 
But if this man, who, above all, could save his 
people, should become king, and then, as king, be 
in my power, his countrymen will be most surely 
lost. If it should become necessary to kill him, an 
opportunity can probably always be found. Far 
better than to murder him is through him to 
rule — and ruin — the Vandal nation ! " 

Then Gelimer groaned aloud and, staggering, 
involuntarily caught at the horse's neck for sup- 
port. Verus thrust his hand aside ; he stumbled 
and fell on the sand, but instantly rose and pur- 
sued his way. 

"Did the priest strike you. King?" cried the 
Herulian, threateningly. 

" No, my friend." 

But Verus went on : 

" Hilderic must be removed from the throne, 
for he would not implicitly obey my will. He 
demanded all sorts of indulgences for the Vandals, 



THE SCARLET BANNER 407 

and Justinianus was ready to grant them. But 
I desired not only to make Gelimer and his Van- 
dals subjects of the Emperor, — I wanted to 
destroy them. Your rough brother discovered 
my intercourse with Pudentius ; if I had been 
searched at that time, if Pudentius's letter had 
been found, all would have been lost. Instead, 
I gave it to him; I betrayed his hiding-place, 
but I knew he was already outside the walls, 
mounted on my best racer. 

" The King and you both entered the trap of 
my warnings. I rejoiced at your readiness to 
believe in Hilderic's guilt, because you — desired 
it ; because with secret, though repressed eager- 
ness, you longed for the crown. Even though 
you dethroned Hilderic in good faith, how 
alert, how ardent you were to secure the throne ! 
I aided, I saw you strike down poor Hoamer, 
who was perfectly right when he denied Hilde- 
ric's purpose of murder. You called the duel 
a judgment of God, you believed you thereby 
served Heaven's justice, and you served only 
your own lust for power and, through it, me! 
Your passion — stimulated by Satan, not God — 
gave you the impulse, the swift strength of arm, 
to which Hoamer instantly succumbed. It was a 
devil's judgment, a victory of heH, not a decree of 
God. Now I became your chancellor; that is, your 
destroyer. I quarrelled openly with the Emperor; 
I negotiated secretly with the Empress. I sent 



4o8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

your fleet to Sardinia, after learning the day before 
that Belisarius had set sail with his army. After 
the battle of Decimum, I advised you to shut 
yourself with your troops in Carthage. The 
game would then have been over six months 
earlier, but this one move failed, — you would 
not accept my counsel. I was obliged to guard 
against Hilderic's vindicating himself, so I took 
out of the chest before I let Hilderic search it, 
the warning letter, which I had dictated. But 
I could permit no scion of Genseric's race 
to live: Justinian would have received your 
two captives with honors after the victory of 
Belisarius ! I had them killed by my freedman 
and secured his escape. But you — I had long 
reserved it for the hour of your greatest suprem- 
acy, in case of the most extreme peril of our 
plans — you I crushed at the right moment by 
the revelation that you had dethroned Hilderic 
without cause and then murdered him. But my 
mother's curse and my oath would not be fulfilled 
until you walked in chains as Justinian's captive. 
"Therefore, to prevent your escape, I shared 
all the suffering, all the privations, of these last 
three months. Letters from King Theudis, 
directly after the battle of Decimum, had oflFered 
you rescue through the coast tribes by the galleys 
of the Visigoths. You never saw those letters ; 
I suppressed them. Not until deliverance really 
beckoned, when you already stretched your hand 



THE SCARLET BANNER 409 

toward it, did I strip off the mask to destroy you 
utterly. Now I shall see you kiss Justinian's 
feet in the hippodrome at Constantinople; this 
is the final consummation of my mother's curse, 
my oath, and my people's vengeance." 

He ceased, his face glowing, his eyes flashing 
down at the prisoner. 

Gelimer stooped and kissed the shoe in Verus's 
stirrup. 

" I thank you. So you are God's rod which 
struck and felled me. I thank God and you for 
every blow, as I thanked God and you when I 
believed you to be my guardian spirit. And if, 
meanwhile, you have committed any sin against 
me, against my people, — I know not how to 
express it, — may God forgive you, as I do." 



CHAPTER XXIII 

Procopius To Cethegus : 

HE went all the way to Carthage on foot, 
declining horse or camel, remaining 
silent or praying aloud in Latin, no 
longer in the Vandal language. Fara offered 
him suitable garments instead of the worn, half- 
tattered purple mantle which he had on his bare 
body. The captive declined, and asked for a 
penitent's girdle, with sharp points on the inside, 
such as the hermits wear in the desert. We did 
not know how to obtain such crazy gear, and 
Fara probably disapproved the wish, so the 
"Tyrant" himself made one from a cast-off 
horse- bridle which he found and the hard, sharp 
thorns of the desert acacia. Close to the gate 
of his capital, his strength failed, and he fell, face 
downward, in the road. Verus stopped behind 
him, hesitating. I believe he meant to set his 
foot on the King's neck ; but Fara, who probably 
had the same suspicion, roughly pushed the 
priest forward, and raised the monarch with kind 
words. Directly beyond the Numidian gate, 
in the spacious square in the Aklas suburb, 
Belisarius had assembled the larger portion of his 



THE SCARLET BANNER 411 

army, filling three sides; the fourth, facing the 
gate, remained open. Opposite the entrance, on 
a raised seat, the General, in full armor, sat 
throned ; above his head rose the imperial field 
standards; at his feet lay the scarlet flags and 
pennons of the Vandals which we had captured 
by the dozen ; every thousand had them. Only 
the great royal banner was missing ; it was never 
found. Around Belisarius stood the leaders of 
his victorious bands, with many bishops and 
priests, then the Senators, aristocratic citizens of 
Carthage and the other cities, some of whom 
had returned from exile or flight during the past 
few months ; Pudentius of Tripolis and his son 
were among them, rejoicing. To the left of 
Belisarius, on purple coverlets at his feet, lay 
heaped and poured in artistic confusion the royal 
treasure of the Vandals: many chairs of solid 
gold, the chariot of the Vandal Queen, a countless 
multitude of treasures of every description, — how 
the jewels glittered under the radiant African sun, 
— the whole silver table service of the King, 
weighing many thousand pounds, and all the rest 
of the paraphernalia of the royal household, be- 
sides weapons, countless weapons from Genseric's 
armories; old Roman banners, too, which, after 
a captivity of years, were again released; weapons 
enough in the hands of brave men to conquer 
the whole globe; Roman helmets with proudly 
curved crests, German boar and buffalo helmets. 



4ia THE SCARLET BANNER 

Moorish shields covered with panther skins, 
Moorish fillets with waving ostrich plumes, 
breastplates of crocodile skin, — who can enumer- 
ate the motley variety? But at the right of 
Belisarius, with their hands bound behind their 
backs, stood the prisoners of the highest rank, 
men, and also many women, beautiful in face and 
figure, — the whole picture, however, was inclosed, 
as though in an iron frame, by our squadrons 
of horsemen and the dense ranks of our foot- 
soldiers. How the horses neighed; how th^ 
plumes in the helmets waved; how the metal 
clanked and glittered with dazzling brightness ! 
A magnificent spectacle which must fill with 
rapture the heart of every man who did not 
view it as a captive. Behind our warriors 
crowded eagerly the populace of Carth^e, 
taught by many a blow with the handle of a 
spear that it had nothing to say, and bore no 
part in this celebration of its own and Africa's 
deliverance. 

Our little procession stopped within the vaulted 
gateway, awaiting a preconcerted signal. A tuba 
blared ; Fara and I, followed by some subordinate 
officers and thirty Herulians, rode into the square 
to Belisarius's throne. He commanded us to dis- 
mount, rose, embraced and kissed Fara, and hung 
around his neck a jarge gold disk, — the prize 
of victory for bringing as prisoner a crowned 
King. Then he pressed my hand and asked me 



I 



THE SCARLET BANNER 413 

to accompany him in all future campaigns. This 
is the highest reward I could receive, for I love 
this man who has the courage of a lion and the 
heart of a boy ! 

At a signal we took our places on the right 
and left of the throne. Two blasts of the tuba. 
Clad in the richest vestments of the Catholic 
priesthood, — I noticed that even the narrow 
Arian tonsure had been changed to the broader 
Catholic one, — Verus came from the gateway 
into the square, his figure drawn up to its full 
height, his head thrown back proudly. He was 
evidently thinking : " But for me you would not 
be here, you arrogant soldiers." Yet that is by 
no means true ; we really should have conquered 
without him, though more slowly, with more 
difliculty. And in the degree to which it was 
correct — just so far it irritated my friend Bel- 
isarius. His brow contracted, and he scanned 
the approaching priest with a look of contempt 
which the latter could not endure. When he 
bowed h elowered his lashes — arrogantly enough. 
" I have a letter from the Emperor to read to 
you, priest," said Belisarius. He extended his 
hand for a purple papyrus roll, kissed it, and 
began : 

"Mmperator Caesar, Flavius Justinianiis, the 
devout, fortunate, glorious victor and triumphator, 
at all times Augustus, conqueror of the Alemanni, 
Franks, Germans, Antae, Alani, Persians, now 



414 THE SCARLET BANNER 

also the Vandals, Moors, and Africa, to Verus 
the Archdeacon. 

" * You have preferred, instead of dealing with 
me, to conduct a secret correspondence with the 
Empress, my hallowed consort, concerning the 
fall of the Tyrant to be consummated, with God's 
assistance, by our arms. She promised you, if 
we conquered, to ask me for the reward you 
desired. Theodora does not intercede with Jus- 
tinian in vain. After proving that you had only 
apparently adopted the faith of the heretics, 
while in your heart, and also to your Catholic 
confessor, who was authorized to grant you dis- 
pensation for that external semblance of sin, you 
had always been faithful to the true religion, 
you are recognized, having secretly received the 
Catholic consecration, as an orthodox priest. So 
I command Belisarius, immediately on the receipt 
of this letter, to proclaim you at once Catholic 
Bishop of Carthage.' — Hear, all ye Carthagin- 
ians and Romans : in the Emperor's name, I 
proclaim Verus Catholic Bishop of Carthage, and 
will put on the Bishop's mitre and deliver the 
Bishop's staff. Kneel, Bishop." 

Verus hesitated. He seemed to wish to receive 
the gold-embroidered mitre standing; but Beli- 
sarius held it so low, so close to his own 
knees, that the priest could do nothing but sub- 
mit, if the desired ornament and his head were 
to meet. The instant he felt it covered, he 



THE SCARLET BANNER 415 

sprang up again. Belisarius now placed in his 
hand the richly gilded, crooked shepherd's staff. 
Then the Bishop, holding himself haughtily 
erect, was about to move to the right of the 
throne. 

" Stop, Reverend Bishop," cried Belisarius, 
" the Emperor's letter is not yet finished." And 
he read on : 

" * So the desired reward is yours. But 
Theodora, as you have learned, does not intercede 
with Justinian in vain; so I will also fulfil her 
second request. She thinks so bold and so crafty 
a man would be too dangerous in the bishopric 
of Carthage ; you might serve your new master 
as you did the old one. Therefore she entreated 
me to have Belisarius, immediately on receipt 
of this message, seize you,'" — at a sign from 
the General, Fara, with the speed of lightning 
and with evident delight, laid his mailed right 
hand heavily on the shoulder of Verus, whose 
face blanched, — " ^ for you are exiled for life to 
Martyropolis on the Tigris, upon the frontier 
of Persia, as far as possible from Carthage. The 
Empress's confessor, whom she desires to have 
transferred from Constantinople to Carthage, will 
manage the affairs of the bishopric as your Vica- 
rius, with the consent of the Holy Father in 
Rome. There are penal mines in Martyropolis. 
During six hours in the day you will care for the 
souls of the convicts. That you may be better 



4i6 THE SCARLET BANNER 

able to do this, by thoroughly understanding their 
state of feeling, you will, during the other six 
hours, share their labor/ Away with him ! " 

Verus tried to answer, but already the tuba 
blared loudly again, and, before it sounded for the 
third time, six Thracians had hurried the priest 
far away from the square, and disappeared in the 
street leading to the harbor. 

" Now summon Gelimer, the King of the Van- 
dals," said the General, loudly. 

And from the gateway into the square came 
Gelimer, his hands fettered with a chain of gold. 
One of the numerous pointed crowns found in the 
royal treasure had been pressed upon his long 
tangled locks, and over his ragged old purple 
mantle and penitent's girdle was flung a magnifi- 
cent new cloak of the same royal stuff. He had 
submitted to everything unresistingly, motionless 
and silent^ only at first he had objected to the 
crown ; then he said gently, " Be it so — my 
crown of thorns." In the same unresisting, un- 
moved silence he now, like a walking corpse, 
crossed with slow, slow steps the space, — pos- 
sibly three hundred feet, — which separated him 
from Belisarius. While, at the mention of his 
name, a loud whisper, mingled with occasional 
exclamations, had run through the ranks, all the 
many thousands were silent now that they saw 
him: scorn, triumph, curiosity, vindictiveness, 
pity no longer found any expression ; they were 



THE SCARLET BANNER 417 

silenced by the majesty of this spectacle, the 
majesty of utter misery. 

The captive King crossed the square entirely 
alone. No other prisoner, not even a guard or 
warrior accompanied him. He kept his eyes, 
shaded by long lashes, fixed upon the ground; 
they were sunk deep in their sockets ; his pale 
cheeks, too, were deeply sunken ; the thin fingers 
of his right hand were clenched around a small 
wooden cross. Blood — visible when the mantle 
slipped back in walking — was trickling from 
his girdle, down his naked limbs, in slow drops 
upon the white sand of the square. 

All were silent ; a deathlike stillness pervaded 
the wide space; the people held their breath 
until the hapless King stood before Belisarius. 

Deeply moved, the Roman General, too, found 
no words, but kindly extended his right hand to 
the man before him. Gelimer now raised his 
large eyes, saw Belisarius in all the glitter of gold 
and armor, glanced quickly around the three sides 
of the square, beheld the magnificence and pomp 
of warlike splendor, the victors' banners flutter- 
ing high in the air, on the ground the standards 
and sparkling royal treasure of the Vandals. Sud- 
denly — we all started as this corpse burst into such 
wild emotion — he flung both hands, with their 
long gold chain, above his head, clasping them so 
that the metal clashed ; the cross slipped from 

his grasp; he uttered a shrill, terrible laugh. 

27 



4i8 THE SCARLET BANNER 

" Vanity ! All is vanity \ " he shrieked, and 
threw himself prone upon the sand just at the 
feet of Belisarius. 

" Is this illness ?" whispered the General to me. 

" Oh, no," I answered in the same tone. " It 
is despair — or piety. He thinks that life is 
not worth living ; everything human, everything 
earthly, even his people and his kingdom are 
sinful, vain, empty.* Is this the last word of 
Christianity?" 

"No, it is madness ! " cried Belisarius the hero. 
" Up, my brave warriors ! Let the tubas blare 
again, the Roman tubas which echo through the 
world! To the harbor! To the ships! And 
to the triumph — to Constantinople 1 " 



'<7 



F E L I C I T A S 

By FELIX DAHN 

Author of " The Scarlet Banner " 
Translated from the German by Mary J. Safford. $1.50 



It tells of a lovely wife named Felicitas, of her husband* s 
inscription of her name upon the threshold of her home, and 
of the happiness that came to them in spite of Roman wick- 
edness and German invasion. — Boston Journal. 

A charming idyl of the period when the Germans were 
forcing themselves and their ideals upon the Roman Enipire. 
. . . Felix Dahn is perhaps the greatest historical novelist 
of Germany. — The Churchman. 

Care, elevated purity of tone, and just balance distinguish it 
from many hastily thrown off and perfervid romances of the 
day. — Boston Transcript. 

The charm of it lies in this admirable picture of innocence 
and happiness amid the chaos of a fallen civilization. — The 
Independent. 

The book is made in a way that commends it to lovers 
of the beautiful. — Chicago Evening Post. 

The historical accuracy of Professor Dahn's novels is 
unimpeachable. — San Francisco Argonaut. 

The book is dramatic. The author has evidently found 
a new field for historical romance. — Worcester Spy. 



A. C. McCLURG £ff CO., Publishers, Chicago 



A CAPTIVE OF THE 
ROMAN EAGLES 

By FELIX DAHN 

Author of « « Feliciias ' ' 
Translated from th^ German by Mary J. Safford. $1.50 



The story deals with that early period when Roman 
power was feeling the inroads of Christianity, and the Pagan 
Teutons were not yet converted. It has, however, little to 
do with religion and much with conflict. A beautiful Ger- 
man girl captured by the Romans is the heroine. — The \ 
Outlook, \ 

The book is of distinct value, as illuminating for us one 1 

of the many dim paragraphs in the record of the. mighty I 

struggle that Rome waged for centuries with the wild men ] 

of Europe. — Chicago Evening Post, 

At the present day he is con^dered the successor of Ebers \ 

in historical fiction. — Minneapolis Times. 

A book not only worth translating, but worth translating 
well, and its English version, by Mary J. Safford, must be 
well-nigh as satisfactory as the original. — Book Netvs. 

It has the solid ^cellence one finds in the stories of Dahn^s 
compatriot, Ebers. — Neiv Tork Commercial Ad^vertiser, \ 

A high place in the historical fiction of the year belongs j 

to the translation of Felix Dahn's " Bissula." — The 
Churchman. i 

Such fiction is of the highest literary value. It redeems 1 

the appellation << historical novel '''* from execration and ob- \ 

livion. — Louisville Courier-Journal, 

Miss Safford has done her work of translating well. The 
book is published in attractive form, and it is a fine tale.— - 
Boston Times. 

A. C. McCLURG ^ CO., Publishers^ Chicago 






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