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THE 
 
 LAST OF THE VANDALS 
 
 FELIX DAHN 
 
 Author of “Attila the Hun,” “A Struggle for Rome,” 
 etc,, etc. 
 
 Copyright , 1891, by The Minerva Publishing Company 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE MINERVA PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 48 University Place 
 I?9i 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 I. 
 
 TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS OESARIUS FROM A 
 FRIEND. 
 
 To you, rather than to any other man living, I 
 send what I have here written down. Shall I tell 
 you why ? 
 
 Frankly, in the first place, because I do not 
 know just where these lines will find you, and it 
 is probable, therefore, that they will be lost in the 
 sending. Perhaps that might be the best thing 
 that could happen, both for those who would be 
 spared the trouble of reading them, and for my- 
 self, their author. 
 
 If they are destined to go ‘astray, it is at least 
 better that they should be lost somewhere else 
 than at Byzantium. For should they fall here 
 into certain little hands, whose dainty beauty is 
 preserved with exquisite care, those same little 
 
4 the last of the VANDALS . 
 
 hands might make a graceful motion that would 
 cost me my head or some other object to which 
 habit has led me to attach especial value. If, 
 however, I despatch these truthful observations 
 and comments to the West, they cannot so readily 
 come into the clutches of the dangerous fingers 
 which manage to lay hold of every hidden thing 
 in this great metropolis. 
 
 Although I have no means of ascertaining 
 whether you are residing in your house near the 
 Capitol, or whether you are in the service of the 
 queen-regent at Ravenna, I have directed my 
 packet to Rome, for it is towards Rome that my 
 thoughts fly, seeking out Cethegus. 
 
 Do you ask, with your old sarcastic smile, why 
 I write down things which are so dangerous ? 
 
 Well, then, because I must. Induced by fear, 
 I keep praising so many men and so many meas- 
 ures that in my heart I detest, that reproachful 
 conscience compels me, at least in secret, to make 
 an avowal of the truth. 
 
 You think, perhaps, that, as a vent to one’s in- 
 dignation, one might record these matters in their 
 true light, and then fling the pages into the sea. 
 But — and this is the second reason why I send 
 them to you — I am not without vanity. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 5 
 
 I want the cleverest man of my acquaintance 
 to read and commend what I write, and to know 
 that I am not so silly as to consider worthy of 
 admiration all that I publicly praise. I may also 
 wish to use these notes hereafter, when I set forth 
 the true history of the remarkable events which I 
 have witnessed, and those which I am soon likely 
 to witness. Keep these pages, therefore, if they 
 reach you ; they form not so much letters as a 
 sort of chronicle. 
 
 I expect no written answer. Perhaps, however, 
 I shall hear your opinion from your own lips. 
 We have pot seen each other since our school 
 days at Athens. But it may be that before long 
 I shall seek you out in your native Italy. For I 
 cannot help thinking it is only the prelude to the 
 struggle with your rulers, the Ostrogoths— this 
 war that has been determined upon, this very day, 
 against the Vandals. 
 
 There, it is out, the great and fateful secret ! 
 It is a strange thing to see written down distinctly 
 before one a fearful decree of fate, pregnant with 
 blood and misery, an impending catastrophe 
 which its victims do not yet dream of. At such 
 times the statesman may justly feel himself akin 
 to the god who forges the thunderbolt destined 
 
6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 to fall upon a thoughtless and light-hearted peo- 
 ple. 
 
 Feeble, mortal god ! Will thy bolt strike or 
 will it rebound and bring ruin upon thyself? 
 
 The demi-god Justinian and the full-blooded 
 goddess Theodora have fashioned this lightning. 
 The hero Belisarius is to bear it to Africa. War 
 with the Vandals! 
 
 Thus much, Cethegus, you now know, but not 
 yet all — at least not all about the Vandals. 
 
 The Vandals are the cousins of your esteemed 
 masters the Ostrogoths. A hundred years ago 
 they migrated — men, women, and children, to 
 the number of fifty thousand — from Spain to 
 Africa. A terrible king, Geiseric, the fitting ally 
 of the Hun Attila, was at their head. He 
 overthrew the Romans in many battles, cap- 
 tured Carthage, and plundered Rome. He was 
 never defeated. His crown became hereditary in 
 his family, the Asdings, who are supposed to have 
 sprung from the old heathen gods of the Ger- 
 mans, the eldest survivor of the male line always 
 succeeding to the throne. 
 
 But Geiseric’s descendants, while inheriting his 
 sceptre, have not inherited his greatness. 
 
 The Catholics in their kingdom — the Vandals 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 7 
 
 themselves are heretics, Arians — have been perse- 
 cuted with barbarous cruelty. This policy has 
 been more foolish than unjust. Indeed, it can 
 hardly be termed unjust at all; for the Vandals 
 simply turned against the Catholics, the Romans, 
 the very laws which the Roman emperor, in his 
 dominions, had devised and employed against the 
 Arians. But it certainly was very foolish. The 
 few Arians in our territories can accomplish noth- 
 ing against us. But in Africa the Catholics are 
 so numerous that they could themselves almost 
 overturn the Vandal kingdom, if theyshould make 
 the attempt. And to induce them to make it is 
 the object of our proposed expedition. 
 
 Will we conquer? We have much in our 
 favor. King Hilderic lived for a long time in 
 Byzantium, and is said to have become privately 
 a convert to the Catholic faith. This descendant 
 of Geiseric has no liking for war ; besides, he is a 
 friend to Justinian. Then, too, Hilderic struck a 
 terrible blow at the stability of his kingdom when 
 he transformed its strongest support, the friend- 
 ship of the Ostrogoths in Italy, into deadliest 
 enmity. The shrewd old Ostrogoth Theodoric, 
 at Ravenna, formed a close alliance with the 
 Vandal King Thrasamund, Hilderic’s predecessor 
 
8 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 on the throne, giving him his beautiful and 
 talented sister Amalafrida in marriage, and add- 
 ing to the treasures of her dowry the promontory 
 of Lilybseum in Sicily. The possession of this 
 place, which, as you know, lies directly opposite 
 to Carthage, was a most valuable acquisition for 
 the Vandal kingdom. As an aid against the 
 Moors — and perhaps, too, against us — Theodoric 
 sent also a thousand picked Gothic warriors, 
 each of whom took with him five stout men-at- 
 arms as a following. Scarcely had Hilderic be- 
 come king when the widow Amalafrida was 
 accused of treason and threatened with death. 
 
 Now if this treason was not a thing devised by 
 Justinian and Theodora, I sadly misjudge my wor- 
 shipful masters. I saw the smile with which they 
 greeted the news from Carthage. It was the 
 triumph of the bird-catcher who has sprung his 
 trap upon the unsuspecting bird. 
 
 Amalafrida’s Goths succeeded in setting her 
 free, and accompanied her flight when she en- 
 deavored to seek protection among the Moors. 
 But on the way they were overtaken by a largely 
 superior force of Vandals under the two nephews 
 of the king. The faithful Goths fought until 
 they fell, man by man, almost the whole six thou- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 9 
 
 Sand. The queen herself was recaptured and 
 murdered in prison. Since then bitter hatred 
 has existed between the two nations. The Goths 
 took back Lilybaeum, and from its lofty head- 
 lands cast revengeful glances towards offending 
 Carthage. This is the only important act of 
 regal authority that has marked King Hilderic’s 
 reign. Since then he has recognized the fact that 
 it would be better for his people to accept our 
 protection. But he is growing old, and his 
 cousin Gelimer — unfortunately the legitimate 
 heir to his throne — is our most bitter enemy. 
 
 It would never do for him to become king at 
 Carthage. He is the shield and hero, aye, the 
 soul of the Vandal power. It was he who finally 
 subdued those wild sons of the desert, the Moors, 
 after they had repeatedly proved themselves an 
 overmatch for the feeble successors of Geiseric. 
 With regard to this Gelimer — it is not possible 
 from the conflicting reports we receive to gauge 
 the man with any accuracy. Can a German 
 really present such contradictory traits in his life 
 and character ? What are the men of that race, 
 with all their six or seven foot stature, but boys 
 — giants with the souls of children ? What other 
 
10 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 aim in life have they except fighting and drink- 
 ing? But this Gelimer— well, we shall see. 
 
 As to the Vandal people themselves* there are 
 in circulation here two diametrically different 
 estimates. 
 
 According to the one, they are fearful adversa- 
 ries in battle, as Geiseric’s Vandals unquestion- 
 ably were. 
 
 Other accounts state that in the course of three 
 generations under the hot African sun they have 
 become effeminate and degenerated, — a result 
 which has been helped forward not a little by 
 their association with our own provincials there ; 
 for these are, as you doubtless know, the most 
 disreputable and corrupt rabble that ever dis- 
 graced the Roman name. 
 
 Our Belisarius naturally looks with contempt 
 upon this enemy, as he does upon all others with 
 whom he is acquainted and — unacquainted. 
 
 The imperial gods have entrusted to me the 
 secret correspondence which shall secure in ad- 
 vance a successful issue. 
 
 Even now I am awaiting important news from 
 many chieftains of the Moors; from the Vandal 
 governor of Sardinia ; from your Ostrogoth rulers 
 in Sicily ; from the richest and most influential 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 II 
 
 Senator in Tripolis — yes, difficult as it may be to 
 believe it, from one of the highest functionaries 
 of the heretic church itself. 
 
 This last will be a master-stroke. True, he 
 is not a Vandal, but a Roman ; but all the same, 
 an Arian priest in alliance with us ! 
 
 For this, however, I am inclined to concede the 
 credit to our sovereigns. You know how bluntly 
 I refuse to acknowledge their superiority in the 
 internal regulation of our empire ; but when it 
 comes to the highest “ statesmanship,” that is, to 
 win over traitors in the confidential councils of 
 other monarchs and to outwit in subtlety the 
 craftiest, then I bend my knee in wondering 
 admiration before these two divinities of cun- 
 ning. If only — 
 
 A note from Belisarius summons me to the 
 palace : 
 
 “ Bad news from Africa . The war is again 
 very doubtful . The apparent traitors there have 
 betrayed, not the Vandals, but Justinian . This 
 comes from such deceitful artifices . Help, advise 
 us ! Belisarius.” 
 
 How? I thought that the secret letters from 
 Africa were to come, by the hands of disguised 
 messengers, to me alone, and then through me to 
 the emperor. That was his express command — 
 I read it myself. And now there are still more 
 
12 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 secret despatches, of which I learn only by acci- 
 dent, and not until after they have been re- 
 ceived. 
 
 This is your work, O Demonodora ! 
 
 II. 
 
 The Carthage of the Vandals was still a proud 
 and splendid city, still the brilliant “ Colonia 
 Julia Carthago” which Augustus had built, in 
 accordance with the plan of the great Caesar, on 
 the spot where stood the ruins of the ancient 
 city destroyed by Scipio. 
 
 True, it was not, as it had been a century ear- 
 lier, after Rome and Byzantium the most popu- 
 lous city of the empire. But in its buildings and 
 its outward appearance generally it had suffered 
 but little; only the walls with which it had been 
 fortified against Geiseric had been broken down in 
 many places by the assaults of the Vandals, and 
 had not been fully restored — a sign, either of 
 arrogant security or of neglectful indolence. 
 
 The old citadel, the Phoenician Byrsa, now 
 called the Capitol, still looked down upon the blue 
 Mediterranean and the harbor, doubly fortified 
 by towers and iron chains. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VAXDALS. 
 
 13 
 
 In the open squares and in the broad streets of 
 the upper city stirred and lounged a multitude o^ 
 idle people. They occupied the steps of the 
 Christian churches, most of which had been trans- 
 formed from heathen temples; they thronged about 
 the amphitheatre and the porticos of the baths, 
 with their garden-like grounds adorned with beds 
 of flowers and groups of palms, kept fresh and 
 green by water conveyed from a distance on the 
 lofty arches supporting an aqueduct. The lower 
 city, situated in the vicinity of the sea, was in- 
 habited chiefly by the poorer class of citi- 
 zens, many of them laborers about the port. It 
 was filled with warehouses and stores for supply- 
 ing the wants of ships and sailors, and was trav- 
 ersed by narrow streets, running from south to 
 north, from the upper city to the harbor. 
 
 The most extensive open space in the lower 
 city was the Forum of St. Cyprian, where stood a 
 magnificent church, dedicated to this greatest of 
 the saints of Africa. 
 
 The church filled the entire southern side of the 
 square. On the northern side a flight of marble 
 steps led down to the harbor, where still rise the im- 
 posing ruins of the old sea-gate. Towards the west 
 ran a broad street to the suburb Atlas and the 
 J^umidian gate, while on the southeast a tolerably 
 
14 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 steep road ascended to the upper city and the 
 Capitol. 
 
 On a warm afternoon in June, in the year A.D. 
 534, a throng of people were streaming into the 
 great square before the church from the direction 
 of the west gate. There were Romans and pro- 
 vincials, Carthaginian citizens of the middle and 
 poorer classes, mechanics and shopkeepers, freed- 
 men and slaves, whom idleness permitted or 
 curiosity impelled to witness a spectacle of more 
 than ordinary interest. There were also Vandals 
 among the number, men, women, and children, 
 who in appearanee formed a sharp contrast to the 
 people of the other nationalities by their red or 
 light-colored hair and by the whiteness of their 
 complexion, although this in some cases had been 
 bronzed by the African sun. In dress, however, 
 there was little difference observable between 
 them and the Romans. Among the lower classes 
 there were also some of mixed blood, mostly 
 those whose fathers had been Vandals and their 
 mothers Carthaginians. Here and there, too, 
 might be seen a Moor, who had come from the 
 verge of the desert to dispose of ivory, ostrich- 
 feathers, antelope-horns, and the skins of lions 
 and tigers. 
 
 Among the noisy and rejoicing crowd not a 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 15 
 
 Roman of the better class was to be seen. A 
 Catholic priest, who on his way to a dying man 
 had not been able to avoid this square, slipped 
 timidly into the first side street he reached, fear, 
 displeasure, and abhorrence all portrayed on his 
 pale countenance. 
 
 For the clamorous crowd were celebrating a 
 victory of the Vandals. 
 
 In front of the returning troops marched a 
 dense mass of the Carthaginian populace, utter- 
 ing loud shouts, and from time to time halting to 
 look back ; others thrust themselves forward, beg- 
 ging and seeking gifts from the Vandal soldiers. 
 They were all mounted, and, for the most part, 
 on remarkably fine horses, obtained by crossing 
 the highly-prized stock which they had brought 
 from Spain with the existing native breed. 
 
 The afternoon sunshine came streaming through 
 the wide-open western gate and was dazzlingly 
 reflected from the white sand of the “ Numidian 
 Way” and the white houses that lined its course. 
 In such a light the approaching squadrons could 
 not fail to present a brilliant appearance. For 
 rich, rich to excess, was the display of gold and 
 silver on their helmets and shields, on their 
 breastplates, on the broad circlets they wore on 
 
1 6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 their bare arms, on their scabbards and sword- 
 handles, on the fastenings which bound together 
 spear-point and shaft, and in inlaid work even on 
 the spear-shafts themselves. 
 
 In the trappings of the horses, as well as in 
 the dress and decorations of the riders, the most 
 glaring colors were everywhere the most favored. 
 Scarlet, the national color of the Vandals, pre- 
 dominated. It shone in all its brightness from 
 the long, fluttering mantles of the troopers; from 
 the broad pieces of silk, which fell down behind 
 from their helmets upon the neck and shoulders, 
 as a protection against the sun of the desert; from 
 the richly painted, gilded quivers, and from the 
 saddles and bridles of the horses. Among the 
 skins which the beasts of the African solitudes 
 afforded in rich variety, preference was given to 
 those of the antelope, the spotted leopard, and 
 the striped tiger, while above the helmets of the 
 •riders nodded and waved the bright red feathers 
 of the flamingo or the white plumage of the 
 ostrich. 
 
 The close of the procession was formed by 
 some captured camels, laden with weapons taken 
 in war. Beside these came on foot about a hun- 
 dred Moorish prisoners, both men and women, their 
 
*7 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 hands bound behind their backs. They were clad 
 in mantles with brown and white stripes, but their 
 heads and feet were bare. Like the camels, they 
 were driven along by their guards by blows and 
 thrusts with the shafts of their spears. 
 
 Upon the steps of the basilica and upon the 
 wall that surrounded the steps leading to the har- 
 bor the pageant-loving populace had seized upon 
 every available foot of room, for from these elevat- 
 ed positions they could best look upon the brill- 
 iant procession without danger from the spirited 
 horses. 
 
 “ Who is the young man yonder, the one with 
 the fair complexion, friend Eugenes ?” asked a 
 man in the prime of life, pointing over the para- 
 pet behind which he stood. The speaker from 
 his dress and appearance was evidently a sailor, 
 and his question was addressed to a gray-haired 
 man at his side. 
 
 “ Which one do you mean, friend Hegelochos? 
 Almost all of them have a fair complexion.” 
 
 “ Is that a fact ? Well, it is the first time I have 
 ever been among the Vandals. Our ship came to 
 anchor only a few hours ago. So you will have to 
 point out and explain to me whatever there is to 
 be seen. I mean the one yonder on the white 
 
1 8 THE LAST OF THE VAN£>ALS. 
 
 horse- — the one who carries the small red banner 
 with the golden dragon.” 
 
 a Oh, that is Gibamund, * the handsomest of the 
 Vandals,’ as the women call him. See how he 
 fixes his gaze on the arched windows of the royal 
 palace up there on the Capitol ! Among the many 
 faces which look down from yonder palace, there 
 is only one he seeks.” 
 
 “ But ” — and the speaker started in surprise— 
 “ who is that at his right — the one on the cream- 
 colored horse? I was actually startled when his 
 eye fell upon me. He looks like the young man, 
 except that he is much older.” 
 
 “ That is his brother, that is Gelimer. God 
 bless him !” 
 
 “ Oh, here, then, is the hero of the day ? I 
 have often heard of him in Syracuse. He, I sup- 
 pose, is the conqueror of the Moors?” 
 
 “ Yes, he has beaten them again, the trouble- 
 some rascals, as he has often done before. Do 
 you hear the Carthaginians cheer him? We citi- 
 zens also have to thank him because he drives 
 yonder robbers back to their desert, away from 
 our villas and fields.” 
 
 “ He is, I should say, about fifty years old. His 
 hair is quite gray.” 
 
19 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ He is not yet forty.” 
 
 “ Look, Eugenes ! He has sprung from his 
 horse. What is he doing?” 
 
 “ Did you not see ? A child, a Roman boy, who 
 attempted to run across before his horse, fell. 
 Gelimer has picked him up and holds the boy in 
 his arms.” 
 
 “ He is looking whether the child is injured.” 
 “ It is not hurt. It smiles at him and tries to 
 grasp the golden chain around his neck.” 
 
 “ He has taken off the chain and placed it in 
 the little one’s hands. And now he kisses him — 
 he puts him back into his mother’s arms.” 
 
 “ Hark, how the people shout! Now he has 
 sprung again into the saddle.” 
 
 “ He evidently understands how to gain popu- 
 larity.” 
 
 “ You do him injustice. He follows the dictates 
 of his own heart. He would have acted just the 
 same, had there been no one to observe him. 
 Besides, he does not need to court the favor of the 
 people ; he has long possessed it.” 
 
 “ Among the Vandals !” 
 
 “ Yes, and among the Romans; that is, among 
 us of the middle and poorer classes. The sena- 
 tors, indeed, so far as any* of them still live in 
 
20 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Africa, hate all that bears the name of Vandal; 
 and they have good grounds for it too. But Gel- 
 imer has a heart that feels for us ; he helps us 
 where he can, and often holds in check the nobles 
 of his race, who are almost without exception ar- 
 rogant, wanton, and terrible in the fury of their 
 rage. Before all others I have reason to thank 
 him, to thank him with my whole heart.” 
 
 “You? Why?” 
 
 “You remember my daughter, Eugenia, whom 
 you saw before we left the house ?” 
 
 “ Certainly. Into what a lovely, graceful maid- 
 en the delicate child that you brought with you 
 has grown !” 
 
 “ I owe to Gelimer her life, her honor. Thra- 
 saric, the giant, the most unruly of all these nobles, 
 seized her as she was walking beside me, here upon 
 the open street, in broad daylight, and with an 
 insolent laugh bore away the screaming girl in his 
 arms. I could not follow , as quickly as he ran, 
 when fortunately Gelimer came up, attracted by 
 our cries, and when the savage refused to give up 
 his prey, struck the giant down with a blow of 
 his fist and gave* me back my terrified child.” 
 
 “ And the abductor ?” 
 
 “ He got up, shook himself, laughed, and said to 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 21 
 
 Gelimer: ‘You have done right, Asding. And 
 your fist gives a stout blow/ And since then — ” 
 
 “Well? You hesitate/' 
 
 “Yes, just think of it: since then the Vandal, 
 who could not win her by force, has become a 
 modest suitor for my daughter’s hand ! The rich- 
 est noble among his people wishes to be my son- 
 in-law.” 
 
 “ Well, now, that would not be a bad provision 
 for her.” 
 
 “ Princess Hilda, the noble patroness of my 
 child, who often invites her to the Capitol and 
 richly rewards the little one for her tasteful em- 
 broidery — ‘Princess Hilda speaks in his behalf. 
 But I — I hesitate ; at least I will not use my au- 
 thority over my child, and Eugenia — ” 
 
 “ What does the little one say ?” 
 
 “ Well, the barbarian is as handsome as a pict- 
 ure. I almost believe — I fear — he pleases her. But 
 something holds her back. Who is it can read a 
 woman’s heart ? But see ! the leaders of the 
 troops, among them Gelimer, are dismounting in 
 front of the basilica.” 
 
 “ Strange ! He is the one who is honored. His 
 name resounds over the whole broad place : and 
 
22 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 yet he looks so solemn, one might almost say, so 
 mournful.” 
 
 “ Yes, at present. But you saw the kindly look 
 on his countenance when he comforted the fright- 
 ened child.” 
 
 “ Of course I saw it. And now — ” 
 
 “ Yes, there is something that weighs upon him. 
 It comes over him suddenly, like a dark cloud. 
 Among the people there are all sorts of rumors. 
 He has a demon in him, say some; his mind is at 
 times unbalanced, is the opinion of others ; while 
 our priests hint that he suffers from the torments 
 of conscience on account of secret crimes. But 
 that I will never believe about Gelimer.” 
 
 “ Was he always so ?” 
 
 “ It has been more marked for the last two or 
 three years. Satan — may the holy St. Cyprian 
 protect us ! — is said to have appeared to him in 
 the solitude of the desert. Since then he has be- 
 come more devout than before. Look ! His most 
 intimate friend is greeting him at the church.” 
 
 “ The priest yonder? He is an Arian. I know 
 .it by the style of his tonsure.” 
 
 “Aye,” replied the Carthaginian, angrily. “ Verus 
 is the arch-deacon. Accursed traitor !” And he 
 clinched both his fists. 
 
The last of the vandals. 23 
 
 “ Traitor! Why?" 
 
 “ Apostate at least, if not traitor. He descends 
 from an old Roman senatorial family, which gave 
 many a bishop to the church. His great-uncle 
 was Bishop Laetus, who met a martyr’s death. His 
 father, his mother, his brothers and sisters, iil the 
 reign of a former king all died by the most featful 
 tortures rather than renounce the holy Catholic 
 faith. This one, too, — he was at the time about 
 twenty years old, — was stretched on the rack until 
 he was nearly dead. When he came to his senses 
 again he abjured the true faith, became an Arian, 
 a priest — the wretch ! — in order to save his life. 
 And soon — for Satan has endowed him with great 
 gifts — he rose from step to step, became the favor- 
 ite of the Asdings and the court, and all at once 
 the friend of the noble Gelimer, who for a long 
 time had treated him with coldness and contempt. 
 And they gave him this church, our holiest sanc- 
 tuary, consecrated to the great St. Cyprian. For 
 the heretics took it from us, as they did almost all 
 our churches in Carthage.” 
 
 “ But what are they doing there? Gelimer is 
 kneeling down on the topmost step of the church. 
 He has taken off his helmet.” 
 
24 the last of The VANDALS. 
 
 “ He is strewing the dust of the marble ste A 
 upon his head.” 
 
 “ What was that he kissed ? The priest's hand ?” 
 “ No ; the box containing the ashes of the great 
 protecting saint. He is very pious and very 
 self-abasing. He shuts himself up for days at a 
 time with the monks who are doing penance, in 
 order to mortify the flesh.” 
 
 “A peculiar hero for a barbarian race!” 
 
 “ The hero’s blood shows itself fast enough in 
 the heat of battle. There, he is rising. Do you 
 see how his helmet is hacked by recent blows ? 
 And one of the black vulture’s wings on its crest 
 is actually cut through. — But the strangest thing 
 about this warrior is his interest in manuscripts ; 
 he delves deep in mystic lore ; he has listened to 
 the philosophers at Athens. He is a theologian 
 and—” 
 
 “ A performer on the lyre besides, it appears.” 
 
 “ That is a harp, as they term it.” 
 
 “Listen : he strikes the strings. He is singing; 
 I cannot understand the words.” 
 
 “They are in the Vandal tongue.” 
 
 “ He has finished. How his followers applaud! 
 They clash their spears on their shields. Now he 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 25 
 
 is descending the steps again. How? Without 
 going into the church, as the others did?” 
 
 “ Oh yes, I remember. He is bound by a vow 
 not to cross the threshold of the saints for three 
 days after he has shed blood. Now the horsemen 
 have all mounted again.” 
 
 “ But where are the foot-soldiers ?” 
 
 “ They have none, — or at least very few. They 
 have become not only so proud, but also so lazy 
 and effeminate, that they despise service on foot. 
 Only the very poorest, the very lowest in station, 
 can be induced to undertake it^ The mass of 
 their infantry consists of Moorish mercenaries, 
 enlisted for each campaign among the friendly 
 Moorish tribes.” 
 
 “Yes, yes. In fact I see some Moors over 
 there among the soldiers.” 
 
 “ They are men from the Papuan mountains. 
 Gelimer gained them over. For a long time they 
 had been plundering our borders, when Gelimer 
 fell upon their camp and captured the three 
 daughters of their chief, Antallas. They were 
 sent back without ransom. Then Antallas invited 
 the Asding to his tent to thank him, and there 
 they became bound to each other by the guest- 
 rite, the most sacred bond among the Moors, 
 
26 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 Since then they have rendered Gelimer faithful 
 service, even against other Moors. But the pro- 
 cession is now at an end, the ranks are breaking. 
 The leaders are going to the Capitol to make their 
 report to King Hilderic and to deliver over the 
 booty. See, the people are dispersing. Let us 
 go, too. Return with me to my house. We shall 
 find Eugenia has our supper waiting for us. Come 
 along, Hegelochos. ,, 
 
 * I follow you, most hospitable of hosts. I 
 shall be a burden upon you for some time, I fear. 
 My business with the grain-merchants cannot be 
 hurried.” 
 
 “ Why are you waiting? At what are you look- 
 ing back?” 
 
 “ I’m coming. I wanted to take just one more 
 look at the face of this Gelimer. I can’t help 
 thinking of him and his striking countenance, es- 
 pecially after the strange account you have given 
 of him.” 
 
 “ It is just so with most people. He is a riddle, 
 incomprehensible, governed by a familiar spirit, 
 as the Greeks say. But let us go. This way ! To 
 the left — down the steps.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 2 ; 
 
 III. 
 
 High above on the Capitol stood the royal pal- 
 ace of the Asdings. It was not a single structure, 
 but a group of buildings. 
 
 Originally laid out as an acropolis, a fortress for 
 the domination of the lower city and for afford- 
 ing an outlook across both harbors to the sea be- 
 yond, the place had been but little changed by 
 Geiseric and his successors. The palace was in- 
 tended to remain a stronghold and to keep the 
 Carthaginians in subjection. 
 
 A narrow road led up from the port and termi- 
 nated at a gate in the wall of the fortress. 
 Through this gate a passage was afforded into a 
 quadrangular enclosure surrounded on all sides by 
 the buildings pertaining to the palace. The north 
 side, towards the sea, was taken up by the 
 residence in which the monarch himself and his 
 family lived. The cellars of this building ran 
 deep down into the rocks of the citadel ; they had 
 often served as prisons, especially for political 
 offenders. 
 
28 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VA NDALS. 
 
 To the east of the royal residence, and sepa- 
 rated from it only by a narrow intervening space, 
 was the “ house of the princes/' and opposite this 
 the arsenal. The south side, facing towards the 
 upper city, was closed by the fortress wall with its 
 gate and tower. 
 
 On the ground-floor of the house of the princes 
 was a richly-adorned, pillared hall. In its midst, 
 on a table of citron-wood stood a tall, bronze, 
 richly-gilded wine-jar, and beside it were several 
 cups of various patterns. The jar contained a dark 
 red wine, whose strong fragrance pervaded the 
 room. 
 
 Not far from the table was a couch, upon which 
 a zebra-skin was spread. 
 
 Here sat, locked in a close embrace, “the hand- 
 somest of the Vandals" and a young woman of 
 not less striking beauty. 
 
 The Vandal had laid aside his helmet, adorned 
 with the silvery feathers of the white heron ; his 
 blond locks, of a darker shade than usual with the 
 men of his race, hung down upon his shoulders 
 and mingled with the golden hair of the young 
 woman, who was zealously employed in loosening 
 the heavy breastplate he wore. A moment later 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 29 
 
 it slipped clattering down beside the helmet and 
 sword-belt on the marble floor of the hall. 
 
 Then with her soft hands she brushed back the 
 locks of hair that had thrust themselves forward 
 upon his temples, and feeding, as it were, upon 
 the look of love in his noble countenance, she 
 gazed with rapturous delight into his eyes. 
 
 “ At last I have you again. I hold you in my 
 arms,” she said in a low, thrilling voice. 
 
 “ Oh, you sweetest of all women !” he cried, as 
 he clasped her to his heart and covered her eyes 
 and cheeks and her trembling lips with passionate 
 kisses. “ O Hilda, my happiness, my wife ! How 
 I have longed for you — by day, by night, at every 
 moment of my long absence !” 
 
 “ It has been almost forty days,” she sighed. 
 “Fully forty, and, indeed, it seemed far more.” 
 “Oh, but it was much easier for you! You 
 were with your brother, with your comrades, 
 busily occupied all the time and fighting bravely 
 in the enemy’s land. But I— I had to sit here 
 among the women, to sit and weave and wait in 
 inactivity. Oh, that I could go with you ! That 
 I could dash forward at your side on a fiery steed, 
 and fight and at last fall with you ! After a hero’s 
 life a heroic death !” 
 
30 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 She sprang up ; her light gray eyes flashed forth 
 a wonderful light ; she tossed back on her neck her 
 waving hair, and uplifted her arms in the fervor 
 of her enthusiasm. 
 
 Her husband gently drew her down again beside 
 him. 
 
 “ My noble-souled wife, my Hilda,” said he with 
 a smile, “ with prophetic insight your ancestor 
 named you after the glorious leader of the Valky- 
 rias. How I thank him, good old Hildebrand, the 
 great Gothic king’s master of arms! For with 
 the Valkyr’s name her nature also became yours. 
 And his care and culture nobly developed it.” 
 
 Hilda nodded : “ My parents died early and I 
 scarcely knew them. As far back as I can remem- 
 ber I was under the protection and care of the old 
 hero. In the palace at Ravenna he kept me jeal- 
 ously secluded in his own apartments, away from 
 the pious sisters and the monks who educated my 
 youthful companions. I grew up in company w r ith 
 his other ward, the dark-haired, orphaned Teia. 
 It was Teia who taught me to play upon the harp, 
 to cast the spear, and to catch it with the shield. 
 And later when the king, and still more his learned 
 daughter Amalaswintha, insisted that I should 
 take lessons from women and priests, how cross 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 3 * 
 
 and out of humor was my great-grandfather, as, 
 scolding all the time, he questioned me in the 
 evening in regard to what the nuns had taught 
 me during the day ! When I had recited the 
 Latin sayings and songs, perhaps the ‘ Deus pater 
 ingenite’ or the ‘ Salve sancta parens’ of Sedulius 
 — I remember scarcely anything more of them 
 now except the first lines,” laughed she merrily — 
 “ then he was wont to shake his massive head, 
 scold a little in his long white beard, and cry : 
 ‘ Come, Hilda! Into the open air! Out upon the 
 sea! There I will tell you of the old gods and the 
 old heroes of our people.’ Then he took me far 
 out from the populous port to the solitude of a 
 small, uninhabited island, over which the screeching 
 sea-gulls circle, and where the wild swan builds her 
 nest in the sea-reeds. There we sat upon the sand, 
 and, while the waves dashed their white foam close 
 up to our feet, he told his story. And how he 
 told it, good old Hildebrand ! My eyes fairly 
 hung upon his lips, as, with both elbows propped 
 upon his knees, I gazed up into his face. How 
 his eye, that was as gray as the sea itself, sparkled, 
 how his white hair fluttered in the evening wind ! 
 His voice trembled with enthusiasm, he no longer 
 knew where he was, he saw all that he was saying, 
 
3 * 
 
 THE LAST OF TILE VANDALS 
 
 or, in moments of still loftier inspiration, chanting. 
 And when he had come to an end, he awoke as 
 from some dream-fought battle, sprang to his feet 
 and laughed contentedly, as he passed his hand 
 over my head : ‘ There ! there ! Now I have 
 blown away again from your soul the saints, with 
 their stupid, sickly meekness, as the north wind 
 sweeps through the open church-windows the 
 heavy incense-vapor/ But the saints had not at 
 any time secured a very firm lodgment,” she 
 added with a laugh. 
 
 “ And so you grew up,” said her husband, raising 
 his hands in assumed horror, “as Gelimer com- 
 plains, half a heathen. But,” he added in a changed 
 tone, “ wholly a heroine, who believes in nothing 
 so sacredly as in the glory of her people.” 
 
 “And in your glory — and in your love!” she 
 said in a low, impassioned tone and kissed him 
 on the forehead. “ Yet it is true,” she continued, 
 “ that if you Vandals were not of the same great 
 race as my Goths, I do not know whether I should 
 have loved you — yet could I have helped it ?— 
 when you came, sent by your brother Gelimer to 
 woo me. As it was, to see you and to love you 
 was the same thing. It is to Gelimer I owe my 
 husband and all my happiness. I will always 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 33 
 
 remember that, and it shall bind me to him, 
 although,” she added, slowly and thoughtfully, 
 “ there are many things which tend strongly to 
 repel me from him.” 
 
 “ My brother wished by this marnage to lessen 
 the hostility, to bridge the chasm which, since 
 that bloody deed of Hilderic’s, has separated the 
 two kingdoms. He did not succeed. He was 
 able to unite only us, not our people. He is full 
 of heavy cares and gloomy thoughts.” 
 
 “ I often think that he is sick with some vital 
 sickness,” said she, musingly, with a shake of her 
 head. 
 
 “ He? The brawniest hero in our army ? Why, 
 he alone- — my brother Zaro scarce can do it any 
 more — can bend my outstretched sword-arm.” 
 
 “ Not sick in body — sick in soul, I mean. But 
 hush! there he comes. See how sad, how gloomy ! 
 Is that the brow, is that the countenance of a 
 conqueror?” 
 
34 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 IV. 
 
 In the colonnade leading from the interior of 
 the building to the arched doorway of the hall 
 was now visible a tall figure, that slowly ap- 
 proached. 
 
 The man who had entered was without helmet, 
 breastplate, or sword-belt ; he was dressed in close- 
 fitting, dark gray attire, without any touch of 
 color, and absolutely without adornment." 
 
 Several times he paused in his slow advance, 
 absorbed in brooding thought, his hands crossed 
 behind his back, his head bent slightly forward, as 
 if weighed down by the burden of what he was 
 considering. His lofty brow was deeply furrowed, 
 and amid the light brown color of his hair and 
 beard was a plentiful mixture of gray, affording 
 a peculiar contrast to his otherwise still youthful 
 appearance. His eyes were steadily fixed upon 
 the ground, so that their color and expression could 
 not at the moment be determined. He stopped 
 again under the arch of the entrance-door, and a 
 sigh escaped him. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 35 
 
 u Hail, Gelimer, victorious hero !” exclaimed 
 the young woman in a cordial, joyous voice. 
 “ Receive what I prepared for you when your re- 
 turn was announced for to-day.” 
 
 So saying, she took from the table a wreath of 
 freshly picked laurel, and held it up as if to place 
 it on his he'ad. 
 
 But with a motion of his hand, gentle, but very 
 expressive, he waved her back. 
 
 “ Not garlands belong upon the head of the sin- 
 ner,” he said, in intense but half-suppressed tones, 
 “ but ashes — ashes !” 
 
 Sadly and with an aggrieved air Hilda laid the 
 wreath down. 
 
 “ Sinner ?” exclaimed her husband, indignantly. 
 “ Well, I suppose we are all sinners— in the eyes 
 of the saints. But you certainly less than any of 
 the rest. Are we on this account never more to 
 rejoice?” # 
 
 “ Let him rejoice who can.” 
 
 “ Oh, brother, you can also. When the spirit 
 of the hero comes upon you, when you are borne 
 along in the wild cavalry-charge, I have heard 
 your exulting shout, and my own heart has leaped 
 in sympathy with your joy, as you dashed for- 
 ward in advance of us all into the very midst of 
 
36 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 the Moorish lancers. I seem still to hear your 
 cry of triumph as you wrested the banner from 
 their standard-bearer, whom you had hurled from 
 his horse by the shock of your onset.” 
 
 “ Yes, yes, that was a glorious moment,” ex- 
 claimed Gelimer, suddenly lifting his head, while 
 his magnificent hazel eyes flashed with enthusi- 
 asm. “ Was not that a splendid horse I rode? 
 He sweeps everything before him, as if Victory 
 itself were his rider.” 
 
 “ So it is when he carries Gelimer,” called forth 
 a clear voice from one side, and a boy, whose feat- 
 ures closely resembled those of Gibamund and 
 Gelimer, sprang over the threshold and hastened 
 towards the latter with outstretched arms. 
 
 “ O brother, how I love you ! And how I envy 
 you ! But the next time you go to hunt the 
 Moors you must — you must, I say — take me with 
 you. If you do not, I shall go against your will.” 
 
 And he threw his arms around his brother's 
 neck. 
 
 “ Ammata, my brother, the jewel of my heart !” 
 exclaimed Gelimer, as he affectionately stroked 
 the boy's long golden-blond locks. “ I have 
 brought you a milk-white pony — one swift as the 
 wind — from the booty. I thought of you at once 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 37 
 
 when it was led before me. And you, fair sister- 
 in-law, forgive me. I fear I was discourteous just 
 now. My soul was full of gloomy cares, for I 
 came — ” 
 
 “ From the king,” broke in a deep, powerful 
 voice, as a man in full armor entered the room. 
 His great resemblance to the others proclaimed 
 him at once to be the fourth brother. 
 
 Features elongated, but thoroughly noble, a 
 sharp, but well-formed nose, a broad forehead, 
 and flashing hazel eyes, sunk almost too deep 
 beneath high-arching brows, were characteristics 
 common to all these royal Asdings of the race of 
 the sun-god Freyr. Gelirner's glance, however, 
 was usually that of a man absorbed in a revery 
 or perplexed by doubt, but if his countenance 
 suddenly lighted with the glow of enthusiasm or 
 anger, then its fiery power became almost start- 
 ling. 
 
 The man who had just entered was somewhat 
 shorter than Gelimer,, but much broader in chest 
 and limbs. The powerful muscles of his neck 
 supported a head borne haughtily erect and cov- 
 ered with short, brown, curling hair. The natu- 
 ral flush of health that colored his cheeks was now 
 deepened by violent anger. Although only a year 
 
38 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 younger than Gelimer, he seemed like a high- 
 spirited youth in comparison with the man who 
 had aged so much beyond his years. 
 
 Every movement bespoke his displeasure and 
 indignation as he strode up to the table and flung 
 upon it his heavy helmet, adorned with the crooked 
 horns of the African buffalo, with such force that 
 the wine spurted out of the cups. 
 
 “ From Hilderic,” repeated he, “ the most un- 
 grateful of men. What was the hero’s reward for 
 his new victory? Mistrust, fear to awaken jeal- 
 ousy in Byzantium. The coward ! Fair sister-in- 
 law, you have more heroism in your little finger 
 than this king of the Vandals in his sword-arm 
 and heart. Give me a cup of Grassiker to wash 
 down my anger.” 
 
 Hilda sprang nimbly up, poured out the wine 
 and handed him the goblet. “ Drink, valiant 
 Zaro! Hail to you and to all heroes, and—” 
 
 “ To the devil with Hilderic !” shouted the an- 
 gry Zaro, as he emptied the deep goblet at one 
 draught. 
 
 “ Be still, brother ! What blasphemy !” said 
 Gelimer, reproachfully, as his countenance 
 clouded. 
 
 “ Well, for all I care, to heaven with him, then 1 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 39 
 
 He is better fitted for it than for the sea-king 
 Geiseric’s throne.’' 
 
 “ You could give him no higher praise.” 
 
 “ I did not mean it so. As. I stood by when he 
 gave you that ungracious answer, I could have— 
 But the time for scolding has passed ; now we 
 must act. For good reasons I remained this time 
 at home, hard as it was to see you set out alone 
 to victory. But I have kept a sharp watch on 
 this fox in purple, and I have found out his crafty 
 tricks. Send away this love-sick pair, — I suppose 
 they have a thousand things to say to each other; 
 for, you know, they have been married only a 
 year. Send away Ammata too, and hear my re* 
 port, my accusation, not only against the king, 
 but against others.” 
 
 Gibamund placed his arm tenderly around the 
 slender waist of his wife, while the young Am* 
 rnata ran before them out of the hall 
 
 V, 
 
 GELIMER let himself sink down upon the couch, 
 while Zaro, coming straight before him and lean- 
 ing upon the handle of his long sword, spoke : 
 
40 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 “ Soon after you departed to the war, Pudentius 
 came from Tripolis to Carthage.” 
 
 “ So soon again ?” 
 
 “ Yes; he is no stranger nowadays at the pal- 
 ace. For hours at a time he confers in private 
 with the king ; or with Euages and Hoamer, the 
 king’s arrogant nephews ai.d our worthy cousins. 
 The latter, boastful fool, cannot keep silent after 
 drinking. Pie has babbled in his cups.” 
 
 “ Surely not to you?” 
 
 “ No; but to the ruddy-faced Thrasaric.” 
 
 “ The roisterer !” 
 
 “ I say nothing in praise of his manners,” 
 laughed Zaro. “ Although he has grown much 
 tamer since he became a modest suitor for the 
 hand of the pretty Eugenia. However he is no liar. 
 And he would give his life for the Vandal people, 
 especially for you, whom he calls his preceptor. 
 You began his education, I believe, by knocking 
 him down. * In the Grove of Venus — ” 
 
 “ Of the Holy Virgin, you mean to say,” inter- 
 rupted Gelimer, rebukingly. 
 
 “ Well, if it suits you better. But she will de- 
 rive little honor from the name as long as the 0 
 place preserves its old customs. But to my story. 
 At a feast in the sheli-grotto of the Grove, Thrasa- 
 ric praised you, and expressed the opinion that 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 41 
 
 you will revive the military glory of the Van- 
 dals when you become king. Then Hoamer cried 
 out angrily: ‘Never! never will that happen! 
 Byzantium has forbidden it. Gelimer is an ene- 
 my to the emperor. If my uncle dies, I shall be 
 the king. Or else the emperor will appoint Pu- 
 dentius as regent. It is so determined upon be- 
 tween us.’ ** 
 
 “ He was simply talking in his drunkenness/* 
 
 “ There is truth in wine, the Romans say. Then 
 Pudentius came to the grotto. ‘ Ha! * the drunken 
 man cried out to him, ‘that last letter of yours 
 from the emperor was worth money. Just wait till 
 I am king, and I will reward you for it : you shall 
 be the emperor’s exarch in Tripolis.* Pudentius 
 was terribly frightened, and signalled to him to be 
 silent, but he continued : ‘ No, no; that shall be 
 your well-deserved reward.* All this was related to 
 me by Thrasaric, who came rushing from the feast 
 in furious anger. But wait ; there is still more. 
 This Pudentius — do you consider him our friend ?** 
 
 “ Oh no,** said Gelimer with a sigh. “ His pa- 
 rents, his grandparents, were cruelly put to death 
 by our kings for remaining true to their faith. 
 How could the son, the grandson, love us?** 
 
 Here Zaro stepped close to his brother’s side, 
 placed his heavy hand on his shoulder, and said 
 
42 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 slowly: “And Verus? Ought he to love us? 
 Have you forgotten how his whole family — ” 
 
 An expression of the deepest grief came over 
 Gelimer's face, as he shook his head. “ I — forget 
 that? I?” 
 
 He shuddered and closed his eyes. But in a 
 moment, shaking off by a powerful effort his som- 
 bre thoughts, he said impatiently: “Still your 
 
 old deep-rooted delusion ! Still this mistrust of 
 the most faithful of all those who love me ! ” 
 
 “Oh, brother ! But I do not reproach you for 
 it. Your mind, in other respects so clear, is blind 
 in regard to this priest. It is as if some miracle 
 had been worked.” 
 
 “ A miracle has been worked,” interrupted Gel- 
 imer, deeply moved, and with a pious glance to- 
 wards heaven. 
 
 “ What then do you say to this : that Pudentius, 
 whom you also distrust, has been admitted secretly 
 into the city at night — and by whom ? By Verus, 
 your bosom-friend !” 
 
 “ That is not true.” 
 
 “ I saw it. I will swear to it to the priest’s face. 
 Would he were here now !” 
 
 “ He is not far away. He was the first of you 
 all to greet me on my entrance — he was most anx- 
 ious, he said, to see me ; he must confer with me 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 43 
 
 at once. I requested him to come here, where 
 he would find me as soon as I should be dismissed 
 by the king. And see ! There he comes along 
 the colonnade.” 
 
 VI. 
 
 The tall, lank priest who with slow step now 
 entered the hall was a man a few years older than 
 Gelimer. The garb he wore was of a dark-brown 
 color and fell in folds, mantle-like, from his broad 
 shoulders. His figure denoted sinewy strength, 
 and his striking face, whose features were too 
 .sharply cut to be handsome, possessed an individ- 
 uality which, if once noticed, could not readily be 
 forgotten. His eyes were dark and penetrating, 
 the brows above them full, black, and arching ; but 
 the power of these eyes was seldom revealed, 
 for their glance was directed habitually towards 
 the ground. An aquiline nose, thin, firmly-closed 
 lips, deeply-sunken cheeks, a sallow complexion, 
 with the color of dull yellow marble, all combined 
 to render this expressive countenance one of no or- 
 dinary character. His lips, chin, and cheeks were 
 smoothly shaven, His hair was black, but was 
 
44 THE last of the VANDALS' 
 
 much more abundantly sprinkled with gray than 
 his age seemed to require. 
 
 Every movement that he made was deliberate 
 and thoroughly controlled, revealing clearly the 
 years of patiently practised self-restraint which 
 had enabled this impenetrable man to obtain the 
 mastery over himself and others. 
 
 His voice was low, with a timbre of deep weari- 
 ness or melancholy, although there were times 
 when the listener was tempted to suspect that its 
 real quality was carefully disguised. So, too, in 
 rare moments, when the downcast eyes lifted, 
 their depths revealed, not the humility and peace 
 which the priestly garb and vocation indicated, 
 but a fiery fervor of intense passion. As a rule, 
 however, nothing that was passing in the secret 
 thoughts of the man caused any change in his out- 
 ward expression, except that, occasionally, the 
 sharply-cut lips, however firmly they might be 
 pressed together, betrayed by an involuntary 
 twitching that this stiff, corpse-like countenance 
 was not the mask of a dead soul. 
 
 * Gelimer sprang up and hastened towards the en- 
 trance as soon as he perceived the priest.^ The 
 latter stood motionless, his arms hanging limp at 
 his sides, while the Vandal pressed him affection* 
 ately to his breast. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 45 
 
 “ Verus, my Verus I” he exclaimed. “ My guar- 
 dian-spirit ! And it is you — you ! — upon whom 
 they seek to cast suspicion ? Assuredly, brother, 
 the stars will sooner fall from God’s fixed order 
 in the heavens than this man will swerve from his 
 fidelity.” 
 
 So saying, he kissed the cheek of the priest, who 
 made no movement to return either the embrace 
 or the greeting. Angrily Zaro observed the two. 
 
 “ He has more warmth of feeling, more love,” 
 he muttered, “ for this Roman, this foreigner, 
 than for — Speak, priest ; can ycru deny that last 
 Sunday — it was past midnight — Pudentius — Ah, 
 your lip is twitching now ! — Pudentius of Tripolis 
 was secretly let in by you at the postern of the 
 east gate, and conducted to your house beside 
 the church ? Speak ! What say you ?” 
 
 Gelimer had now stepped aside. Slightly smil- 
 ing he shook his head, and his eyes rested, full of 
 trust, upon the countenance of his friend. 
 
 Verus was silent. 
 
 “ Speak,” reitated Zaro. “ Deny it, if you dare. 
 You little supposed that I was observing you from 
 the tower above, after I had dismissed the night- 
 watch. For a long time I have mistrusted the 
 warden of the gate, who was formerly a slave of 
 Pudentius ; it was you who purchased and liber- 
 
4-6 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 ated him. Do you see, brother? He is silent. I 
 will arrest him at once. We will search his hous^ 
 his secret cabinets, the altars and sarcophagi 
 his church, aye, his very clothes, for the t reache 
 ous correspondence we shall surely find.” 
 
 Here the priest’s dark eyes flashed a startle 
 look upon the speaker, then they cast.a quick, fur- 
 tive glance towards Gelimer and again fixed them- 
 selves tranquilly upon the ground. 
 
 “ Do you still deny it ?” 
 
 “ No.” The word was barely audible as it came 
 from his lips, which seemed scarcely to open as 
 they gave it utterance. 
 
 “ Do you hear that, brother?” 
 
 Gelimer moved quickly a step nearer to Verus. 
 “ It was on this account,” said the priest, calmly, 
 “ that I asked for an immediate interview, for the 
 purpose of disclosing this very thing.” 
 
 “ Now I call that presence of mind!” said Zaro, 
 with a loud laugh. “ But how will you prove 
 what you assert ?” 
 
 “ I have brought the proof with me,” continued 
 Verus, still turned towards Gelimer and paying no 
 attention to Zaro’s interruption, “ that Pudentius 
 is a traitor. Here is the evidence.” 
 
 He slowly opened his mantle, felt in the folds 
 
47 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 of the tunic that covered his breast, and, after 
 some search, drew forth a small, rumpled piece of 
 papyrus. He handed it to Gelimer, who hastily 
 unfolded it and read : 
 
 “ In spite of your warning the matter is settled. 
 Belisarius is perhaps already on the way . Give 
 this to the king,” 
 
 Both Vandals started in sudden affright. 
 
 “This letter ?” Gelimer asked. 
 
 “ Was written by Pudentius.” 
 
 “To whom ?” 
 
 ‘‘To me.” 
 
 “ Do you hear, brother ?” cried Zaro. “ He has 
 betrayed — ” 
 
 “The traitors,” said Verus, finishing the sen- 
 tence. “ Yes, Gelimer, I have acted, while you 
 were brooding in doubt and despair, and while 
 this valiant dullard slept or — blustered. You re- 
 member that I warned you long ago that the king 
 and his nephews were in negotiation with Byzan- 
 tium?” 
 
 “Did he do that, really, brother?” asked Zaro, 
 with surprise. 
 
 “ Long ago. And repeatedly.” 
 
 The look of astonishment on Zaro’s face was 
 mingled with incredulity. But with a toss of his 
 
48 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 head he said: “ Forgive me, then, priest, if I — if 
 I really did you injustice.” 
 
 “ Pudentius,” continued Verus, without replying 
 to Zaro, “ was, as I conjectured, the intermediary. 
 I gained his confidence.” 
 
 “ That is, you deceived him — as perhaps you 
 are now deceiving us,” suggested Zaro. 
 
 “ Be still, brother,” commanded Gelimer, au- 
 thoritatively. 
 
 “ It was not difficult to convince him. By your 
 kings my family, like his own — ” He did not 
 finish the sentence, but began again after a sec- 
 ond’s pause : “ I complained of what I had suf- 
 fered ; I found fault with your cruelty.” 
 
 “And with justice. Alas for us, with justice!” 
 lamented Gelimer, striking his forehead with his 
 clinched fist. 
 
 “ I said my friendship for you is not so strong 
 as my avenging hate on account of — of those 
 whom I have lost. Then he disclosed his secret 
 plans. I was startled. For truly, if God had not 
 by a miracle blinded his suspicions, the kingdom 
 of the Vandals would have been irreparably lost. 
 I warned him — in order to gain time until you 
 should return, I warned him of the terrible re- 
 venge that you would take upon all the Romans, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 49 
 
 when the uprising should be suppressed. He hesi- 
 tated, and finally promised to weigh the matter 
 carefully again and to negotiate still further with 
 the king. This note, brought to me to-day in the 
 basilica by an unknown person, contains his de- 
 cision. Act quickly. Otherwise it may be too 
 late.” 
 
 Incapable of speech, Gelimer gazed straight be- 
 fore him. Zaro’s hand sought his sword. With 
 an impetuous movement he turned to leave the 
 room. 
 
 “ Whither now?” said the priest very softly, as 
 he grasped Zaro’s arm. So firm, so powerful was 
 the grasp that the Vandal could itot shake it off. 
 
 “ Whither? To the king. To cut down the 
 traitor and his allies. Then to call together the 
 army and — ‘ Long live King Gelimer ! ’ ” 
 
 “ Madman !” cried Gelimer in affright, as if de- 
 tected in his most secret wishes, “remain here. 
 Will you heap upon the sins which already burden 
 the Vandal people, and especially our house, the 
 added crime of the dethronement and murder of 
 the king, our kinsman ? Where is the proof of 
 Hilderic’s guilt ? Was not my long-cherished sus- 
 picion merely the fruit — or the pretext — of my 
 own impatient desire for the crown? Pudentius 
 
50 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 may be lying, or at least exaggerating. Where is 
 the proof that treason is intended ?" 
 
 “Will you wait until it has succeeded ?" asked 
 the indignant Zaro. 
 
 •<‘No; but I will not punish it until the proof is 
 clear." 
 
 “ It is thus a Christian speaks," said the priest. 
 
 But the evidence must be quickly obtained ; we 
 must have it to-day. I have ground for believing 
 that Pudentius is still concealed in the city." 
 
 “We must have him!" cried Zaro. “Where is 
 he? With the king?" 
 
 “ They do not plot so openly. He visits the 
 palace secretly at night. But I know his hiding- 
 place ; it is in the Grove of the Holy Virgin, at 
 the warm baths." 
 
 “ Send me, brother — at once !" 
 
 “ Go, then," nodded Gelimer. 
 
 “ But do not slay him," the priest called after 
 the departing Zaro. 
 
 “ No ; by all the saints, we must have him alive !" 
 exclaimed Zaro, as he disappeared through the 
 doorway. 
 
 “ Oh, Verus," cried Gelimer, deeply moved, “ my 
 most faithful friend ! Am I to be permitted to 
 thank you for the saving of my people, as well as 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 5 1 
 
 for the life you once rescued from a fearfuPdeath ?” 
 And he sought to take the hand of the priest. 
 
 But the latter drew it back. 
 
 “It is God whom you have to thank for yo, 
 own, for your people's fate, not me. I am bf 
 the involuntary instrument of his will, since I have 
 assumed this priestly garb. But listen : only to 
 you dare I entrust the full details — your hot-headed 
 brother, in his blind fury, would ruin everything. 
 Your life is threatened. That, I know, does not 
 alarm the hero; but you must be preserved now 
 for your people's sake. Fall, if you must, in the van 
 of your army, by the sword of Belisarius, but you 
 shall not die a miserable death by assassina- 
 tion.” 
 
 “Assassination? Who would attempt — ” 
 
 “ The king. There is no room for doubt. Pu- 
 dentius confessed it. His nephews have overcome 
 his scruples. They know that as long as you live 
 their plans miscarry. They will never permit you 
 to become king of the Vandals." 
 
 Here a quick, stolen glance flashed from the 
 dark eyes, but they sank again at once to the 
 ground. 
 
 “ That remains to be seen !” exclaimed Gelimer, 
 hotly. “ I will be king, and woe — ” He broke off 
 
52 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 abruptly and his breath came in quick gasps. 
 After a pause he asked humbly and with a falter- 
 ing voice : “ Is this desire a sin. my brother ?” 
 
 The priest answered quietly: “ You have a right 
 to the crown. Should you die, then Hoamer, as 
 the eldest of the male line after yourself, would 
 succeed Hilderic, in accordance with Geiseric’s law 
 of succession. Consequently they have persuaded 
 the king to invite you — you alone — on the day of 
 your return to a secret conference in the palace, 
 and there to murder you.” 
 
 “ Impossible, my friend. I have already been 
 before the king. He received me ungraciously, 
 but,” he said with a smile, “you see that I still 
 live.” 
 
 “ When in the king’s presence you were accom- 
 panied by the captains of your army. But take 
 heed, if he should summon you again to-day — and 
 alone.” 
 
 “ That would, indeed, be suspicious. We finished 
 all that required discussion.” 
 
 At this very moment steps were heard in the 
 passage outside. A negro slave entered and 
 handed Gelimer a letter. “ From the king,” he 
 said, and withdrew. 
 
 The Vandal hastily tore open the fastening of 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, S3 
 
 the wax tablets, glanced over the contents, and 
 turned pale. 
 
 “ You see — ” 
 
 “ No ! no! I will not believe it. It may be a 
 mere coincidence. Hilderic is weak, he hates me 
 — but he is not an assassin/’ 
 
 “ So much the better, if Pudentius was lying. 
 But it is a friend’s duty to warn you. Do not go.” 
 “I must. Shall I be moved by fear? Does 
 my Verus so misjudge me ?” 
 
 “ Then go not alone. Take Zaro with you — o t 
 Gibamund.” 
 
 “ Impossible! Contrary to the king’s command ? 
 And only unarmed is it permitted to enter the 
 royal presence, when summoned to a secret coun- 
 cil.” 
 
 “ At least wear — under your clothing — the coat- 
 of-mail which will protect you against a dagger- 
 thrust. And your short sword — can you not con- 
 ceal it in your sleeve or girdle ?” 
 
 “ My over-anxious friend !” said Gelimer, smil- 
 ing. “ Solely out of regard for you, I will put on 
 the concealed coat of mail.” 
 
 “That is not enough. However, on reflection, 
 there will be some way to help you in case of 
 need. Yes, that will suffice,” 
 
54 the last of the vandals. 
 
 “ What is it you purpose doing ?” 
 
 “ Hush! I will pray that what is in my thoughts 
 may find fulfilment. And you, too, my brother, 
 pray. For you, and all of us, stand face to face 
 
 with perils, whose outcome God only 99 He 
 
 stopped suddenly, raised both his hands to his 
 head, and with a hoarse cry fell over upon the 
 couch. 
 
 “Oh, Verus!” cried Gelimer. “He has 
 swooned.” And he plunged his hand into the 
 water of the mixing-jug and sprinkled the face of 
 the unconscious man. Slowly the priest opened 
 his eyes and with an effort rose from the couch. 
 
 “No matter! It has passed. The anxiety of 
 this hour was perhaps — too great. I am going- 
 no, I do not need support — to the basilica— to 
 pray. Send Zaro thither, as soon as he returns — - 
 send him before you go to the king. Do you hear? 
 And may the God of heaven grant my fervent 
 wish !” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 55 
 
 > 
 
 VlL 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM A FRIEND; 
 
 The war against the Vandals has been given 
 up. And from what deplorable reasons I 
 
 You know that I consider it much wiser that 
 our sovereign should give attention to the internal 
 affairs of our own empire than to the barbarians. 
 For as long as this unendurable taxation and 
 abuse of office continues in the Romaic realm, so 
 long will every new conquest, every increase in 
 the number of our subjects, only augment the list 
 of the unfortunate. 
 
 If, however, we desire to win back the African 
 provinces, we surely ought not to abandon so glo- 
 rious an enterprise — out of pure cowardice. 
 
 There the abominable word stands, plainly writ- 
 ten ! — and, unfortunately, it speaks the truth. 
 
 The cowardice of whom? Not of the Empress 
 Theodora. Cowardice is not a weakness of this 
 dainty, delicate woman. Two years ago when the 
 fearful sedition "of the green and the blue swept 
 
56 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 resistlessly from the circus over the entire city, 
 when Justinian despaired and was about to flee, it 
 was Theodora’s courage that kept him in the palace, 
 and the faithfulness of Belisarius that saved him. 
 Nor does the reproach this time lie against the 
 emperor. It is the army, and especially the fleet, 
 that must bear the stigma. 
 
 It is true Justinian’s zeal has perceptibly cooled 
 since the clever plan miscarried to destroy Geiser- 
 ic’s kingdom almost without war, purely through 
 “ artifice,” or treachery, as ordinary people would 
 be apt to term it. King Hilderic, at a time agreed 
 upon, was to send his entire army to the south for 
 a great campaign against the Moors ; then our 
 fleet was to sail into the undefended harbor of 
 Carthage, land the army, occupy the port, and 
 proclaim Hilderic, Hoamer, and a senator of Tripo- 
 lis the three governors for Justinian in the recover- 
 ed province of Africa. But we crafty schemers 
 were outwitted by one still more crafty. Our 
 friend from Tppolis writes that he has been deceiv- 
 ed in that Arian priest whom he supposed he had 
 won over; that the priest in the beginning seemed 
 favorably disposed, but afterwards began to waver 
 and to discourage the enterprise, if, indeed, he did 
 not betray the whole matter to the Vandals. The 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 57 
 
 only course left was to make an open attack. This 
 naturally commended itself to Belisarius, but not 
 to the emperor. He hesitated. 
 
 Meanwhile — God only knows how ! — the news 
 of the coming Vandal war spread through the 
 court and the city, among the army and the fleet, 
 and — oh, shame and disgrace ! — anxiety and fear 
 seized, not only the soldiers and sailors, but even 
 the commandersiand the highest dignitaries of the 
 state. For all thought of the last great campaign 
 against these dreaded enemies, undertaken two 
 generations ago, in the time of the Emperor Leo, 
 with all the might of our realm. At the same 
 time the Emperor of the West attacked the Van- 
 dals in Sardinia and Tripolis. A hundred and 
 thirty thousand pounds of gold were spent. Ba- 
 silikos, the emperor’s brother-in-law, led a fleet of 
 a thousand ships and an army of a hundred thou- 
 sand men to the shores of Carthage. In one night 
 all was lost. At the same hour Geiseric fell with 
 his fire-ships upon our crowded triremes off the 
 promontory of Mercury, and his fierce horsemen 
 stormed the Roman camp on the shore. In fire 
 and blood fleet and army went to a common ruin. 
 And now the praetorian prefect and the imperial 
 treasurer lament : 
 
 ■“It will happen just as before. The last solidi 
 
58 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS \ 
 
 of the almost empty chests will be sunk in the 
 sea.” 
 
 And the generals of the army— except Beli- 
 sarius and Narses— what heroes ! Each one fears 
 that the emperor will select him. And how can 
 he, granting that he overcomes his terror of the 
 sea, effect a landing on a hostile coast in the face 
 of the dreaded Germans? The soldiers, moreover, 
 who have just returned from the Persian war, have 
 scarcely yet tasted the pleasures of idleness. They 
 throng mutinously all the streets, complaining 
 that, having just come back from the most distant 
 east, they are now to be sent to the remotest west, 
 to the Pillars of Hercules, to fight against Moors 
 and Vandals. They have had no experience in 
 naval warfare, they were not enrolled for it and 
 are not obligated to undertake it. At the same 
 time the praetorian prefect has represented to the 
 emperor that to march by land from Egypt to 
 Carthage would require one hundred and fifty 
 days, while the invincible fleet of the Vandals 
 would effectually block the passage by sea. Do 
 not stir up, ” he said warningly, “ this African 
 wasps’ nest. If you do, their pirate ships will 
 plunder our coasts and .islands again as they did 
 in the days of Geiseric.” The prefect’s advice 
 prevailed, and the emperor has abandoned the 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, $9 
 
 undertaking. You may fancy how our angry 
 hero Belisarius grumbles and scolds. 
 
 Theodora, too, is angry, but she says nothing. 
 She desired this war most eagerly. I am cer- 
 tainly not her favorite ; I am far too independent, 
 too much the thinker of my own thoughts — and 
 my conscience reproaches me often enough on 
 account of my lack of sincerity. Now she has the 
 best possible — that is to say, the best disciplined — 
 conscience. It never bites any more ; its teeth, I 
 suppose, have long ago been worn off. But even I 
 have repeatedly received the dainty little papy- 
 rus-rolls, with the flaming scorpion on the seal, 
 which are accustomed to convey her secret com- 
 mands, and in these notes I have been urgently 
 advised to manifest a zeal for war, if I do not wish 
 entirely to lose her good-will. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 SINCE I wrote the above, a few days ago, impor- 
 tant news has reached us from Africa. 
 
 Mighty changes have occurred there, changes 
 which may compel the wavering emperor to un- 
 dertake the war. That which our statesmanship 
 
60 THE LAST OF TEE VANDALS, 
 
 was most zealously endeavoring to prevent for the 
 future has, in spite of our efforts, perhaps indeed 
 because of them, already taken place : Gelimer is 
 king of the Vandals. 
 
 The archdeacon Verus — for now we can call 
 things by their right names — was really plotting 
 against us, not for us. He betrayed everything to 
 Gelimer. Pudentius of Tripolis, who was secretly 
 staying in Carthage, was to be seized. Verus dis- 
 closed his place of concealment. Although in this 
 connection it is somewhat remarkable that a few 
 minutes previously Pudentius made his escape 
 from Carthage, mounted on the priest’s best 
 horse. 
 
 On the same day, in the royal palace, a mys- 
 terious affair occurred, of which only the result is 
 clear, for Gelimer is king of the Vandals. What 
 actually took place and the reasons for it are vari- 
 ously stated. Some say that Gelimer attempted 
 to murder the king, others that the king sought 
 to take Gelimer’s life. Still others whisper 
 — so writes Pudentius — about a secret warning 
 given to the king. Some unknown person had 
 revealed to him by letter that Gelimer would at- 
 tempt to poniard him at their next private inter- 
 view. In order to bring the crime home to 
 the would-be assassin, the king was advised 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 6 1 
 
 to summon him to such an interview. The 
 murderer would either, on account of a guilty 
 conscience, refuse to come, or, in defiance of 
 the stringent regulations of the court, would be 
 provided with defensive armor and a concealed 
 weapon. Hilderic, therefore, should equip him- 
 self with a coat-of-mail and a dagger, and should 
 have assistance within call. This advice the king 
 followed. 
 
 It is certain that he invited Gelimer that even- 
 ing to a conference in his sleeping-room, on the 
 ground-floor of the palace. Gelimer came. The 
 king embraced him, discovered the coat-of-mail 
 under his clothing, and called for help. From a 
 side chamber rushed the king’s nephews, Hoamer 
 and Euages, with drawn swords, to slay the mur- 
 derer. But at the same time there sprang through 
 the windows, from the garden, two of Gelimer’s 
 brothers, whom Verus had concealed among the 
 bushes. The king and Euages were disarmed 
 and made prisoners. Hoamer escaped and sum- 
 moned the Vandals whom he met to arms to free 
 their king, who had been murderously assailed by 
 Gelimer. The barbarians hesitated, for Hilderic 
 was but little loved, while Gelimer was held in high 
 honor and considered incapable of such a crime. 
 And now Gelimer came up, gave the lie to his ac- 
 
62 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 cuser, charged Hilderic and his nephews with 
 attempted murder, and to decide, the matter* 
 challenged Hoamer to mortal combat before all 
 the people, and struck him dead at the first blow. 
 The Vandals shouted their approval, pronounced 
 forthwith in a tumultuous assemblage the deposi- 
 tion of Hilderic, and hailed Gelimer, the lawful 
 successor, as king. Scarcely could the new mon- 
 arch’s intercession save the lives of the two cap- 
 tives. 
 
 With regard to Verus, it is said that he has 
 been raised to the office of chancellor, and ap- 
 pointed Gelimer’s chief adviser. What think you 
 of that? We who have been betrayed know 
 through what services the priest has deserved such 
 a reward — at our cost. 
 
 But my conjecture is that this change of the 
 crown will certainly bring with it war. For Jus- 
 tinian is now bound in honor to rescue or to avenge 
 his dethroned and imprisoned friend. I have 
 already composed a masterly letter to this “ tyrant” 
 Gelimer, the ending of which reads : “ Contrary to 
 right and your duty you hold your cousin, the 
 lawful king of the Vandals, in chains, and, a 
 usurper, you deprive him of his crown. Unless 
 you replace him on the throne, we shall take the 
 field against you. And in so doing” — this sen- 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA JVDALS. 63 
 
 tence was dictated to me word for word by the 
 emperor — “ in so doing we shall not break the per- 
 petual peace formerly concluded with Geiseric, for 
 we shall not fight against Geiseric’s legitimate 
 successor, but rather to avenge him.” You notice 
 the juridical subtlety. The emperor prides him- 
 self more upon this sentence than Belisarius upon 
 his great victory over the Persians at Dara. 
 
 If this Gelimer should really do what we de- 
 mand; we avengers of the right would find our- 
 selves in an abominable entanglement. For we 
 want this war. We desired to acquire Africa long 
 before this crime took place, which we are setting 
 out to avenge — provided, of course, from motives 
 of economy and prudence, we do not decide to re- 
 main quietly at home. 
 
 ******** 
 
 Now we have the answer of the Vandal. For 
 a barbarian and a tyrant a right kingly one ! 
 
 “ King Gelimer to King Justinian ” (notice with 
 what insolence he employs the same word, “ ba- 
 sileus,” both for emperor and for king): 
 
 “ I have not assumed the sceptre by force, nor 
 have I committed a crime against my kinsman. 
 But the people of the Vandals have deposed 
 Hilderic because he plotted iniquitously against 
 the line of the Asdings, against his lawful sue- 
 
64 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 cessors, and against the kingdom itself. The law 
 of succession places me, as the oldest of the 
 Asdings after Hilderic, upon the vacant throne. 
 That monarch, 0 Justinian, acts wisely who 
 governs well his own state and does not interfere 
 in the affairs of others. If you break the sworn 
 treaty and attack us, we will manfully defend 
 ourselves and invoke the aid of a righteous God, 
 who punishes perjury and all injustice.” 
 
 Good ! You please me, King Gelimer. It de- 
 lights me to have someone tell our imperial jurist 
 that he ought not to blow a tire wdiich does not 
 burn him, a saying which it seems to me is the 
 epitome of all statesmanship. 
 
 The letter of the barbarian has hotly incensed 
 Justinian, which is a further proof that the bar- 
 barian is right. But it appears that we are going 
 to put this answer as quietly in our pockets as we 
 thuist back into its scabbard the sword we were 
 formerly about to draw. The emperor inveighs 
 openly against the tyrant, but the army asserts 
 still more openly that it will not fight. And the 
 empress — says nothing. 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS, 6$ 
 
 IX, 
 
 Meanwhile King Gelimer with all his might 
 prepared for the impending struggle. He found 
 much, altogether too much, that demanded im- 
 mediate attention. 
 
 The king, while reserving to himself the general 
 direction of affairs and personally taking part 
 wherever it seemed to be necessary, had en- 
 trusted to Zaro the restoration of the fleet, to 
 Gibamund that of the army. 
 
 On the evening of a sultry August day he re- 
 ceived their detailed reports. The three brothers 
 had met in the great hall of state of the royal 
 palace, in which Gelimer now resided. The open 
 windows afforded a magnificent view over the 
 harbor out upon the sea, and through them came 
 the refreshing breath # of the north wind. 
 
 This part of the old citadel had been remod- 
 elled by the Vandal kings, altered according to 
 the requirements of life at the court of a German 
 monarch. The round Grecian columns werfe here 
 replaced, in imitation of the architecture of the 
 Germanic wooden halls, by great quadrangular 
 pillars of brown and red marble, which Africa 
 furnished in rich variety. The roof was wain- 
 
66 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 scotod with woodwork painted or stained in dif- 
 ferent colors. Everywhere on stone and wood, in 
 addition to the rune A crossed by an arrow, the 
 armorial badge of the Asdings, not only other 
 runes, but also short sayings were carved on the 
 mouldings in the Gothic letters of Ulfilas. Rich 
 curtains of purple silk swayed in the breeze at 
 the open arched windows ; the walls were adorned 
 with slabs of polished marble, arranged in a varied 
 alternation of, for the most part, glaring colors, a 
 combination especially pleasing to barbaric taste ; 
 the floor was composed of artistic mosaics, but 
 roughly laid and ill-fitting, for Geiseric had simply 
 caused to be joined together, without much selec- 
 tion, the patterns richest in color which, together 
 with statues and reliefs, he had brought here in 
 whole shiploads from the palaces of plundered 
 Rome. 
 
 On the side facing the sea sose, on five broad 
 steps, the throne of Geiseric. These steps were 
 intended to receive the personal followers of the 
 king, the nobles and guards, the leaders of a 
 thousand and the captains of a hundred, arranged 
 according to their rank and the favor of their 
 sovereign. When they all, in their rich, fantastic, 
 half-Roman, half-German dress and armor, were 
 ranged here close about their king, while above 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS, 67 
 
 them waved the Vandal banners, of scarlet silk, 
 and when on the lofty throne, from whose tent- 
 like canopy a golden dragon hung, swinging from 
 a cord, — when on this throne, at the base of which, 
 as symbols of tribute, Moorish princes had heaped 
 up piles of lion and of tiger skins, the mighty 
 sea-king raised the seven-lashed scourge, pre- 
 sented to him by his friend Attila, and with angry 
 threats swung it around his massive head, the 
 scene was one that the beholder could not soon 
 forget, and many an ambassador of the emperors 
 had quietly suppressed, on such, occasions, the 
 haughty message he had previously prepared. 
 
 But the richest decoration of this imposing hall 
 was formed by the almost innumerable weapons 
 of every sort and nation which covered the pillars 
 and walls, while shields and breastplates were 
 spread out horizontally across the entire ceiling. 
 These weapons were for the most part German, 
 Roman, and Moorish, but specimens were not 
 wanting from all the islands and coasts which the 
 predatory vessels of the sea-king had been able to 
 visit. 
 
 A peculiar dazzling light streamed from all this 
 bronze, silver, and gold, as from the northwest the 
 oblique rays of the setting sun found their way 
 into the hall. 
 
68 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 A broad tab le of white marble was covered 
 with parchments and rolls of papyrus, which con- 
 tained lists of the thousands and the hundreds, 
 designs for ships, maps of the Vandal kingdom, 
 and charts of the bays and inlets from Cadiz to 
 the Tyrrhenian Sea. 
 
 “ In the few weeks during which I have been 
 absent in the West for the purpose of enlisting 
 the Vandal strength in that quarter, you have 
 accomplished more than it seems possible, Zaro,” 
 said the king, laying down a tablet upon which 
 he had written some figures. “ It is true we are 
 far from reaching the number and strength of the 
 ships which formerly carried the terror of the 
 Vandals to all coasts. But for the defence of our 
 own shores, and for repelling a landing, these hun- 
 dred and fifty vessels will suffice, if on the fleet 
 and on the shore, as a support, we have a strong 
 body of infantry.” 
 
 “ Be not so cast down, Gibamund,” exclaimed 
 Zaro. “ Our brother knows it is not your fault 
 that the army is not — does not — ” 
 
 “Ah,” cried Gibamund, angrily, “ it is no use! 
 No matter how much I exert myself, they are not 
 willing. They would like to drink and bathe and 
 feast and ride, watch the games in the circus, and 
 in that accursed Grove of Venus indulge in every 
 
THE LAST OP THE FA HEALS. 69 
 
 sort of licentiousness that tends to destroy their 
 manhood/’ 
 
 “ But,” said the king, “ yesterday an end was 
 put to this abomination.” 
 
 “You can do much, Gelimer,” said Zaro with a 
 shake of the head. “You have accomplished 
 what seems incredible since you have worn this 
 heavy crown ; but to purify the Grove of Venus — ” 
 “ Not to purify, to close it,” interrupted the 
 king, sternly. “ Since yesterday it has been 
 closed.” 
 
 “ I must again make complaint against many, 
 especially the nobles,” resumed Gibamund. “ They 
 refuse to fight on foot or to drill with the foot- 
 soldiers. You know how deficient we are in in- 
 fantry. They appeal to the privileges which our 
 weak kings have conferred upon them. They say 
 they are not obligated to do service on foot ; that 
 Hilderic permitted every Vandal to purchase im- 
 munity who substituted for himself two enrolled 
 Moorish or other mercenaries.” 
 
 “ I have revoked these privileges.” 
 
 “Yes, we know that. And a fierce sedition 
 raged, blood flowed on this account through the 
 streets of Carthage while you were absent,” said 
 Zaro, angrily. 
 
 “ But the worst of it is, they cannot any more 
 
70 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 fight on foot, these effeminate nobles and wealthier 
 citizens. They cannot, they say, — and unfortu- 
 nately it is true ! — any longer bear the heavy hel- 
 mets, coats-of-mail, shields and spears, or hurl 
 the mighty javelins which I had brought from 
 Geiseric’s armories/' 
 
 “ They are under obligations to arm’themselves,” 
 interposed Zaro. “ Why, then — ” 
 
 “ Because most of them have sold the old, vic- 
 torious arms, or bartered them for finery or wine 
 or dainty food or female slaves. Or else they 
 have exchanged them for weapons which serve 
 merely as ornaments or toys. With such rubbish 
 I will not permit any one to enter the ranks. And 
 before they could arm themselves satisfactorily, 
 the victory and our kingdom might easily be lost. 
 But it is true they cannot handle Geiseric’s 
 weapons. They grow faint after a short time, and 
 curse us, because we now, in * the very hottest 
 months of the year — ” 
 
 “ Shall we inform the enemy that the Vandals 
 fight only in winter ?” laughed Zaro. 
 
 “ In order to fill up the gaps in our infantry I 
 have already enlisted many thousands of Moorish 
 mercenaries,” said the king, sorrowfully. “ With- 
 out doubt these sons of the desert, quick-moving 
 and unstable as the sands of their home, are a poor 
 
THE LAST OF THE. VANDALS. 7 1 
 
 substitute for the steady firmness of German 
 strength. Still we must do the best we can, and 
 I have gained over twenty chiefs with about ten 
 thousand men. M 
 
 “Is Cabaon among them — the old patriarch 
 whose years no man can tell ?” 
 
 “ No ; he withholds his answer.” 
 
 “ That is unfortunate. He is the most power- 
 ful of all. And his supposed gift of prophecy 
 exerts an influence far beyond the people of his 
 own tribe,” said Zaro. 
 
 “ Well, we shall have better helpers than the 
 Moorish robbers,” observed Gibamund, consol- 
 ingly: “ the valiant Visigoths in Southern Spain.” 
 
 “ Have you received an answer from their king ?” 
 “Yes and no. King Theudis is a wise and 
 prudent man. I did not leave the matter to 
 Verus, but wrote to him myself. I impressed^ 
 upon him urgently that Byzantium is threatening 
 not us Vandals alone, and with what ease the im- 
 perial troops could cross the narrow sea from 
 Ceuta, if they should subdue us. Then I proposed 
 a mutual alliance. His answer was evasive : he 
 must first convince himself what we for our part 
 can do in war.” 
 
 “ How will he manage that ?” asked Zaro. 
 
 “ Will he hold off until the war has run its course ? 
 
72 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Whether we are victorious or annihilated, we shall 
 not then need his aid.” 
 
 “ I wrote again, more urgently. His *reply must 
 soon come to hand.” 
 
 And the Ostrogoths ?” demanded Gibamund, 
 eagerly. “ What answer do they give ?” 
 
 “ None.’* 
 
 “ That is bad,” said Gibamund. 
 
 “I wrote to the queen regent. I referred to 
 the fact that I was innocent of all participation in 
 Hilderic’s atrocious crime. I warned her that 
 Justinian threatens her realm not less than ours, 
 and reminded her of the near relationship of our 
 peoples — ” 
 
 “ You surely did not descend to entreaties?” 
 asked Zaro, indignantly. 
 
 “ By no means. I asked for nothing, but 
 demanded only, and with good right, that the 
 Ostrogoths should not support our enemies. As 
 yet there is no response. But worse by far than 
 the lack of allies is the foolish and immeasurable 
 underrating of our opponents on the part of our 
 own people,” added the king. 
 
 “ That is true. They say : Why need we trouble 
 ourselves with preparations and drill ? The cow- 
 ardly Greeks will not dare to attack us. If they 
 do come, then the descendants pf Geiseric will des- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 73 
 
 troy the descendants of Basilikos, just as Geiseric 
 crushed Basilikos.” 
 
 , “ But we are no longer the Vandals of Geiseric’s 
 time,” lamented Gelimer. “ Geiseric brought with 
 him an army of heroes, trained by twenty years 
 of warfare with other Germans and with the 
 Romans among the mountains of Spain, simple in 
 their habits and strict in their morals 0 He closed 
 the Roman pleasure-houses in Carthage ; he forced 
 all dissolute women either to marry or to enter a 
 convent — ” 
 
 “How that suited their husbands and the nuns 
 who were forced to associate with them is not 
 stated,” laughed Zaro. 
 
 “And now! Our young men to-day are as 
 corrupt as the most licentious Romans. To the 
 cruelty of their fathers” — here the king sighed 
 deeply — “ has succeeded the sensuality, the glut- 
 tony, the drunkenness, the utter and wanton in- 
 dolence of the sons. How can such a people con- 
 tinue to exist ? It certainly must perish.” 
 
 “ But Asdings,” said Gibamund with flashing 
 eyes, drawing himself up to his full height, while 
 a glow of pride suffused his handsome face, “ we 
 are unspotted by such disgrace.” 
 
 “ Pray what have you and we been guilty of,” 
 asked Zaro, “that we should perish before our 
 time ?” 
 
74 the last of the vandals , 
 
 Again the king sighed heavily, his brow clouded, 
 and he cast down his eyes. ,7 Ve ? Do we not 
 bear the curse, the — But no ! nothing of that ; 
 nothing, at least, to you. It is the last straw of my 
 hope that I, the king, at least wear the crown free 
 from guilt. Woe to me if my conscience were 
 not clear in this respect ! — Ha! whose cold hand 
 is this? You, Verus? You frightened me.” 
 
 “ He creeps in as stealthily as a snake !” mum- 
 bled Zaro in his beard. 
 
 The priest, who, even as chancellor, continued to 
 wear his priestly robes, had entered unperceived 
 by all. None of the brothers had any means of 
 knowing how long he had been present. His eye 
 was now fixed steadily upon Gelimer. With a 
 quiet movement he drew back the hand which he 
 had laid upon the king’s bare arm. 
 
 “ Yes, my sovereign, keep ever active this anxi- 
 ety of conscience. Guard well your soul from guilt. 
 I know your nature — it would crush you with 
 despair.” 
 
 “ You ought not thus,” spoke Zaro^angrily, “ to 
 fill my brother’s mind with gloomy thoughts.” 
 
 “ Guilt and Gelimer !” exclaimed Gibamund, 
 clasping his arm around his brother’s neck. 
 
 “ He is altogether too conscientious, too much 
 addicted to brooding,” continued Zaro. “You 
 
TJLE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 75 
 
 also, Gelimer, are no longer like the Vandals of 
 Geiseric. You, too, are infected, not by Roman 
 vices, but by Roman or Greek or Christian subtle- 
 ties. What shall I call them— gnosticism, the- 
 osophy, mysticism ? Which is the most respectful 
 name ? I confess I do not know, for to my mind 
 they all have little meaning, How glad I am our 
 father did not entrust my education also to the 
 philosophers and priests ! Ah ! he noticed early 
 that the helmet alone was suited to Zaro’s thick 
 skull, and the stylus would not stick behind his 
 ear. But you indeed ! I always felt as if I were 
 entering a dungeon, when I visited you in your 
 gloomy, high-walled monastery. Many, many 
 years have you dreamed away and lost there 
 among your books.” 
 
 “ They were not lost,” replied Gibamund. 
 “ Did he not also find time to become the first 
 hero of his people ? On him rest the hopes of the 
 Vandals.” 
 
 “ Upon the whole house of the Asdings ; we 
 have not degenerated,” spoke the king. “ But 
 can a single family, even though it be the ruling 
 one, stay the downfall of an entire people, or raise 
 a sinking nation^” 
 
 “ Hardly,” said the priest with a shake of the 
 head. “ For who can say for himself that he is 
 
76 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 free from guilt ? And,” he added slowly, sud- 
 denly raising his eyes and fixing them full upon 
 Gelimer, “ the sins of the fathers — ” 
 
 “ Stop !” cried the king, with a moan as if in 
 deep suffering. “Not this thought now — wher 
 I must act, direct, plan. It cripples me.” Anc 
 he pressed his hand to his forehead. 
 
 “ In the present also,” continued Verus, “ the 
 sins of the people are altogether too great. 
 They cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance. Just 
 now I had to go to administer consolation to a 
 dying man — ” 
 
 “ Even as chancellor of the realm,” said Geli- 
 mer, turning towards his brothers, “ he does not 
 forget the duties of the priest.” 
 
 “ When near the southern gate, there came once 
 more to my ears from that grove of all sins the 
 revolting sounds of drunken revelry. Lascivious 
 songs — ” 
 
 “ What !” the king exclaimed angrily and struck 
 the marble table with his fist. “ Do they dare 
 defy my orders? Did I not command before my 
 departure for Hippo that all these games and 
 feasts should cease ? Did I not name yesterday 
 as the positive limit of time whei?the grove must 
 be vacated and the pleasure-houses closed ? I sent 
 thither three hundred lancers to see that my 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 77 
 
 commands were executed. What are they do- 
 ing?” 
 
 “ In so far as they do not join in the dancing 
 and the drinking, they fall asleep, tired out by 
 pleasure and- stupefied by the wine which they, 
 like all the rest, obtain there. I saw a company 
 of them lying asleep under the archway of the 
 gate.” 
 
 “Then terrible shall be their wakening !” cried 
 the king. “ Are our sins indeed about to de- 
 vour us ?” 
 
 “ The evil of that grove seems to be incurable,” 
 said Zaro. 
 
 “ What the sword cannot cure, fire will,” threat- 
 ened the King. “ I will burst upon them like the 
 wrath of God. Follow me, my brothers !” and 
 he rushed from the room. 
 
 “ Summon quickly a couple of hundred horse- 
 men Gibamund,” advised Zaro, as the brothers 
 hurried after the king. “ The royal guard under 
 the faithful Markomer. For the Vandals no 
 longer obey the king’s word, unless at the same 
 time they see the gleam of the king’s steel.” 
 
 With a slow step, slightly nodding his head 
 from time to time and whispering softly to him- 
 self, the archdeacon followed the three Asdings. 
 
78 
 
 THE LAST OF THR VANDALS. 
 
 X. 
 
 While the lower city of Carthage extended on 
 the north to the harbor, directly outside of its south- 
 ern gate, and occupying a space of about two 
 leagues in length and one in width, lay the so- 
 called “ Grove of Venus,” or “ Grove of the Holy 
 Virgin.” Far back in the old pagan times it had 
 been a place set apart for the riotous practice 
 of every voluptuous and wanton pleasure, until 
 throughout the whole Roman Empire the epithet 
 “ African ” became a synonym for unbounded 
 excess. 
 
 The whole of this portion of the coast, satu- 
 rated by the moisture from the sea-wind, had 
 originally been covered with thick forests. The 
 larger part of these had long since been forced to 
 yield to the expanding city; but a considerable 
 tract had been preserved by command of the 
 emperors, and, several centuries before, had been 
 transformed into a superb park, laid out with all 
 the taste and all the extravagance of the time of 
 the Csesars. 
 
 The predominating feature in the landscape of 
 this park was formed by the date-palms, which 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA NEALS. 
 
 79 
 
 had been introduced by the Phoenicians. This 
 queen of the desert, the Arabians say, loves to 
 plunge its feet into the moist sand and its head 
 into the very fire of the sun. These palms had 
 thrived here magnificently, and in their hundred 
 years of growth had lifted their slender, pillar- 
 like trunks to a height of fifty feet. No ray of 
 sunlight could penetrate directly through the roof 
 formed by the bending leaves of their green 
 crowns, which rustled and swayed gently in the 
 wind, inviting and lulling all who came within 
 their influence to dreamy revery and sleep. How- 
 ever, they stood at sufficient intervals apart for 
 the light and the air to find free admission from 
 the side, while lower trees, like the dwarf palm, 
 and bushes and flowers, grew in profusion be- 
 neath the shade of the lofty tops. 
 
 In addition to the palms, the hand of man 
 first, and afterwards luxuriant nature, had planted 
 and nourished here many other noble trees — the 
 plane-tree with its glistening bark, the cypress, the 
 laurel, the olive, which loves the salt breath of 
 the sea, the quince with its fragrant fruit, the 
 pomegranate, here so thoroughly domesticated 
 that it was called “ the Carthaginian apple 
 while figs, apricots, peaches, almonds, chestnuts 
 oleanders, and myrtles, partly as tall trunks am 
 
Bo 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 partly as bushes, formed the undergrowth of this 
 magnificent palm-forest. 
 
 The art of landscape gardening, which in the 
 time of the Caesars had attained a perfection 
 that has scarcely since been equalled, combined 
 with the abundant irrigation afforded by an elab- 
 orate system of aqueducts and water-courses, had 
 brought forth here, on the verge of the so-called 
 desert, wonders of beauty, above all a luxuriant, 
 thick green turf, which even in the hottest days of 
 summer showed scarcely any dried patches. 
 
 From time to time the wind had wafted the 
 seeds from the numerous flower-beds, and now, 
 scattered everywhere through the grass, the flow- 
 ers shone forth in all the brilliant colors with 
 which the African sun loves to paint them. 
 
 The flower-beds themselves, whigh were distrib- 
 uted through the entire park, suffered somewhat 
 in appearance from a certain monotony. The 
 great diversity which decorates our modern gar- 
 dens was here lacking. Roses, lilies, narcissuses, 
 violets, and anemones were almost the only 
 species present, but these were in rich variety, 
 of peculiar and artistically produced colors, and 
 often brought to bloom before or after their 
 natural time. Effect was sought to be gained by 
 eaping together huge masses of the same kind 
 
8i 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 or color. Thus the great beds of white or red 
 lilies often extended for a hundred paces in lerigth 
 or breadth. From their swelling cups, as the warm 
 wind passed over them, came a sweet, but too 
 powerful, an almost cloying fragrance. 
 
 Amid this world of trees, bushes, and flowers, 
 the emperors, who in former times had often re- 
 sided here, the governors, and still more fre- 
 quently the richer inhabitants of Carthage, had 
 caused to be erected almost incredible number 
 of buildings of every sort. or centuries pa- 
 triotism, a sense of duty, and often mere osten- 
 tation and vanity, had prompted the wealthier 
 citizens to keep alive the remembrance of their 
 names by decorative monuments, pleasure-gar- 
 dens, and buildings designed for public use. This 
 feeling of local pride and patriotism had by no 
 means become extinct. The military highway 
 which traversed the grove from north to south 
 was now bordered on both sides by costly sepul- 
 chres with only short spaces between them. Be- 
 yond these, and scattered throughout the whole 
 extent of the park, were baths, ponds, small lakes 
 with marble quays and elegant pleasure-boats, 
 circuses, amphitheatres, race-courses, open por- 
 ticos, and "temples with their subsidiary buildings. 
 
 As the grove had been originally consecrated to 
 
82 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Aphrodite, or Venus, the statues of this goddess 
 and those of Cupid were everywhere the most 
 numerous. Christian zeal, however, had knocked 
 off the head, the nose, and the breasts from many 
 a Venus, and only in rare cases had left Cupid's 
 bow unbroken. Some of the heathen temples, 
 too, since the time of Constantine had been con- 
 verted into Christian oratories and churches, but 
 by no means all ; and many of these temples with- 
 drawn from the services of the pagan religion, yet 
 not devoted to the Christian, had become, with 
 their gardens and grottos, resorts for drunkenness, 
 gambling, and still more glaring vices. The gods 
 had been driven out, and the demons had slipped 
 in. 
 
 Among the hundred or more buildings in the 
 grove, two were especially prominent in popular 
 favor. Both were situated near the southern gate 
 bf the city and were in close proximity to each 
 other. They were the “ Old Circus ” and the 
 “ Amphitheatre of Theodosius." 
 
 The “ Old Circus" had been built when Carthage 
 was at the height of its prosperity, and the vast 
 structure, with its eighty thousand seats, had been 
 arranged according to the requirements of that 
 populous epoch. But since the Vandal conquest 
 many Roman families had emigrated or had been 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 83 
 
 banished, so that at the time of our narrative 
 whole rows of seats were left unoccupied. The 
 rich bronze ornamentation with which the struc- 
 ture had been adorned had in many places been 
 broken off and carried away; not, however, by the 
 Vandals, but by the Roman inhabitants of the city 
 and by the peasants of the vicinity. 
 
 The tiers of marble seats rose from within in the 
 manner of an amphitheatre and rested upon a 
 high-vaulted substructure of granite. On the out- 
 side the circus was surrounded by arcades with nu- 
 merous entrances and flights of steps, besides the 
 niches which served as shops, taverns, bakeries, 
 fruit-stalls, and dining-rooms. Here continually, 
 •day and night, lounged a crowd of disorderly peo- 
 ple, while from some of the larger spaces, which 
 were shut off by curtains from the gaze of the 
 passers-by, "came the sound of cymbals, small 
 kettle-drums, and castanets, announcing that for 
 a couple of copper coins admittance could be had 
 to the performances of Syrian and Egyptian danc- 
 ing girls. 
 
84 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 XI. 
 
 THE sultry heat of an African summer day still 
 rendered the air of the grove oppressive, although 
 the sun had long since sunk into the sea, and the 
 short twilight prevailing here had faded into dark- 
 ness. Already the full moon was rising above the 
 tops of the palms, and was pouring its magic light 
 upon woodland, meadow, and lake, upon the white 
 or light-colored stonework of the buildings, and 
 upon the marble statues which gleamed with an 
 almost fantastic beauty amid the dark green set- 
 ting of the shrubbery. 
 
 In the more remote parts of the grove no dis- 
 cordant features marred the peaceful influence of 
 this soft, silvery moonlight ; a deep and solemn 
 stillness prevailed, broken only from time to time 
 by the call of some night-bird. But from the 
 vicinity of the gate, from the two principal build- 
 ings, from the lawns and the gardens surrounding 
 them, arose a confused noise from many thousands 
 of revellers. All the instruments with which the 
 musical art of the time was acquainted were send- 
 ing forth sounds without regard to concert or 
 harmony, each apparently endeavoring to make 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA JVEALS. 85 
 
 itself heard above the din of the rest. Cries of 
 delight, of intoxication, of angry altercation, broke 
 forth in Latin, Greek, Moorish, and especially in 
 the Vandal tongue. For perhaps the greatest 
 number and unquestionably the noisiest part of 
 the “ guests of the Grove,” as these devotees of 
 pleasure termed themselves, belonged to the ruling 
 race, which here riotously satisfied at once its 
 desire and its capacity for enjoyment. 
 
 From the direction of the southern gate of the 
 city, along the broad road, two men were advanc- 
 ing towards the circus. They were clad in strictly 
 German dress — a circumstance which attracted 
 not a little attention. For almost all the Vandals, 
 except the royal line, either had exchanged the 
 German garb and arms for the Roman, or, from 
 convenience, effeminacy, or desire for ornament, 
 had at least adopted some Roman features. But 
 these two men wore regular German cloaks and 
 helmets, and carried distinctively German arms. 
 
 “ What an uproar ! What crowding and push- 
 ing!” said the elder of the two, a man of middle 
 height, who with keen glances observed all that 
 was going on around him. 
 
 “ And it is not the Romans,” replied the other, 
 “ who are the most boisterous and turbulent, but 
 our worthy cousins.” 
 
86 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ Was I not right, friend Theudigisel? Here, 
 among the people themselves, we shall learn in one 
 night more that serves our purpose than we could 
 gain in a correspondence of many months with 
 this book-learned king.” 
 
 “ It is scarcely credible, although we see it here 
 before our eyes. ,, 
 
 Just then their attention was attracted by the 
 loud tones of voices behind them. Two negroes, 
 naked except for a short apron of peacock’s feath- 
 ers, worn about the loins, and each swinging a 
 golden staff around his curly head, sought to clear 
 a path for a small procession that followed. 
 
 “ Make way !” they cried repeatedly, “ make 
 way for the noble Modigisel !” 
 
 But they did not succeed in penetrating the 
 throng ; their cries simply attracted a greater 
 crowd of the curious. Therefore the eight 
 similarly clad, or, more strictly speaking, unclad 
 Moors who came after them were compelled to 
 set down their burden, a richly-gilded, half-open 
 litter. It had a back formed from small purple 
 cushions joined together and held in place by 
 cross-pieces of ivory, from the ends of which 
 waved the feathers of the ostrich and flamingo. 
 
 “ Say, my friend,” spoke the younger of the 
 two strangers, turning to the occupant of the 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANbALS. 8 ? 
 
 litter, a blond-haired Vandal of perhaps twenty- 
 seven years of age, who was dressed in white silk, 
 brilliantly adorned with gold and jewels, “ do you 
 have as merry a time as this every night here ?” 
 
 The man addressed was evidently astonished 
 that any one should have the audacity to accost 
 him so unceremoniously. He opened with an 
 effort two sleepy eyes and turned to his com- 
 panion — for now there was visible beside him a 
 young woman of extraordinary, but almost too 
 voluptuous beauty. So extravagantly was she 
 adorned with jewelry that a dull yellow shimmer 
 seemed to overlay her fair white skin. The ex- 
 pression of her faultlessly regular, but sphinx-like 
 countenance, that bore in it no trace of human 
 sympathy or moral worth, was* that of an easily 
 wearied, but still unsated sensuality. She resem- 
 bled a wondrously beautiful, but capricious and 
 treacherous animal. The personal charms of 
 such a woman possessed an overmastering power 
 to dazzle and to fascinate, but could not awaken 
 love ; just as the golden chains, circlets, rings, 
 and ornamental plates which jier Junncian form 
 displayed beneath the scanty drapery she wore, 
 served rather to attract attention than to enhance 
 the effect of her beauty. 
 
 “ Oh — ah ! — I say — Astarte ! ” drawled her 
 
88 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. . 
 
 ♦ 
 
 companion in a tone so languid that only long 
 practice could have enabled him to acquire it — 
 for he had heard from a Greek exquisite from 
 Byzantium that it was good form to speak in such 
 a voice. “ Scarecrows — both of them — aren’t 
 they ?” And he pushed back, sighing at the 
 exertion required, the thick wreath of roses which 
 had slipped from his brow down over his eyes. 
 “ It is thus they describe Geiseric and his' gray- 
 beards. J ust see — ah ! — one of them has a mantle 
 of wolf-skins ! The other carries — in the Grove of 
 Venus — a heavy spear! You ought- — yonder — 
 in the circus — to exhibit yourselves for money, 
 monsters.” 
 
 The younger of the strangers started angrily, 
 and clutched the handle of his sword. “If you 
 knew to whom — ” But the older man motioned to 
 him to be silent.^ 
 
 “You must certainly have come from a dis- 
 tance,” continued, the Vandal, somewhat aroused 
 from his languor by the appearance of the 
 strangers, “ that you ask such questions. In this 
 grove of the love-goddess one night is much like 
 another. Only now it is a little merrier than 
 usual. The richest of our nobles celebrates his 
 marriage to-night, and he has invited all Carthage 
 to be present.” 
 
89 
 
 THE LAST OF TILE VANDALS. 
 
 Here the voluptuous beauty at his side raised 
 herself a little. “ Why do you waste time in talk- 
 ing with these rough satyrs ? See, the lake is 
 already aglow with red light ! The voyage of the 
 galleys is beginning. I wish to see the handsome 
 Thrasaric.” 
 
 At this name her expressionless features became 
 for a moment animated, and the great, dark, im- 
 penetrable eyes cast an eager glance into the 
 distance ; then the long lashes drooped again and 
 she sank back once more upon the cushions. 
 Her deep black hair rose from the crown of her 
 head to the height of more that two hand-breadths, 
 and was encircled by five golden bands joined 
 together by small silver chains. But this luxuri- 
 ant growth, by reason of the coarseness and stiff- 
 ness of each single hair, resembled somewhat too 
 closely the mane of a superb horse. 
 
 “ Will you not,” cried her companion in a voice 
 so energetic that its former feeble drawl was 
 shown to have been pure affectation — “ will you 
 not, Astarte, you insatiate creature, be content 
 for the present with the less handsome Modigi- 
 sel? Later, of course, we can — change. You are 
 getting too bold since your emancipation.” 
 
 And he gave her a thrust in the side with his 
 elbow. It was meant to be affectionate, but the 
 
go THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 ■t 
 
 Carthaginian curled slightly her upper lip so that 
 her small, sharp, white teeth became visible. 
 Trifling as the movement was, it reminded one of 
 the great cat-like animals of her native land, 
 especially as at the same time her eyes contracted 
 like those of an irritated tiger, and her superbly 
 chiselled head was slightly lifted, as if silently 
 threatening a future revenge. 
 
 Modigisel had not noticed it. “I obey my 
 divine mistress,” he drawled again in his foppish 
 voice. “ Forward!” And since the poor blacks 
 — so perfectly had he struck the fashionable tone 
 — really had not understood him, he now bellowed 
 like a bull, “ Forward, you dogs, I say !” And 
 with a force that was scarcely to be looked for in 
 the rose-crowned coxcomb, he struck with his fist 
 the nearest slave and knocked him off his feet. 
 Without a word the man arose, and with the 
 seven others grasped the gilded pole and bore the 
 litter on through the throng. 
 
 “Did you see her?” said the younger stranger 
 to the one with the wolf-skin mantle. 
 
 “Yes; she is like a black panther, or like this 
 land — beautiful, fiery, malignant, and deadly. 
 Come, Theudigisel. Let us also go to the lake. 
 The most of the Vandals are assembling there, 
 and we can learn what we desire, Here across 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 9 1 
 
 the grass is a foot-path that seems to be shorter 
 than the road.” 
 
 “ Take care ; do not stumble, my lord. What is 
 that lying there — right across the path ?” 
 
 “A soldier — in full armor too — a Vandal.” 
 
 “ And sound asleep. In the midst of all this 
 noise !” 
 
 “He must be very drunk!” And the elder 
 man poked the sleeper with the butt-end of his 
 spear. “Who are you, fellow?” 
 
 “ I ? — I ?” The man thus rudely awakened 
 
 raised himself on his elbow and seemed to be 
 anxiously racking his brains. “ I believe I am 
 — Gunthamund — Guntharic’s son.” 
 
 “ What are you doing here ?” 
 
 “ You see I am keeping guard: What are you 
 
 laughing at ? I keep watch that in the Grove no 
 more — But where are the others ? Haven’t you 
 any wine ? I am fearfully thirsty.” And he sank 
 back on the tall, soft grass. 
 
 “ These, then, are the guards of the Vandals! 
 Do you still give the same counsel, valiant duke, 
 as you gave before — beyond the sea ?” 
 
 With a shake of his head the other followed in 
 silence. 
 
92 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS, 
 
 XII. 
 
 On the southern shore of the lake, directly op- 
 posite the marble haven in which the sheet of 
 water terminated, a broad staging had been 
 erected for invited guests, a balcony, extending 
 out over the lake and decorated with purple silk, 
 being reserved for the most distinguished. 
 
 Suddenly the soft moonlight which lay upon 
 the surface of the water was changed into a brill- 
 iant red light, that lasted for about a minute. 
 As it died out, a blue one flamed up in its stead, 
 then a green, bringing into clear view the groups 
 of spectators on the shore, the white marble 
 buildings in the distance, the statues among the 
 shrubbery, and above all the surface of the lake, 
 with the rich and astonishing pageant which was 
 ther^ presented. 
 
 From the haven, behind whose high walls they 
 had hitherto remained concealed, glided, to the 
 music of flutes and the clang of^cymbals, a whole 
 flotilla of boats, barges, and galleys of every sort. 
 Ten, twenty — soon there were fifty vessels, fan- 
 tastically shaped, some as dolphins, sea-dogs, or 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 93 
 
 gigantic water-fowl, and many as dragons, the 
 banner-emblem of the Vandals. 
 
 Masts, yards, sails, the high, pointed prows, as 
 well as the upper gprt of the oar-handles, were 
 twined round, almost to complete concealment, 
 with garlands of flowers, with broad, variegated 
 ribbons, and with gold and silver fringe. Costly 
 carpets covered the entire deck and extended 
 down over the stern into the water, streaming out 
 behind as the ships moved along. 
 
 Grouped about the mast, or arranged upon the 
 upper deck of every Vessel, was a picturesque 
 tableau, formed by Vandal men, young maidens, 
 and handsome boys. Male and female slaves, 
 white, yellow, and black, poured forth unmixed 
 wine from richly-ornamented pitchers, which, with- 
 out spilling and without appearance of unusual 
 exertion, they carried around upon their heads. 
 
 Thus the gayly-decorated boats glided out into 
 the red glow on the surface of the lake. And 
 now through their midst a pathway opened, and 
 the great wedding-galley came in sight, moving, 
 as it seemed, without oarage, and far surpassing 
 all the rest in fantastic and extravagant splen- 
 dor. It was drawn along apparently only by eight 
 superb swans, which were linked together in pairs 
 by golden chains attached to their necks. These 
 
94 THE last of the vandals. 
 
 creatures, evidently trained for this purpose with 
 the utmost care, gave no heed to the noise and 
 the light around them, but directed their course 
 with majestic ease straigh^toward the balustrade 
 on the southern shore. 
 
 The deck of the galley was strewn a foot deep 
 with roses. About the mast an open arbor was 
 arranged from branches of the natural vine. In 
 this arbor lay the huge bridegroom, a Hercules al- 
 most seven feet in height, with his thick, shaggy red 
 hair crowned with red roses and grape-leaves. A 
 panther’s skin covered the upper part of his body, 
 a purple cloth was girt about his loins, his great 
 right hand, which hung down limp at his side, 
 grasped a thyrsus. Clinging close to his mighty 
 breast was the slender, almost child-like form of 
 a young girl. 
 
 Her countenance could not be seen ; for, 
 scarcely in keeping with her role of the abandoned 
 Ariadne, she had fastened the Roman bridal-veil 
 upon her hair. The noise seemed to terrify her. 
 Shyly she concealed her head under the panther’s 
 skin upon the giant’s breast. Only from time to 
 time she cast a quick, furtive glance upward, seek- 
 ing to catch his eye; but he did not see her. For 
 a naked boy of about twelve years, with golden 
 wings upon his shoulders and a bow and quiver 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 95 
 
 fastened to his back by a golden band, kept filling 
 for the bridegroom a huge drinking-cup, and the 
 latter seemed “to think that the costume he wore 
 demanded that he should drain it every time at a 
 draught— a performance which distracted his at- 
 tention from his bride more than was strictly 
 commendable. 
 
 Upon a pillow, placed somewhat above the 
 bridal pair, reposed, in a picturesque attitude, a 
 beautiful maiden of about eighteen years, her head 
 supported on her left hand, and her golden-brown 
 hair arranged simply in a Grecian knot. She was 
 incomparably more beautiful than the Carthagin- 
 ian Astarte, both in the faultless symmetry of her 
 Grecian figure and in the refined purity of her 
 noble face. Two tame white doves sat upon her 
 right shoulder. She wore a white garment that 
 extended down below her knee, serving, however, 
 more for adornment than for vesture. The thin 
 silken material was held together upon her hips by 
 an elaborately wrought golden girdle, from which 
 hung a Phoenician purple apron, ornamented with 
 golden tassels. Her sandals rested upon a mass 
 of stiff white and gray silk, disposed so as to rep- 
 resent the waves of the sea, and coming up around 
 the ankles of the “Toam-born goddess.” 
 
 When the ship, drawn along by its swans, came 
 
9 6 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 in full sight of the thousands of assembled specta- 
 tors, a deafening shout of applause greeted the 
 brilliant pageant. As, however, it glided out into 
 the clear light, the Venus impulsively and as if in 
 desperation sought to conceal herself. Grasping a 
 large piece of coarse sail-cloth which, lay beside 
 her, she drew it over her, covering herself with it 
 as far as possible. 
 
 “ How barbaric is the whole display !” whispered 
 below the staging, on the shore opposite the haven, 
 one Roman to another, in the harsh guttural tones 
 that characterized the African Latin. 
 
 “ That is supposed to be a representation of 
 Bacchus, neighbor Laurus.” 
 
 “ And Ariadne.” 
 
 “The Venus would please me better.” 
 
 “ I suppose so, friend Victor. It is the beauti- 
 ful Glauca, the Ionian. She was recently stolen 
 from Miletus by pirates, and sold in the forum 
 near the harbor to Thrasabad, the bridegroom’s 
 brother. She is said to be the child of respectable 
 parents. And she cost her owner the price of two 
 estates.” 
 
 “ She gazes sadly enough, with drooping lashes, 
 down into the sea.” 
 
 And yet it is said that her master treats her 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 97 
 
 with the greatest kindness and is madly in love 
 with her.” 
 
 “ Quite likely. She is wonderfully — divinely 
 beautiful.’' 
 
 “ But this bear from Thule, this Scythian buf- 
 falo, a Bacchus !” 
 
 “ With those elephant’s bones !” 
 
 “ And the big, fiery red beard !” 
 
 “ He would not clip it off — that and the shaggy 
 fleece upon his head — if by so doing he could in 
 reality become the god he represents.” 
 
 “ Just so! A Vandal noble in his own estima- 
 tion is something better than even gods or 
 saints.” 
 
 “ And yet they were all once only cattle-thieves 
 and pirates !” 
 
 “ But see : over the vines that are twined around 
 his thighs he has buckled on his broad German 
 sword-belt !” 
 
 “ Perhaps purely out of decency,” laughed the 
 other. “ And in fact our Bacchus over there car- 
 ries in his belt a Vandal short-sword.” 
 
 “ It seems to me the barbarian is ashamed to 
 exhibit himself thus as a naked god.” 
 
 “ He has not, then, lo’st all his sense of shame !” 
 exclaimed in indignant tones, a passer-by who 
 had evidently overheard the last remark. 
 
98 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ Did you understand that ? It was that one, 
 over there — the one with Ihe spear. His speech 
 did not sound like that of a Vandal. ” 
 
 “ But very like it. They talk that way over in 
 Spain. I have heard them at Hispalis.” 
 
 “ Hark ! what a howling oh the boats !” 
 
 “ Why, that is a marriage-hymn, Victor. The 
 bridegroom’s brother composed it. For now the 
 barbarian noblemen compose Latin and even 
 Greek verses. Pretty poor verses they are, too !” 
 “ I’m. afraid, Laurus, you are hardly a fair 
 critic. Since your leather business collapsed, you 
 have lived by poetry. Weddings, baptisms, fu- 
 nerals, are all the same to you. You have even cele- 
 brated in song the victories of the Vandals over 
 the Moors and — God have mercy on us! — the 
 valiant sword of King Hilderic. It is said, indeed, 
 that you are more ready to compose for the bar* 
 barians than for the Romans.” 
 
 “ Of course I am. The barbarians understand 
 less, ask for less, and pay more. For the same 
 reason, Victor, you in your wine-shop must 
 wish that the Vandals may remain masters in Car- 
 thage.” 
 
 “ Why so? You may not be so wide of the 
 piark.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 99 
 
 “ Well, now, the barbarians know as little about 
 good .wine as they do about good verses/' 
 
 “ They can tell it well enough. But they are 
 always parched with such a raging thirst that they 
 gulp down and pay for the sour wine also. Alas 
 for us when we have no more stupid barbarians 
 for customers ! In our old days we will have to 
 furnish better wine and better poetry." 
 
 “ The ships will soon be here. Now we can see 
 all distinctly. Look at the bridegroom's mon- 
 strous drinking-cup ! The little Cupid can scarcely 
 carry it. It seems to me I recognize it." 
 
 “ Why, certainly ! That is the bronze drinking- 
 cup from the fountain of Neptune in the Forum. 
 It is larger than the head of a child." 
 
 “ Right ! It has been missing for several days. 
 I believe the Germans would drink the ocean dry, 
 if it were full of wine." 
 
 “ And just see the mass of gold they have hung 
 upon the poor Venus!" 
 
 “ Every bit of it stolen Roman property. She 
 can scarcely move under the weight of her orna- 
 ments." 
 
 “ Modesty, Victor, womanly shame ! She has 
 little else on her except jewelry." 
 
 “ Not the poor girl's fault, it seems. The 
 Cupid, — the presumptuous scamp — has just pulled 
 
100 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 the sail-cloth away from her and pitched it into 
 the lake. See her distress ! Look with what 
 shame she seeks to conceal herself. She begs the 
 bride — she points to the large piece of white silk 
 at the latters’ feet.” 
 
 “ The little Ariadne nods ; now she picks up 
 the silk and throws it over Aphrodite’s shoulders 
 — what a look of thanks she receives !” 
 
 “ Now they are about to land. I am sorry for 
 the bride. She is the daughter of a free-born 
 Roman citizen, although of Grecian descent. 
 And her father — ” 
 
 “ Where is Eugenes? I do not see him on the 
 wedding-galley.” * 
 
 . “ He is ashamed, I suppose, to show himself at 
 the sacrifice of his child. Some time before the 
 marriage he set out with his Sicilian friend to 
 Utica to purchase grain, and, shortly after their 
 return, they went together to Syracuse. This is 
 just like the old offering of maidens that the 
 Athenians used to make to the Minotaur. He 
 is sacrificing Eugenia, the daintiest jewel of Car- 
 thage.” 
 
 “ They say, however, that she would have it so 
 — that she is in love with the ruddy giant. And 
 he is not bad-looking.” 
 
 “ He is a barbarian. Now, a curse, say I, upon* 
 
IOI 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 all bar — I beg your pardon, my good sir ! May 
 St. Cyprian grant you a long life !” 
 
 Hastily he sank upon his knees before a half- 
 drunken Vandal who had run headlong into him 
 and passed on without noticing the Roman’s ex- 
 istence. 
 
 “ But, Laurus, the barbarian ran into you, not 
 you into him,” said Victor, helping his companion 
 to his feet. 
 
 “ All the same ! They are very ready with 
 their short-swords, these masters of ours. I 
 would they were all in Hades!” -V 
 
 XIII. 
 
 In the mean time the ships had reached the 
 shore. As they drew up beside one another along 
 a broad space of rising ground, they were greeted 
 with a burst of music from the balcony. Then 
 from their prows flights of steps were let down, 
 covered with soft carpets, and strewn vuth flowers. 
 Upon these the bridal pair and their friends de- 
 scended, while by means of similar steps the in- 
 vited guests came dowm from the raised platform. 
 Both groups now formed on the shore into a 
 
102 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 festal procession. A handsome, but somewhat 
 effeminate-looking young Vandal, with a winged 
 hat upon his blond lctcks and winged sandals on 
 his feet, hurried about in all directions, swinging 
 an ivory staff encircled by golden snakes. He 
 seemed to be the director of the fete. 
 
 “ Who is that ?” asked Victor. “ The owner of 
 the beautiful Aphrodite ? He nods to her. And 
 she replies with a smile/’ 
 
 “ Yes, that is Thrasabad,” said Laurus, angrily, 
 clinching his fist, though not very boldly. “ May 
 St.. Cyprian put scorpions in his bed ! A Vandal 
 poet! A man who spoils my trade for me — for 
 me, the pupil of the great Luxorius.” 
 
 “ Pupil ? I thought you were — ” 
 
 “ His slave, then his freedman. I have filled 
 many an ass’s skin with the verses I have copied 
 for him/* 
 
 “ But not as his pupil — ” 
 
 “ You do not understand the matter. The en- 
 tire art of poetry consists of about a dozen 
 shrewd little devices. One learns them best by 
 copying, because they are all the time repeating 
 themselves. But this barbarian composes gratis. 
 Naturally he must be pleased if anybody listens 
 to him.” 
 
 “ He leads the procession — as Mercury/’ 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 103 
 
 “ A nice sort of Mercury! The only part of 
 the character he can understand is stealing* 
 These noble Germans, when they want a piece of 
 property, have a way of killing the owner, and 
 then they call the affair a 6 feud.’ ” 
 
 “See! he has given the signal to set out for the 
 circus. Let us go too.” 
 
 The Mercury had held out his hand to the 
 Venus to assist her in landing. “ Have you 
 come back to me at last ?” he whispered tenderly. 
 “ For two hours I have been deprived of you, my 
 beautiful one. Indeed I love you with my whole 
 heart.” 
 
 A charming smile lit up her face ; thankfully, 
 lovingly she raised her eyes to his. “ That is the 
 only reason why I still live,” she murmured. 
 
 “You are melancholy to-night, my Aphrodite.” 
 
 “I am not your Aphrodite! I am your 
 Glauca.” 
 
 Taking her hand, Thrasabad led the procession, 
 which wended its way, not without some delays, 
 through the gaping crowd. 
 
 As soon as the company had entered the circus 
 numerous slaves assigned places to the guests, ac- 
 cording to their rank or according to the estima- 
 tion in which they were held by the giver of the 
 entertainment. The most honorable positions 
 
104 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 were the foremost rows of seats, originally intend- 
 ed for the senators of Carthage, but now remain- 
 ing unoccupied. Empty also^ was the pulvinar , on 
 the long southern side, the imperial box, in which 
 many a predecessor of Gelimer had sat. On the 
 northern side, opposite, however, not to the pul- 
 vinar , but to the eastern end, the porta pompae , 
 the seats for the bridegroom and his nearest 
 friends were built out similarly to the imperial 
 box, but much further. Through the porta pompae , 
 x.a gate in the centre of the compartments for the 
 chariots, the grand procession came before the be- 
 ginning of the races. From this point the course 
 ran towards the west, where it rounded off into a 
 semicircle. Here the victors passed out through 
 the porta tr lump kalis. Running east and west 
 along the length of the course and separating this 
 into two parts was a low wall, the spina , richly 
 decorated with columns, obelisks of dark green 
 marble, and small statues of- the conquerors in 
 former contests. At the east and also at the west 
 end of the spina were the goals, the former called ♦ 
 the meta prima, the latter the meta secitnda. The 
 chariots entered the arena through two gates on 
 the eastern side. Finally, on the southern side, in 
 a half-concealed position between the stalls and 
 Jthe imperial box, was placed the mournful ga.t.e, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 105 
 
 the porta Libitinensis , through which the dead and 
 wounded charioteers were borne from the track. 
 
 In the principal box, in addition to the bride 
 and groom, a number of others, both men and 
 •women, had been assigned seats, among them 
 Modigisel and his fair companion Astarte. Here, 
 as soon as all the guests had taken their places 
 and order had been established, the Mercury ap- 
 peared, bowed courteously to the bridal pair, and 
 began : 
 
 “ Permit, my divine brother, son of Semele — ” 
 
 “Stop there, little one/’ interrupted the bride- 
 groom, turning towards the Mercury, who was 
 perhaps a couple of inches shorter than Bacchus, 
 but still considerably over six f^et in height ; “ I’m 
 afraid you’ve been drinking too much Adrumesi- 
 ner wine, or else some of that Grassiker which I 
 myself sucked up out of the 4 ocean.' Evidently 
 it is you who are drunk instead of me. Our 
 worthy father's name was Thrasamer — not 
 Semele." 
 
 Smiling with an air of superior knowledge and 
 exchanging glances with Aphrodite, who also was 
 seated in the same company, the poetical Vandal 
 proceeded : 
 
 “Grant that before the beginning of the sports 
 I may recite my wedding-poem — ” 
 
io 6 the Last of the vandAls. 
 
 “No, no, little brother!'' said the giant, hastily. 
 
 I would rather, much rather not. The verses 
 are — ” 
 
 “Not smooth enough, you think? What do 
 you know about hiatus and—" 
 
 “ Nothing at all. But the sense — so far as I 
 fcould cofriprehend^it ! You were good enough to 
 tead it to me three times — " 
 
 “ And five times to me," said Aphrodite, with a 
 smile that became her admirably. “ I begged him 
 to burn the verses. They are neither pretty nor 
 good." 
 
 “What they contain," continued Thrasaric, “is 
 so extravagant — in fact, so immodest— 
 
 “ Imitated from the best Roman models," 
 grumbled the poet. 
 
 “ That may be. Perhaps that is just the reason. 
 I felt ashamed when I listened to them in private. 
 I could not possibly in the presence of these 
 women — " 
 
 Here a shrill laugh broke on his ear. 
 
 “You are laughing, Astarte ?" 
 
 “Yes, handsome Thrasaric, I am laughing. You 
 Germans are incorrigible; bashful boys with the 
 limbs of giants." 
 
 The little bride cast an imploring glance upon 
 her husband, but he did not see it. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. \0J 
 
 “Bashful? It seems to me that for some time 
 I have been anything but bashful. This role of a 
 half-naked god does not suit me at all. I shall be 
 glad, Eugenia, when we are through with all this 
 senseless performance/’ 
 
 She pressed his hand gratefully. “ And to- 
 morrow,” she whispered, “you will go with me to 
 Hilda? She desires on the first day after our 
 marriage to wish us happiness.” 
 
 “ Certainly. And her wish will bring us happi- 
 ness. She is the noblest woman in the world. It 
 was her union with Gibamund that first taught 
 me to believe in women and love and the happi- 
 ness of marriage. It was she who — well, what 
 now, little one ? Ah, yes, the sports — the guests ! 
 I had forgotten all about them. Well, then, pro- 
 ceed ! Give the signal. Let them begin below 
 there.” 
 
 The Mercury now stepped forward to the white 
 marble balustrade of the boxes and swung his 
 staff twice in the air. Upon this the two gates to 
 the right and left of the stalls flew open, and two 
 trumpeters stepped into the arena, the one on 
 the right clad in blue, the other on the left in 
 green. With a couple of shrill blasts they an- 
 nounced the commencement of the performance. 
 
 In the brief interval which ensued before the 
 
108 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 entrance of the chariots, Modigisel twitched 
 slightly the panther’s skin of the bridegroom. 
 
 “ Listen !” he whispered ; “ my Astarte there is 
 fairly devouring you with her eyes. I believe for 
 some time past you have been more to her taste 
 than I. I suppose I ought to kill her, out of jeal- 
 ousy ; but — ugh ! — it is too hot both for jealousy 
 and for killing.” 
 
 “ I thought,” replied Thrasaric> “ that she is no 
 longer your slave.” 
 
 “ I have set her free, but she still owes me obe- 
 dience. Yes! I would certainly kill her for this, 
 if it were not so hot. Besides, I am somewhat 
 satiated with her. Now, your little one there, the 
 slender, pretty Eugenia, pleases me — perhaps on 
 account of the contrast. How would it be, if we— 
 if we should — exchange?” 
 
 If Thrasaric heard the proposal, he found no 
 time to reply to it. 
 
 Once more the trumpets sounded, and the 
 chariots entered in a stately procession. Five 
 chariots of the “ blues ” came slowly from the 
 right, five of the “ greens” from the left gate. 
 Leek-green and light blue in color were not only 
 the chariots themselves, but the reins and decora- 
 tions of the horses and the tunics of the chariot- 
 eers. The first three on either side were drawn 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. IO9 
 
 by four horses, the usual number. But when the 
 fourth pair appeared with five horses, and the last 
 chariot of both parties with seven, loud shouts of 
 surprise and approbation came from the seats in 
 the upper tiers. These were the least desirable 
 places in the circus, and, although many better 
 rows stood empty, they had been given by the 
 Vandal overseers to the Roman artisans and 
 tradesmen. 
 
 “ Just look, Victor,” whispered Laurus to his 
 neighbor. 
 
 “ Those are the colors of the parties in Byzan- 
 tium.” 
 
 “ Yes; these barbarians imitate everything.” 
 
 “ About as well as monkeys imitate flute- 
 playing.” 
 
 “•Only in the toga ought people to visit the 
 circus.” 
 
 “ Like ourselves,” said Victor with a self-satis- 
 fied air. 
 
 “ But these Vandals ! A few in armor, the rest 
 in garments about as thin as a cobweb.” 
 
 “ Of course. They will never become southern- 
 ers; only degenerate northern barbarians.” 
 
 “Just seethe lavishness of the display! The 
 wheels, even the felloes, are silvered and then 
 striped with green or blue.” 
 
1 10 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 “ And the chariots themselves glisten with sap- 
 phires and emeralds.” 
 
 “ Where did Thrasaric get all these treasures?” 
 “ Stolen, friend ; all stolen from u$, as I told 
 you before. Not by him — for the race has grown 
 too indolent in our day even to steal and plunder 
 — but by his father Thrasamer and his grandfather 
 Thrasafrid. He was the right hand of G^eiseric. 
 And what that meant, in the line of plundering 
 and fighting, is a story it would take some time 
 to tell.” 
 
 “ What magnificent horses those are in the last 
 chariot — the bay ones ! Those are not African.” 
 “ Yes, they are ; but from Spanish stock, bred 
 in Cyrene. They are the best.” 
 
 “ Especially if a little Moorish blood is added 
 to them, like that of the famous stallion of the 
 Moorish- chief Cabaon. It is said a Vandal is now 
 its owner.” 
 
 “ Not likely ! No Moor sells such a horse.” 
 
 “ The procession is finished. They are taking 
 their places beside each other before the white 
 cord. Now — ” 
 
 “Listen! What is the Mercury announcing?” 
 “ The prizes for the victors. For the four-horse 
 chariots, first prize 25,000 sesterces, second prize 
 15,000; 40,000 for the victorious five-horse team, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. . Ill 
 
 and 60,000 — it is unheard of ! — for the seven- 
 horse.” 
 
 “Look, how the seven horses of the green char- 
 iot are pawing the sand ! That is Hercules, their 
 driver. He has already five decorations.” 
 
 “ His opponent is the Moor Chalches. He wears 
 seven badges of victory. See, he lays the whip 
 aside and challenges Hercules to drive without it. 
 He will not dare to accept.” 
 
 “Why not? There, he has thrown the whip 
 on the sand. I bet on Hercules. I am for the 
 green,” shouted Victor, excitedly. 
 
 “ And I for the blue. It is a wager. But hold ! 
 Shall we who are Roman citizens make bets on 
 the games of our tyrants?” 
 
 “ Ah, an excuse ! You have no mettle ! Or no 
 money !” 
 
 “ More of both than you ! How much? Ten 
 sesterces ?” ^ 
 
 “ Twelve !” 
 
 “ Good ! It is a wager.” 
 
 “There, the cord has dropped.” 
 
 “ Now they are off.” 
 
 “ Bravo for the green ! Already at the first goal 
 — and past it on the inside ! ” 
 
 “Hold there, Chalches! Now let them out! 
 Hurrah ! At the second goal Chalches was ahead.” 
 
112 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ Quicker, Hercules ! quicker, you sluggard ! 
 Keep more to the right — to the right ! Or else — 
 Oh, a curse upon you !” 
 
 “ Ha ! by St. Cyprian, victory ! There lies the 
 green, as flat as a mashed frog. Victory ! The 
 blue has won. Pay up, friend. Where is my 
 money ?” 
 
 “ That doesn't count. I shall not pay. The 
 blue thrust the pole of his chariot into the horse 
 on the left side. That was unfair.’' 
 
 “What? You abuse my color ! And you won’t 
 pay ?” 
 
 “ Not a copper.” 
 
 “ Oho ? Then, you scoundrel, I’ll pay you. ” 
 And there followed a loud thwack as from an open 
 hand against a plump cheek. 
 
 “ Peace up there in the cloud seats !” called out 
 the Mercury. “ It is only two Roman citizens, 
 gentle bride, who are boxing each other’s ears. 
 Friend Mandalar above there, go put them out 
 --both of them. Now on with the sports ! Carry 
 the green charioteer out through the Libitinen- 
 sian gate. Is he dead ? Indeed ! Well, proceed. 
 The prizes will be distributed at the close. We 
 have no time to lose. If the king should return 
 from Hippo sooner than we expect, there will be 
 trouble.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 213 
 
 XIV. 
 
 “ Bah !” said Modigisel’s neighbor, a haughty, 
 looking noble of distinguished appearance, “ we 
 are not afraid. We Gundings can trace back our 
 line almost as far as the Asdings. I do not bow 
 my head before them. Least of all before this 
 pious hypocrite.” 
 
 “Right, Gundomar.; we will defy the tyrant,” 
 joined in a younger man. 
 
 H ere Thrasaric turned his huge head and spoke 
 slowly, but with a significance not to be misunder- 
 stood : “ Gundomar and Gundobad, you are my 
 
 guests ; but if you. speak ill of Gelimer, I will do 
 to you as was done to the two Romans. However 
 much wine may have mounted to my head — noth- 
 ing against Gelimer. I will not suffer it. He — 
 the noble-hearted!- — a tyrant? What do you 
 mean by that ? ” 
 
 “ That he has usurped the throne.” 
 
 “ How ? He is the oldest of the Asdings.” 
 
 “After Hilderic. Are you sure that Hilderic 
 was justly deposed and imprisoned?” asked 
 Gundomar. 
 
• I 14 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ Or that the whole thing was not a skilfully 
 concocted plot ?” added Gundobad. 
 
 “ You do not mean to say on Gelimer’s part ?” 
 said Thrasaric, threateningly. 
 
 “ No ; but perhaps devised by Verus. ,, 
 
 “ It is true there are all sorts of rumors ; there 
 is said to have been awarning letter — ” 
 
 “ No matter about that now. But if your noble- 
 hearted bigot learns of these festivities — ” 
 
 “ Then woe to us ! It would be — ” 
 
 “ Like the time when you wanted to marry your 
 bride without a priest,” lajughed Modigisel. 
 
 “ I have thanked him ever since for knocking 
 me down. Eugenias are not to be stolen — they 
 are to be humbly sued for.” And nodding to his 
 bride, he clasped her veil-covered little head in his 
 great right hand and pressed it tenderly to his 
 breast. A beaming glance from the large, dark, 
 antelope-like eyes rewarded him. 
 
 Modigisel also had discovered the charm that 
 such animation, such a look of happiness, gave to 
 the pure young face, and his eyes rested admiring- 
 ly upon Eugenia. The latter now rose and whis- 
 pered in her bridegroom’s ear. 
 
 “ Certainly, my little bird,” Thrasaric replied. 
 “ When you have made a vow, you must keep it. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1X5 
 
 Escort her to the entrance, brother. It is just as 
 necessary to keep one’s word as to breathe.” 
 
 The bride, accompanied by several of her 
 young friends, was conducted by Thrasabad 
 through a number of cross-passages out of the 
 circus. 
 
 0 
 
 “ Where is she going?” asked Modigisel, follow- 
 ing her with passionate glances. 
 
 “To the Catholic chapel — the one which they 
 have set up* close by in the little temple of Vesta. 
 She promised her father to offer up a prayer there 
 before midnight, since’ she had to renounce the 
 blessing of her church on account of her marriage 
 with a heretic.” Just then the graceful form of 
 the bride vanished through the arched door. 
 
 Hereupon Modigisel turned again to Thrasaric. 
 “ Let me have the little one, and take my stout 
 one in exchange — you’ll gain almost a hundred 
 pounds by it. It’s true in this climate a man 
 ought to choose a lean sweetheart. — A free 
 Roman woman ? Well, I, too, will marry her. I’ll 
 not stick at that.” 
 
 “ Keep your exuberant treasure and don’t grudge 
 me my slender one. I’m far from being drunk 
 enough to make such an exchange.” 
 
 At this point Astarte spoke up in a loud voice. 
 
II 6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Both men started. Had*she heard their low whis- 
 pering ? 
 
 “ There is nothing to her but skin and bones.” 
 And again her sensuous lips slightly curled, show- 
 ing between them her sharp white teeth. 
 
 “ And eyes! Such eyes !” exclaimed Modigisel. 
 
 “ Yes, as big as her entire face. Like those of 
 a chicken that has just crept out of the shell,” 
 said Astarte, scornfully. “ What is there so re- 
 markable about her ?” And her round eyes flashed 
 malignantly. 
 
 “ A soul, Carthaginian,” replied the bridegroom. 
 
 “ Women have no souls,” said Astarte, gazing 
 at him steadily. “ So teaches one of the fathers of 
 the church — or some philosopher. In place of 
 souls, some of us have in our veins water, others 
 fire.” She stopped, breathing hard. A rich glow 
 suffused her sphinx-like, exquisitely modelled 
 cheeks. She was bewitchingly, demoniacally 
 beautiful. 
 
 “ Fire !” said Thrasaric, turning away his glance 
 from her burning eyes. “ Fire is also the symbol 
 of hell.” Astarte made no reply. 
 
 “ She is beautiful because she is so modest and 
 pure,” observed Aphrodite with a sigh, for she, too, 
 had overheard part of the conversation. 
 
 “ No wonder that you hold fast to her,” said 
 
' THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. II 7 
 
 Modigisel in loud, scornful tones. “ After your 
 attempt to carry her off failed, you courted the 
 old grain-usurer’s little doll as deferentially as 
 some Roman baker or tailor would woo the child 
 of his neighbor the cobbler.” 
 
 “ True enough,” said Gundomar; “ but he has 
 celebrated his wedding with as much splendor as 
 if he were leading to his house the emperor’s 
 daughter.” 
 
 “ Perhaps the splendor of the wedding is more 
 to his taste than the bride,” laughed Gundobad. 
 
 “ Most certainly not,” replied Thrasaric, slowly. 
 “ But one thing is true : since I know that she 
 is — that she will be mine, my raging passion for 
 her is — But no ! it is not so ! She is very dear 
 to me. It is the wine — the heat. I have taken 
 so much wine !” 
 
 “ Against wine the best antidote is— wine,” 
 laughed Modigisel. “ Here, slaves, bring Bacchus 
 a second ocean.” 
 
 The wine was brought, and Thrasaric took a 
 long draught. 
 
 “Well?” whispered Modigisel. “I will give 
 you to boot besides Astarte my fish-pond, full of 
 mullets, near the royal villa at Grasse — ” 
 
 “I am no glutton,” replied Thrasaric, indig- 
 nantly. 
 
1 1 8 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS 
 
 “ I will add to this my pillared hall at Decimum- 
 I have, it is true, given it to Astarte — but she will 
 consent. Will you not?” Astarte nodded in 
 silence. Her nostrils quivered. 
 
 Thrasaric shook his shaggy head. “ I have more 
 villas than I can live in. — Hark, the blast of a 
 trumpet ! Are the races about to begin ? Say, 
 little brother! Ah! he is not here. Horses — 
 wine — dice — these are the three greatest of all 
 pleasures. I would barter the future of my soul 
 for the best horse in the world. The best horse !” 
 — and he drank deeply again. “ But I lost him 
 through my own folly. I would give ten Eugenias 
 for him.” 
 
 Here Astarte laid her cold finger gently upon 
 Modigisel’s bare arm. He turned around ; she 
 whispered a few words to him, and, with a look of 
 joyful surprise, he nodded assent. “The best 
 horse? What is its name? How did you lose 
 it ?” 
 
 “ It is called— I can’t pronounce its Moorish 
 name, for it is nothing but a succession of c/is. 
 We, however, named it Styx.. It is a three-year- 
 old black stallion of mixed Spanish and Moorish 
 blood, and it was bred in Cyrene. Lately, when 
 our valiant king began the arming and equipment 
 of the troops, it was announced to the Moors that 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 II 9 
 
 we nobles needed fine horses. Among many 
 others, Sersaon, the grandson of the old chief Ca- 
 baon, came to Carthage, bringing* as usual the 
 best horses of all.” 
 
 “ That is a fact. We know them,” confirmed 
 the Vandals. 
 
 “ But the pearl even of the best was Styx, the 
 black stallion. I am ready to weep with vexation 
 when I remember how I lost him. The Moor 
 who rode him, a youth apparently hardly more 
 than a boy, said that the horse was not for sale. 
 When I urged the matter eagerly, he demanded, 
 with a mocking grin, an unheard-of price, that no 
 man in his senses would pay, — many pounds of 
 gold, I have forgotten how many. I laughed in 
 his face. Then I looked again at the noble animal 
 — commanded my slaves to bring the gold, and 
 placed the leather bag in the Moor’s hand. It was 
 in the open court of my house at the Forum of 
 Constantine, and many other horses stood around ; 
 some of our lancers also were in the saddle, super- 
 intending the examination of the horses. When 
 I had closed the transaction, I said with a sigh to 
 my brother : ‘ It is a pity to have paid so much 
 money; the beast is scarcely worth it.’ 4 It is 
 worth more, as you shall see !’ cried the saucy 
 Moor, springing upon the horse and bounding 
 
120 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 out through the gate, the bag still clutched in his 
 fist.” 
 
 “That was too bad,” said Modigisel. 
 
 “ His audacity enraged us all. Forthwith we 
 started in pursuit — there were about twenty of us, 
 our best riders, mounted upon the excellent 
 Moorish horses we had just purchased. At the 
 corner of the street he was so near that Thrasabad 
 hurled his javelin at him. Although at our 
 shouts the people ran out from all the cross- 
 streets to stop him on the main highway, he was 0 
 not stopped. The watch at the southern gate saw 
 us coming and sprang to close it. They did close 
 the gate, but the noble creature had already sped 
 through like an arrow. We followed in pursuit for 
 a half-hour longer ; by that time the fugitive had 
 gained so much that we could scarcely see him in 
 the distance, like an ostrich disappearing in the 
 desert. Angry and loudly reviling the faithless 
 Moor, we rode slowly back on our exhausted horses. 
 As we approached my house, there stood the Moor 
 in the "court-yard, leaning against the black stal- 
 lion — he had ridden into the city again through 
 the western gate. ‘ Do you know now/ said he, 
 
 ‘ the value of this noble steed ? Keep your gold. 
 He is no longer for sale/ And he threw the bag 
 at my feet and rode slowly and proudly away. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 121 
 
 So I lost Styx, the best horse in the world. — 
 Ha ! is this an illusion ? Or is it the strong wine ? 
 There — below — in the arena — among the other 
 horses — ” 
 
 “ Stands Styx,” said Astarte, quietly. * 
 
 “To whom does this treasure belong?” shouted 
 Thrasaric in great excitement. 
 
 “ To me,” replied Modigisel. 
 
 “ Have you bought him ?” 
 
 “ No. In the last campaign he was captured, 
 together with some other horses and a number of 
 camels.” 
 
 “Not by you?” -roared Thrasaric. “You 
 remained at home, as usual, under the protection 
 of Astarte’s broad shadow.” 
 
 “But I sent thirty mercenaries as substitutes. 
 They found the horse tethered in the camp of the 
 Moors, and what the mercenaries capture — ” 
 
 “ Belongs to him who hires them,” said Thrasa- 
 bad, who had just returned to the box. 
 
 “ This prodigy then belongs — to you — to you ?” 
 cried Thrasaric enviously. 
 
 “Yes, now; but to you — whenever you wish.” 
 
 “ Thrasaric gulped down another cup of wine. 
 
 “No! no !” he said. “At least not this way, 
 not by my deliberate act. Besides, she is free; J 
 
122 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 could not give her away like a slave, even if I so 
 wished!” 
 
 “ Only give up your right to her. I will easily 
 find, for money, some ground for nullifying 
 your marriage.” 
 
 “She is a Catholic, he an Arian,” whispered 
 Astarte. 
 
 “Yes; that alone would suffice. And then 
 just give me an opportunity — this Gelimer cannot 
 be always interfering.” 
 
 “ No ! Be still ! Not this way. But — we might 
 leave it to the dice. Then the dice would have 
 done it, not I — it would be destiny. Ah, I can- 
 not, I really cannot — think any more ! If I throw 
 the larger number, each one keeps what he has ; if 
 I throw less than you, then I will — No! no! I 
 will not! Let me sleep a little.” And stupefied 
 by wine, in spite of the noise around him, his 
 mighty rose-crowned head sank ,down upon his 
 arms, which he had folded one upon the other 
 upon the marble balustrade. 
 
 Modigisel and Astarte exchanged glances. 
 
 “ What will you gain by it ?” asked the former. 
 “ He does not trade for you, but for the horse.” 
 
 “ At least she, with her nun’s face, shall not 
 have him. And my time will come.” 
 
 “ Provided I release you from my protection/ 1 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 12 $ 
 “ You will !” 
 
 “ I do not know about that.” 
 
 Oh yes, you will !” said she, fawningly. But at 
 the same time she lifted herjfiead slightly, and her 
 eyes again contracted like the tiger’s. 
 
 ***** 
 
 After a brief sleep the bridegroom was wakened 
 by his brother. “ Wake up,” said the latter; 
 “ Eugenia is back. Let her pass to her place — ” 
 
 “ Eugenia ! — I have not lost her at the dice ! I 
 do not want the horse. I have given no promise.” 
 He started in affright, for there, right before 
 him, at the side of the Ionian, stood his-bride, her 
 large, dark-brown eyes fixed anxiously, searchingly 
 upon his face. She said nothing, but a deathly 
 paleness lay upon her cheeks. How much had 
 she overheard — or understood ? he asked himself. 
 Thrasabad’s slave humbly made way for her. 
 
 “ Thank you, Aphrodite.” 
 
 “ Oh, do not call me by that name of mockery 
 and disgrace ! Call me as my dear parents did 
 before I was stolen away — before I became — 
 booty, a piece of merchandise.” 
 
 “ Thank you, Glauca.” 
 
 “The race will not take place,” lamented 
 Thrasabad, to whom a freedman had just delivered 
 a message. 
 
124 the last of the vandals. 
 
 “ Why not ?” 
 
 “ Because no one will wager against the black 
 stallion which Modigisel has entered. It is Styx, 
 You know the hor$e.” 
 
 “ Yes, I know him. But I have promised noth- 
 ing, Modigisel ?” asked he eagerly, but with 
 lowered voice. 
 
 “ Of course you have— -to leave it to the dice. 
 Don’t you remember *>” 
 
 “ Impossible 1” 
 
 “ You said, ‘ If I throw thegreater number, each 
 shall keep what he has ; if I throw less — 9 99 
 
 “O God! Yes, I remember! — It is nothing, 
 little bride. Pay no attention to me.” 
 
 Then he turned to Modigisel. “ Give me back 
 my word,” he whispered. 
 
 “ Never !” 
 
 “You can break it, you know,” said Astarte, 
 scornfully. 
 
 “ Serpent !” he cried, and raised his fist. But 
 with an effort he controlled himself, and the stal- 
 wart giant, helpless as a bear entangled in a net, 
 turned again entreatingly to Modigisel. 
 
 “ Release me !” 
 
 But the young noble shook his head. “ I with- 
 draw my horse from the race,” said he loudly to 
 
the last of the vandals. 125 
 
 Thrasabad. “ It is glory enough that no one 
 dares to compete with him.” 
 
 “ Then the race can come off — but at the end. 
 First, there are two surprises which I have pre- 
 pared for you in another place. Come, Glauca, 
 your hand. Follow me, all ye guests of Thrasaric — - 
 follow me to the amphitheatre.” 
 
 XV. 
 
 WITH a flourish of trumpets this invitation was 
 announced by criers throughout the whole great 
 building, and in consequence of the excellence of 
 the arrangements and the number of exits the cir- 
 cus was soon empty. 
 
 Then, accompanied by the soft music of flutes, 
 the thousands of guests and spectators proceeded 
 in a gay procession to the neighboring amphi- 
 theatre. 
 
 This was an oval-shaped building, with the 
 longitudinal axis of its inner ellipse about two 
 hundred and forty feet in length. Its arrange- 
 ment resembled that of the circus : an oval outer 
 wall rising in two stories of archways, each tier 
 adorned with statues and columns. Here also 
 
126 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 from the level of the arena the rows of seats 
 ascended in the manner of steps, and were divided 
 into triangular sections by passages which led to 
 the exits. Between the amphitheatre and the 
 adjacent lake there was a subterranean connec- 
 tion. 
 
 The host and his most distinguished guests took 
 their seats in a raised gallery extending out 
 directly to the arena, the podium , which formerly 
 had been reserved for the senators of Carthage. 
 
 On one side of the arena were a number of 
 grated cells, or cages, partly concealed by curtains. 
 From these cages the savage and confused cries 
 of many sorts of wild animals greeted the ears of 
 the entering guests. But the growls and the 
 yelps were suddenly hushed, as a long ominous 
 howling, that gradually deepened into a roar, came 
 from the largest of the cells. So dread was its 
 import that the smaller occupants of the neigh- 
 boring cages grew silent, as if abashed. 
 
 “ Are you afraid, little one ?” Thrasaric asked 
 his bride, as he led her in by the hand. “ You 
 are trembling.” 
 
 “ Not through fear of the tiger,” she replied. 
 
 When the seats of honor were filled, Thrasabad 
 once more appeared, bowed, and said : “ It is 
 
 true the Roman emperors have for a long time 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 12? 
 
 « 
 
 forbidden gladiatorial combats and fights in the 
 arena with wild beasts. But we are not Romans. 
 I know, too, that by our kings — especially King 
 Gclimer — the prohibition has been renewed — ” 
 
 “ If he should learn of it,” said Thrasaric un- 
 easily. 
 
 “ Bah ! He is not expected until to-morrow. If 
 he should come back earlier, he will be delayed at 
 the Capitol, and it is two good leagues from there 
 to this place. The noise of our festivities cannot 
 possibly be heard at such a distance. And we 
 need say nothing about the matter to him to- 
 morrow.” 
 
 “ And the gladiators ?” 
 
 “ They will not. Dead men do not talk. We 
 shall let them fight until there is no one left to 
 betray us.” 
 
 “ Little brother, this seems to me almost too— 
 Roman.” 
 
 “ Ah ! only the Romans knew how to live, our 
 bear-like ancestors, at best, how to die. Do you 
 suppose I have occupied myself only with the 
 study of Roman poetry? I am proud to say that 
 I can also imitate their customs. — Speak up, Gun- 
 domar, are we afraid of King Gelimer?” 
 
 “We nobles of the Vandals do not peripit any 
 one to dictate in matters which concern our pleas? 
 
128 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 ures. Let him attempt to drive us from this 
 place ! ” 
 
 “ And at my brother’s marriage an exception is 
 proper, in fact demanded. Therefore I willYeast 
 your eyes with old-fashioned Roman sports and 
 with old-Roman gladiatorial combats.” 
 
 A loud shout of applause was the answer to 
 this announcement. Thrasabad disappeared to 
 give his commands. 
 
 “ It is easy to understand where he obtains the 
 beasts,” observed Gundomar. “ Africa is their 
 breeding-place. But the gladiators Y* 
 
 “ He has confided the secret to me,” answered 
 Modigisel. “ They are partly slaves, partly Moors, 
 captured in* the last campaign. The white sand 
 of the arena will soon be red with blood.” 
 
 “ That will be splendid !” exclaimed Astarte 
 with such unusual fervor that even Modigisel 
 gazed at her with a slight shudder. 
 
 “ Gladiators !” said TJirasaric doubtfully. “ Eu- 
 genia, do you want to go ?” 
 
 “ I will close my eyes — and stay. Only let me 
 be near you. Do not send me away, I beseech 
 you.” 
 
 Here the loud beating of drums put a stop to 
 further conversation, and a cry of astonishment 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. I2g 
 
 burst from the thousands that filled the amphi- 
 theatre. 
 
 The arena divided suddenly from left to right 
 into two half-circles, and each semicircular part, 
 drawn towards the side, disappeared in the 
 masonry. Twenty feet below the vanished arena 
 a new sand-covered surface became visible, and 
 upon this rushed and surged from all sides a vast 
 mass of foaming water that soon changed the bot- 
 tom of the amphitheatre into a sea. A few moments 
 later broad gates opened on the. left and on the 
 right, and there came rowing in two stately war- 
 galleys, fully manned and equipped for battle. 
 
 Their tall masts, on account of the necessary 
 lack of wind in an enclosed space, carried no 
 sails, but the yards were filled with archers and 
 slingers. 
 
 “ Ha! A sea-fight! Excellent! Glorious !” 
 shouted the spectators. 
 
 “ Look, a Byzantine trireme !” 
 
 “ And a Vandal pirate-ship ! See, how bright is 
 the gleam of its. scarlet flag !” 
 
 “ And above — on the ship’s mast— the golden 
 dragon !” 
 
 “ The Vandal is going to attack. Where are 
 the rowers ?” 
 
 “ They are not in sight. No doubt they are be- 
 
130 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 low the deck. But above — forward on the bow- 
 sprit, the crew are massed, with their axes and 
 javelins raised.” 
 
 “ The Byzantine intends to run the Vandal 
 down. Look, how she comes on !” 
 
 “ Notice her sharp, threatening ram, right at 
 the water-line !” 
 
 “ But the Vandal ship turns quickly. It has 
 escaped the blow. Now the spears fly.” 
 
 “ There ! there a Roman falls on the deck. He 
 does not rise again.” 
 
 “ Another one has fallen overboard. ” 
 
 “Yes, he is swimming.” 
 
 “ No ! he has sunk.” 
 
 “ The water around him is all bloody,” said 
 Astarte, bending eagerly forward. 
 
 “ Let me go — oh, let me go away, and come 
 with me !” begged Eugenia. 
 
 “ Child — not now. You will have to stay now. 
 I must see this,” replied Thrasaric. 
 
 “ Now the Vandal ship lies side by side with 
 the Byzantine.” 
 
 “ They are boarding — our men ! How their 
 blond locks stream out ! .Victory! Victory for 
 the Vandals !” 
 
 “ But, Thrasaric, they are only masked slaves !” 
 “No matter! They carry our flag ! Victory! 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1 3 1 
 
 Victory for the Vandals ! Just look what a fearful 
 struggle is going on— man to man ! How the 
 shields clash and the axes glisten ! Oh, woe ! The 
 leader of the Vandals has fallen. If only I were 
 down there on that accursed Roman ship !” 
 
 “ There, another Vandal is down! Fresh 
 Romans are coming up from below the deck. 
 What perfidy !” 
 
 “ The Romans have, you see, a superior force. 
 Two more Vandals have fallen.” 
 
 “ They have enticed ours on board by craft.” 
 
 “ Brother ! Thrasabad ! Where are you ?” 
 
 “ Yonder in a small boat near the two contend- 
 ing ships,” said Glauca, irra voice full of anxiety. 
 
 “ The Vandals are overpowered. They are 
 springing into the. water.” 
 
 “ Those left upon the Roman ship are being 
 bound.” 
 
 “ Now the Romans are throwing fire at our 
 ship. It is beginning to burn.” 
 u The mast is all in flames. ” 
 
 “ The helmsman and the rowers jumo over- 
 board.” 
 
 “ But where is Thrasabad ?” 
 
 The Mercury now appeared again upon ' the 
 
 podium. 
 
132 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ Brother,” said Thrasaric, “ this is a bad 
 omen/' 
 
 Thrasabad shugged his shoulders. “ The for- 
 tune of war. I could not meddle with it. Noth- 
 ing was prearranged with regard to the result. 
 Dead — five Romans, twelve Vandals. Away! 
 Away with the whole scene ! Vanish, ocean !” 
 
 He waved his winged staff, and the water with 
 the corpses it contained sank swirling into the 
 abyss. The Roman trireme, obedient to its helm 
 and rowing vigorously to starboard, suceeded in 
 reaching the gate through which it had entered, 
 but the empty, burning Vandal ship was sucked 
 down with the rushing, foaming water into the 
 great funnel beneath. It spun round and round, 
 wkh constantly accelerated speed, its mast bend- 
 ing more and more to the right and still blazing 
 fiercely, until suddenly the ship gave a lurch and 
 disappeared in the depths below. Gurgling, 
 swirling, and foaming, the rest of the water fol- 
 lowed it. 
 
 “ The sea is gone,” cried Thrasabad. “ In its 
 stead come the desert and the combats of its 
 monsters.” 
 
 And at the level of the former flooring, high 
 above the surface of the vanished sea, the semi- 
 circular halves of the arena, with their covering of 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 1 33 
 
 white sand were again shoved forward from both 
 sides. Slaves, white, yellow, and black, clad only 
 in aprons, appeared in great numbers and pushed 
 back the curtains which covered the gratings in 
 front of the cages. 
 
 “ We will now present to you—” began Thrasa- 
 bad somewhat magniloquently, but he stopped 
 suddenly ; for that fearful howl, which during 
 the noise of the naval battle had ceased, or 
 at least had not been heard, broke threaten- 
 ingly again upon the air, and a huge tiger was 
 seen to spring from the back of his tolerably 
 long cage with such force against the bars that 
 these actually bent outward, while splinters of the 
 wood in which they were fastened flew into the 
 arena. 
 
 “ Brother,” said Thrasaric softly, “the cage is 
 too long. Take care ! The beast has too much 
 play. And the wood of the floor is too rotten. 
 Are you afraid, Eugenia ?” 
 
 “ I am with you,” she answered calmly. “ But I 
 do not wish any more men to be fighting or 
 dying — even if I do not look at them.” 
 
 “ Only at the close, little sister-in-law, a captive 
 Moor—” 
 
 “ Where did you get him?” asked Modigisel. 
 
134 the last of the vandals. 
 
 “ Most of them I hired from the slave-dealers. 
 But this one is condemned to death.” 
 
 “ Why?” 
 
 “ He strangled his master when the latter 
 undertook to scourge him. He is a slender, 
 handsome young fellow, but provokingly obsti- 
 nate. He will reveal neither his father’s name 
 nor that of his tribe. The brother and heir of the 
 murdered man delivered him to me cheap for the 
 sea-fight, and if he should survive it, for the tiger. 
 All our blows could not induce him to take part 
 in the battle. His master had to bind him hand 
 and foot. Now he will be forced to fight. We 
 shall place him, fully armed, in the arena and let 
 loose upon him the tiger, which has not tasted 
 food for two days.” 
 
 “ O Thrasaric, my husband, my first request — ” 
 
 “ I cannot help you, Eugenia. I have promised 
 him a free hand for to-day. And a man’s word 
 must be kept, even if it prove to be folly or 
 crime.” 
 
 “ That is true,” said Modigisel, bending for- 
 ward and whispering softly in his ear. “ A man 
 must keep his word. When shall we throw?” 
 
 White with passion, Thrasaric started up. “ I 
 will strike you dead — ,” 
 
 “ That would not help the matter. Astarte 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. I35 
 
 knows about it. Keep your promise, or all the 
 nobles of Carthage shall know to-morrow how to 
 rate your faith and honor.” 
 
 “ I will sooner kill the child with my own 
 hands.” 
 
 “ That would be as dishonorable as if, out of 
 envy, I should in advance stab the black stallion. 
 Keep faith, nobleman! You cannot act other- 
 wise.” 
 
 Here Modigisel encountered a glance from 
 Eugenia. She could not have overheard ; but he 
 became silent. 
 
 “And then,” said Astarte to Modigisel in atone 
 just as soft, “ when you have her, I become abso- 
 lutely free.” 
 
 “I do not know yet,” he muttered. “It does 
 not look as if I shall get her.” 
 
 “ Give me my freedom !” persisted Astarte. 
 The words seemed to be a petition, but in her 
 manner of making it there was something so 
 threatening that Modigisel gave a startled glance 
 into her dark eyes. He saw there an expression 
 which he had never yet dared to defy. However, 
 he evaded* a response Adth the roughly-asked 
 question, “ What is there in this giant that at- 
 tracts you as the magnet does iron ?” 
 
 “ His strength,” replied Astarte with energy, 
 
1 36 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 “ I, too, was strong enough once/’ muttered 
 Modigisel, gloomily. “ But Africa and Astarte 
 would exhaust the marrow of a Hercules.” 
 
 This whispered talk was interrupted by Thras- 
 abad, who, now that the tiger had become silent, 
 resumed his speech : 
 
 “ We will present for your amusement the fol- 
 lowing contests : six African bears from the 
 
 Atlas Mountains with six buffaloes; a hippopota- 
 mus from the Nile with a rhinoceros; an ele- 
 phant and three leopards ; an immense tiger — 
 do you hear him ? Be still, Hasdrubal, until you 
 are summoned ! — with a Moor in full armor, a 
 .Moor who has been condemned to death/' 
 
 “ Ha;! Good! That will be fine sport !” came 
 in exclamations of approval from all sides. 
 
 “ And, finally, if, as we hope, Hasdrubal remains 
 the victor, then the tiger against all the conquer- 
 ors in the other contests together, and against a 
 pack of twelve British hounds." 
 
 Loud applause greeted this announcement. 
 
 “ My sincere thanks, ” continued the director of 
 the festivities. “ But one cannot live solely on 
 thanks. Your Mercury requires ambrosia and 
 nectar. Before we witness any further contests 
 let us refresh ourselves a little. A morsel of food, 
 & draught of cool wine, and a voluptuous dan££. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 137 
 
 What say ye, my patrons? Come, beautiful 
 Glauca !” 
 
 Without waiting for the answer — he seemed to 
 be sure of it even before it burst forth in still live- 
 lier shouts of approval — he waved his wand again. 
 
 As if by magic the heavy stone walls which sep- 
 arated the podium and the higher rows of seats 
 from the arena and the lower rows sank down and 
 transformed themselves into gently descending 
 flights of steps leading to the sand-strewn floor. 
 
 At the same time from both sides long tables 
 were moved into the arena by unseen hands. 
 These tables were spread with costly covers and 
 were set with artistically shaped wine-jars, pitch- 
 es, goblets, and cups of gold and silver, and with 
 broad shallow dishes filled with selected fruits and 
 delicate pastry. In the very midst of the arena 
 rose an altar, its three steps thickly covered with 
 wreaths of flowers and crowned by a figure veiled 
 in white. And from the side came dancing in 
 about a hundred satyrs and bacchantes, whose 
 efforts to catch and to escape formed a pantomim- 
 ic dance, to the accompaniment of a noisy, intoxi- 
 cating music of cymbals and drums. But above 
 all the noise, which, indeed, seemed the more to 
 enrage him, rose, each time louder and more 
 threateningly, the howl of the Hyrcanian tiger. 
 
138 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 - \J 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Many of the guests, among them almost all 
 who were in the podium , descended to the arena, 
 filled for themselves the wine-cups, and partook 
 of the fruit and the pastry. To those who pre- 
 ferred to retain their places, gayly dressed slaves 
 carried the refreshments along the rows of seats. 
 
 As soon as the barriers between the arena and 
 the spectators had been removed, a constant 
 throng of guests streamed back and forth, now 
 going down to the tables, now returning to their 
 places. Many even mingled in the performance 
 of the satyrs and bacchantes, and not infrequently 
 one of the latter was clasped round the waist by a 
 Vandal, who joined with his prize in the wild 
 abandon of the dance. 
 
 Every moment the merry-making became more 
 chaotic, the cheeks burned with a brighter color, 
 the blond hair and the black mingled together and 
 fluttered out more wildly, and the musicians were 
 compelled to accelerate their time, if they wished 
 to keep pace with the growing passion of the 
 dancers. 
 
 To none of the revellers was the wine so wel- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1 39 
 
 come as to Thrasabad. He was somewhat 
 exhausted by the hurrying from place to place 
 which the duties of his position demanded, and 
 his vanity was greatly excited by the approval his 
 arrangements met with. Cup after cup he drank, 
 as he stood, leaning against a pillar, his feet upon 
 a white panther’s skin, which was spread before a 
 small drinking-table. Glauca, whom he held on 
 his arm, gazed at him with anxious looks, but did 
 not dare to utter a warning. 
 
 Thrasaric noticed her anxiety.. “ Little broth- 
 er, ” he said, “ take care. The director of the fes- 
 tival is the only one who is compelled to remain 
 sober. This Grassiker is strong. And you, my 
 poor brother — you know it yourself— cannot stand 
 a great deal, because you talk too much in your 
 cups.” 
 
 “ There is no — no — danger — at all,” replied 
 Thrasabad, already articulating his words with 
 difficulty. “ Come, now, Iris and the Cupids!” 
 He raised his wand with a flourish, but it slipped 
 from his hand. Glauca picked it up and placed it 
 at his side. 
 
 Suddenly the broad vaulted canopy of white 
 silk which covered the amphitheatre opened, and 
 a shower of flowers, mostly roses and lilies, fell 
 upon the altar, the loaded tables, and the dancers, 
 
140 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 while through invisible tubes a fragrant perfum 
 was sprinkled, in the form of a hardly perceptib 
 mist, over the arena and the seats of the specta- 
 tors. 
 
 Then, high up behind the arena and breaking, 
 apparently, through a thick gray cloud, appeared 
 a bright disk, like that of the sun. From it 
 streamed a soft, yellow light. 
 
 “ Helios smiles through the shower, ” cried 
 Thrasabad. “ Then Iris is not far away.” 
 
 At these words a rainbow, wonderfully brilliant 
 in its colors, arched itself over the entire extent 
 of the arena, and borne up, as it seemed, on golden 
 clouds, a young maiden, holding gracefully above 
 her head a seven-colored veil, flew slowly from 
 right to left across the scene. 
 
 When she had vanished, and the rainbow and 
 the sun had also disappeared, and while the ex- 
 clamations of astonishment still continued, a 
 group of charming Cupids, children of from four 
 to nine years of age, descended from the openings 
 in the canopy by chains of roses. Received by 
 the slaves and released from their floral bonds, 
 tKey grouped themselves upon the steps of the 
 altar around the still concealed figure, towards 
 which all eyes were now turned in curiosity. 
 
 Then Thrasabad, leaving the drinking-table. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 141 
 
 strode over to the altar, still holding on his arm 
 Glauca, who had gently taken the freshly filled 
 cup from his hand. The uproarious applause 
 which now greeted him utterly deprived the vain 
 young man of his little remaining discretion. As 
 .Jie stood upon the top step and dragged after him 
 the vainly resisting Glauca, he staggered, as if 
 about to fall. “ Behold, brother !” he cried with 
 unsteady voice, “ here is my wedding-present. In 
 the senator’s villa at Cirta — what was his name ? 
 He was burned to death because he obstinately 
 remained a Catholic — No matter ! I bought from 
 the fiscal the confiscated estate ; there are mag- 
 nificent old mosaics there — hunting-pictures, with 
 stags, dogs, noble horses, and beautiful women 
 beneath the palm-trees. In rebuilding the cellar, 
 under some broken columns this statue was found; 
 it is said to be more than five hundred years 
 old — a treasure from the best period of Grecian 
 art — so says my freedman> who understands such 
 things — an Aphrodite. Brother, I give her to 
 you. Reveal thyself, queen of Paphos ! ” Grasp- 
 ing a broad knife that lay upon the pedestal, he 
 severed the cords which fastened the wrappings. 
 As these fell away, they revealed a wondrously 
 beautiful, superbly formed Aphrodite, sculptured 
 in pure white marble. 
 
142 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 The Cupids knelt down at the feet of the god- 
 dess and twined their garlands around her knees. 
 At the same time there fell from above upon the 
 altar and the statue a dazzling white light, bril- 
 liantly illuminating the arena, which generally 
 was lighted not too distinctly and only by means 
 of lamps. 
 
 Greater than even before were the enthusiastic 
 plaudits of the people ; on went the frenzied 
 dance, wilder and quicker, and louder swelled the 
 music of the drums and cymbals. But this sud- 
 denly increased noise and the glare of light 
 reached also the uncovered cage of the tiger. 
 With a fearful howl he gave a mighty bound 
 against the bars ; one of them fell noiselessly 
 outward on the soft white sand. Nobody noticed 
 it. For about the goddess upon the altar a new 
 scene was being enacted. 
 
 “ Thanks, brother !” cried Thrasaric. “That is 
 certainly the most beautiful woman a man can 
 conceive of.” 
 
 “Yes,” assented Modigisel. “What now, 
 Astarte ? Why that mocking smile ? What 
 fault can you find with her?” 
 
 “Why, that is not a woman,” said the "Cartha- 
 ginian, coldly, scarcely parting her lips. “ That 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 H3 
 
 is a stone. Go to her, kiss her, if she seems to 
 you more beautiful than — ” 
 
 “ Astarte is right !” shouted Thrasabad, beside 
 himself with excitement. “ She is right ! Of 
 what use is a Venus made of stone? A cold, 
 dead, marble goddess of love ? She folds her 
 arms forever upon her bosom — she cannot open 
 them for a blissful embrace. And how majestic 
 she looks, as if the delights of love were some 
 grave and serious thing! No, marble statue, you 
 are not the fairest woman. The fairest woman — 
 far more beautiful than you — is my Aphrodite 
 here. Mine is the loveliest woman in the world ! 
 With envy you shall confess it. I will have it so. 
 You shall all confess it.” 
 
 And. with surprising strength he drew the fair 
 Greek up to him, in spite of all her struggles, 
 placed her upon the broad pedestal of the statue, 
 and pulled fiercely at the white silk which Glauca, 
 while on the ship, had thrown over her bare 
 shoulders and gossamer-like drapery. 
 
 “ No, no! Desist, my love ! Do not disgrace 
 me before the eyes of all,” pleaded the girl, strug- 
 gling desperately. “ Desist — or by the living 
 God—” 
 
 But the Vandal, no longer master of himself, 
 
t 44 THE last of the vandals. 
 
 burst into a loud laugh: 41 Off with these dis- 
 figuring wraps !” 
 
 And again he sought to tear away the piece of 
 silk and the thin raiment beneath it*. But before 
 he could succeed in his purpose a broad knife 
 gleamed in the air — the frantic girl had snatched 
 it from the pedestal — and a warm stream of blood 
 spurted from her Bosom into his face. Then her 
 beautiful form sank down at the foot of the mar- 
 ble statue. 
 
 “ Glauca ! Glauca!” cried Thrasabad,' sobered 
 at once through horror. 
 
 But at that very moment, drowning all the wild 
 turmoil of the music and the dance, was heard 
 from without the amphitheatre the clear, martial 
 blast of a Vandal war-horn. And from the en- 
 trance-doors, as well as from the upper rows of 
 seats, which afforded an outlook upon the Grove, 
 burst from a thousand throats the cry : 
 
 “The king! The king! King Gelimer!” 
 
 Then followed a mad, chaotic attempt to escape 
 from the building, and a struggling, terrified crowd 
 poured forth from every exit. 
 
 Thrasaric drew himself up to his full height, took 
 the trembling Eugenia in his strong arms, and 
 sturdily forced his way through the throng. 
 
 The voice of the Mercury was no longer heard, 
 
145 
 
 The last of The vandals. 
 
 for Thrasabad lay stretched at the feet of the 
 silent marble goddess, clasping in his arms the 
 lifeless body of the beautiful Glauca. And soon 
 he was alone with her in the vast, deserted build- 
 ing. 
 
 Without, at some distance, arose the sound of 
 voices in contention. But in the amphitheatre 
 there was the stillness of death. Even the tiger 
 was silent, as if astonished at the sudden quiet 
 and solitude. 
 
 It was now past midnight. The wind was 
 rising and playing merrily through the openings 
 in the silken canopy; soon it grew bolder and be- 
 gan chasing the roses that lay scattered upon the 
 floor of the arena. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 The guests of Thrasaric stood grouped in the 
 broad open space before the amphitheatre, most 
 of them with the feelings and demeanor of chil- 
 dren whom their taskmaster has just detected in 
 some forbidden act. 
 
 Thrasaric himself had shaken off the last traces 
 of intoxication. “ The king?” said he softly to 
 
146 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 himself. “ The hero? I am ashamed/' And he 
 pushed back from his brow the wreath of roses he 
 wore. 
 
 Hereupon Gundomar came up to him with a 
 haughty air, his hand on his sword. 
 
 “ Son of Thrasamer, fear is a thing you have 
 never yet known. We must defy this tyrant. 
 Show him as firm a front as we shall/' 
 
 Thrasaric made no reply; he only shook his 
 massive head and repeated to Eugenia, whom he 
 had set down beside him : “I am ashamed to 
 meet the king. And my brother! my poor 
 brother !” 
 
 “ Poor| Glauca !” sighed Eugenia. “ But per- 
 haps she is to be envied." 
 
 Again the horns sounded, this time much 
 nearer, and the king, whose approach had been 
 distinctly perceptible for some distance along the 
 straight military highway, came galloping up, far 
 in advance of his followers. Only a couple of 
 slaves with torches had been able to keep pace 
 with him ; his brothers, who had stopped to col- 
 lect a troop of horse, were still far behind. Right 
 before Thrasaric and the nobles who surrounded 
 him the king reined in his panting steed. 
 
 “ Unprincipled men, lawless people of the Van- 
 dals !” he exclaimed in threatening tones. “ Is it 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. H7 
 
 thus you obey your king's command? Are you 
 determined to bring the wrath of Heaven upon 
 your heads? Who gave these orgies? Where is 
 their leader ?" 
 
 “ I gave them, O king," said Thrasaric, advanc- 
 ing a step. “ I am very sorry. Punish me. But 
 spare him who conducted them at my request — 
 my brother ; he has— 
 
 “ Disappeared together with the dead girl, with- 
 out leaving a trace," broke in Gundobad. “ I 
 wished to summon him to head with us Gundings 
 the common cause of the nobles against this 
 king—” 
 
 “ For this hour," interrupted Gundomar, “will 
 show whether we are the slaves of the Asdings or 
 free noblemen." 
 
 “ I, for my part, am tired of being commanded," 
 joined in Modigisel. 
 
 “ Our blood is in no respect inferior to yours," 
 cried Gundobad angrily to the king. And now 
 around the two Gundings a considerable band of 
 their kinsmen, friends, and followers had gathered, 
 many of them provided with weapons. 
 
 Thrasaric was about to advance into the midst 
 for the purpose of preventing the threatened coll- 
 ect, but b§for§ he could do so he was-syrrounded 
 
I48 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 by a number of his slaves, accompanied by some 
 belonging to his brother. 
 
 “ Master,” they cried, “ Thrasabad has dis- 
 appeared. What shall take place next? The 
 festival — ” 
 
 “ Is over. Alas that it ever began !” 
 
 “ But the race over there in the circus?” 
 
 “ There will be no race. Bring out the horses. 
 Return them to their owners.” 
 
 “ I will not take the stallion back until we have 
 had our throw,” called out Modigisel. “ I hold 
 yoirto your word.” 
 
 “And the wild beasts,” urged a freedman, 
 “ They are howling for food.” 
 
 “ Let them remain where they are. Feed 
 them.” 
 
 “ And the captive Moor — ” 
 
 No time was given for an answer. For while 
 the horses, among them the black stallion, were 
 being led out from the circus into the open space 
 between that building and the amphitheatre, 
 loud shouts arose at the portals of the latter. 
 
 “ The Moor ! The prisoner ! He has escaped ! 
 There he runs ! Stop him !” 
 
 Thrasaric turned and saw the youthful figure of 
 the Moor coming straight towards him. His 
 hands and feet had been bound with ropes. The 
 
ft 
 
 THE LA S 1 OL THE VANDA LS. 149 
 
 bonds around his feet he had succeeded in tear- 
 ing off, but not the strong cord, about a foot long, 
 which fastened together his wrists. It hindered 
 him greatly that he could not use his hands to 
 break his way through the crowd. 
 
 “ Let him go,” commanded Thrasaric. 
 
 “No!” cried the pursuers. “He has just 
 knocked down his master with a blow of his fist. 
 His mastef has commanded that he shall die. A 
 thousand serterces to any one who captures him !” 
 Upon this stones began to be thrown, and here 
 and there a spear. 
 
 “A thousand sesterces!” cried one Roman to 
 another. “ Friend Victor, let us become recon- 
 ciled and earn this money together.” 
 
 “Agreed! Equal shares, Laurus !” 
 
 Meantime the fugitive was running as swiftly as 
 he could towards Thrasaric. The supple, well- 
 formed figure drew nearer and nearer. The flush 
 upon his youthful face was that of anger rather 
 than fear. 
 
 When right at Thrasaric’s side, Laurus grasped 
 the rope that bound together the fugitive’s hands ; 
 there was a violent jerk — the Moor fell. Victor 
 seized him by the arm. “ The thousand sesterces 
 are, ours!” cried Laurus, and drew the rope tow- 
 ards him. 
 
ISO THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 “No!” exclaimed Thrasaric, and, tearing the 
 short sword from his belt, he severed the cord at a 
 stroke. “Flee, Moor!” ^ 
 
 In an instant the latter was on his feet. He 
 cast a grateful look at the Vandal and then darted 
 out among the horses. 
 
 “ Ah, my horse ! The black stallion !” cried 
 Modigisel. 
 
 But the Moor was already on the back of the 
 noble animal. A word in his ear — a leap right 
 out into the crowd, which scattered and made 
 way for them, and horse and rider were dashing 
 at full speed along the road towards Numidia. It 
 seemed but a moment before they disappeared in 
 the protecting darkness of the night. 
 
 “ My horse !” grumbled the angry Modigisel. 
 “That costs me the game with the dice.” 
 
 Thrasaric gazed in astonishment after the black 
 stallion. “God, I thank thee!” he exclaimed. 
 “ I will try .to merit this. Come, my little one ! 
 To the king! He seems to need me.” 
 
 The demonstration of the nobles and their fol- 
 lowers against the king had ^become more and 
 more threatening, but the latter maintained his 
 position unflinchingly, 
 
 “ We will not allow ourselves to be coerced by 
 you,” said Gundomar f 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . IS I 
 
 “We will not suffer ourselves to be deprived 
 of the free enjoyment of life, ,> cried Modigisel. 
 “ To-morrow, friends, — whether this king is willing 
 or not, — I invite you all. We will meet here again 
 in this arena, under this silken canopy.*’ 
 
 “That you will not,” the king said quietly, and 
 taking the torch from the hand of the nearest 
 slave, he rose in his stirrups and hurled it with sure 
 aim, over the heads of the crowd, right into the 
 midst of the silken tent, which at once took fire 
 and flamed up in a bright blaze. 
 
 “ How dare you ?” shouted Gundobad. “This 
 building is not yours. It belongs to the Vandal 
 people. How dare you destroy their pleasures, 
 merely because you cannot share them ?” 
 
 “ And why can you not share them ?” continued 
 Gundomar, hotly. “ Because you are not a true 
 man, not a genuine Vandal.” 
 
 “A dreamer — no king for a nation of heroes!” 
 
 “ What mean those sudden fits of trembling 
 that so often seize you ?” 
 
 “Who knows whether some secret guilt does 
 not oppress you ?”- 
 
 “ Who knows whether your courage would not 
 fail, if danger — ” 
 
 Just then there came from the crowd immedi- 
 
152 The last of the vAndals. 
 
 ately in front of the amphitheatre a wild cry of 
 horror, of deadly fright : 
 
 “The tiger! The tiger is loose !” 
 
 A mad rush to escape followed. In the despera- 
 tion of their fear a dense mass of men, women, 
 and children plunged forward, encountered other 
 groups of people, and struggled to force their way 
 through them. Many stumbled, fell, and were 
 trodden under foot. 
 
 Above, under one of the archways forming the 
 second story of the amphitheatre and directly op- 
 posite to the king, crouched the tiger, lashing his ; 
 sides with his tail, and all ready for a leap. His 
 broken chain still hung from his neck, and his openi 
 jaws were twitching in the struggle between rav- 
 enous desire and dread of the blazing torches and. 
 the throng of people below him.' 
 
 Hunger at ’length prevailed over fear. His> 
 eager glance had fallen upon one of the race-horses; 
 which stood before the amphitheatre. Between, 
 him and his prey swarmed a mass of people — the: 
 leap was, besides, almost too far — but his voracious 
 craving urged the huge beast on, and with a low 
 cry he gave a fearful spring over the heads of the 
 people towards his chosen victim. But the whole 
 shrieking mass of humanity surged forward in the 
 same direction, the horses shied, and the spring 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 *53 
 
 did not reach" its mark. The tiger had lit upon 
 the ground several feet short of the horse, which, 
 breaking from its halter, bounded away. 
 
 The tiger never repeats a leap that has failed. 
 Accordingly, Hasdrubal started to sneak off, as if 
 ashamed. But as he drew back his right fore-paw, 
 it fell upon soft, warm, living flesh. 
 
 It was a child, a four-year-old girl, in the gay, 
 tinselled attire of the amorettes . Some moments 
 before she had been torn from her mother's side 
 and knocked down in the rush. She lay upon her 
 face on the soft turf, the tender, rosy flesh of her 
 neck and shoulders unprotected and exposed. 
 The tiger’s claws instinctively fastened on this 
 tempting morsel and clutched the 'child by the 
 throat — but only for an instant. Then he sud- 
 denly bounded back the length of his body, with 
 a howl of rage more terrible than any he had 
 uttered before. This was caused by an adversary 
 who, advancing on foot, dared to dispute with him 
 the prey he had secured. The great beast crouched 
 again for a spring, which, had it succeeded, must 
 have crushed by its force any man to the ground.. 
 But before the leap could be made, his opponent 
 stood right before the gaping jaws and had driven 
 between them up to the hilt a Vandal sword, aim r 
 
154 the last of the vandals. 
 
 ing the weapon from below slightly upward, so 
 that its point pierced the vertebrae. 
 
 At first the man, carried along by the impetus 
 of the blow, sank down upon the body of the 
 dead tiger, but in an instant he sprang to his 
 feet, stepped back, and lifted from the ground the 
 terrified child. 
 
 “ Gelimer ! Long live King GeJimer ! Hail to 
 the hero!” shouted the multitude, even the Ro- 
 mans joining in the acclamations. 
 
 “ King, you are not injured?” asked Thrasaric. 
 
 “ No more than the child,” replied Gelimer, 
 calmly, as he placed the little one in the arms of 
 its weeping and' frightened mother. The woman 
 stooped and kissed the border of the king’s white 
 mantle, all stained as it was with the tiger’s blood. 
 
 Gelimer wiped his bloody sword on the skin of 
 the beast and thrust the weapon into its sheath. 
 Then he stepped back to his horse and stood with 
 his tall form leaning against its shoulder. Even 
 as king he still wore his old helmet with the black 
 vulture’s wings — ^they seemed now to look down 
 threateningly, as if alive---having simply added 
 to it, around the head-piece, Geiseric’s dentated 
 crown. As he glanced at those around him, there 
 came over his countenance a look of sorrowful 
 contempt. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 155 
 
 A deep silence ensued ; for the time words failed 
 even the boldest of the nobles. 
 
 Just then the remains of the burning canopy 
 flared up brightly once more and fell crackling 
 into the arena. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 The brothers of the king now rode up at the 
 head of their troop of horsemen. They had been 
 witnesses from a distance, over the heads of the 
 crowd, of the scene that had just taken place. 
 Springing from their horses, they pressed with 
 enthusiasm Gelimer’s hands. 
 
 “ What is the matter, brother?” asked Giba- 
 mund. “ Tha*t is not the mien of a deliverer.” 
 
 “ O brother,’* sighed Gelimer, “ pity me ! I am 
 disgusted with my people. And that is hard ! 
 hard !” 
 
 “Yes, for we have nothing better,” said Zaro, 
 earnestly. 
 
 “ On earth,” replied the king, moodily. “ But 
 is it not a sin to love this earthly thing so passion- 
 ately ? All that is earthly is vanity. Is it not the 
 same with one’s people and fatherland ?” And 
 
156 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 sunk in gloomy thoughts, he seemed to become 
 oblivious of the scene around him. 
 
 “ King Gelimer, awake !” cried a warning voice 
 from the crowd. 
 
 It was Thrasaric, who had beheld with astonish- 
 ment the sudden transformation in the king's^ 
 manner. The giant also had started to attack 
 the tiger, but the king, who had noticed before 
 all the threatened leap, had anticipated him — and 
 still another. 
 
 The older of* the two strangers had quietly 
 taken a position with his spear poised to throw. 
 “ That was a good stroke, Theudigisel,” he whis- 
 pered. “ But let us see how the affair ends. 
 This king is losing his best opportunity.” 
 
 And so it seemed. For in the mean time the 
 nobles had partly recovered from their confusion 
 and feeling of shame. Once more, not so boldly 
 as before, but still defiantly enough, Gundomar 
 stepped forward and said: “ You are a hero, king. 
 It was unjust to doubt it; although it is not 
 easy for us to comprehend you. But we cannot 
 and will not serve even a hero, as our bear-like 
 ancestors obeyed Geiseric.” 
 
 “ It is not necessary and no longer possible,” 
 added Modigisel. He began at first to lisp and 
 drawl in his favorite Greek fashion, but soon in 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1 57 
 
 the earnestness of his excitement he quite forgot 
 to keep up the affectation. “We are not now 
 barbarians, as were the companions of the bloody 
 sea-king. We have learned from the Romans to 
 live and to enjoy life. Do not burden us with these 
 heavy weapons. This glorious land is ours with- 
 out dispute; no one can wrest it from us; — a land 
 where men ought merely to luxuriate, not to 
 work. Here pleasure, and pleasure only, is worth 
 living for. Death, you know, puts an end to all 
 things. Therefore while I still live, I will not 
 fight, but kiss and drink and — ” 
 
 “Become Justinian’s slave,” interrupted the 
 king, indignantly. 
 
 “ Pshaw ! These Greeks will never dare to 
 attack us.” 
 
 “ Let them come ! With one fierce charge we 
 will run them into the sea.” 
 
 “ If the realm were really in danger, the Gun- 
 dings know that honor calls them to the front in 
 every Vandal battle.” 
 
 “ But no war threatens from any quarter.” 
 
 “ There is no one rash enough to provoke a 
 quarrel with us.” 
 
 “ It simply suits the Asdings to order about the 
 noblest of the Vandals like Moorish mercenaries 
 or unresisting slaves.” 
 
158 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ No longer will we — ” 
 
 Modigisel did not complete his speech, for the 
 blast of a horn and the noise of approaching 
 horsemen drew attention from his words. A 
 white figure, mounted upon a black courser, came 
 rapidly galloping up, followed by several attend- 
 ants. 
 
 Two torch-bearers rode beside her on the right 
 and on the left, but were hardly able to keep pace 
 with her. Her long light-golden hair streamed 
 behind in the wind ; a white mantle, falling in 
 broad folds, fluttered about the rider and her 
 horse. 
 
 “ That is Hilda !” exclaimed Gibamund. 
 
 “ Yes, Hilda and war !” was the jubilant reply, 
 as the panting steed came to a stand. Her eyes 
 flashed; in her right hand she waved a parchment. 
 War, king of the -Vandals ! And I — I am the 
 first to announce to you the fateful word which 
 summons all you Asdings, like the blast of a 
 war-horn, to victory and honor.” 
 
 “ She is glorious !” said Thrasaric to Eugenia, 
 who nodded assent. “ A mantle !” he continued, 
 looking around. “ She — Hilda — shall not see me 
 in this despicable state. Lend me your mantle, 
 friend Marcomer.” And stripping off the panther's 
 skin and flinging away the thyrsus, he threw 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1 59 
 
 around his bare shoulders the brown mantle belong- 
 ing to the leader of the horsemen. 
 
 “ How comes it that you — a woman — bring 
 such a message ?" asked Gelimer, taking the 
 parchment from her hand. 
 
 She sprang from her horse into her husband's 
 arms, and said: “Verus sends me. Ships, with 
 despatches which he was expecting, came into the 
 harbor. He intended to bring this document to 
 you himself — it was the first which he received; 
 but immediately* afterwards several other impor- 
 tant letters arrived, among them one from the 
 king the of Visigoths, and Verus had to translate 
 them from the cipher in which they were written. 
 Therefore he ordered that I should be wakened. 
 i To waken Hilda — that means to awaken war,' 
 my ancestor Hildebrand taught me," she con- 
 cluded with a laugh, but with flashing eyes. 
 
 “ And truly like the leader of the Valkyrias she 
 came riding among us," said Thrasaric, more to 
 himself than to Eugenia. 
 
 “ Of that, however, Verus knows nothing," 
 continued Hilda. “ But there was a peculiar 
 smile on his lips as he said : ‘ You are the proper 
 bearer of this message to Gelimer.' I did not 
 delay. I bring you war and — I feel it, king of 
 the Vandals— an assured victory. Read!” 
 
l6o THE LAST OF THE\ VA HEALS. 
 
 Gelimer unfolded the parchment, the seals of 
 which were already broken, and, beckoning to him 
 a torch-bearer, read in a loud voice : 
 
 “ To Gelimer , who calls himself King of the 
 Vandals — ” 
 
 “ Who is the insolent writer ?” interrupted 
 Zaro. 
 
 “ God a , formerly Governor , now King of Sar- 
 dinia.” 
 
 “ Goda ? The wretch ! I never trusted him,” 
 cried Zaro, 
 
 Since under false accusations you have dethroned 
 and imprisoned King Hilderic , I renounce allegiance 
 to you , usurper . You credulous fools forgot that I am 
 an Ostrogoth , but I have never forgotten it. Almost 
 the only one who escaped when my comrades were 
 massacred \ I have since plotted incessantly for 
 revenge. In blind confidence you appointed me to 
 rule over this island; now I have won over the Sar- 
 dinians to my support , and I will henceforth rule 
 them as their king. If you dare to attack me, know 
 that I have appealed to the protection of the great 
 Emperor fustinian, and he has promised to extend 
 it to me. Far rather will I be the subject of a 
 powerful emperor than of a Vandal tyrant. 
 
 “ Goda, King of Sardinia.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 l6l 
 
 “ Yes, that is war,” said Gelimer in an earnest 
 voice. “ Certainly with Sardinia; probably also with * 
 Byzantium, although the last letters from there 
 spoke only of peace. Have you heard it?” and 
 he turned with kingly majesty toward the nobles — 
 “Have you heard it, j^ou nobles, and you, people 
 of the Vandals ? Shall I write to the rebel and 
 to the emperor : ‘Take and keep what you wish. 
 The descendants of Geiseric object to the weight 
 of weapons and armor’? Will you now continue 
 your festivities in the circus, or do you want — ” 
 “We want war! war!” shouted Thrasaric, 
 breaking his way through the ranks of the nobles. 
 “King Gelimer, your deed, your words, the sight of 
 this glorious woman, the insolent letter of that bold 
 traitor, have roused again in me — and surely in us 
 all — the feelings which too long have slumbered. 
 And as I cast away the unmanly decoration of 
 these roses” — here he tore the garland from his 
 head and threw it to the ground — “so I fling from 
 me all base frivolity and wantonness. Pardon 
 me, my king, far-sighted hero ! I will atone- — 
 believe me ! — for what I have been guilty of ; I 
 will atone for it on the field of battle.” 
 
 Stretching out his hands, h£.,was about to sink 
 upon his knees, but the king caught him and drew 
 him to his breast : “ Thanks, noble Thrasaric ! 
 
1 62 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 Your ancestor, the hero Thrasafrid, who even now 
 looks down from* heaven upon us, will be rejoiced 
 at this.” 
 
 But Thrasaric tore himself away and, turning 
 to the nobles, cried : “ Not only myself, but all 
 who stand around us here I must win back to 
 duty and to heroism. Would that my brother 
 were with us! Comrades, cousins, hear me! 
 Will you, like myself, stand by this valiant king ? 
 Will you obey him? Will you follow him to the 
 war, faithful even unto death?” 
 
 “ We will ! We will ! * To war and unto death !” 
 cried the nobles to a man. Modigisel shouted 
 louder even than the others. Only Gundomar 
 hesitated an instant, but then stepped forward 
 proudly and spoke : “ I did not believe in the 
 war. I considered it merely a pretext devised by 
 a too rigorous king to deprive us of our amuse- 
 ments, and to force us to a life of military dis- 
 cipline. But the insolence of this Goda and the 
 help promised him by the perfidious emperor are 
 affronts we cannot brook. Now really there 
 comes a struggle in which our kingdom is at 
 stake. At such a time the Gundings range them- 
 selves side by side with the Asdings — now, as 
 heretofore and always. King Gelimer, you are 
 right ; I was a fool. Pardon me 
 
THE LAST OF THE ^VANDALS, 163 
 
 “ Pardon us all !” cried the nobles, excitedly 
 pressing around the king. 
 
 Gelimer, deeply moved, extended his hands 
 towards them, which they enthusiastically grasped. 
 
 “O Hilda,” spoke Thrasaric, “ you were wak- 
 ened in the very nick of time ; for this, in great 
 part, is your work.” And before Hilda could 
 reply, he drew forward the shy Eugenia from the 
 myrtle bush behind which she had hidden herself. 
 “ Do you recognize this little one, my king ? 
 Well, then, I have won her for my wife — not by 
 violence ! She herself confesses that — that she 
 likes me. It is hard to believe, isn’t it ? But she 
 says so herself. The priest has blessed our union ; 
 - now do you also give us to each other in mar- 
 riage, according to the old kingly custom.” 
 
 The king smiled upon the bride. “ May this 
 marriage be a symbol of the reconciliation of the 
 union of both peoples ! I will — ” 
 
 A moment before, a woman had pressed for- 
 ward hurriedly to Eugenia’s side. Her purple 
 mantle shone in the red glare of the torches. 
 Bending over, she whispered some words in the 
 ear of the young bride. 
 
 Eugenia turned pale. Then the whisper 
 ceased, and the woman pointed with outstretched 
 
164 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 «c 
 
 arm to the Numidian highway, on which the 
 black stallion had disappeared. 
 
 “ Oh, then — ” groaned the bride, interrupting 
 the words of the king. She turned hurriedly 
 away from Thrasaric, but her feet refused to 
 support her, and she sank swooning to the 
 ground. 
 
 Soft arms raised her. They were those of 
 Hilda, the war-elated Valkyr. With her left 
 hand she drew the tender form to her breast, 
 with her right she motioned back Thrasaric, who 
 in consternation endeavored to clasp the hand of 
 diis bride'. 
 
 “Back!” said Hilda, firmly. “Back from her! 
 Whatever it be that has caused the head of this 
 lily to droop, she shall first raise it again on my 
 breast and under my protection. It was a wrong 
 — a scarcely pardonable one — to celebrate your 
 marriage with such a bride as Eugenia here, in 
 this Grove of Venus. Decide yourself, Thrasaric : 
 are you worthy — now, at this moment — to lead 
 your bride with you to your house?'” 
 
 A tremor seized the powerful form of the giant ; 
 his broad chest heaved, he struggled for breath , 
 then, sighing deeply, he shook his head, and hid 
 his face in the folds of his mantle. 
 
 “ Eugenia remains with me,” said Hilda, sol- 
 
1 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. l6$ 
 
 emnly, and pressed a kiss upon the pale brow 
 of the now recovering girl. Thrasaric glanced 
 towards her once more and then vanished in the 
 crowd. 
 
 Modigisel strode angrily up to Astarte. 
 “ Snake !” he cried, and there was no affectation 
 now in his tones, “ demon ! What did you 
 whisper in the ear of that poor girl?” 
 
 “ The truth.” 
 
 “No ! He never really meant it— he was not 
 in earnest. Besides, the black stallion has gone 
 to the devil ! My game is up.” 
 
 “ But not mine.” 
 
 “You shall go no further. I am ashamed of 
 this disgraceful business.” 
 
 “I am not,” said she, with a short laugh, look- 
 ing after Thrasaric. 
 
 “ Obey me, slave, or — ” 
 
 He lifted -his arm to strike. Once more she 
 threw her head back, this time so violently that 
 her luxuriant black hair loosed itself from its 
 golden bands and fell in a mass down over her 
 shapely white neck ; at the same time she pressed 
 her eyes tightly together and distinctly ground 
 her teeth. 
 
 As before there was something about this 
 threatening creature which he did not dare to 
 
i6 6 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 defy. ' His uplifted hand fell, and he merely 
 said : 
 
 “ Only wait ! When we are at home — ” 
 
 “ We*shall become reconciled to each other/’ 
 she said, a smile on her lips, but with a defiant 
 flash from her dark eyes. It was open mockery. 
 She inspired him with horror. He shuddered, as 
 if in fear. 
 
 “ My brother and king,” said Zaro, incapable of 
 longer restraining his impatience, “ Grant me the 
 pleasure of punishing this Goda. The fleet lies 
 ready to sail. Give me only five thousand men, 
 to be selected by myself — ” 
 
 “ We Gundings will go with you,” cried Gun- 
 demar. 
 
 “ And I promise that in one battle I will force 
 Sardinia back to obedience and bring you the 
 traitor’s head.” 
 
 Gelimer deliberated. “ To send away just now 
 the entire fleet and the flower of the infantry? 
 Now — when at any moment the emperor may 
 attack us here in our own land? That must be 
 carefully considered. I will see Verus—” 
 
 “Verus?” cried Hilda, eagerly. “I forgot to 
 tell you. Verus commissioned me to say that he 
 advises that this first spark of rebellion should be 
 stamped out at once. ‘ I send you, Hilda,’ said 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. \6j 
 
 he, with a peculiar smile, ‘ for I know that you 
 will urge them to prompt expedition/ You, O 
 king, ought, even before you return to the Capi- 
 tol, to equip the fleet in the harbor for sailing 
 and to send it under Zaro to Sardinia.” 
 
 “ It is already equipped,” said Zaro, proudly. 
 “For the past three days it has been ready to sail 
 against the Byzantines. But the nearest enemy 
 is the best. Give the command, O king !” 
 
 “ What Verus advises is well advised,” said" 
 the king, earnestly. “Zaro, your wish is granted.” 
 “On board, then! To sea! To battle!” 
 shouted Zaro, exultingly. “ Follow me, Vandals! 
 Man once again the fame-crowned ships! The 
 blue waves of the sea were ever our chosen fights 
 ing-ground. Do you not feel the breath of the 
 morning breeze, as it comes from the south-south- 
 east? It is the very wind we want to bear us to 
 Sardinia.” 
 
 “ It is the god who presides over human wishes / 1 
 cried Hilda, “that hovers yonder fn the wind and 
 directs it. He sends it to you, descendants of 
 Geiseric. Follow its breath. For it is the breath 
 of victory that swells your sails. Forward to 
 battle!” 
 
 “Forward to battle! To sea! To sea! To 
 Sardinia!” were the shouts that came from a thou- 
 
i68 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 sand throats. In wild excitement and full of 
 martial enthusiasm the Vandals poured forth 
 from the Grove of Venus towards Carthage and 
 the harbor. 
 
 The Romans gazed after them in astonishment, 
 for the existing generation had never before seen 
 such a demonstration on the part of their effemi- 
 nated masters. The two friends also came for- 
 ward out of the thick laurel-bush from which, 
 themselves unnoticed, they had attentively ob- 
 served the last proceedings. 
 
 “ What do you say now, my lord ?” asked the 
 younger. “ Have you not changed your mind ?” 
 
 “ No.” 
 
 “ How ? and yet you saw — ” he pointed to the 
 dead tiger. 
 
 “ I saw it. I heard also the war-cry of the 
 people. I am sorry for the brave king and his 
 house. Let us to our boat ! The Vandals are 
 lost.” 
 
 XIX. 
 
 BEFORE the close of the following day, the fleet 
 had sailed from Carthage. So thoroughly had it 
 been equipped under Zaro’s supervision that all 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . . l6g 
 
 that remained to be done was to select and em- 
 bark the troops required for the expedition. 
 
 Before the sun set, the last sail had disappeared 
 from sight. In the evening, Gelimer, Gibamund, 
 Hilda, and the Chancellor Verus were gathered 
 in council in the royal palace, in the hall of arms, 
 whose high round-arched windows afforded a 
 view far out upon the sea. 
 
 Gelimer stood beside a marble table strewn 
 with letters and papers, his head slightly bent, an 
 earnest, anxious look upon his noble countenance. 
 
 “You have requested me to listen, in Giba- 
 mund’s presence, friend Verus, to important 
 news which has reached you within the few 
 hours since Zaro left us. From your appearance 
 I judge it must be a serious matter. Well, begin 
 — I am prepared for anything. I have the 
 strength. ” 
 
 “You will need it,” said the priest, almost 
 rudely. “ Is Hilda also to remain ?” 
 
 “ Let me stay, O king/' said she, clinging to 
 her husband. “ I am a woman, but I can be 
 silent. And I wish to know and to share youi 
 danger.’' 
 
 Gelimer pressed -her hand. “ Remain, then, 
 brave sister-in-law ; and bear with us what is de- 
 creed by the stern Judge in heaven.” 
 
i/O THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “It does, indeed, seem/’ began Verus, “as if 
 the anger of Heaven pursued you, King Gelimer.” 
 The king started ; he closed his eyes, and a 
 look of irrepressible suffering came over his coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 “ Chancellor,” exclaimed Gibamund, indig- 
 nantly, “no more of such talk. Your words, are 
 daggers which you keep thrusting into the soul of 
 this most noble man. I sometimes think that 
 you torture him purposely ; that, for reasons of 
 your own, you foster his morbid fencies.” 
 
 “ Silence, Gibamund,” said the king with a 
 grban. “ This is no morbid fancy. It is the fear- 
 ful truth which religion, conscience, and history 
 alike teach us : sin will be punished. When 
 Verus became my chancellor, he remained also 
 my confessor. Who has a better right cr a more 
 imperative duty than he to probe my conscience 
 and to crush the arrogant strength of my soul by 
 reminding me of God’s anger?” 
 
 . “ But you need your strength, King of the 
 Vandals,” cried the angry Hilda, with flashing 
 eyes. “You do not want it crushed.” 
 
 Gelimer waved his hand, and Verus resumed : 
 “ It is, indeed, disheartening. Blow upon blow 
 came the evil tidings as soon as the fleet had left 
 the harbor, as soon as the last sail had vanished 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 171 
 
 from our sight. First from the Visigoths. At 
 the same time with the news from Sardinia there 
 was received a long letter from King Theudis. It 
 was sent from Hispalis and repeated at length 
 that he must carefully consider the whole matter 
 and must satisfy himself what we can accomplish 
 in war.” 
 
 “ Satisfy himself in Hispalis !” muttered Giba- 
 mund. 
 
 Verus continued: “ Soon after our fleet had 
 departed, an unknown man left this writing at the 
 palace. It reads : 
 
 “ 6 To King Gelimer from King Theudis . 
 
 “ * I write this in the port of Carthage — * ” 
 
 “How? Impossible!” cried the three hearers. 
 
 “ ‘ — which I am just leaving, I wished with my 
 own eyes to study the true state of affairs . For 
 three days I have been here , unrecognized. Then- 
 digisel alone , my valiant general \ accompanied me 
 on the fishing-boat zvhich brought me across the 
 narrow bay from Kalpe , and which is taking me 
 back again when you are reading this letter } 
 Gelhner. You , yourself \ are a king and a hero — 
 I saw you last night when you slew the tiger . . But 
 you will not slay the serpent of degeneracy which 
 Jias coiled itself around your people. It is true I 
 $aw their enthusiasm at last fame forth — it is a 
 
172 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 fire of straw. Even if they seriously should desire 
 to reform, they cannot cure in a few weeks the dis- 
 ease which has been growing upon them for two 
 generations . The punishment, the retribution for 
 
 our vices camiot be averted l ” The king sighed 
 deeply. “ 4 Woe to him who joins his fate to your 
 sinking nation ! I offer you, therefore, not alliance , 
 but a refuge . If, after the battle you will lose , you 
 can escape to Spain — and for this I will gladly 
 stretch forth my hand to help you— neither fustin- 
 ian nor B disarms will be able to reach you . Fare- 
 well: ” 
 
 "An excuse for cowardice,” said Gibamund, 
 hotly. 
 
 "The man is no coward,” sighed Gelimer. " He 
 is prudent. It seems that we must fight alone.” 
 
 "We will invite this prudent King Theudis to 
 be our guest here in this very hall at the celebra- 
 tion of our victory,” cried Hilda. 
 
 "Do not defy Heaven with empty boasting,” 
 said Gelimer, warningly. "We must manage as. 
 best we can without the Visigoths.. Valuable as 
 their help would be to us, it is far more important 
 that the Ostrogoths shall at least remain neutral, 
 
 • that Sicily — ” 
 
 " If it comes to war,” interrupted Verys, " Sicily 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 1 73 
 
 will be the bridge over which our enemies will 
 pass into Africa.” 
 
 The kings eyes opened wide with astonishment. 
 Gibamund sprang from his seat, and Hilda, turn- 
 ing pale, exclaimed : “How? My own people? 
 The daughter of the Amelungs?” 
 
 “ This letter has just been received from the 
 queen-regent. It is the composition of Cassiodo- 
 rus. I should have recognized it by his erudite 
 style, had he not mentioned himself as its author. 
 She writes that, unable herself to avenge the 
 blood of her father’s sister and of many thousand 
 Goths, she will rejoice to see the vengeance of 
 Heaven carried into effect by her friend, the 
 Emperor of Byzantium.” 
 
 “ The vengeance of Heaven ! Retribution !” re- 
 peated Gelimer, gloomily. “All things conspire to 
 bring it upon us.” 
 
 “ How?” burst forth Gibamund, fiercely. “ Has 
 the learned Cassiodorus grown childish ? The in- 
 triguing Justinian God’s avenging angel? And 
 that she-devil, whose name I cannot even mention 
 in the presence of my wife ? This pair the avengers 
 of God ?” 
 
 “ That proves nothing,” replied Gelimer. “ The 
 fathers of the church inform us that God often 
 
174 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 employs base, sinful men as the instruments . 
 his wrath.” 
 
 “ Wisely said,” spoke the priest with a nod m 
 
 assent. ^ 
 
 ♦ 
 
 Gibamund continued excitedly: “ But I canm 
 believe it. Let me see.” And he took the letu 
 from the hand of the chancellor and glanced 
 through it. “ Sicily shall be open to the Byzan- 
 tines — Justinian her only true friend. Her pro- 
 tector and gracious defender !” 
 
 “Ah!” exclaimed Hilda, sorrowfully, “did the 
 daughter of the great Theodoric write that ?” 
 
 “ But,” Gibamund proceeded in surprise, “ that 
 about the vengeance of Heaven is not here at 
 all — not a word of it.” 
 
 “Not expressly stated, but clearly implied,” 
 said Verus, taking back the letter and concealing 
 it in the folds of his robe. 
 
 The king had not noticed this incident. With 
 faltering steps he paced up and down the broad 
 hall, muttering to himself. At length he again 
 approached the table. 
 
 . “Go on,” he said with a wearied air. “We have, 
 doubtless, not yet reached the end. But the end 
 is coming,” he added in a voice inaudible to the 
 others., v 
 
 ** The messenger is back, O king, whom "you 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 175 
 
 despatched to Tripolis to bring Pudentius hither 
 for trial. ” 
 
 “ Since when ?” 
 
 “ An hour ago.'' 
 
 “Without Pudentius ?” 
 
 “ He refuses to come.” 
 
 “What? I gave my envoy a hundred horse- 
 men to bring the traitor here by force if neces- 
 sary.” 
 
 “They were greeted with a shower of darts 
 from the wall. Pudentius had closed the gates 
 and armed the citizens. The city, with all the 
 adjacent district, has openly revolted. They are 
 evidently counting on help from Byzantium. Pu- 
 dentius called down from the battlements to your 
 messenger: ‘ Now Nemesis has broken loose to 
 take vengeance upon the bloody Vandals.' ” 
 
 The king instinctively made a movement as if 
 to ward off some unseen power that threatened 
 him. 
 
 “ Nemesis !” cried Gibamund. “ She shall indeed 
 break loose against— the traitor. But while such 
 "danger threatens us at our own doors, in Africa 
 itself, we send away our best defence, the fleet, 
 and also the flower of our army and the heroic 
 Zaro, to distant Sardinia. Why did you counsel 
 such folly, Verus?” 
 
1?6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “Am I omniscient ?" replied the priest, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders. “ It was only an hour ago the 
 messengers came back from Tripolis." 
 
 “O brother/' urged Gibamund, “ give me two 
 thousand men — give me only a thousand horse, 
 and I will sweep like a tornado upon Tripolis and 
 show this faithless Roman how Nemesis looks 
 under a Vandal helmet." 
 
 “Not until Zaro is back," replied the king, with 
 decision. “Wemust not further divide our strength. 
 Zaro, too, must return — at once ! It was a mis- 
 take to send him away. I wonder I did not see 
 it. But your advice, Verus — no, I mean no re- 
 proach. Let a swift ship sail at once to order back 
 the fleet." 
 
 “ Too late, O king," said Gibamund from the 
 window to which he had hastened. “ The wind 
 has changed since we came here. It blows no 
 longer from the southeast, but strongly from, the 
 north. The favoring wind has given the fleet so 
 great a start that no ship can now overtake it." 
 
 “O God!" sighed the king, “even thy winds are 
 battling against us. But," and the look of care^on 
 his brow lifted for a moment, “ perhaps we are alto- 
 gether wrong in fancying the danger so pressing. 
 Byzantium may, indeed, send some help to Sar. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , IJ7 
 
 dinia, but whether Justinian will really venture to 
 attack us here in our own land — ” 
 
 “ My earnest wish is that he may try it ! ” ex- 
 claimed Gibamund. 
 
 Just then a priest — a deacon from the basilica — 
 entered hurriedly and handed his superior a sealed 
 document. 
 
 “This letter, Your Reverence,” he said, “has 
 this moment arrived, brought by a special galley 
 from Byzantium.” And with a respectful saluta- 
 tion he withdrew. 
 
 At the first glance at the fastening of the papy- 
 rus Verus gave a violent start. Such an action on 
 the part of a man who habitually exercised an al- 
 most superhuman control over his feelings could 
 not fail to make a profound impression upon all 
 who were present. 
 
 “What new calamity ?” cried in dismay even 
 the courageous Hilda. 
 
 “ It is the sign agreed upon,” said Verus, now 
 regarding the letter with such , cold indifference 
 that the transition from violent emotion to such 
 composure might well have awakened fresh sur- 
 prise. 
 
 All waited with impatience while Verus cut the 
 brownish-red cords with a dagger which he drew 
 from the folds of his mantle. The strings, to- 
 
178 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 gether with the little wax seal which had held 
 them together, fell down upon the floor. Verus 
 cast a glance over the writing and handed it at 
 once, without comment, to Gelimer The king 
 read: “‘You are about to receive a visit. The 
 grain-ship has sailed for Africa. The Persian mer- 
 chant has charge of it.’” 
 
 “ It was so arranged with my spy in Byzantium. 
 A brownish-red string signifies, war is certain ; 
 ‘ visit 9 denotes invasion ; ‘ grain-ship’ is the Byzan- 
 tine fleet ; the Persian merchant — Belisarius.” 
 
 “ That sounds like a war-blast !” exclaimed 
 Hilda. 
 
 “ Welcome, Belisarius!” cried Gibamund, lay- 
 ing his hand on his sword. _ 
 
 The king threw the letter on the table. The 
 look on his face was serious, but calm. “ Had this 
 letter been in my hands a day, even a few hours, 
 sooner,” he said, “all would have been different. 
 Still, I thank you, Verus, that you have obtained 
 this intelligence even to-day.” 
 
 A scarcely perceptible smile — was it pride or 
 flattered vanity? — flitted over the thin, bloodless 
 lips of the priest. “ I had formerly friendly rela- 
 tions with certain parties in Byzantium. Since this 
 danger threatened I have cultivated them more 
 diligently than ever.” 
 
THE LAST OF *THE VANDALS. * 179 
 
 “Well,” spoke the king, “ let them come. The 
 decision, the certainty, will be a relief to me after 
 the long and anxious waiting. Now there is work 
 to be done — warlike work. That always benefits 
 me — it keeps me from thinking from brooding.” 
 
 “ Yes, let them come,” said Gibamund. “ They 
 enter our land as robbers, and as robbers they will 
 be driven off. Why should the emperor concern 
 himself about the succession to the Vandal throne ? 
 The right is upon our side, and God will give us 
 the victory.” 
 
 “Yes, the right is upon our side,” repeated the 
 king earnestly. “ That is my best, my only hope. 
 God protects the right and punishes the wrong. 
 Therefore he will aid us.” 
 
 This laical assumption of being in the right, this 
 intrepid confidence, did not seem altogether to 
 please the priest. With furrowed brow and fixing 
 his eyes threateningly on Gelimer, he said in a 
 keen, penetrating voice : “ Right ? Who is right 
 in the sight of God ? The Lord finds sin where 
 we ourselves can see none. And he punishes not 
 only the present — ” 
 
 At these words the king relapsed into his former 
 moodiness, and his eyes lost their bright look of 
 resolve. But Verus was not able to finish. He 
 
i8o 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 was interrupted by the noise of voices quarrelling 
 in the passage-way that led to the hall. 
 
 XX. 
 
 “ I RECOGNIZE the voice,” declared Gelimer, 
 turning anxiously towards the curtain which over- 
 hung the entrance. 
 
 “Yes, it is our boy,” said Gibamund. “He 
 seems to be very angry.” 
 
 A moment later Ammata came rushing in, 
 dragging after him, in spite of all resistance, a 
 handsomely-dressed boy considerably older than 
 himse^. One hand of the young Vandal was fast- 
 ened in the short black hair, the other clutched at 
 the throat the tunic of his opponent, whose dark 
 eyes, short, round head, and sharply-cut features 
 j testified to his Roman origin. 
 
 “What now, Ammata? What is the trouble, 
 Publius Pudentius ?” 
 
 “No! no! I will not let you go!” cried 
 Ammata. “You shall repeat it before the king !. 
 And the king shall punish you for lying. Listen, 
 brother. We were playing in the outer hall. 
 We had a wrestling-match, and I threw him. He 
 got up and angrily protested : ‘ That does not 
 
 count, The devil helped you, the demon of your 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , iSl 
 
 race. ‘Who?’ 1 asked. ‘ Well, Geiseric, that 
 son of Orcus. You Asdings boast that you are 
 descended from the heathen gods ; but these are, 
 as our deacon teaches us, demons. Hence his 
 fortune, his victory. I laughed, but he continued : 
 4 He acknowledged it himself. When Geiseric 
 once sailed from the harbor of Carthage on a pirate- 
 ship, and the helmsman asked him whither he 
 should turn the bow, the wicked tyrant answered : 
 “ Leave it to the wind and the waves; they will 
 bear us against the people with whom God is 
 angry.” * Is that true, brother ?” 
 
 “ Yes, it is true,” broke in the young Roman ; 
 “ and it is also true that Geiseric was as inhuman 
 as a demon towards defenceless captives. Enraged 
 at a destructive storm off Taenarum, he landed on 
 the island of Zacynthus, carried on board his ves- 
 sels five hundred men and women as prisoners, 
 and, when out at sea, had the whole five hundred 
 chopped into pieces, beginning at their feet, and 
 the pieces cast into the sea.” 
 
 “ Brother, that is surely not true !” exclaimed 
 Ammata in great excitement. “ What ? You 
 are silent? You turn away! You cannot — ” 
 
 “ No, he cannot deny it,” cried Pudentius, de- 
 fiantly. " Do you see how pale he is ? Geiseric 
 was a devil. YQur whole race is sprung from hell 
 
1 82 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 The cruelty with which he and his successors 
 treated us Romans, us Catholics, was monstrous ! 
 But only wait ! As surely as there is a God in 
 heaven, it will not remain unpunished. You 
 have inherited his curse. How is it written in, 
 the Scriptures? ‘ I will visit the iniquity of the 
 fathers upon the children unto the third and 
 fourth generation.’ ” 
 
 A low groan burst from the king. He stag- 
 gered, sank down upon the couch, and concealed 
 his face in the folds of his purple mantle. 
 
 Ammata gazed at him in consternation. Hilda 
 pushed Ammata and the young Roman quickly 
 to one side, and motioned to them to leave the 
 room. 
 
 “ Go ! ” she whispered. “ Make up your quar- 
 rel ; you must be reconciled to each other. These 
 things do not concern you boys. Make it up, I 
 say.” 
 
 Good-naturedly Ammata held out his hand, 
 The Roman took it, but hesitatingly and unwill- 
 ingly. 
 
 “ Just see,” said Ammata, stooping down, 
 M what luck ! And he picked up from the floor 
 the piece of brownish-red cord to which the little 
 wax seal was attached. 
 
 That’s so,” said Pudentius with surprise, “ It 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANbALS. 183 
 
 is the very seal which Verus refused to give us for 
 our collection of seals and impressions.” 
 
 “ What a peculiar one it is ! A scorpion sur- 
 rounded by fiames.” 
 
 “ Last week when I saw the letter lying open 
 on his table, the seal and the string beside it, how 
 I begged for it !” 
 
 “ He rapped me over the fingers when I reached 
 out to take it.” 
 
 “ I thought then it must be very valuable.” 
 
 “ And now we find it thrown away, on the 
 floor.” 
 
 “ He could just as well have given it to us then, 
 after he had opened the letter.” 
 
 “ He never knows what it is to have a kindly 
 impulse. He always looks as if he had come 
 straight from the world below.” 
 
 “ Come, let us go.” 
 
 The boys left the room apparently reconciled ; 
 but for how long? No one had overheard their 
 whispered talk. 
 
 Gibamund bent over his brother. “ Gelimer,” 
 said he sorrowfully, rouse yourself! How can 
 the words of a child — ” 
 
 “ Oh, it is true — all too true. It is the torment 
 of my life. Even the children perceive it and 
 speak of it. On account of the sins of our fathers 
 
184 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the fearful and avenging God inflicts punishment 
 upon us, upon our people, and especially upon the 
 race of Geiseric. We are accursed because of 
 the guilt of our ancestors. On the judgment day 
 our accusers will rise even from the depths of the 
 sea. When the Son of man shall appear in the 
 clouds of the sky and the call shall go forth , 4 Earth, 
 open thy depths, and thou O sea, give up thy 
 dead/ then those mangled victims will testify 
 against us.” 
 
 “Not so; most certainly not!” cried Giba- 
 mund. “ Verus, do not stand there so cold and 
 silent, with folded arms. You see how your 
 friend, your penitent, is suffering. His soul is in 
 your care — help him ! Relieve him from this de- 
 lusion. Tell him that God is a god of mercy, and 
 that every mortal atones only for his own sins.” 
 
 But the priest answered sternly : “ I cannot 
 
 speak falsely before the king. Your sentiments, 
 young man, are those of a layman, a German, 
 almost those of a heathen. The king, the matured 
 man, has profited alike by the spiritual teaching 
 of the fathers of the church and the secular wis- 
 dom of the philosophers. He is a devout Chris- 
 tian. And he knows that God is a fearful avenger 
 of sin. Gelimer is right, you are wrong.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA JVDALS. 1 85 
 
 “ Then let me cling to the follies of my youth !” 
 exclaimed Gibamund. 
 
 “ And me to my heathen gods!” added H,ilda. 
 “ They, at least, make their worshippers glad- 
 hearted.” 
 
 “ While your pious wisdom makes . the king 
 miserable.” 
 
 “ It might even be capable of paralyzing his 
 power — ” 
 
 “Had he not inherited such glorious strength 
 from those ancestors you revile so bitterly.” 
 
 “ And with it the curse for their sins,” mut- 
 tered Gelimer to himself. 
 
 “ It is worth while to consider,” said Verus, slow- 
 ly, “ whether, in addition to the other captives, we 
 ought not also to cast into prison this Publius 
 Pudentius, the son whom the rebel was not able 
 to take with him in his hasty flight.” 
 
 “The child? Why?” asked Hilda, reproach- 
 fully. 
 
 “ It was a wise prudence on the part of your 
 kings,” proceeded Verus, quietly, “ always to keep 
 in their service the sons of distinguished Romans 
 — ostensibly out of respect to their fathers, in 
 reality as hostages for their fidelity.” 
 
 “ Is Gelimer, the good-hearted Gelimer, to pun- 
 ish the innocent son for the guilt of his father, 
 
1 86 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , . 
 
 like your terrible God ?” asked Gibamund, indig- 
 nantly. 
 
 “ I could never do that,” said Gelimer. 
 
 “ So the traitor thinks,” replied Verus. “ He 
 relics upon your kindness of heart. Consequent- 
 ly he rebels, although his son is in your hands.” 
 
 “ Set all these boys free. Let them go to their 
 families.” 
 
 “ That would not do. They have seen and 
 heard too much of our preparations — and of our 
 weakness ; they are old enough to do us irrepa- 
 rable damage, if they should reveal what they 
 know to our enemies. They must remain in the 
 city, in the palace. But I will leave you now ; 
 my work calls me.” 
 
 “ One thing more, Verus. It grieves me that I 
 was unable to wring from Zaro before his depart- 
 ure his consent to that which I have long strug- 
 gled to obtain from him.” . 
 
 “’What do j/ou mean?” asked Hilda. 
 
 “ I can guess,” observed Gibamund. “ It con- 
 cerns the captives in the prison under the citadel. 
 When, in spite of the protest of Zaro and the 
 whole people, Gelimer spared the life of Hilderic 
 and of Euages and changed into imprisonment 
 the punishment of death decreed by the assembly 
 of the people, he was compelled to promise Za 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 1 8 7 
 
 never without his consent to set the captives 
 free.” 
 
 “ I wish to release them now, but Zaro has my 
 word, and I could not persuade him.” 
 
 “ He is right,” said Verus. 
 
 “What? You, the priest, oppose this com- 
 passion and pardon?” Hilda asked in astonish- 
 ment. +- 
 
 “ I am also the chancellor of the realm. The 
 former king would be altogether too dangerous, 
 were he at liberty. Romans and Catholics — he is 
 said, you know, secretly to have confessed that 
 faith — might rally around him, and at the court 
 of the emperor the lawful king of the Vandals 
 would be just the weapon sought for against the 
 tyrant Gelimer. It is better Jhat the prisoners 
 remain where they are. Their lives are, of course, 
 secure.” 
 
 “ They have repeatedly demanded a hearing — 
 they wish to justify themselves. This continued 
 solicitation — ” 
 
 “ Their request has always been granted. T 
 myself have examined them.” 
 
 “ What resulted from it ?” 
 
 “ Nothing that I did not already know. Did 
 you not yourself detect the coat-of-mail concealed 
 
1 88 THE LAST OF -THE VANDALS' 
 
 under Hilderic’s robes, and wrest from his grasp 
 the dagger?’' 
 
 “ Unfortunately, yes. But I mistrust myself 
 so easily. Ambition, the desire for this crown — 
 one of my heaviest sins ! — made me only too 
 willing to believe in Hilderic's guilt. And now 
 the captive king, asserting his innocence and 
 appealing to a letter of warning received by him 
 on that very day, — a letter which he maintains 
 will make all clear, — demands that we shall again 
 pass judgment upon him. You have, however, 
 fulfilled his wish, and searched for the letter in 
 the place where they say it was deposited ?" 
 
 “ Certainly," said Verus, calmly, and his impas- 
 sive features became still more austere. “ The 
 letter is a mere^ invention. When Hilderic re- 
 peatedly maintained that he had concealed it in a 
 secret compartment of ‘ Geiseric's golden cabinet,' 
 I myself, in private, with my own hands carefully 
 searched the entire place. I found, indeed, the 
 secret compartment and opened it, but no such 
 letter was there. Yes, more : upon Hilderic's 
 reiterated entreaties, I even had the cabinet 
 carried to his cell and let him look through it him- 
 self, in the presence of witnesses. He also found 
 nothing." 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1 89 
 
 “ And no one could previously have abstracted 
 the letter ?” asked Gelimer. 
 
 “ Only you and myself have the keys to the 
 cabinet, which contains our most important docu- 
 ments, M replied the priest. “ But I must really 
 leave you now. There are important letters 
 which must be written to-night. Fare you well !” 
 “ Thanks, my Verus ! May the angel of the 
 Lord watch over me as faithfully in heaven, as 
 you guard me and care for me on earth !” 
 
 The priest closed his eyes for a moment, then 
 he nodded his head and said with a slight smile : 
 “ That is also my prayer.” 
 
 And with almost noiseless steps he glided from 
 the room. 
 
 XXL 
 
 Hilda gazed after him long and thoughtfully. * 
 At length with a slight shake of her head she 
 came up to Gelimer and spoke : “ O king, do not 
 be angry if I ask you a question which nothing 
 gives me the right to ask except my anxiety for 
 your welfare and the welfare of your house.” 
 
 “And my love for you, brave-hearted sister-in. 
 law,” replied the king, stroking the blond hair 
 
190 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 which fell freely over her shoulders, and seating 
 himself upon the couch. “ For,” he continued with 
 a smile, “ even if you are a wicked, arrant heathen 
 and often entertain towards me — I know it well ! 
 — a secret grudge, yes, a positive aversion, never- 
 theless you are very dear to me, you passionate, 
 impulsive creature !” 
 
 She let herself sink down at his fe,et upon a 
 soft, thick cushion covered with a leopard’s skin, 
 while Gibamund paced the hall with slow steps, 
 sometimes pausing to glance out through the 
 open window at the sea and the wondrous beauty 
 of the night. The lamps in the room had not 
 been lighted, but the full moon, which a little 
 while before had emerged from the dark waters 
 and had now risen above the walls of the harbor, 
 poured a flood of mellow radiance into the apart- 
 ment, investing the handsome, noble features of 
 its three occupants with an almost supernatural 
 beauty. 
 
 “ I will not,” she began, “ as Zaro and my 
 Gibamund repeatedly have done, until in your 
 anger you forbade it — I will not, you see, warn you 
 in regard to this priest, who — ” 
 
 “ First discovered the plots of Pudentius and 
 the treachery of Hilderic; to whom alone I owe it 
 that I escaped assassination on, that eventful 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, I9I 
 
 evening; who has saved the kingdom of the Van- 
 dals, in spite of all the intrigues against it.” 
 
 Gibamund checked his steps. “ Yes, it is true. 
 I could almost say, unfortunately true. For there 
 is no other man living to" whom I so dislike to 
 feel under obligation.” 
 
 “ It is so strikingly true that even our Zaro, 
 who at first accused him bitterly, could scarcely 
 grumble out an objection when I appointed this 
 wise and prudent man one of my councillors, and 
 confided to him, on account of his skill in such 
 matters, the charge of our state-correspondence. 
 And how unweariedly he devotes himself to his 
 work, as priest and chancellor at the same time ! 
 I am amazed at the mass of documents he lays 
 before me every morning. I do not believe he 
 sleeps three hours.” 
 
 “ Men who do not sleep and fight and drink 
 and kiss are mysteries tome,” laughed Gibamund. 
 
 “ I do not warn you,” said Hilda, “but I ask” 
 — and she laid her hand lightly on the king's 
 arm — “ how comes it, how is it possible, that you, 
 the warrior-king of the Vandals, love this gloomy 
 Roman, this apostate, more than all your own 
 family and kinsmen?” 
 
 “ Now here you are in error, beautiful Hilda,” 
 said the king with a smile, caressing her hand, 
 
192 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “Well, yes,” she corrected herself, “ perhaps 
 you do love Ammata more. He is the one excep- 
 tion.” 
 
 “ My dying father commended this brother — 
 then scarcely more than an infant— to my charge. 
 I took him to my heart and educated him as I 
 would have done my own child.” He paused a 
 moment, and then continued : “ It is not love 
 that binds me to Verus ; what compels me to 
 consider him my protecting angel upon earth, to 
 look up to him with heart-felt thanks, with rever- 
 ence, with blindly credulous trust, is the confidence, 
 the more than human certainty that — yes” — and 
 here he slightly shuddered — “ it is a revelation 
 from God, a miracle.” 
 
 “ A miracle ?” repeated Hilda. 
 
 “A revelation ?” inquired Gibamund, incredu- 
 lously, stopping beside the two. 
 
 “ Both,” the king replied. “ But in order to 
 understand this, you must know more, must learn 
 how my mind and soul were torn by conflicting 
 forces; you must live over with me the time of 
 my transformation, my danger, and my rescue. 
 Yes, and you shall learn these things to-night, my 
 nearest and dearest ones; for who knows when 
 this threatening war will give us another leisure 
 hour? 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 193 
 
 “ My father once told me that even in my 
 childhood my thoughts seemed scarcely those of 
 a child; that I often fell into a dreamy state, and 
 sometimes asked strange questions. Then came 
 the happy days of my boyhood. Arms, arms, 
 formed the only sport, the only labor, the only 
 study. It was then that I attained that strength 
 and that joy in arms — ” Here his eyes flashed in 
 the pale moonlight. 
 
 “Which raised you to be the hero of your 
 people,” cried Gibamund. 
 
 “ But this happy time came to an end. By 
 chance the captain of the hundred who was 
 appointed to the task was taken suddenly sick, 
 and I, the sixteen-year-old boy, received the 
 commission to attend in the prison-yard of this 
 castle the torture of the Romans, the Catholics 
 who refused to abjure their faith. The cries of 
 anguish which penetrated the thick walls had 
 repeatedly driven the Carthaginians to insurrec- 
 tion. Consequently the prison-yard was always 
 guarded. I had, it is true, already heard that 
 such things took place. I was told that they 
 were unavoidable, that the Catholics were all 
 traitors to our kingdom, and that the torture was 
 merely used to force from them a confession of 
 their criminal plans. But I had never witnessed 
 
194 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the proceedings. Now, however, I saw them — I, 
 the sixteen-year-old boy ! I myself was the com- 
 mander of the executioners. Horrible*! Horrible! 
 “There were about a hundred people, some of them 
 gray-haired women, some of them children scarce 
 as old as I. I ordered the torture stopped. ‘ It 
 is the king’s command,’ replied the Arian priests. 
 
 “ I wished to assist the sufferers. Ah ! the 
 entire family of Verus were among the victims. 
 I wished to tear his aged mother from the mar- 
 tyr’s stake to which she was bound, to free her 
 from the hissing flames, amid which, in spite of 
 her iron fetters, she writhed and shrieked in un- 
 speakable agony; but my own soldiers held me 
 back. i By command of the king,’ they cried. I 
 struggled fiercely, I foamed at the month, I raved 
 —but in vain. I closed my eyes to shut out the 
 horrible sight. But — ah!—” 
 
 He stopped and passed his hand over his fore- 
 head, but after a moment resumed: “Then my 
 own name, uttered with a shrill shriek, struck upon 
 my ear. Involuntarily I opened my eyes and saw the 
 naked, fettered arm of the old woman stretched 
 out straight towards me. ‘ Curse you, Gelimer ! ’ 
 she screamed. ‘ Curse you upon earth and in hell ! 
 My curse upon all the Asdings ! My curse upon 
 the Vandal people and their kingdom ! The >viai:i 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. IQ5 
 
 of God shall smite you all, from the child to the 
 gray-bearded man, for your sins and the sins of 
 your fathers. Curse you, Gelimer! Curse you, 
 murderer ! * And her eyes, frightfully distorted by 
 suffering and hate, seemed actually to burn into 
 my own. Then I broke down into a spasm, such 
 as often since has seized me. I was crushed by 
 the thought that, even though I myself were free 
 from guilt, the dying woman in her despair had 
 cursed me and had carried the curse before the 
 throne of God ; henceforth I must bear the bur- 
 den of the sins of my whole race.” 
 
 He trembled violently, and the sweat gathered 
 on his brow. 
 
 “•For God’s sake, brother, stop ! Your torments 
 may return again.” 
 
 But Gelimer continued : “When I came to my- 
 self I was no longer a youth. I had grown old, 
 broken in spirit, demented — whichever you please 
 to call it. I laid aside my sword-belt, my helmet, 
 and my shield, while through my brain, deadening 
 all other thoughts, kept ririgmg that fearful word 
 ‘sin.’ Its curse, I felt, must rest forever upon my- 
 self, my race, my people. 
 
 “Well, I sought comfort. I took my Bible. I 
 had been taught that the Bible is God’s oracle. 
 I unrolled, without looking, the Holy Scriptures, 
 
I96 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 the sharp dagger in my hand, and cried aloud to 
 God on high 4 O Lord, wilt thou really punish me 
 for the sins of my forefathers? ’ Without looking, 
 I thrust the point of my weapon into the unrolled 
 page. It fell upon the lines: 4 For I, the Lord 
 thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities 
 of the parents upon the children even to the third 
 and fourth generation.’ 
 
 “ Again an overmastering horror seized me. 
 But once more I was enabled to regain my self- 
 control, for from the street below came the clear 
 blast of a Vandal cavalry-horn. A troop of horse- 
 men in glittering arms were riding out to join the 
 campaign against the Moors. That was, you 
 know, my delight, my pride. I already had taken 
 part twice in a victorious cavalry-fight. My hope, 
 my courage, my pleasure in life, revived. I 
 thought : Even if my own happiness is forever 
 dead, lo! the Vandal kingdom needs me, and a 
 hero’s duty summons me joyously to live, to bat- 
 tle, to die for my people. Is that also nothing? 
 Is that also a sin, empty and vain ?’ 
 
 “Once more I consulted God’s word, in another 
 place. I closed the rolls, opened them again, and 
 stuck the point of my dagger into the sentence: 
 { Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ 
 
 “Then, indeed, I sank into despair. For people 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 I 9 7 
 
 and country and even that very heroism which 
 our ancestors cultivated and celebrated as at once 
 man’s highest duty and his noblest joy— all these 
 are vanity, are sins in the sight of God.” 
 
 “ The whole thing was a deplorable mischance,” 
 said Gibamund, hotly. 
 
 “ And it is folly to believe in it,” cried Hilda. 
 “O Gelimer, heroic descendant of Geiseric, does 
 not every beat of your heart contradict this fatal 
 delusion ?” She sprang up, tossed back her flow- 
 ing hair, and turned her fiery glance straight upon 
 him. 
 
 “Yes, at times, fair chief of the Valkyrias,” 
 Gelimer replied with a smile. “And especially 
 since — since God preserved me by a miracle. And 
 fear not, descendant of Hildebrand ; you will have 
 no cause to be ashamed of your brother-in-law, 
 the Vandal king, when the trumpets of Belisarius 
 summon us to battle.” 
 
 “ Ah, well for us, my husband,” Hilda exclaimed, 
 “ that the dominant factor in this man’s being is, 
 after all, the hero !” And she joyfully pressed 
 her husband's hand. 
 
 “ Who can say that he really comprehends the 
 depths of his own nature?” resumed Gelimer. 
 “At that time, and for years afterwards, I lost all, 
 desire for heroic deeds, for the glamour and joy- 
 
I98 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 ous excitement of feats of arms. I grew sick in 
 body as well as in soul. Upon that second warn- 
 ing from the Bible the spasms seized me again, so 
 that my father was forced to yield to my earnest 
 prayers, for he saw that my condition unfitted me 
 for military service. I was permitted to go to the 
 monastery of the monks of our faith in the soli- 
 tude of the desert. For many, years I remained 
 there. It was then that I burned all the martial 
 songs Vhich I had composed in our language for 
 the harp.” 
 
 “ What an act of bigotry!” lamented Hilda. 
 
 “ But a few of them have been preserved in the 
 memory of our soldiers,” said Gibamund, consol- 
 ingly. 
 
 Noble descendants 
 Of fathers heroic, 
 
 The Asdings of old, 
 
 Warrior race 
 
 Of Geiseric’s blood, 
 
 Ypu are' the heirs 
 
 Of the might of the sea-king/” 
 
 “And of his fearful sins,” added Gelimer, with 
 a lowering brow. For a while he remained silent ; 
 then he began afresh : 
 
 “Instead of Vandal songs I now composed 
 Latin penitential hymns. In the opinion of the 
 monks the torments of the damned found expres- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 1 99 
 
 sion in my trochees, the fires of hell flashed up in 
 them. And in truth the flames were there ; they 
 were the flames of the death-pyre which I had 
 seen devouring living beings. There was no sort 
 of asceticism, no mortification of the flesh, which 
 I did not practise to excess. I hated myself, my 
 sinful soul, my body weighed down by the curse 
 of inherited sin. I fasted, I scourged myself, I 
 wore the penitential girdle until its sharp points 
 tore deep wounds in my flesh. I secretly invented 
 new methods of self-torture when the abbot for-, 
 bade the further practice of the old. In the 
 mean time I devoured everything in the way of 
 books which the monastery and the libraries of 
 Carthage possessed. I brought it about that my 
 father permitted me to journey to Alexandria, to 
 Athens, to Byzantium, to listen to the teachers 
 there. I was more learned, but not wiser, when I 
 returned from those famous schools to my monas- 
 tery in the desert. At length I was summoned to 
 my father’s death-bed. He commended to me, as 
 a sacred charge, my youngest brother, Ammata. I 
 dared not selfishly hasten from my father’s grave 
 back to the monks, as I gladly would have done. 
 My duty towards the child was a human, a healthy 
 one ; it restored me to the world. I lived for the 
 sake of this dear brother/’ 
 
200 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ No father could have watched over him with 
 more loving care,” asserted Gibamund. 
 
 “ Then I was told I ought to marry. The king, 
 our whole family, wished it. She was of the royal 
 line’ of the Visigoths, beautiful, noble, and intelli- 
 gent. She had come to Carthage on a visit. My 
 eyes and my heart alike found her attractive, but 
 I stifled their pleading and answered ‘No.’” 
 
 “In order to live only for Ammata?” asked 
 Hilda. 
 
 “Not solely on that account. The thought 
 came to me” — here his brow again darkened — 
 “ that the curse which rests upon me ought not, 
 as threatened in that fearful passage of Scripture, 
 to be propagated from generation to generation. 
 With terror I should recognize in my children the 
 lineaments of their blighted father. Therefore I 
 remained unmarried.” 
 
 “ What a morbid misconception of the truth !” 
 whispered Gibamund to his beautiful wife, as he 
 kissed her and drew her tenderly towards him. 
 
 “ It was at that time, I believe,” scolded Hilda, 
 “ that you composed that wicked and cynical 
 hymn which rejects all human love as sinful : 
 Maledictus amor sexus, 
 
 Maledicta oscula, 
 
 Sint amplexus maledicti, 
 
 Inferi ligamina.' 
 
TtLE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 20 1 
 
 It is not true at all,” she said with a smile, and 
 heartily returned her husband’s kiss. 
 
 But Gelimer continued : “ What the truth is 
 will be revealed to us — on the judgment day. 
 However, my care for the boy healed my own sick- 
 ness. Once more I applied myself to arms ; it 
 was necessary to do so, in order to train my pupil. 
 But still more than by this I was helped by my 
 duty — ” 
 
 “ Towards your people and fatherland,” inter- 
 rupted Hilda. 
 
 “ Yes,” declared Gibamund. “At that time 
 the Moors had proved themselves far more than 
 a match for our effeminated troops and our un- 
 warlike king. We were defeated in every battle 
 and no longer dared to take the open field against 
 the camel-riders. Our border-districts were rav- 
 aged year after year, until at length the robbers of 
 the desert, growing bolder, pushed forward into 
 the heart of our territory and made their incursions 
 up to the very gates of Carthage.” 
 
 “Then it was necessary to become the shield of 
 my people. I did this — did it gladly. The old, 
 delight in battle awoke in me, and I said to my- 
 self it was no vain, sinful desire for fame that im- 
 pelled me.” 
 
 “ What ? Is heroism to be deemed a sin ?” cried 
 
202 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 Hilda. “ You fought simply to protect your peo- 
 pled 
 
 “ Yes; but he took a good deal of pleasure in 
 it,” said Gibamund, laughingly, to his wife. “And 
 he has often pursued the Moors considerably 
 *> further into the desert, and slain with his own 
 hand many more of them in the pursuit than the 
 mere protection of Carthage would have required. ” 
 “ May Heaven pardon all that I did beyond 
 what was necessary !” returned Gelimer with a 
 troubled look. “ Often, in the very midst of the 
 fight, the thought, ‘ This is a sin,’ has crippled my 
 arm. And formerly the old melancholy often 
 came over me, together with the torments of pen- 
 itential fear, the consciousness of guilt, the burden 
 of the curse of the half-burnt woman, and the 
 soul-crushing words : ‘All is sin, all is vanity.’ 
 
 “ Then came that day of fiercest agony, agony 
 scarcely less intense than that endured by those 
 poor Catholics, by the parents and family of 
 Verus. But it brought at the same time the cul- 
 mination, the deliverance, the saving— by Verus. 
 Yes, as Jesus Christ is my Saviour in heaven, so 
 was this priest my deliverer, my saviour on 
 earth.” 
 
 “ Do not blaspheme !” said Gibamund, reprov- 
 ingly. “ I am, unfortunately, by no means so 
 
THE LAST OF THE V A NEALS. 203 
 
 pious a Christian as you ; but to compare to the 
 Saviour, even if he merely resembles God, without 
 being himself of the same essence as God — ” 
 
 “ I see you know by heart your Arian confes- 
 sion of faith, my dear/’ Hilda remarked. “ But 
 old Hildebrand’s opinion was that he neither re- 
 sembles nor is of the same essence as the gods of 
 our ancestors.” 
 
 “ No, for they are, devils,” Gelimer replied in- 
 dignantly, and made the sign of the cross. 
 
 “Still, I should not like,” resumed Gibamund, 
 “to compare this sombre-souled Veruj to Christ.” 
 “ I felt towards him once just as you and Zaro 
 and almost all others feel now. He did not 
 attract, he repelled me. He, he only of all 
 his family — whose martyrdom for their faith he 
 had witnessed — recanted to the executioners. Was 
 this done from fear of death or was it really con- 
 viction ? I mistrusted him. Besides, the fact 
 that he stood so high in the favor of King Hil- 
 deric, the friend of Byzantium, whose plots against 
 my succession to the throne I even at that time 
 conjectured, displeased me. What injustice I did 
 Verus his actions have since proved. For he, 
 and he alone, saved both the Vandal kingdom 
 and myself. Thus he has clearly fulfilled what 
 God’s manifest sign announced to me in the most 
 
204 
 
 THE LAST OF TEE VANDALS . 
 
 terrible hour of my life. Hear what as yet only 
 our Zaro knows ; I told it to him as my answer 
 to his warning. You also shall now hear it, and 
 shall recognize God’s sign and miracle/’ 
 
 XXII. 
 
 “It was three years ago. We had marched 
 against the Moors, this time towards the south- 
 west, against the tribes which are accustomed to 
 pitch their tents at the base of the Aurasian moun- 
 tains. We had passed through Numidia and, 
 pressing forward from Tipasa, had driven the 
 enemy from the lowlands up among the steep 
 cliffs. There, amid inaccessible rocks, they sought 
 a refuge. We encamped in the plain, and deter- 
 mined to beleaguer them until hunger should 
 force a surrender. Days, weeks passed. I grew 
 impatient at the delay, and rode out from time to 
 time along the base of the range, in search of 
 some spot where the rocks, rising less abruptly, 
 might afford a chance for a successful assault. 
 
 “ On one of these solitary rides — I needed no 
 escort, for the enemy did not dare to descend 
 into the plain- — I had gone far, very far from our 
 camp. In passing around a jagged shoulder of 
 the mountain, I at length became confused and 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 205 
 
 uncertain in what direction I was going through 
 the vast and pathless desert. 
 
 “ However, I had never examined this side of 
 the mountain, and it seemed less difficult of as- 
 cent. I did not trouble myself about the way 
 back, although my panting horse left mile after 
 mile behind him ; his hoof-prints in the sand 
 would guide my return to the camp. 
 
 “ Soon the rays of the sun began to fall more 
 and more obliquely, and a brownish haze gathered 
 around its sinking disk. I decided merely to take 
 a look around the next projecting point and then 
 to retrace my course. Accordingly I rode my horse 
 close up to the rocks, when suddenly an appalling 
 sound burst on my ear — the savage roar of a full- 
 grown lion. My steed gave a wild plunge, and I 
 saw the beast, a monster in size, only a few paces 
 from me, crouching for a spring. With all my 
 strength I hurled my spear. But at the same mo- 
 ment my horse, frantic with terror, reared with 
 such violence that he fell over and buried me 
 under his weight. A sharp pain in my thigh was 
 the last feeling I was conscious of. Then my 
 senses failed me.” 
 
 He paused, shuddering even at the recollection 
 pf the scene. 
 
206 the last of the vandals. 
 
 “A lion?” said Hilda in a faltering voice. 
 “ They generally avoid the desert.” 
 
 “Yes,” replied Gibamund. “ But they love to 
 prowl among the mountains on the verge of the 
 desert.” I know,” he continued, “ that you were 
 brought back with a broken leg to Carthage. It 
 was many weeks before you recovered. But I 
 did not know — ” 
 
 “When I regained my senses the sun was just 
 setting. The heat was intense, alike in the air 
 and in the dry sand on which the back of my 
 head rested, for I had lost my helmet in the fall. 
 The horse was dead ; it had broken its neck. Its 
 heavy weight rested upon my right leg, which 
 pained me violentl} 7 . I attempted to draw it 
 forth fro.m under the body of the horse, but it 
 was impossible. I could not move it. Then, 
 pressing my right hand firmly against the sand. I 
 endeavored to raise my head in order to get a 
 glimpse of my surroundings. I succeeded, and 
 espied, a few paces beyond the dead horse, the 
 lion. He lay motionless upon his belly, his head 
 turned towards me, and the shaft of my spear pro- 
 truding from his breast, beside his right forepaw. 
 He, too, seemed dead, and my heart gave an ex- 
 ultant throb. But no! As I moved, a low growl 
 came from his half-open jaws. He bristled his 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 20 7 
 
 mane ; he sought to rise, but could not. He dug 
 his claws deeper into the sand, evidently striv- 
 ing'to drag himself towards me. And I ? I could 
 not move an .inch. Then there came upon me — 
 I do not deny it — a wretched, cowardly fear. I 
 sank back upon the sand, for I could not endure 
 the fearful glance of his glaring eyes. I thought: 
 
 * Alas ! what a fate will be mine ! ’ I shouted in 
 my despair as loudly as I could : ‘ Help ! Help ! ’ 
 But I soon repented this. For my voice served to 
 irritate the wounded beast, and he answered with 
 a roar so fearful that it fairly took away my 
 breath. When he grew still again, the blood was 
 rushing madly through my veins. What a death 
 threatened me ! No call for help could be heard 
 by my people, for many, many miles of desert 
 sand separated me from our nearest outposts. Of 
 the enemy upon the mountains I had not seen 
 a trace during my entire ride. How willingly 
 would I have delivered myself into their hands as 
 a captive ! But to die here — under this scorching 
 sun, upon this fiery-hot sand — slowly and from 
 thirst ! — At the very thought I began to feel its 
 fearful pangs. And I had heard that the torment 
 of this death might be protracted for days. 
 
 “ I looked up to the leaden-gray, pitiless sky 
 and asked in a whisper — I feared, I confess it, to 
 
208 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 rouse the lion again: — ‘Just God, why? What 
 have I been guilty of, that I must suffer thus? ’ 
 
 “ Then the fearful answer of the Holy Book 
 flashed through my mind : 4 For I, the Lord thy 
 
 Godd am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of 
 the parents upon the children even to the third 
 and fourth generation/ ‘ You are atoning now/ I 
 groaned, ‘ for the sins of your ancestors. The 
 curse of the martyred is being fulfilled. It rests 
 upon you on earth, it will rest upon you in hell. 
 And, in fact, is not this already hell that sur- 
 rounds me, that burns in my eyes, my throat, my 
 breast, and my soul ?’ And hark ! louder than be- 
 fore, and it seemed to me nearer, sounded the growl 
 of*the lion. Then again I became unconscious. 
 
 “ So I lay the whole night, passing from the 
 swoon into a feverish and unrefreshing sleep. 
 There I lived over again all that had happened. 
 ‘ Ah/ I thought with a smile, ‘ this is, of course, 
 only a dream ; it can be nothing but a dream. 
 Such things do not really happen. You are lying 
 in your tent, your sword beside you/ I awoke, 
 and reached out for it. Oh, horrible ! my hand 
 clutched the sand of the desert ! It was not a 
 dream. 
 
 “ It was already growing light again. Hot— ah! 
 fearfully hot were the rays of the sun that fell 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 20g 
 
 upon my unprotected face. Then the thought 
 came ; My sword ! a weapon! Why should I bear 
 for hour after hour such torment, such death 
 agony? No! I will put an end to it, and may 
 God pardon the sin ! My soul at any rate is lost. 
 I reached for the sword, the empty sheath hung 
 in my belt, but the blade itself was gone. I looked 
 around and saw the trusty weapon lying quite 
 near me. Never had I loved it as I did at that 
 moment ! I put out my hand to take it, to draw 
 it towards me. My heart sank. Stretch my arm 
 and my fingers as much as J was able, they could 
 not reach the sword. It lay too far away — only 
 a few inches, but still beyond my grasp. Here a 
 low whimper reminded me of the lion. With an 
 effort, for my strength now gave out easily, I 
 raised myself so that I could see him. 
 
 “ Ah ! Is that an illusion of beginning madness ? 
 The thought swept through my brain, like 
 driving clouds before a storm. No! it is true. 
 The beast has worked himself nearer, much 
 nearer than yesterday. It is not deception. I can 
 remember distinctly that yesterday, when he 
 stretched forth his paw, he could not reach the 
 large, black stone a little beyond the horse, and 
 now the stone lies right beside his flank. In the 
 course of these hours he has dragged himself for- 
 
210 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 ward the whole length of his body. He is now 
 not more than two paces from me. If he should 
 work forward still farther — if he should reach me ! 
 Without means of defence I must lie here, and let 
 him strip the flesh from my living body. I prayed, 
 I prayed in my anguish to God. ‘ No, no, no, 
 my God ! You cannot abandon me here. You 
 must save me, God of mercy.’ And then there oc- 
 curred to me the belief in guardian spirits which 
 pervades our whole people, spirits in human form 
 appointed by God to help us. You remember?” 
 
 “Of course,” replied Gibamund. “And through 
 fervent prayer God can even be compelled, in 
 moments of supreme danger, to show us the pro- 
 tecting spirit, to send it to our rescue.” 
 
 “My ancestor, too,” observed Hilda, “believed 
 firmly in this. He said that our forefathers 
 regarded the protecting deities as women, who, 
 although invisible, everywhere followed the 
 chosen hero. But since the introduction of Chris- 
 tianity — ” 
 
 “ These demoniac women have departed from 
 us,” Gelimer interrupted, crossing himself, “ and 
 the Lord God has appointed men, who, under his 
 direction, are our helpers, advisers, and saviours 
 upon earth. ‘ Send me, O God,’ I cried in the fervor 
 of my agony, ‘send me in this hour of my greatest 
 
THE LAST OF THE VAHDALS. 
 
 21 r 
 
 need the man whom you have given me for my 
 guardian spirit in this world. Let him save me ! 
 And as long as I live I will trust him even as my- 
 self, I will honor in him the might of thy miracu- 
 lous power/ 
 
 “ When I had uttered this passionate prayer, a 
 profound sense of relief came over me. It is true 
 that weakness, prostrating weakness, rendered me 
 perfectly helpless ; but even in this helplessness I 
 felt a blissful assurance that deliverance was at 
 hand. And now in the delirium of fever I beheld 
 alluring visions of my rescue, while the fearful 
 thirst that tormented me conjured up a glorious 
 spring of water gushing from the rocks near by. 
 And soon, too, my deliverer seemed to come. Not 
 Zaro or Gibamund — I knew well that they had 
 gone against other Moors, far to the west of our 
 camp. No ! It was another — one whose features 
 I could not distinctly see. He sprang down from 
 his whinnying steed, slew the lion, and dragged 
 from my body the crushing weight of the dead 
 horse. Then, for a time, I can recall nothing 
 more but a rushing and ringing in my ears, and a 
 voice that seemed to say: ‘The rescuer is here.’ 
 Suddenly the ringing noise ceased, and I heard — 
 this time it was not delirium ! — behind me, in the 
 direction of our camp, the neigh of a horse. With 
 
212 . THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the expenditure of my last remaining strength, I 
 turned my head, and saw, a few paces from me, a 
 man who had just sprung from his steed, and who, 
 with his hand clutching the hilt of his sword, 
 stood in an attitude of bewilderment and doubt, 
 gazing at me and the lion. Apparently he hesi- 
 tated. ” 
 
 “ He hesitated ?” Hilda exclaimed. 
 
 “ He stopped to consider? A Vandal soldier?” 
 “ He was not a Vandal.” 
 
 “ A Moor ? An enemy ?” 
 
 It was Verus, the priest. 1 My guardian spirit !’ 
 I cried, 4 my preserver ! God has sent you. My 
 whole life — I place it in your hands/ Then once 
 more I sank into unconsciousness. 
 
 44 Verus told to me afterwards that he ap- 
 proached the lion carefully ; but when he saw how 
 deadly a wound the weapon had made, he grasped 
 the spear and quickly drew it out ; a gush of 
 blood followed, and the beast fell over dead. 
 Then he released me, lifted me with difficulty 
 upon his horse, and led me slowly back across the 
 desert. My followers had searched for me only 
 upon the paths along which they had previously 
 seen me ride. But Verus, who accompanied our 
 expedition, had noticed that morning that, when 
 beyond the camp, I had turned my course towards 
 
213 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 the east. And when I was missed, he searched 
 until he f*ound me.” 
 
 “ Alone ?” 
 
 “ Entirely alone.” 
 
 “ That is strange,” said Hilda. “ How easily 
 he alone might have failed in his search !” 
 
 “God enlightened and guided him.” 
 
 “And you and he have both kept silent about 
 this ?” 
 
 “ God’s miracles are not subjects for idle gos- 
 sip. With all my heart I begged his pardon for 
 previously mistrusting him. He generously for- 
 gave me. 4 1 felt it/ said he, ‘ and was grieved at 
 it. Atone for it by henceforth trusting me with 
 implicit confidence. For I tell you honestly, you 
 are right; God did indeed send nle to you. I am 
 your fate, the instrument in God’s hands that 
 watches over your life and guides it taits destined 
 end. Although awake, I saw you, as in a vision, 
 lying helpless in the desert, and a voice within me 
 spoke : “ Go seek him ; you shall become his des- 
 tiny !” And I could not rest until I found you.’ 
 “ I have confided all this to you, Hilda and Giba- 
 mund, that you may nevermore grieve me with 
 your mistrust of Verus. No, Hilda, do not shake 
 your head. No remonstrance— -I will not suffer 
 it. Your doubts embitter my life. Did he not 
 
214 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 also a second time save me from death ? 0 ye 
 
 of little faith, do ye, demand still a third sign*from 
 God ? But I do not wish to anger you, and so I 
 will leave you. Besides, it has grown late. Be- 
 lieve, trust, and — be silent.” 
 
 Hilda gazed after him thoughtfully, as he 
 walked away. Then, with a shrug of her shoul- 
 ders, she said, “ It was mere coincidence and super- 
 stition. How can a soul so noble become a prey 
 to such delusions ?” 
 
 “ It is precisely such souls that are most threat- 
 ened by such diseases. For my part, I am thank- 
 ful for my very ordinary intelligence.” 
 
 “And for your healthy soul,” added Hilda, 
 starting up with a sigh of relief, and clasping her 
 arms around her lu>sband’s neck. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Early in the morning of the third day after the 
 above conversation, Hilda and her protegee Eu- 
 genia sat together, in one of the private apart- 
 ments of the palace, engaged in confidential talk, 
 but at the same time busily at work. 
 
 The high, but narrow, arched windows of the 
 room looked out on the great quadrangular court- 
 yard, which presented a scene of stirring and 
 martial activity. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , 215 
 
 In one part of the broad space Vandal recruits 
 just arrived in Carthage were being formed into 
 'squads of ten and companies of a hundred ; in 
 another part a band of newly-enlisted soldiers 
 were shooting arrows and hurling spears at wood- 
 en targets, roughly fashioned to resemble Byzan- 
 tine warriors in full armor; a tolerably long en- 
 closure, fenced off from the rest of the palace-yard, 
 served for the inspection of the horses and camels 
 which Moorish merchants offered for sale. The 
 king, Gibamund, and the Gundings were giving 
 their attention to the various groups as necessity 
 seemed to require. 
 
 Hilda sat upon a raised cushion, from which, 
 whenever she glanced up from her work, she was 
 able without trouble to overlook the entire court- 
 yard. And often, in truth, she let the needle rest 
 with which she was working upon a large piece 
 of scarlet cloth, that lay spread out between the 
 two women, covering the knees of both. Then 
 she gave a bright, smiling glance down at the 
 manly form of her husband ; and if he caught the 
 look and nodded in return, a soft glow of happi- 
 ness suffused the cheeks of the young wife. 
 
 Hilda noticed that from time to time Eugenia 
 also raised her slender neck and sought to look 
 down into the court. But she sat too close 
 
21 6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 under the sill of the window to succeed in the 
 attempt; and when, after many trials, she detected 
 Hilda observing her, she blushed deeply with 
 shame and confusion. 
 
 “ You are now through with the lower edge,” 
 said Hilda, kindly. “ Put the cushion yonder on 
 the stool. You must sit up higher now — on 
 account of the work.” 
 
 Eagerly Eugenia obeyed, and her eyes swept 
 hurriedly in a stolen glance over the yard below. 
 Then the long lashes sank in disappointment, and 
 quicker than before she plied the needle and the 
 golden thread through the scarlet cloth. 
 
 “ Soon,” remarked Hilda, “new companies will 
 take their turn. Then other leaders will probably 
 come into the court-yard.” 
 
 Eugenia said nothing, but the look of sadness 
 faded from her countenance. 
 
 “You have been so industrious,” continued 
 Hilda, “that we have almost finished. Before 
 the sun sets, Geiseric’s old war-banner will float 
 once more over the roof of the palace. The gold- 
 en dragon looks quite fierce in his new embroi- 
 dery.” 
 
 “ Only one wing is a little unravelled, and his 
 claws — ” 
 
 “ No wonder they have become somewhat 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 21 7 
 
 blunt,” laughed Hilda, “during the long years of 
 peace, while the banner lay idle in the armory.” 
 
 “ There was plenty of fighting against the 
 Moors.” 
 
 “ Yes ; but for the sake of these petty combats 
 Geiseric’s old victorious banner was not roused 
 from its proud dreams. Our squadrons carried 
 with them only small cavalry flags, and the vener- 
 able war-emblem was not displayed from the pal- 
 ace. But now that we are threatened by the By- 
 zantine Empire, Gelimer, following the old custom, 
 has commanded the great banner to be raised 
 above the roof. Gibamund brought it to me that 
 I might restore the torn and faded embroidery.” 
 
 “ We would have been through with it before 
 now; had you not woven in, half concealed along 
 the edge, those queer little signs — ” 
 
 “ Hush!” whispered Hilda with a smile. “He 
 must know nothing of this.” 
 
 “Who?” 
 
 “ The pious king. Ah, we can never understand 
 each other and never get along together!” 
 
 “ Why must he know nothing about them ?” 
 
 “ They are ancient runes, battle-runes of our 
 people. My grandfather Hildebrand taught them 
 to me. And who knows whether they do not 
 
2 18 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 So saying, she smoothed the work out with her 
 hand, which lingered almost caressingly upon the 
 characters, while she softly sung : 
 
 ‘‘ * Runes of our race 
 
 By our forefathers reverenced, 
 
 Securing success 
 By your magical might, 
 
 Wave in the wind 
 On the banner 
 We bear to the battle ! 
 
 Summon the sisters, 
 
 The might-giving maidens, 
 
 Valkyrs of victory, 
 
 Circling like swans 
 At the head of our host. 
 
 Send us success 
 And fetter our foes. 
 
 Blunt be their sword-blades. 
 
 Split their stout spears, 
 
 Shattered their shields, 
 
 And broken their breastplates ! 
 
 But unto ours 
 Send the sure victory. 
 
 That on swift steeds 
 They may follow the flight 
 Of the fugitive foe.’ 
 
 “ There! The old charm has often helped the 
 Amelungs, why should it fail the Asdings ? So ! 
 Now the dragon can fly again. He has been 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 2IQ 
 
 moulting,” she laughed merrily, “ and now his 
 wings have grown anew.” 
 
 She sprang up, raised the long, heavy, and 
 sharply-pointed pole, to which the scarlet cloth 
 was fastened with gold-headed nails, and with 
 both hands swung the banner above her head. 
 Gibamund and some of the soldiers below caught 
 sight of the waving banner and the beautiful 
 head encircled by its golden hair. “ Hail, Hilda, 
 hail! ” was their enthusiastic shout. 
 
 Startled at the suddenness of this outburst, 
 Hilda sank at once to her knees to withdraw her- 
 self from notice. But she had heard his voice ; 
 therefore she smiled, happy even amid her em- 
 barrassment. Indeed her confusion only rendered 
 her more charming. - 
 
 Eugenia seemed to feel this. Impulsively she 
 slipped down beside the princess, and covered her 
 hands and beautiful arms with affectionate kisses. 
 
 “ O Lady, how glorious you are ! When your 
 eye flashes so majestically — when you, compara- 
 ble only to Pallas Athene, speak with such inspi- 
 ration about battles and heroism — then a feeling of 
 awe, or at least reverence, creeps over me, and 
 holds me from you. But at other times, when, as 
 so often in these recent days, I behold your sweet 
 womanly content, your devoted tenderness, and 
 
220 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 how you, a loved and happy wife, love with your 
 whole heart your husband and live for him alone, 
 then, oh, then — do not scold me. for, my pre- 
 sumption ! — I feel myself akin to you, as one 
 related, as — ” 
 
 “ As a sister, my Eugenia, ” responded Hilda, 
 pressing the delicate and graceful girl to her 
 bosom. “ Believe me, they do not exclude each 
 other — valiant, death-despising heroism, and wom- 
 an’s tenderest, truest love. I have often argued 
 this subject with the most beautiful woman in 
 the world.” 
 
 “ And pray who is that?” inquired Eugenia, 
 not without doubt whether any one could possi- 
 bly be more beautiful than Hilda. 
 
 “ Mataswintha, the granddaughter of the great 
 Theodoric. She would have become my friend, 
 but she wished to hear only of love, nothing 
 about heroism or duty towards people and father 
 land. She believes that love is the only right and 
 the only duty. That separated us sharply and 
 decidedly. But how touchingly both may blend 
 together is related in an old and beautiful legend. 
 My noble friend Teia sang it to my grandfather 
 and me, to the accompaniment of the harp, as 
 only Teia can sing. I will translate it for you 
 into your language. Come, let us repair the golden 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 221 
 
 border here at the corner, while I tell you the 
 
 story.” 
 
 Both seated themselves again beside the open 
 window, and while the work went on Hilda 
 began : 
 
 “ It was far, far back in the olden time, in . the 
 distant land of Thule, in Scandinavia. There a 
 noble hero, was born, of Volsung blood: he was 
 called Helgi, and had no equal. One day, 
 after a great victory over the Hundings, the an- 
 cient enemies of his house, he was resting upon a 
 rock in the fir forest, when a sudden brightness 
 illumined the heavens, and out of the brightness 
 shot flashes of lightning, like fiery spears, and 
 out of the clouds came riding the Valkyrias, 
 those heroic maidens who, according to the 
 beautiful belief of our ancestors, decide the battle 
 and bear aloft the fallen to the shield-adorned 
 halls of Valhalla. In helmet and coat-of-mail they 
 came riding down, and the points of their spears 
 were tipped with flame. And one of them, Sig- 
 run, approached the solitary man upon the rock, 
 took his hand, greeted him, and kissed him be- 
 neath the helmet. 
 
 “ From that time they loved each other devot- 
 edly. But Sigrun had been betrothed by her 
 father to another, and Helgi had to fight for his 
 
222 
 
 .THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS, 
 
 loved one in desperate battle. And there he slew 
 not only her betrothed, but also her father and all 
 her brothers except one. Sigrun herself, hovering 
 in the clouds, had given him the victory. Then 
 she became his wife, although he had killed her 
 father and brothers. 
 
 “ But soon afterwards Helgi himself, her dearly, 
 loved hero, was murdered by the remaining 
 brother, whom he had spared. Her brother, it is 
 true, offered expiation to the widow, but she 
 cursed him, and said : 4 May the ship that carries 
 you never speed, although a fair wind fills its 
 sails ! May the horse that bears you lose its 
 swiftness when you flee from your enemies! May 
 the sword you brandish prove harmless to all ex- 
 cept yourself ! You shall live as friendless as the 
 wolf in the forest.' And she rejected all consola- 
 tion, tore out her hair, and exclaimed : ‘Woe to 
 the widow who can accept consolation ! She 
 never knew what it is to love — for love is eternal. 
 Woe to the wife who has lost her husband ! Her 
 heart is desolate. Why should she continue to 
 live ? ’ ” 
 
 Here Eugenia repeated softly to herself : “ Woe 
 to the widow who can accept consolation ! She 
 never knew what it is to love — for love is eternal. 
 Woe to the wife who has lost her husband ! Her 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA NDALS. 
 
 223 
 
 heart is desolate. Why should she continue to 
 live?” 
 
 “ { As the ash-tree above thorns and thistles, so 
 towers Helgi above all heroes. For the widow 
 there is only one place left on earth — her hus- 
 band’s grave. And Sigrun will never again find 
 joy in the world, unless his burial-mound should 
 open to the light, and I could again embrace him ? ’ 
 
 “ And so powerful, so all-compelling is the long- 
 ing of the faithful-hearted widow, that it breaks 
 even the bands of death. In the evening a maid- 
 servant came running to Sigrun, and spoke : 
 
 * Hasten out, if you desire to have your husband 
 again. Lo! the mound has opened, and a light 
 flashes from it. Your longing has brought back 
 the hero. He sits within the mound, and calls 
 for you to stanch his bleeding wounds.’ ” 
 
 In a low, quivering voice Eugenia murmured : 
 “ The longing of the faithful-hearted widow is so 
 powerfulit breaks even the bands of death.” 
 
 “ Sigrun went to the burial-mound to Helgi, 
 dried his wounds, kissed him, and said : ‘ Your hair 
 is dripping wet ; you are covered with blood ; your 
 hands are cold and damp. How shall I find a 
 remedy for these things ?’ 4 It is your fault/ he. 
 
 said; ‘ you have wept so many tears, and every one 
 tell in blood upon Helgi’s breast.’ Then she cried : 
 
224 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS* 
 
 i I will weep no more ; I will rest upon your 
 breast, as I did when you were alive.' Whereupon 
 Helgi said exultingly: ‘Now you will remain in 
 the grave with me, in the arms of the dead, al- 
 though yourself alive ! ' 
 
 “ But the saga tells that when Sigrun also died, 
 both were born again — he as a victorious hero, 
 she as a Valkyr. Such is the story how woman’s 
 devoted love prevails over death, and, by its all- 
 powerful longing, penetrates even the loved one’s 
 grave." 
 
 “ And by its all-powerful longing penetrates 
 even the loved one's grave," repeated Eugenia. 
 
 Hilda looked up suddenly. “ Child, what is the 
 matter with you ?" She had been telling her story 
 with so much enthusiasm that towards the end 
 she had paid no attention to her listener. But 
 now she heard a low sobbing, and saw with amaze- 
 ment the young Greek kneeling on the floor, her 
 face buried in her hands, in a vain attempt to con- 
 ceal her tears. 
 
 “ Eugenia !" 
 
 “ O Hilda, it is so beautiful. It must be so 
 blissful to be loved ! And it is blissful, too, to 
 love even unto death. O Gibamund’s happy 
 Hilda! O Helgi’s happy Sigrun! How much 
 sorrow and pleasure combined the heart can find 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 22 $ 
 
 in this story! United in death, if no longer in 
 life, by the magical power of love !” 
 
 “ O sister ! Does this tender heart throb so 
 powerfully, so passionately, so truly, with love ? 
 Confide in me. You have not yet said one 
 word — ” 
 
 “ I could not. I felt so much shame both on 
 my own account and — for him. And I dared not 
 speak of my love. For it is, you know, a humili- 
 ation and disgrace. For he, my bridegroom — my 
 husband — does not love me.” 
 
 “ Of course he loves you. If not, why would 
 he, whose disposition is so unruly, have wooed 
 you so humbly ?” 
 
 “ Ah ! I do not know. I have asked myself the 
 question a hundred times. Until within the last 
 three days' I supposed it was from love. And 
 sometimes still my foolish heart half believes 
 it. But no ! It was not love. A whim ! a 
 pastime! Perhaps ” — and she trembled with an- 
 ger — “ a wager ! A game he sought to win, that 
 with the winning lost its zest.” 
 
 “ Not so. Thasaric is not capable of that.” 
 
 “ Oh yes ! Oh yes !” sobbed Eugenia in de- 
 spair. “ He is capable of it.” 
 
 “ I do not believe it,” replied Hilda, and, sink- 
 
226 THE LAST OF THE VA JVDALS. 
 
 ing down beside her friend, she took the heart- 
 broken girl, as if she were a sick childj upon her 
 lap, dried her tear-stained cheeks with the edge of 
 her white mantle, smoothed her rumpled hair, 
 pressed her little head comfortingly to her bosom, 
 and gently rocked her back and forth, while she 
 said in a soothing tone : “ It will all xome right, 
 Eugenia. It will soon come right. For he loves 
 you — he surely loves you/’ 
 
 “ A half-choked sob and a slight shake of the 
 head seemed to answer, “ No.” 
 
 “ He surely does. I do not know — nor do I 
 wish to know — what that woman hissed in your 
 ear. But I saw how it affected you— like a pen- 
 sioned arrow. Whatever it was — ” 
 
 I will never, never, never tell !” cried out 
 Eugenia. 
 
 “ I told you I do not wish to know. Whatever 
 his fault may have been, the Christians have a 
 beautiful saying : ‘ Love beareth all things ; love 
 endureth all things/ ” 
 
 “ Love pardons all things ?” whispered Eugenia. 
 “ Of course ; but only love. Tell me, my sister, 
 do you really love him ?” 
 
 The weeping girl tore herself loose, sprang up, 
 stretched forth her arms, and with a cry : “ Oh, 
 beyond the power of words to tell !” threw herself 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 22 7 
 
 again on the breast of her friend. And now a 
 soft, beautiful light shone through the tears which 
 dimmed her eyes. “ See,” she said in a low 
 whisper, as if unseen ears might be listening in the 
 room, “ that is my own sweet secret — the secret 
 that ought to fill me with shame,” she added with 
 a smile. “ I loved him long ago. I believe even 
 as a child, when he used to come to my father to 
 sell the grain from his villas, on which occasions 
 he often took me up in his arms, as if I were a 
 feather, until I, at last, refused to permit it. The 
 older I grew, the more I loved him, and the more 
 shyly I avoided him. Ah ! — never mention it, as 
 long as you live ! — when he seized me upon the 
 public street, fierce as was my indignation, my in- 
 sulted self-respect, deeply as I sympathized with 
 my poor father’s grief ; yet — yet — while I strug- 
 gled desperately in his arms, while I screamed for 
 help — yet, in the midst of all my fright and anger, 
 here in my heart was a sweet, blissful feeling : ‘ He 
 loves me ; it is out of love that he uses this vio- 
 lence towards me.’ And I was happy, in fact 
 proud, even in the midst of my wild grief, that he 
 dared commit so bold an outrage purely out of 
 love for me. Can you understand that, can you 
 pardon it ?” 
 
 “Pardon it? No! For lam both astonished 
 
228 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 and delighted. It is you who must pardon me, 
 dear Eugenia. 1 did not consider you capable of 
 such genuine, passionate, womanly love. But, you 
 persistent little hypocrite, why did you so long 
 and so obstinately conceal your true feelings from 
 him and your father and your friend ?” 
 
 “ Why? Surely that is obvious enough,” cried 
 Eugenia, almost involuntarily. “ From a feeling 
 of disgrace and shame. It is surely a terrible 
 thing when a young girl whom a man has 
 publicly tried to carry off — and even kissed in the 
 attempt — instead of hating him forever, as she 
 ought to do, really loves him with her whole 
 heart. It is, you see, simply abominable.” 
 
 And half weeping, half laughing, she hid once 
 more her blushing face on Hilda’s bosom. As she 
 did so, she kissed tenderly a small gold cross that 
 hung suspended from a silver chain, arid passion- 
 ately pressed to her heart a rune-chased half-cir- 
 clet of bronze which she wore upon her arm. 
 “ His engagement and his marriage gifts,” she 
 sighed. 
 
 '‘Yes, you love him devotedly,” said Hilda. 
 “And he? He used to send Gibamund to me 
 with many a sorrowful message. He was as thank- 
 ful as a blind man whose sight has been restored, 
 when I gave him the simple advice that, although 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 229 
 
 he was, doubtless, utterly unworthy of you, still, 
 if he wished to have you, he should frankly ask 
 whether you were willing to accept him ; and then 
 he should propose in due form to your father for 
 your hand. Over this by no means occult wisdom 
 he was as happy as a child. He acted accordingly, 
 and now — ” 
 
 “And now/' interrupted Eugenia, with a flash 
 of anger that was' almost comical, “ he has not 
 shown himself for almost three days. Who knows 
 how far off he is ?” 
 
 “Not very far,” laughed Hilda; “he has just 
 entered the court-yard.” 
 
 With the swiftness of an arrow Eugenia's little 
 head shot up above the window-sill. A half-stifled 
 exclamation of joy burst from her lips ; then she 
 slipped down again out of the sight of those 
 below. 
 
 “ How grand he looks in full armor !” exclaimed 
 Hilda in a voice of joyful surprise. “ He wears 
 above his helmet a huge bear’s head with gaping 
 
 jaws.” 
 
 “ Indeed ? That is the bear he killed himself in 
 the Auras mountains,” whispered Eugenia. 
 
 “And how becomingly the bear’s hide falls over 
 his mighty shoulders! He carries a spear, the 
 shaft of which is as thick as a young tree, A *** d 
 
230 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, . 
 
 bn his shield— what sign is that? A hammer of 
 stone/' 
 
 “Yes, yes!" exclaimed the Greek girl, eagerly, 
 as she raised herself up and peeped over the win- 
 dow-sill ; “ that is the badge of his house. His 
 race is descended, according to the old belief, from 
 a red-bearded, hammer-hurling demon — I do not 
 remember the name." 
 
 A demon ?” protested Hilda. “Why, the god 
 Donar is his ancestor, and his descendant of to- 
 day does the god honor. Thrasaric is speaking 
 with Gibamund," she continued. “They are look- 
 ing up here — he salutes me. But oh! how pale, 
 how sad as death the poor giant appears !" 
 
 “Is that so?" and the little brown head rose 
 once more above the sill. 
 
 “ Down, Eugenia, down ! He must not know 
 that in the matter of longing we cannot hold out 
 as well as he. My husband is motioning to me — 
 % he is coming up here. Thrasaric seems to be fol- 
 lowing." 
 
 Without stopping to reply, Eugenia darted into 
 the adjoining apartment. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 231 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Hilda flew to the door to meet her husband, 
 who greeted her with an affectionate embrace. 
 
 “You are alone ?” asked Gibamund, looking 
 around. “ I thought I saw the little antelope 
 beside you at the window/’ 
 
 Hilda pointed in silence to the curtain of the 
 adjoining room. Her husband nodded. “You 
 will soon have a visitor/’ he said, raising his voice. 
 “ Thrasaric desires an interview. He has various 
 matters of importance to s3y to you.” 
 
 “ He is welcome.” 
 
 “ You have finished the banner?” 
 
 “Yes.” She grasped the pole, and with her 
 strong arm raised aloft the heavy banner. The 
 scarlet cloth, more than five feet long and two 
 and a half in width, fell down in long folds upon 
 the shoulders of both, as if consecrating them to 
 its service. 
 
 Gibamund took the banner from her hand. “ I 
 will plant this standard upon our highest battle- 
 ment, that it may wave from afar a bloody wel- 
 come to our enemies. O precious treasure, em- 
 blem of the Vandals’ fame, Geiseric’s victorious 
 banner, never shall you fall into an enemy’s hands 
 as long as I live !” he cried enthusiastically. “ I 
 
232 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 swear it by the head of my loved wife, upon which 
 your fold.' n vv rest.” 
 
 “ Never will your eye or mine see that. I swear 
 it like yourself !” spoke Hilda, solemnly.; and a 
 slight shudder ran through her as a puff of wind 
 blew the red cloth around her shoulders and 
 against her bosom. 
 
 Gibamund kissed her fair forehead, and left the 
 room with the banner. On the threshold he met 
 Thrasaric. 
 
 ‘‘Welcome, Thrasaric!” Hilda said in a loud 
 voice, upon which the curtain over the door of the 
 neighboring room -moved slightly. “ I like this. In 
 full armor ! It becomes you better than — the 
 other. I hear you have received the command over 
 many thousands ; that you are to take Zaro’s place 
 until he returns. What do you bring me?” 
 
 This friendly, unconstrained address evidently 
 reassured the giant, who had entered the room 
 with a burning face. He cast a searching glance 
 around, in order to detect some trace ; but he did 
 not find what he sought. 
 
 His whole soul was on fire to speak as quickly 
 as possible about Eugenia, to ask after her, to 
 learn her disposition towards him. But a terrible 
 uncertainty restrained him. 
 
 He did not know whether his bride had impart- 
 
The Last Of the Vandals. 233 
 
 ed to her friend his heavy, his inexcusable guilt. 
 He feared so. It was certainly most probable the 
 princess would ask, and why should Eugenia keep 
 silent? Why should she spare him? Had he 
 deserved it ? Had not the offended one with 
 good right renounced him forever ? All these 
 questions, which he kept propounding to himself 
 the whole time, thronged at once through his 
 poor brain. How. deeply he was ashamed of his 
 conduct ! Sooner by far would he have set out 
 alone against the whole army of Belisarius than 
 face the reproaches of this noble-souled woman. 
 And yet he had so valiantly imposed upon him- 
 self a task still more difficult. As he did not an- 
 swer, but only breathed hard, Hilda repeated her 
 question : “ What do you bring me, Thrasaric ?” 
 He must answer — he perceived that — but Hilda 
 was almost startled as he blurted out in reply, 
 “ A horse.” 
 
 “A horse ?” she asked slowly, her voice dwelling 
 on the word. “ What am I to do with it ?” 
 Thrasaric was glad to be able to speak, espe 
 dally about matters so remote from Eugenia 
 Therefore he answered promptly, “ Ride it.” 
 
 “ Well,” laughed Hilda, “ I suppose I can do 
 that. But to whom does the horse belong?” 
 
 “ To you. I present it to you. Gibamund has 
 
234 TLtE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 given his .consent. He commands you to receive 
 it from me. Do you understand? He com- 
 mands it.” 
 
 “ Well, I have not yet refused. In fact, I thank 
 you heartily for the gift. What sort of horse is 
 it ?” 
 
 “ The best in the world,” was the instant an- 
 swer. 
 
 “ That is Cabaon’s black horse, I have heard 
 Gibamund and my brother-in-law say.” 
 
 “ It is true.” 
 
 “ He belongs now to Modigisel.” 
 
 “ No longer.” 
 
 “ Why?” 
 
 “ Oh ! for several reasons. The first, because 
 he belongs at present to you. The third, because 
 the beast was recently stolen away by night 
 from Modigisel. Secondly, Modigisel is dead. 
 Fourthly, the black stallion is mine.” 
 
 These statements had come so fast, one on top 
 of the other, that Hilda gazed at the speaker with- 
 out fully understanding him. “ Modigisel dead ?” 
 she repeated. “ Impossible!” 
 
 “ But, nevertheless, a fact. And, in truth, — 
 except for himself, — no very great misfortune ! 
 But to explain : ^Recently, by night, I helped a 
 young captive Moor to escape. That he would 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 235 
 
 avail himself of the black stallion, I could not 
 know beforehand. Nevertheless I was delighted 
 — greatly delighted — that he did so. Early this 
 morning another Moor brought the horse into 
 my courtyard. The Moor who had escaped was 
 Sersaon, the great-grandson of Cabaon. Out of 
 gratitude Cabaon sent me the superb steed.” 
 
 “ But would you not have been compelled to 
 return him to Modigisel ?” 
 
 “ Perhaps. In no event would I have kept the 
 horse. Sooner would I have the devil in my 
 stable than ride upon this accursed beast ! ” 
 
 “ Why?” 
 
 “ Why ? Why ? You ask me, why ?” shouted 
 Thrasaric jubilantly. “ You do not, then, know ?” 
 “ If I knew, I should not ask you,” replied 
 Hilda quietly. 
 
 The effect of these words fairly astounded her. 
 Thrasaric’s huge form sank down on its knees 
 before her, and he pressed her hands so vehe- 
 mently that she could have cried out with pain. 
 
 “ That is magnificent ! That is divine !” he ex- 
 claimed. But in an instant he sprang again to 
 his feet, and his countenance once more clouded 
 over. “ Ah !” he said, “ this makes it even worse 
 than before. Now I must tell you myself. Par- 
 don me ! No, I have not become insane, Wait 
 
236 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 just a moment or two. I’ll get it out after a while ! 
 
 I commanded that the horse should be taken at 
 once to Modigisel. When my slave came back he 
 brought word that Modigisel is dead.” 
 
 “ It is a fact, then? Yesterday he was in full 
 health. How is it possible ?” 
 
 “ You see, Astarte, — but you know nothing of 
 such creatures! — his freed slave and companion, 
 lived in a house adjoining his. His slaves relate 
 that Modigisel and Astarte, after their return from 
 the Grove of Ve — the Holy Virgin,” — he cor- 
 rected himself with downcast eyes — “ had a fierce 
 quarrel. She did not scream out, she was not 
 violent ; but she demanded for the thousandth 
 time her full liberty, -for in certain respects Modi- 
 gisel still reserved control over her. He refused, 
 he scolded, he raged, he is said to have struck her. 
 But yesterday they had apparently become recom 
 ciled, for Astarte and the Gundings dined with 
 him. After the meal they all strolled out through 
 the garden. ' Astarte broke off, before them all, 
 four peaches from a tree. She and the Gundings 
 each ate one, and Modigisel the fourth. As soon 
 as he had eaten it he fell dead at Astarte’s feet.” 
 “Horrible! Was it poison ?” 
 
 “ Who can say ? The peach grew on the same 
 tree as the others. The Gundings attest the fact, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 237 
 
 and their word is not to be doubted. And the 
 Carthaginian is as calm and impenetrable as ever.” 
 
 “ You — you saw her, you spoke with her?” 
 Thrasaric reddened : “ She came to my house 
 — at once — away from the corpse. But I — well, 
 she went away again very quick. She was in haste 
 to take possession qf the villa at Decimum, which 
 Modigisel some time ago made over to her.” 
 
 “ What a woman !” 
 
 “ No woman at all; a monster — but a very 
 beautiful one ! So the black stallion remained on 
 my hands. But I — I will not keep the horse. 
 And then it occurred to me that you are the most 
 magnificent of all the women of our people — I 
 mean to say, the best rider. And I thought that, # 
 now that war is about to break out, and that you 
 cannot be kept from following Gibamund to the** 
 battlefield, if I judge you aright — ” 
 
 “You do, indeed, judge me aright,” laughed 
 Hilda with flashing eyes. 
 
 “ Therefore I besought Gibamund- — and so the 
 horse is yours. Do you see? He is even now 
 being led into the palace-yard.” 
 
 “ A superb animal indeed ! I thank you, 
 Thrasaric.” 
 
 “So be it, then, with the horse,” he said gloom- 
 ily; for now again he did not know how to pro^ 
 
 ceed. 
 
238 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Hilda came to his help. “ And your brother?” 
 she inquired. 
 
 “ Has unfortunately disappeared. I have had 
 him sought for everywhere, in his villas and in my 
 own. Not a trace of him, nor of the beautiful 
 Ionian who — died that night, can be found. It is 
 possible he may have left Catthage by sea. So 
 many ships have sailed recently out of the harbor, 
 some of them, I suppose — ” and he became sudden- 
 ly very pale — “ for — for Sicily.” • 
 
 “ Yes,” Hilda replied with indifference, gazing 
 at the same time out of the window. “ The 
 black horse is superb.” 
 
 “ Ah,” thought Thrasaric, “ she is gone. It is a 
 • fact.” And with trembling voice he said, while 
 his eye anxiously sought Hilda’s : “ Several of 
 them, no doubt, were bound for Syracuse?” 
 
 She leaned out of the window. “ So far as I 
 know, only one,” she answered unconcernedly. 
 
 “ Then it is true!” he cried out in utter de- 
 spair. “ She has gone to her father in Syracuse ! 
 She has cast me off for ever ! O Eugenia ! Eu- 
 genia !” And in uncontrollable grief he pressed 
 against the wall his stalwart arm and bowed his 
 head down upon it. 
 
 So it happened that he did not see how violent- 
 ly the curtain at the doorway was agitated. 
 
the Last of the va heals, 239 
 
 “ O princess, ” he cried, with an effort regaining 
 his self-command, “it is, I know, but just. I can- 
 not blame you, indeed I rather commend you, 
 because on that wild night you tore her from my 
 arms. Nor can I find fault with her because she 
 thrusts me from her. I know I am not worthy 
 of her. It is my faulf — and yet not mine alone. 
 The women, I mean the maidens of our people, 
 are gjso in part to blame. You seem astonished. 
 But tell me, Hilda, have you ever taken to your 
 heart as a friend a Vandal woman ? Eugenia, the 
 Greek, the child of the humble citizen, is nearer 
 and dearer to you than the wives and daughters 
 of our nobles. I will not say — far be it from 
 me ! — that the Vandal women are at heart as vile 
 and degenerated as most of our men. Certainly 
 not ! But beneath this sky, in the course of three 
 generations, they also have deteriorated. Gold, 
 adornment, trifles, luxury, but gold above all, arc 
 the desires of their souls. They long for riches, 
 for immoderate enjoyment, almost as much as the 
 Roman women. Their nature has become indo- 
 lent. Not one of them understands or shares Hil- 
 da’s noble enthusiasm.” 
 
 “ Yes, they are vain, shallow, and spiritless,” 
 lamented the princess. 
 
 “ Is it a wonder, then, that our young men do 
 
; 40 THE LAST OF THE V A HEALS. 
 
 not seek marriage with these pretentious dolls ? 
 Because I am rich, fathers and, still more urgent- 
 ly, obtrusive mothers, and even — well, I will not 
 say that ! In short, many a Vandal woman would 
 have been my wife, had I so desired. But I loved 
 none of them. Only this child, this little Grecian 
 girl, touched my heart. And I love her fondly, 
 passionately, from the very depths of my soul — 
 love her with a love that will endure as long as 
 life itself.” 
 
 Hilda listened in silence, but her glance stole 
 across the room to the curtained doorway. 
 
 “ And now — now — I love her more than ever, 
 my pearl that I have lost. She so spares my un- 
 worthy self, she so honors the love she once gave 
 me, that she has not even revealed to you my 
 offence, my monstrous crime. But ” — here he 
 drew himself up, and a thoroughly noble expres- 
 sion rendered his strong, manly countenance more 
 handsome than ever — “ I have imposed upon 
 myself as a penance, in case she has not spoken, 
 to make the confession to you myself.. Write that 
 to her; perhaps she will think a little less unkind- 
 ly of me. It is for me the heaviest of all possible 
 punishments to tell you this ; for, Princess Hil- 
 da, I honor you as I would a goddess; I honor 
 you as the protecting deity of our people. It is 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 24I 
 
 like death to me that my own words must teach 
 you to despise me. Still you shall know the truth ! 
 They say — I do not myself know, but I suppose it 
 is true — that I — for Eugenia — I did it in my 
 drunkenness, after an ocean of wine, but still, I 
 suppose, I did it! And I. am not worthy ever to 
 look upon her again ! They say — that I-*—” 
 
 “Not you, my husband; it was the wine that 
 did it !” cried a joyous voice, and a slender, girlish 
 form darted across the room, flung herself into 
 Thrasaric’s arms, and clung lovingly to his huge 
 breast. And while her right arm stole around his 
 neck, she pressed the dainty fingers of her left 
 hand upon his lips to stop the humiliating con- 
 fession. 
 
 “Eugenia!” he exclaimed, his face all aglow 
 with surprise and delight, “you have overheard? 
 You can forgive ? You love me still?” 
 
 “Until death! Even into the grave! Yes, 
 beyond them both! Should I lose you, my soul 
 would find its way to yours, even in its tomb. In 
 life, and in death, Thrasaric, I am yours. For I 
 love you.” 
 
 “And love is eternal,” said Hilda, passing her 
 hand caressingly over the young wife's hair. Then 
 she quietly withdrew from the room, leaving the 
 reunited lovers alone with their happiness. 
 
242 THE LAST OF THE V A HEALS. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CASSARIUS FROM PRO- 
 COPIUS OF CAESAREA. 
 
 THERE is no longer any reason for concealing my 
 name. The bird would be recognized at any 
 rate by his song. Besides, I am now quite sure 
 that these pages will not be seized in Byzantium, 
 for we shall soon be swimming gayly over the sea. 
 
 At last, then, war with the Vandals ! The em- 
 press has carried her point. She has treated her 
 husband with decided coolness since he withdrew 
 from the undertaking, in fact right contemptuous- 
 ly. That method always works. 
 
 What motive has been urging and still urges 
 her to this war Satan, no doubt, fully under- 
 stands, heaven not very clearly, and I not "at all. 
 
 Perhaps she thinks the blood of the' heretics 
 will wash away another batch of her sins. Or 
 she may hope to get possession of the treasures 
 which, plundered by Geiseric’s pirate-ships from 
 all lands, lie heaped up in the Capitol at Carthage ; 
 the treasures of the Temple at Jerusalem are 
 among them. 
 
 In short she wanted the war, and we have it. 
 
 A pious bishop from one of our Asiatic border- 
 cities came to Byzantium — the man’s .name is 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 243 
 
 Agathos. The empress invited him to a secret 
 conference. I learn what took place from 
 Antonina, the wife of Belisarius ; she was the only 
 other person present. Theodora showed the 
 bishop a letter he had written to the Persian king, 
 upon which the bishop fell in fright to the floor. 
 She touched him with the dainty toe of her gold- 
 en shoe and said : “ Arise, Agathos, man of God, 
 and dream to-night what I now tell you. And if 
 you do not relate this dream to morrow before 
 noon to the emperor, then I will hand him this 
 letter, and before evening, most holy man, you 
 will be beheaded.” 
 
 The bishop went away and dreamed what he 
 was commanded, probably without even falling 
 asleep. And on the next day, even before the 
 emperor’s morning bath, Agathos had himself an- 
 nounced to Justinian, and in extreme excitement 
 — which, I take it, was not assumed — related to him 
 that Christ had appeared to him in the night in a 
 dream, and had spoken : “ Go, O Agathos, to the 
 emperor, and reprove him because, infirm of pur- 
 pose, he has abandoned his plans to avenge me 
 on the heretics. Say to him : Thus speaks Christ 
 the Lord : Set forth, Justinian, and fear not. For 
 J, the Lord, will assist you in the battle, and will 
 bring Africa and its treasures under your power/ ” 
 
244 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Thereupon Justinian could no longer be held 
 back. The war was at once decided upon. The 
 prefect, praetorian, who opposed it, was removed 
 and cast into prison. From the pulpits of all the 
 basilicas in Byzantium the priests announced the 
 dream of the pious bishop. The soldiers were 
 led by centuries into the churches, where courage 
 was preached into them. Officials proclaimed 
 the dream in the streets, at the harbor, upon the 
 ships. By command of the empress, Megas, her 
 most polished court and personal poet, rendered 
 the dream into Greek and Latin verges. 
 
 They are atrociously bad — worse even than 
 those our Megas is accustomed to make ; but 
 they can be easily remembered, and so by day 
 and by night the soldiers and sailors shout them 
 out through the streets and in the taverns, just as 
 children sing in the dark to give themselves cour- 
 age. For it must be confessed that our soldiers 
 do not yet feel altogether comfortable in regard 
 to this holy expedition against Carthage ; conse- 
 quently we all keep singing: 
 
 “ Christ appeared to the good bishop; sent him to 
 Justinian : 
 
 ’Venge thou Christ, Justinianus, on the wicked Arians. 
 Christ himself strikes down the Vandals, subduing 
 for thee Africa/ " * 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 2 4 ^ 
 
 This poem has two advantages : first, that one 
 can, if he pleases, say it over a good many times ; 
 second, that it is a matter of entire indifference 
 with which line you begin. The empress says — 
 and she ought to know — that Megaswas divinely 
 inspired when he wrote it. In which case the 
 spirit that inspired him left him a little in the 
 lurch with his trochees in the third line — a mishap 
 which not infrequently occurs in verses of some 
 of our uninspired court poets. 
 
 We are at work day and night. In the streets 
 of Byzantium you can hear the whinnying of the 
 little, shaggy Hunnish horses. Among these Huns 
 are six hundred excellent archers. Aigan, Bleda, 
 and Bala are the chiefs who lead them. In 
 addition to these there are six hundred Herulians 
 under Fara, a prince of his nation. They are 
 Germans in the pay . of Justinian. Only the ‘dia- 
 mond cuts the diamond,’ says Narses, and ‘ Ger- 
 man against German’ has long been our favorite 
 game. 
 
 Strong detachments of other * barbarians also 
 are marching through our streets, barbarians 
 when we call “ allies ” — -that is, we give them gol^d 
 or grain, and they pay for it in the blood of their 
 sons ; among these are Isaurians, Armenians, and 
 pthers, under leaders of their own race. Of 
 
246 . THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 the people of our empire the Thracians and Illy- 
 rians furnish the best soldiers. 
 
 In the harbor the ships are rocking in the east 
 wind, impatiently straining at their anchors, their 
 prows turned towards the west, an if longing for 
 the combat. 
 
 Gradually the army is being embarked. There 
 are 1 1,000 infantry and 5000 cavalry, conveyed on 
 five hundred ships with 20,000 sailors. The best 
 battle-ships among these are 102 swift-sailing clro- 
 inones manned with 2000 rowers from Byzantium. 
 The other sailors are Egyptians, Ionians, and 
 Cilicians. 
 
 The whole expedition presents a fine and war- 
 like aspect, which, however, I would rather look 
 at than attempt to describe. But the most glo^ 
 rious sight of all is the hero Belisarius surrounded 
 by his chosen body-guard — men armed with shields 
 
 and long lances, and thoroughly tried in battle. 
 ****** 
 
 Already half of our ocean journey lies behind 
 us. I am writing now in the port of Syracuse. 
 
 So far all has gone wonderfully well with us. 
 It almost seems as if the goddess you Latins call 
 Fortune fills our sails for us. 
 
 Towards the end of June the embarkation was 
 completed* Then the general’s ship, which was 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS 
 
 to carry Belisarius, was ordered to i>e brought 
 near the shore, in front of the imperial palace, 
 and Archbishop Epiphanus of Byzantium ap- 
 peared on board, bringing with him, as the last 
 man to enter the ship, an Arian whom he had 
 just baptized in the Catholic faith. The arch- 
 bishop blessed the commander’s ship, and Belisa- 
 rius and all of .us, even the heathen Huns. Then 
 he descended again into his boat, and amid the 
 acclamations of the multitude our ship got under 
 Way, and was followed by the whole fleet. We 
 are all very pious-minded people, whom the em- 
 press and her conveniently-dreaming bishop and 
 Justinian are sending to root out the heretics. 
 “ It is a holy war ; we are fighting for Christ/' 
 We have repeated this so often, that at last we 
 believe it ourselves. 
 
 Our course lay by way of Perinthus — Heraclea 
 it is called now — to Abydos. There a quarrel 
 broke out among some drunken Huns, and two of 
 them killed a third. Belisarius had both the cul- 
 prits hanged without delay upon the hill beyond 
 the city. 
 
 The Huns, especially the kinsmen of the two 
 who had been executed, became unruly. Accord- 
 ing to Hunnish law, death is by no means the pun- 
 ishment for murder. My belief is that Hunni-sh 
 
248 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 m 
 
 law permits the heirs of the murdered man to 
 drink at the expense pf the murderers until the 
 whole party lie upon the ground helplessly drunk ; 
 when they come to their senses they kiss each 
 other, and all is forgotten : for the Huns are more 
 intemperate drinkers than the Germans, and that 
 is saying a good deal. Besides, they had con- 
 tracted with the emperor only for military ser- 
 vice, arid he had no right to judge them accord- 
 ing to Roman law. Belisarius assembled the Huns 
 around the gallows from which the dead men 
 dangled, surrounded them with his most faithful 
 troops, and roared at them like a lion. I do not 
 suppose they understood his Latin, — to speak pre- 
 cisely, I should say my Latin, for it was I who 
 wrote the speech and drilled him in it, — but he 
 pointed from time to time to the men on the gal- 
 lows, and they understood that. And now they 
 follow us like lambs. 
 
 From Abydos our voyage proceeded by way of 
 Sigeum, Taenarum, and Mentone. There a num- 
 ber of our people died. For the commissary of 
 provisions at Byzantium, instead of furnishing 
 hard-baked bread, had the lumps of dough sunk in 
 the water of the public baths (how appetizing ! but, 
 to be sure, it cost him nothing), and then browned 
 quickly on the outside in red-hot pans. Prepared 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA JVEALS. 249 
 
 in this .way the bread was considerably heavier ; 
 indeed he gained an ounce or two on every pound, 
 and the emperor paid for it by weight. But in a 
 few days this delightful preparation settled down 
 into a mass of stinking paste, and five hundred 
 men died from eating it. The emperor was in- 
 formed of the matter, but Theodora interceded 
 for the poor commissary, who had to pay her ten 
 times the amount of his profit in return for her 
 Christian mediation, and the man received only an 
 admonition. From Mentone we sailed past Za- 
 cynthus to Sicily, where after a voyage of sixteen 
 days we cast anchor in the old and now disused 
 roadstead of Cancana, opposite Mount ZEtna. 
 
 But now Belisarius began to grow troubled and 
 anxious. By nature he is so eager for fighting 
 that he rushes blindly into it, if an enemy is 
 anywhere pointed out to him. Consequently his 
 impatience and anxiety increased every hour ; for 
 none of the spies, whom he sent out from Byzan- 
 tium long before his departure, have returned 
 either to the city itself or to any of the prear- 
 ranged stopping-places on our voyage. Therefore 
 the commander-in-chief knows about as much con- 
 cerning the Vandals as about the people in the 
 moon. 
 
 What sort of men they are, what their plan of 
 
250 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 battle wiU be, how we are to get at them, are 
 thus far insoluble riddles to us. In addition to 
 this, the soldiers have relapsed into their old fear 
 of Geiseric’s fleet, and there is no empress on 
 board to induce somebody to dream again. The 
 limping trochees of the poet are seldom sung any 
 more. Our people are not in the mood for sing 
 ing : if any one inadvertently starts up the tune, 
 two others forthwith fall upon him and cuff him un- 
 til he desists. Only the Huns and the Heruli — to 
 our disgrace be it said — refrain from open lamen- 
 tation : they are gloomily silent. But our warriors 
 —the Romans— do not hesitate to proclaim aloud : 
 they would fight valiantly enough on land, — 
 they are used to that,— but if we should be at- 
 tacked on the open sea, they would compel the 
 sailors to get out of the way as fast as possible with 
 sails and oars: to fight on a rolling, pitching 
 ship with Germans and waves and wind, all at the 
 same time, is not to be expected, and is not stipu- 
 lated for in the terms of their enlistment. Beli- 
 sarius, however, is chiefly concerned about his un- 
 certainty with regard to the plans of the enemy. 
 Where is it lurking, this dreaded fleet? Every 
 hour that we hear nothing of it, see nothing of it, 
 renders us more and more uneasy. Does it lie 
 concealed behind one of the neighboring islands [ 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 2$ I 
 
 Does it keep watch, lying in wait for us, on the 
 coast of Africa? If so, where? And where are 
 we ta land? 
 
 I suggested yesterday that he ought to have 
 considered these matters before. Whereupon he 
 muttered something in his beard and bade me 
 make good the oversight to the best of my ability. 
 
 I have come to Syracuse, under the pretext of 
 purchasing supplies from your Ostrogothic rulers, 
 but really to find out about these Vandals all that 
 Belisarius does not know and yet needs to learn. 
 
 I have been here since yesterday, and I have 
 asked every one I met about the Vandals. And 
 every one laughs at me and says : “ If Belisarius is 
 ignorant, how are we to know? We are not at 
 war with them.” And it seems to me the saucy 
 fellows are about right. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 Triumph, Cethegus! The old good luck of 
 Belisarius hovers around the pennants at our mast- 
 heads. The gods themselves have blinded the 
 Vandals, have taken away their reason, and must, 
 therefore, wish for their destruction. Hermes 
 clears our path for us and removes all difficulties 
 and dangers from our way. 
 
252 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 The fleet of the Vandals, that terror of our val- 
 iant soldiers, sails harmlessly off to the north, 
 while with every stitch of canvas set — and merrily 
 the east wind blows us on — we are hurrying from 
 Sicily over the blue waves towards the west, to 
 Carthage. 
 
 Our ships cleave the ruffled waters as peacefully 
 as if we were on a festal procession. No enemy, 
 far and wide, to block our course, no spy to watch 
 us, or to announce our approach to our doomed 
 victims, upon whom we shall descend like a me- 
 teor falling from a clear sky. 
 
 And that all this came to our general's knowl- 
 edge, that he is able at once to avail himself of 
 the information, is due entirely to Procopius. 
 Or ought I more truthfully to say to blind chance, 
 that capricious goddess, that seems to me — al- 
 though I am no philosopher — even more than 
 Nemesis, to control the destiny of nations? 
 
 I wrote you the last time that I was running 
 about the streets of Syracuse in considerable per- 
 plexity, and getting laughed at for my pains 
 when I inquired from the various people I met 
 whether they had seen anything of the Vandals. 
 One of those I questioned, a Gothic naval officer, 
 Totila by name, and as fine-looking as he is 
 haughty, shrugged his shoulders and said “ Search 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 253 
 
 for your enemies yourself. Much rather would I 
 make common cause with the Vandals to seek out 
 your fleet and -sink it.” While I was still think- 
 ing how rightly this young barbarian recognized 
 the true interests of his people and the folly of 
 their queen-regent, and much out of humor with 
 the Goths, with myself, and above all with Belisa- 
 rius, I turned suddenly the corner of a street and 
 almost ran my nose against a man coming from 
 the opposite direction. It was Hegelochos, my 
 school-companion from Caesarea, who, I knew, 
 had settled down as a merchant, a grain-specula- 
 tor, somewhere in Sicily, but in what city I was 
 ignorant. 
 
 “ What are you seeking here ?” he asked after 
 our first greeting. 
 
 “ I ? Oh, merely a trifle,” I replied with some 
 vexation, for I heard already in my fancy his 
 mocking laugh. “ I am seeking everywhere about 
 a hundred and fifty to two hundred Vandal war- 
 galleys. Do you happen to know where they 
 are?” 
 
 “Oh yes, I can tell you,” he replied without 
 laughing. “ They lie in the harbor of Karalis in 
 Sardinia.” 
 
 “Omniscient grain-dealer,” I cried in unaffected 
 astonishment, “where did you find out that?” 
 
254 the last of the vandals. 
 
 “ In Carthage/’ he replied. “ I left that city 
 
 just three days ago.” 
 
 And now my questions flew thick afid fast. And 
 as often as I pressed my inquiries upon this well- 
 informed and observant man, I obtained from him, 
 as from a sponge, a stream of information most 
 important to us. 
 
 Well, then, asjar as our fleet is concerned, we 
 have nothing to fear from the Vandals. The bar- 
 barians h'ave as yet no suspicion that we are on 
 the way to attack them. The best of their troops 
 have been sent with the dreaded war-ships to 
 Sardinia. Gelimer has made no preparations to 
 defend Carthage or any other city on the coast. 
 He is himself at Hermione, four days’ march from 
 the sea. What can he be doing there on the verge 
 of the desert ? Consequently, secure from every 
 danger, we can cross the Mediterranean and land 
 in Africa, wherever the wind, the waves, and our 
 own desires bring us. 
 
 In the course of this conversation, and while I 
 continued to ply him with questions, I had thrown 
 my arm around my friend’s neck. At length I 
 ventured upon the request that he would accom- 
 pany me to the harbor and take a look at my 
 ship, which lay there at anchor. “ It is a swift- 
 sailing vessel,” said I, “ built upon a new model, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 2$$ 
 
 and I think will interest you.” The merchant 
 consented. As soon as I had him safe on board, 
 I drew my sword, cut the rope that fastened us 
 to the bronze ring on the pier, and commanded 
 my crew to make for Caucana as quickly as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 Hegelochos was frightened, and began to scold 
 and threaten. But I soon pacified him. “ Pardon 
 this abduction, my friend,” I said, “ but it is indis- 
 pensable that Belisarius himself, and not merely 
 his legal adviser, should speak with you and ques- 
 tion you. For he alone knows precisely what is 
 essential to his plans. And I dare not incur the 
 responsibility of having omitted to ask something 
 important or of having misunderstood an answer. 
 Some god who is incensed against the Vandals 
 has sent you here ; and woe to me if I do not 
 profit by it ! You must give our commander all 
 the information you possess ; you must accorm 
 pany, yes, if need be, pilot our ships to Africa. 
 And this one involuntary journey to Carthage will 
 . yield you richer gains from the royal hoard of the 
 Vandals than if you should make a hundred voy- 
 ages with cargoes of grain. Besides which I will 
 not attempt to reckon the reward which awaits 
 you in heaven for your co-operation in annihilat- 
 ing the heretics.” He smiled, his countenance 
 cleared, and finally he broke into a laugh. 
 
256 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 . But still more joyous was the smile on the face 
 of the hero Belisarius when he saw before him a 
 man “ fresh from Carthage/’ whom he could ques- 
 tion to his heart’s content. How he praised me — 
 for the accidental meeting! With a peal of the 
 trumpets the command was given to set out. 
 How the wind swells our sails aloft ! How glori- 
 ously our ships plough their course through the 
 waves! Woe to you, Vandalia! Woe to you, 
 turreted city of Geiseric! 
 
 Our course lay past the islands Gaulos and 
 Melita, which separate the Adriatic from the 
 Tyrrhenian sea. Off Melita the wind freshened, 
 as if obedient to the command of Belisarius, into 
 a strong gale from the east, bearing us on the 
 next day to Caput-Bada on the African coast, five 
 days’ march from Carthage. I mean five days for 
 a good traveller without baggage ; we shall of 
 course require a much longer time. Belisarius 
 commanded the sails to be furled and the fleet to 
 come to anchor ; meanwhile all the lieutenants are 
 summoned to the commander’s ship to a council 
 of war. The important point to be decided now 
 is, whether we shall disembark the troops and 
 march on Carthage by land or keep them on the 
 ships and make our attack upon the city from the 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 257 
 
 sea. With, respect to this, opinions are greatly at 
 variance. 
 
 It is decided : we proceed by land to Carthage. 
 It is true Archelaos, the quaestor, objected that we 
 have no harbor for our ships. A storm might 
 scatter them over the sea or drive them upon the 
 rocks along the coast. He brought forward also 
 the lack of water in the coast-regions and the diffi- 
 culty of procuring provisions. “ If you adopt this 
 plan, I have one request to make,’' he said bitterly : 
 “ that no one will demand from me, as quaestor, 
 anything to eat. A quaestor who has only his 
 office, but no provisions, cannot satisfy your appe- 
 tite with his official position.” 
 
 He advised that we should hasten by sea to 
 Carthage and seize the harbor of Stagnum, which 
 is large enough for the entire fleet and at the pres- 
 ent time is wholly undefended. From our camp 
 there we could attack the city, which would fall 
 at the first onset, provided the king and his army 
 are really in the interior, four days’ march from the 
 coast. 
 
 But Belisarius said : “ God has fulfilled our most 
 earnest wish ; he has permitted us to reach Africa 
 without encountering the hostile fleet. Are we 
 now, all the same, to remain upon the sea and per- 
 
2$8 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS 
 
 m 
 
 haps still have to contend with those ships before 
 which our people openly threaten to take to flight ? 
 So far as regards the storms — better let the ves- 
 sels go to the bottom empty than with us on 
 board. Now we have the advantage in surpris- 
 ing an unprepared enemy; every delay gives them 
 opportunity to bring their forces into the field. 
 We can disembark here without a battle. Later 
 and in another place we might have to force a 
 landing against both the enemy and the elements. 
 Therefore I say, let us go ashore here. A wall 
 and a ditch around our camp will soon provide us 
 with a place of defence, should we require pne. 
 And have no fear about supplies. As soon as we 
 defeat the enemy we can make use of theirs.”- 
 
 So spoke Belisarius. I considered — as usual — 
 his arguments rather weak, but his courage un- 
 bounded. The truth is that he always chooses 
 the nearest road to battle. 
 
 The opinion of Belisarius, of course, prevailed, 
 and the council of war was dismissed. Then the 
 horses, arms, baggage, and engines of war were 
 put on shore. About fourteen thousand soldiers 
 and nineteen thousand sailors began to shovel, to 
 dig, and to drive stakes in the hot, dry sand. 
 Only a thousand men were posted as guards, and 
 a thousand sailors remained on the ships. Our 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 general dug the first spadeful of dirt and also the 
 last, but between the two he continued uninter- 
 ruptedly at work. Spurred on by his example, 
 all worked so indefatigably that before night the 
 ditch, the wall, and even the empalement were 
 completed around the entire camp. Only five 
 archers passed the night upon each ship. 
 
 So far all is well. Our spacious ships still contain 
 abundant supplies of provisions, thanks to the 
 liberality of the Ostrogoths in Sicily. For what- 
 ever an army could possibly need for man or horse 
 was furnished in abundance by these blockheads, 
 the disobliging Totila, who does not wish us well, 
 having been at once recalled. By command of 
 the queen-regent the stores were almost presented 
 to us, and to the questions asked by us in our as- 
 tonishment we received the reply by the order of 
 the learned Cassiodorus : “You repay us because 
 you avenge us on the Vandals. ” 
 
 Well, Justinian will not fail to reward the Os- 
 trogoths, possibly in a way they do not expect. I 
 wonder whether the learned minister knows the 
 fable how man with the aid of the horse pursued 
 and destroyed the stag, which the horse detested. 
 The noble beast took the rider on his back for this 
 one ride, and never afterwards could get rid of 
 him. 
 
266 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Unfortunately our supply of water is getting 
 low. And even the little that we have left is be- 
 coming almost too foul for use. Without water 
 for man and beast how shall we be able to march 
 for days under this African sun ? This is a matter 
 which threatens to prove serious. 
 
 I myself shall soon be compelled to believe that 
 we are God’s chosen instruments — we, the soldiers 
 of the truthful Justinian and the chaste-hearted 
 Theodora ! Or have the people and king of the 
 Vandals so brought upon themselves the anger of 
 Heaven that miracle upon miracle occurs to their 
 detriment and in our favor? 
 
 Yesterday evening we were all, from the com- 
 mander-in-chief dow n to ^the humblest camel, in 
 the greatest anxiety about water. Early this 
 morning my slave Agnellus brought amphora after 
 amphora of delicious spring-water to my tent.. 
 Not merely enough for drinking* but abundance 
 also for a bath. On the eastern edge of the camp 
 our Heruli, with the last strokes of their spades,, 
 struck a large and copiously flowing spring — a; 
 thing unheard of before in the province of Byza- 
 cium — between the sea and the “desert.” For by 
 this name the people here designate ail the land 
 southwest of the great highway along which we 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 26 1 
 
 are about to march. The term seems to me de- 
 cidedly unjust, for a part of the country is very 
 fruitful ; however, it is old waste land and often 
 merges almost imperceptibly into the true desert. 
 At all events, this spring gushed out from the dry 
 sand around it, and so bounteously does it pour 
 forth its water that men and beasts can drink and 
 bathe to their hearts’ content, while the spoiled 
 water on board the ships can be poured out and 
 replaced with the very best. 
 
 I hastened to Belisarius and congratulated him, 
 not merely on account of the real utility of this 
 discovery, but also on account of the augury of 
 success which it brings with it. . “ Water gushes 
 forth from the desert for you, my general,” I cried. 
 “ That betokens an easy victory. You are indeed 
 the favorite of Heaven and the wonder of the 
 world.” He smiled. I suppose a man is apt to 
 hear such things with complacency. 
 
 I am commissioned to draw up a military decree, 
 which is to be read to every division of the army, 
 when it breaks camp. 
 
 A score or two of our worthy Huns trotted off 
 into the country and helped themselves to the 
 crops already ripe in the fields. This proceeding 
 naturally led to a not altogether friendly exchange 
 
262 THE last of the vandals. 
 
 of compliments with the Roman colonists. As 
 the Huns unfortunately speak Latin only with 
 their javelins and leather scourges, the conference 
 resulted in the loss of a couple of lives. Of course 
 this was on the part of the selfish peasants, who 
 objected to the Hunnish horses breakfasting on 
 the appetizing grain. Our Huns cut off the heads 
 of the colonists, now happily freed from the Van- 
 dal yoke, hung them from the pommels of their 
 saddles, and brought them, as an after-dinner dish, 
 to our general. 
 
 Belisarius foamed with rage. He often does 
 that. And when Belisarius lightens, then must 
 Procopius provide the thunder. 
 
 I wrote, accordingly, a military decree to the 
 effect that we have come here as the deliverers and 
 friends of the provincials, and that, therefore, our 
 soldiers will not be permitted to appropriate the 
 best grain-fields as fodder for their horses or to 
 play ball with the people’s heads. “ In this case,” 
 I wrote, “ such conduct is not merely culpable : it 
 is also stupid. For our small army has dared to 
 land here only because we suppose that the pro- 
 vincials are hostile to the Vandals and will assist 
 us.” I impressed this view still more strongly 
 upon our heroes — not upon their honor,' not 
 upon their conscience, but upon their stomachs. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 263 
 
 “ You will starve to death, my excellent friends/’ 
 I wrote, “ if the peasants bring you nothing to eat. 
 If you kill them, those who are dead cannot sell 
 you anything more, and the living, so far as they 
 can help themselves, will not. Besides, your con- 
 duct will drive the provincials into an alliance with 
 the Vandals. Therefore, spare the people — at least 
 at the start. Else they will find out too soon 
 that the Huns of Belisarius are worse than the 
 Vandals of Gelimer. When once the emperor’s 
 tax-collectors take up their abode in the land, then, 
 amiable descendants of Attila, there will be no fur- 
 ther need to keep yourselves under constraint, for 
 by that time the emancipated will have learned 
 justly to appreciate their ‘ freedom.’ ” 
 
 To this purpose, only more elegantly and less 
 frankly worded, ran the general’s decree. 
 
 Our advance has begun. As yet no trace of the 
 barbarians. Where are they? Where does he 
 dream away the time, this King of the Vandals ? 
 Unless he awakes soon, he will awake without a 
 kingdom* 
 
 We are steadily pushing forward, and fortune 
 smiles upon us. 
 
 A day’s march towards the west from our land- 
 ing-place at Caput-Bada, on the road towards 
 
264 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 Carthage, lies, not far from the sea, the city of 
 Syllectum. Its old walls, it is true, have been 
 torn down since Geiseric’s time ; but the inhabi- 
 tants, in order to ward off the incursions of the 
 Moors, have put the place again into a state of 
 defence. Belisarius sent Borais, an officer of his 
 body-guard, with a small. detachment to attempt 
 a coup-de-main upon the town. It succeeded ad- 
 mirably. After it had become dark our people 
 crept up to the entrances, — they can hardly be 
 called gates, — but found them barred and guarded. 
 They passed the night in the ditches of the old 
 fortifications, for it was possible there might be 
 Vandals in the town. In the morning the peasants 
 of the surrounding country came up with their 
 large wains — it was market-day. Our men threat- 
 ened the frightened peasants with death in case 
 they gave any alarm, and compelled the driyers to 
 conceal our soldiers under the coverings of their 
 wagons. The guards of Syllectum removed the 
 barricade at the entrance to the town in order that 
 the wagons might enter as usual. Then our men 
 sprang from their concealment, obtained posses- 
 sion of the city without a stroke of the sword, — 
 there were no Vandals in it, — placed a guard in 
 the senate-house and the forum, summoned the 
 Catholic bishop and the principal citizens^surpris- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 265 
 
 ingly stupid people ! — into the forum, and ex- 
 plained to them that they were now free, and 
 happy, for were they not the subjects of Justinian ? 
 At the same time, however, our soldiers with drawn 
 swords politely asked for breakfast. The senators 
 of Syllectum handed Borais the keys of their city ; 
 unfortunately the gates that belonged to them 
 were wanting, as the Vandals or the Moors had 
 long ago burned these down. The bishop enter- 
 tained our men in the vestibule of the church. 
 Borais says the wine was very good. After break- 
 fast the bishop blessed Borais, and asked him to 
 re-establish the true and holy faith as quickly as 
 possible. Borais, who is a Hun, is, unfortunately, 
 also a heathen ; consequently he did not under- 
 stand very clearly what was expected of him. 
 But he repeated to me several times that the wine 
 was very good. Thus, you see, we have already 
 delivered one African city. In the evening we 
 all marched through. Belisarius enjoined upon 
 us the strictest discipline, but I regret to say that 
 the flames of a good many houses illuminated our 
 march. 
 
 Beyond Syllectum we met with another stroke 
 of good-fortune. The chief official whose duty it 
 was to superintend the forwarding of the Vandal 
 royal despatches was sent from Carthage by the 
 
266 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 king some days ago with his horses, wagons, and 
 many slaves, to bear the royal orders to all parts 
 of the kingdom. He heard, on his way towards 
 the east, of our landing, and sought us out, with 
 all that he had with him. 
 
 All the despatches, all the secret messages of 
 the Vandals are in the hands of Belisarius. A 
 whole basketful, which I have to read over ! 
 
 It is really as if an angel of the Lord had made 
 us invisible and led us into the council-chamber of 
 the Asdingf. Most of the writings were dictated 
 by Verus, the archdeacon of the Arians. In this 
 priest, however, we have been thoroughly deceived. 
 Theodora looks upon him as her tool. And he 
 has become Gelimer’s chancellor ! It is singular, 
 though, that these state secrets are entrusted to a 
 Roman rather than to a Vandal. Ought not Ve- 
 rus to have known how near we were when he 
 sent these important letters without protection, 
 as it were into our very hands ? 
 
 It is true, what is most important for us to 
 know just now, namely, where the king and his 
 army are at present, cannot be found out from 
 these letters of a week ago. Yet we have learned 
 from them what induces him to remain so far 
 away from Carthage and the coast, on the verge 
 of the desert, and indeed in the desert itself. He 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 267 
 
 has succeeded in making treaties with a number of 
 Moorish tribes, and has obtained from them, as 
 mercenaries, a force of many thousand infantry — 
 almost as many as our whole army. These Moor- 
 ish auxiliaries are assembling in Numidia, in the 
 plain of Bulla. That is far to the west of Carthage, 
 near the border of the desert. Can it be possible 
 that the Vandal will give up his capital and so 
 much of his kingdom without a blow, and intends 
 to await us yonder at Bulla ? 
 
 Belisarius is now sending out — what a freak of 
 chance ! — by the official Vandal posts in all direc- 
 tions Justinian's declaration of war, and an invita- 
 tion to all the Vandal nobles, leaders, and officials 
 to revolt from Gelimer. The invitation is well 
 worded, for I composed it myself. “ It is not 
 with the Vandals that I carry on war, nor do I 
 break the peace agreed upon with Geiseric. Our 
 purpose is merely to overthrow your tyrant, who 
 has violated justice and thrown your lawful king 
 into fetters. Help us therefore. Shake off the 
 yoke of this base tyranny, that you may enjoy the 
 freedom and prosperity we bring you. Of the 
 truth of this, God is our witness/' 
 
268 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 MANY days’ march westward from the road 
 along which the Byzantines were advancing upon 
 Carthage, and a considerable distance to the south 
 of the Aurasian Mountains, the extreme limit of 
 Vandal authority in Africa, lay a small oasis in 
 the vast sand-desert which stretched away into 
 the unexplored interior of the continent. 
 
 A well of drinkable water, around it in a circle 
 some date-palms, under their shade a growth of 
 coarse, salt-saturated, steppe-like grass, the wel- 
 come food of the easily satisfied camels, — that 
 was all. 
 
 Beyond the oasis the desert extended in all 
 directions in a monotonous plain, broken only 
 where the wind had heaped together wave-like 
 ridges of loose, yellow, burning sand. As far as 
 the eye could sweep, even when the midday glare 
 was brightest, it found nothing to rest upon, until, 
 wearied with the effort, it sank back for relief 
 upon the little clump of trees around the lonely 
 well. 
 
 Now, however, it was night. And wonderful, 
 indescribably impressive, was this silent solitude 
 when over the whole wide-arching heavens the 
 countless host of the stars appeared, shining with 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 269 
 
 a brilliancy which they display only to the sons 
 of the desert. 
 
 It is easy to comprehend how these Moors have 
 always associated whatever is divine with the 
 stars. They -worship in these the mild and be- 
 neficent powers of nature in contrast to the heat 
 and storms of the desert. In the movements, 
 position, and appearance of the stars they seek 
 the will of the gods and their own future. 
 
 Some nomad Moors had pitched their low tents 
 of goat-skin, perhaps half a dozen in number, be- 
 side the well. The faithful camels, carefully 
 tethered by the feet and protected by coverings 
 against the sting of the camel-fly, lay stretched 
 out in the deep sand with their long necks thrust 
 forward. In the midst of the little camp the 
 noble-blooded coursers, the battle-steeds and the 
 milch mares were placed in an enclosure, formed by 
 stretching ropes between lances thrust into the 
 ground. Above the rounded top of one of the 
 tents rose- a long spear, from which a lion's skin 
 hung down. This was the tent of the chief. 
 
 The night-wind, which blew fresh from the 
 northeast, from the distant sea, tossed about the 
 fluttering mane of the dead monarch of the waste, 
 and, now lifting the skin of one of the huge paws, 
 now the bushy end of the tail, cast grotesque 
 shadows upon the starlit sand f 
 
270 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 A deep, solemn silence prevailed. All that was 
 living seemed to be buried in sleep, save where, 
 at an arrow’s flight on each side of the tents, 
 four great fires burned, kindled to keep off the 
 night-prowling beasts of prey. From these fires 
 came at long intervals the monosyllabic calls of 
 the guards, who by this means kept themselves 
 awake and warned their comrades to be watchful. 
 For a long, long time this deep, solemn stillness 
 continued. At length a couple of horses whin- 
 nied, the clang of a weapon was heard in the 
 direction of one of the fires, and a moment after- 
 wards a light, scarcely audible step advanced 
 towards the midst of the encampment, to the 
 “ lion’s tent.” 
 
 Suddenly the step was checked, and a slender, 
 youthful man stooped down before the entrance. 
 “What? You are lying outside, before the tent, 
 grandfather?” the astonished youth asked. “ ? Have 
 you been asleep ?” 
 
 “ I have been awake,” was the low answer. 
 
 I should really have ventured to wake you. 
 A frightful portent has appeared in the sky. I 
 saw it rise as I kept watch at the eastern fire. 
 Just relieved, I hasten to you. The gods above 
 send us warning ; but the young man does not 
 understand their signs. You, O grandfather, are 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 27 1 
 
 wise. Look there, to the right — to the right of 
 the last palm-tree ! Do you not see it ?” 
 
 “ I saw it long ago. I have been expecting this 
 sign for many nights — yes, for years.” 
 
 A feeling of awe came over the youth. With 
 a slight shudder he said : “ For years! You knew, 
 then, what would happen in the sky? You are 
 very wise, O Cabaon !” 
 
 “ Not I. My grandfather handed down the 
 knowledge to my father, and he to me. It was 
 more than a hundred years ago. It was when the 
 pale-faced strangers came from the north, in many 
 ships, across the sea, led by that terrible king, with 
 whose name even to-day our women silence their 
 refractory children.” 
 
 “ Geiseric!” muttered the youth in a low voice, 
 full, however, of hate and horror. 
 
 “ At that time, from the same quarter as their 
 ships, a terrible prodigy appeared in the heavens. 
 It was blood-fed, and in shape like a hundred- 
 lashed scourge, swung threateningly over our land 
 and people. 
 
 “And my grandfather, after he had seen the 
 fearful warrior-king in the harbor of Isocium, 
 spoke to my father and our tribe: ‘Untether the 
 camels! Bridle our horses and away! To the 
 south! To the glowing bosom of our protecting 
 
2*J2 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 mother ! It was this king of battles and his war- 
 delighting people that the fiery star announced. 
 For many years, for many decades, all are lost who ' 
 attempt to oppose him. The armies of Rome, 
 the ships of Byzantium, will be swept away by these 
 giants from the north, like the clouds which come 
 in the way of the fiery star/ And so it happened. 
 The sons of our race, although they would gladly 
 have shot their long arrows against the blond 
 giants, followed the advice of the old man, and 
 we escaped into the protecting desert. 
 
 “ Bonifacius — that was the name of the Roman 
 general — was utterly defeated. My ancestor had 
 announced it beforehand in the prophetic speech : 
 
 1 G. will destroy B. But/ he added, 4 the time 
 will come, more than a hundred years from now, 
 when a starry portent will rise in the east, and 
 then B. will overthrow G/ 
 
 “ Other branches of our people, when, by the 
 side of the imperial troops, they attempted to re- 
 pel the invaders, were, like the Romans, cut down 
 by Geiseric, that son of darkness. And when, 
 howling and lamenting for their dead, they came to 
 our tents and summoned us to a war of vengeance, 
 then my grandfather and afterwards my father 
 refused them and said : 4 Not yet ; they cannot 
 now be conquered. Several generations of men 
 
THE LAST \ OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 ^73 
 
 will pass away, and no one will be able to stand 
 before these giants from the^land of darkness, 
 neither the Romans by sea nor the sons of the 
 desert. But they will not endure in the land of 
 the sun, these children of the north ! Many a 
 warrior-race, more powerful than we, has come be- 
 fore them into our motherland to conquer and rule 
 over us. They have, indeed, conquered us, but 
 not this land, this sun, these deserts. Sand and 
 sun and luxurious indolence have taken from the 
 strangers the strength of their arms and the 
 energy of their will. So it will happen to these 
 tall, blue-eyed giants. The strength will be lured 
 away from their muscular bodies, and the desire 
 for battle from their hearts. And then — then, at 
 length, we shall wrest from them the inheritance 
 left us by our fathers ! Thus it was prophesied 
 and thus it has happened. 
 
 “For many years our archers and spearmen 
 could not stand before the fierce enemy ; but 
 more recently we have often driven them back, 
 when they penetrated into the sacred desert. 
 
 “ ‘ Whenever a similar star appears/ my ances> 
 tor predicted, ‘ then the time allotted to these 
 strangers has expired. Observe carefully from 
 what quarter another star with a fiery train, like a 
 scourge, shall appear — for from there will come 
 
f 
 
 274 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the enemy that will crush the yellow-haired race.’ 
 The star to-night has risen from the east — from 
 the east approaches the conqueror of Geiseric’s 
 people. 
 
 “ It is true we have news that the emperor is 
 bringing war upon the Vandals, that his army has 
 already landed in the distant east. But it does 
 not coincide — the other sign. G, no doubt, means 
 Gelimer, the blond-haired king. But J, Justin- 
 ian, is the name of the emperor of Byzantium. 
 Tell me, have you heard who is the general in 
 command of the Romans ?” 
 
 “ Belisarius.” 
 
 The old man sprang up. “And B will con- 
 quer G — Belisarius will overthrow Gelimer. See 
 how blood-red the scourge-like star is glowing! 
 That betokens the blood of battle. But we, son 
 of my son, we will take no part when the By- 
 zantine spear and the Vandal sword are arrayed 
 against each other. The combat may easily ex- 
 tend as far as the Auras mountains; we will with- - 
 draw deeper into the desert. Let the foreigners 
 rage against each other ; let the one destroy the 
 other. For the Byzantine eagles also will not 
 long build their eyries here. The star of disaster 
 will rise for them, just as it does now for the 
 Vandals. The invaders come — and pass away. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 We, the sons of the land, endure. Like the sand 
 of our desert we are driven before the wind ; but 
 we do not perish. And as the sand sweeps over 
 and covers the stately stone buildings of our in- 
 vaders, so we, always returning, overwhelm the 
 foreign life which has intruded itself into our 
 land, where it can never thrive.” 
 
 “ But the fair-skinned king has enlisted more 
 than ten thousand of our people for the war. What 
 are these to do? ” 
 
 “ Send back his gold. Abandon the heaven- 
 abandoned army of the Vandals. Let messsen- 
 gers ride to-morrow to all our tribes with this 
 command wherever I command, with this advice 
 where I can only advise.” 
 
 “ Your advice is law as far as the sand of the 
 desert stretches. Yet I am sorry for the man 
 with the mournful eyes. He has shown kindness 
 to many of our people, has been the guest of 
 many of our tribes, has himself extended hospital- 
 ity to them. How are these to act towards 
 their friend and guest?” 
 
 “ Extend hospitality even unto death. Not 
 fight his battles, not share his booty. But if he 
 comes to them for refuge and protection — share 
 the last date with him, pour out the last drop of 
 blood in his defence. Up, strike upon the kettle ! 
 
276 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 We break camp before the sun awakes. Un- 
 tether the camels.’’ And the old man sprang 
 nimbly to his feet. 
 
 The youth struck a blow with his sword upon 
 a large copper kettle which hung before the en- 
 trance to the tent. Scarcely had the sound ceased 
 when the brown-complexioned men, women, and 
 children began swarming forth confusedly, like 
 a heap of disturbed ants. 
 
 When the sun rose above the horizon the oasis 
 •was deserted, solitary, as still as death itself. 
 
 But far off to the south a cloud of dust and 
 ■sand was visible, which the north wind seemed to 
 drive steadily onward farther into the depths of 
 the desert. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM PROCOPIUS. 
 
 Our advance continues. And just as if we 
 were in a friendly country. Our heroes, even, the 
 Huns, at last comprehend this,— thanks less to my 
 military decree than to their personal experience 
 that they cannot, even with the best intentions, 
 obtain as abundant supplies by plundering, as the 
 people voluntarily bring in, provided the peasants 
 are paid, and not robbed. Belisarius is winning 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 277 
 
 the hearts of all the provincials by his affability 
 and kindness. So the colonists stream from all 
 sides to our camps, which we carefully fortify 
 whenever we have occasion to pass the night on 
 the open plain. And the people sell us, at a rea- 
 sonable price, all that we need. 
 
 Whenever it is possible, of course, we take up 
 our quarters for the night in cities, such as Leptis 
 and Adrumetum. The bishop with the Catholic 
 clergy comes to meet us as soon as our Hunnish 
 riders appear in sight. The “ senators” and the 
 most distinguished citizens soon follow. These, 
 however, prefer to make a pretence of suffering 
 compulsion. That is to say, they wait until we 
 stand in their forum, in order that, in case we 
 should all even yet be pitched into the sea by our 
 invisible enemy before we reach Carthage, they 
 can point to our irresistible force as an excuse for 
 their friendliness towards us. 
 
 With the exception of a few Catholic priests, 1 
 have not yet met a single Roman in Africa for 
 whom I have a particle of respect. To my no- 
 tion, the “ delivered” are even poorer specimens 
 of humanity than we, the “ deliverers.” 
 
 Every day in our progress we leave behind us 
 ten thousand paces — ten miles. 
 
27 8 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 To-day we came from Adrumetum, by way of 
 Horrea to Grasse,— still about forty-four Roman 
 miles from Carthage, — an ideal place for a camp ! 
 Our astonishment increases from day to day, the 
 more we become familiar with the luxuriance of 
 this province of Africa. It surpasses all descrip- 
 tion, all expectation. Truly, under this sky, and 
 amid these surroundings, not to become indolent 
 is a thing that almost transcends human power. 
 
 And this Grasse! Here is a country-seat, prop- 
 erly speaking, a stately, pillared marble palace of 
 the Vandal king, surrounded by pleasure-gardens, 
 the like of which I have never beheld in Europe 
 or Asia. 
 
 All around us gush forth fountains of delicious 
 water, brought from a distance by gracefully built 
 conduits, or conjured by some magic art from 
 the depths of the arid sand. And what an abun- 
 dance of trees ! Among them not one whose 
 branches are not bent down by the weight of its 
 superb fruit. Our whole army is encamped in 
 this fruit-bearing grove, under these beneficent 
 trees; every soldier satisfies himself to the full, 
 and every one has filled his leather knapsack, — 
 for early to-morrow we resume our march, — and 
 yet the supply is not half exhausted. 
 
 What a wealth, too, of vines, and all of them 
 loaded with magnificent grapes 1 
 
THE LAST OF THE * VANDALS. 279 
 
 For many centuries before Scipio entered this 
 land as a conqueror, here, between the desert and 
 the sea, the industrious Phoenicians trained on 
 short stakes their carefully pruned vines. * Here 
 to-day grows the best wine in all Africa ; the Van- 
 dals are said to drink it unmixed in great draughts 
 from their helmets. I only sipped a little of the 
 blackish-red liquor, which Agnellus had reduced 
 one half in strength for me with water, and yet I 
 feel sleepy. I think I will not write much more 
 to-night. 
 
 Sleep well, Cethegus, in your distant Rome ! 
 
 Sleep well, my comrades in arms ! 
 
 Just half a cupful more before I retire ; it really 
 is exceedingly good. 
 
 Sleep well — the wine makes me feel kind- 
 hearted ! Sleep well, you also, barbarians ! 
 
 How comfortable it is here ! The slaves, all of 
 whom are Romans and Catholics, have not fled 
 from us, and they serve us with most zealous at- 
 tention. This room which has been assigned to 
 me is very handsomely adorned with wall-paint- 
 ings. The bed is as soft^apd inviting as one could 
 wish for. From the sea comes a cool, refreshing 
 breeze through the open windows. 
 
 I think I may venture upon a quarter of a cup 
 more, but that must be the last. And to-night, 
 
28 o THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 my dear barbarians, refrain, if possible, from any 
 
 attack. Sleep soundly, Vandals, I pray, that I 
 
 too may have a sweet sleep ! I almost believe 
 
 that I am already in the grasp of that African 
 
 % 
 
 malady — distaste for every exertion. 
 
 It is four days since we left the wonderful gar- 
 dens at Grasse. We pass to-night in the open 
 country. To-morrow we shall reach Decimum, 
 only nine Roman miles from Carthage, and as yet 
 we have not seen a single Vandal. 
 
 It is late in the evening. Far and wide glow 
 the lights of our camp-fires — a beautiful sight. 
 But I cannot rid myself of the feeling that there 
 is something ominous in this soft, dark air. There 
 go the shrill horns of our Huns ! They keep 
 guard on all three sides. On the right, towards 
 the northeast, the sea and our fleet cover us. 
 To morrow, however, the ships cannot, as hitherto, 
 accompany our advance, on account of the rocks 
 which extend far out from the shore, off the 
 promontory of Mercury. These the ships will 
 have to sail around. Belisarius has commanded 
 the Quaestor Archelaos, who is in charge of the 
 fleet, not to venture himself to Carthage, but after 
 circumnavigating the promontory, to cast anchor 
 and await further orders. 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA JVHALS. 
 
 28l 
 
 Since therefore, to-morrow, for the first time, 
 we must push forward without the protection of 
 our faithful companions, the ships, and the road 
 before reaching Decimum is said to pass through 
 some rough and dangerous places, Belisarius has 
 arranged the order of march carefully in advance, 
 and has given it in writing this evening to all the 
 leaders, to save time when we break camp in the 
 morning. 
 
 The trumpet wakes the sleeper with its war- 
 like blast. Our ranks are forming. I see an 
 eagle flying from the west, out of the desert, over 
 our camp. 
 
 It is reported that last night, on our extreme 
 outposts in the west, the first conflict took place 
 with a couple of the enemy's horsemen ; that one 
 of our Huns was killed, and one of the captains*, 
 Bleda, is missing. But I could not learn anything 
 definite. Probably it is merely a camp rumor, 
 such as impatience and imagination have hatched 
 out several times before. 
 
 To-night, then, we will be in Decimum ; to-mor- 
 row night before the gates of Carthage ; — and, 
 where, are the Vandals ? 
 
282 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 WHEN Procopius wrote the above lines,, the 
 Vandals were nearer to him than he supposed. 
 
 As the first beams of the morning sun rose 
 above the sea, gleamed from its waves, and fell 
 upon the yellowish-brown sand on the verge of 
 the desert, a dozen Vandal horsemen dashed at 
 full gallop into the camp of King Gelimer, about 
 two hours’ march southwest of Decimum. Giba- 
 mund, who commanded them, and the young 
 Ammata sprang from their horses. 
 
 “ What do you bring ?” asked the watch at the 
 camp. 
 
 “ Victory,” replied Ammata. 
 
 “ And a prisoner,” added Gibamund. 
 
 They hastened to wake the king. But they 
 met him, in full armor, just coming from his tent. 
 
 “ You are splashed with blood — both— you too, 
 Ammata, Are you wounded ?” he said in a 
 voice that quivered with anxiety. 
 
 “ No,” laughed the handsome boy, while his 
 eyes flashed with pride. “ It is the blood of an 
 enemy.” 
 
 “ The first that has been shed in this war stains 
 your innocent hand,” said the king, solemnly. 
 H Would that I had not consented—” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 283 
 
 “ That would have been a pity,” interrupted 
 Gibamund.' “ Our boy deserves much credit for 
 his conduct. Go, Ammata, summon Hilda from 
 my tent while I make my report. / 
 
 “ Well, then ! We have long endured it with 
 impatience that you keep us so far from the ene- 
 my, accompanying their march only at a distance, 
 unseen even by their c?utposts. When you grant- 
 ed last night that we might ride nearer to their 
 flank than hitherto, to find out whether they really, 
 uncovered by their fleet, will march to-day to 
 Decimum and, consequently, towards midday, pass 
 through the narrow road, you said that if, without 
 toe much noise, we could bring in a captive to 
 answer your questions, it would be desirable. 
 
 “Well, we have not only a captive, we have 
 something more. We found on him a most im- 
 portant piece of parchment. And that was fortu- 
 nate, for the man refuses to give any informa- 
 tion. See, they are bringing him here ! And 
 yonder come Thrasaric and Eugenia. And there 
 is Ammata already leading Hilda by the hand.” 
 
 “ Welcome !” cried the young wife to her hus- 
 band, but with a blush she declined his embrace'. 
 Already the prisoner stood before the king, his 
 
 hands bound behind his back ; from under his 
 9 
 
 bushy eyebrows he cast sullen looks upon the 
 
284 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Vandals — especially upon Ammata. From his 
 left cheek the blood trickled down upon the white 
 sheep-skin that covered his shoulders. His un- 
 dergarment, which was of untanned leather, reach- 
 ed down to his knees, his feet were bare, but 
 buckled to his right heel was a strap to which a 
 large spur was attached. Four ornamental golden 
 plates, presented by the* emperor and his generals 
 as testimonials of valiant deeds, hung from a 
 breastplate fashioned from leather of extraordi- 
 nary thickness. 
 
 “ We rode forth from the camp towards the 
 north, accompanied only by ten Vandals and two 
 Moors, in the direction of the light given by the 
 hostile camp-fires, and carefully concealing our- 
 selves behind the long sand-hills, which the ever- 
 busy wind of the desert, now heaping up and now 
 blowing away, continually forms, especially along 
 the border. Under this cover we worked ourway^ 
 to the east until we perceived, at about an arrow’s 
 flight from us, four horsemen beside a watch-fire, 
 kindled probably to frighten away the wild beasts. 
 Two of them sat perched upon their little horses, 
 gazing sharply towards the southwest,. whence we 
 had come, theiNbows ready in their hands. The 
 other two had dismounted and stood leaning each 
 against the shoulder of his horse ; the points of 
 their spears sparkled in the fitful firelight. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 285 
 
 “ I motioned to the two Moors, whom I hadi 
 taken with me for this very artifice. They slipped 
 noiselessly from their horses, threw themselves 
 flat upon the ground, and crept in the darkness,, 
 on all-fours, in a wide circuit, one to the right and 
 the other |jpH:he left, around the fire and the' 
 watch, until they stood to the northwest and the: 
 northeast of these. 
 
 “ Soon we heard to the north of the watch-fire 
 the hoarse, savage cry of the prey-scenting leop- 
 ardess which has set out by night with her young 
 in search of food. The cry of the old leopard 
 was answered by the eager, hungry response of her 
 whelp. The horses of the watch started with 
 terror, their manes bristled. Nearer came the 
 C£y of the leopardess ; then all the four men — 
 doubtless they had never heard such a thing be- 
 fore — turned in the direction of the sound. One 
 of the horses reared violently; his rider clung 
 desperately to his mane. The second horseman 
 endeavored to help his comrade, and seized the 
 bridle of the frightened horse, but, in so doing, 
 his bow slipped from his hand. Taking advantage 
 of this moment of confusion, we sprang forward 
 from behind the sand-hill. We had muffled the 
 hoofs of the horses with cloths, and we rode up 
 almost to the fire before we were noticed. Then 
 
286 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 one of the mounted men perceived us, shouted, 
 
 ‘ Enemies! ’ and dashed away. The other horse- 
 man followed him. The third I ran through with 
 my sword, just as he was in the act of mounting. 
 But the fourth — this one here, tl^Jeader — in an 
 instant was on the back of his steed, knocking 
 down the two Moors, who attempted to bar the 
 way, and would have escaped, had not Ammata, 
 our boy — ” 
 
 He pointed to the lad, while the prisoner 
 gnashed his teeth with anger. 
 
 “ Shot after him, like an arrow, on his white 
 pony — ” 
 
 “ On Pegasus,” cried Ammata. “You remem- 
 ber, brother, you brought him to me from the last 
 Moorish war. He really speeds along as if he fiad 
 wings.” 
 
 “ Overtook him, and before any of us could 
 hasten to his assistance, with a quick double 
 stroke — ” 
 
 “You, Gelimer, taught it to me,” shouted the 
 exultant Ammata, who could no longer restrain 
 himself. 
 
 “ — of his sword beat aside the enemy's long 
 spear, and at once gave him a slashing cut across 
 the cheek. Stifling his pain, the sturdy fellow 
 dropped his spear and attempted to draw the bat- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 287 
 
 tle-axe from his belt. Then Ammata threw the 
 noose around his neck — ” 
 
 “ You know — the antelope-cast !” cried the boy 
 to Gelimer. 
 
 “ — and with a jerk pulled him from his horse.” 
 
 Gibamund had ' related this in the Vandal 
 tongue. But the prisoner understood it all from 
 the accompanying gestures, and now he shouted, 
 in the mongrel Latin of the camp : “ May the 
 soul of my father pass into»a dog, if I do not, Lave 
 revenge for this ! Me, the child of Attila’s great- 
 grandson ! A boy pulls me with a noose from 
 my horse ! They catch beasts that way, not sol- 
 diers 1” 
 
 “ Cool down, my little friend,” said Thrasaric, 
 stepping up to him. “ There is an old saying cur- 
 rent among all the Gothic peoples : < Spare 
 rather the wolf than the Hun/ Besides, it is thus 
 that royal bird, the ostrich, is captured, provided 
 any one can overtake him. So, you see, it is no 
 disgrace for you.” And, laughing, he adjusted 
 his heavy helmet with its bear’s-head decoration. 
 
 “We now came up,” concluded Gibamund, 
 “bound the man, who defended himself like a 
 wild-boar, and tore from, between his teeth this 
 piece of parchment, which he was attempting to 
 swallow/ ’ 
 
288 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 The prisoner groaned. 
 
 “Your name?” asked the king, glancing over 
 the parchment. 
 
 “ Bleda.” 
 
 “ What is your general’s strength in horsemen ?” 
 
 “Go and count them.” 
 
 “ My Hunnish friend/’ said Thrasaric threaten- 
 ingly, “a king is addressing you. Be polite, you 
 wolf’s cub. Answer properly the" questions put 
 to you, or — ” 
 
 Defiantly the captive took a step forward 
 towards Gelimer,- and spoke : “ This golden disk 
 our great commander gave me with his own hand 
 after our third victory over the Persians. Do you 
 think I will betray Belisarius?” 
 
 “ Lead him away,” said Gelimer. “ Bind up 
 his wounds. See that he has good care.” 
 
 Once again the Hun cast a look of deadly hate 
 upon Ammata, and then passed out with his 
 guards. 
 
 Gelimer read again the writing on the parch- 
 ment ; then, turning . to his young brother, said : 
 “It is no slight thanks I owe you, my boy. What 
 you have brought us is the enemy’s order of march 
 for to-day. Follow me, my captains, to my tent ; 
 there you shall hear my plan of attack. We need 
 not wait the coming up of the Moors. I think, i ( 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 289 
 
 the Lord our God is not angry with us — but no 
 sinful boasting! O Ammata, how glad I am to 
 have you back alive ! After you had ridden forth 
 I had a bloody dream about you. God has re- 
 stored you to me this once — I will not venture to 
 try his forbearance a second time.” He stepped 
 up close to Ammata and, laying his hand upon 
 the boy’s shoulder, spoke in a positive tone : 
 “ Hear me : I forbid you to take part in the bat- 
 tle to-day.” 
 
 “ What?” cried Ammata vehemently, while the 
 blood forsook his face. “That is not possible! 
 Gelimer— I beseech — ” 
 
 “ Be still,” commanded the king, furrowing his 
 brow, “and obey.” 
 
 “ I should think,” interposed Gibamund, “ you 
 might grant him permission. He has shown — ” 
 
 “O brother, brother!” Ammata exclaimed, 
 while the tears gathered in his eyes, “ how have I 
 deserved this punishment?” 
 
 “ Is that his reward for his exploit last night?” 
 expostulated Thrasaric. 
 
 “ Be silent, all of you,” Gelimer commanded 
 sternly. “ My resolution is fixed. He shall not 
 fight. He is still only a boy.” 
 
 Ammata stamped his foot angrily. 
 
 “ And oh, my darling,” added Gelimer, clasping 
 
* 
 
 29O THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, , 
 
 the resisting boy in his arms, “let me confess it* 
 — so tenderly I love, that my anxiety about you 
 would not leave me for a moment even in the 
 midst of the battle. And I need all my thoughts 
 for the enemy.” 
 
 “ Then let me fight at your side, where you can 
 yourself protect me.” 
 
 “ I dare not. I must not think about you. I 
 must give all my attention to Belisarius.”- 
 
 “Truly,” said Hilda, excitedly, “from my soul 
 I am sorry for Ammata. I am a woman, and it 
 is hard enough for me not to follow you to the 
 combat. But a boy, and fifteen years old too !” 
 Here Eugenia, laying her hand on the speaker’s 
 robe, gently sought to pull her back; but Hilda, 
 drawing the boy to her and stroking with her hand 
 his wavy blond hair, continued : “ But it is a duty. 
 It is heroic duty that every man who can — and 
 especially a prince of the royal line— shall fight 
 for his country. And this one can — he has proved 
 it. Do not withhold him from his people. My 
 grandfather taught me : ‘ He only falls who is 
 destined to fall.’ ” 
 
 “ Sinful heathenism !” exclaimed the king an- 
 
 g«iy- x 
 
 “ Well, then, let me speak to you as a Christian. 
 Is this your trust in God, Gelimer? Where is 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 29 ! 
 
 there another in both armies as innocent as this 
 child ? O king, I am not, I admit, so religious as 
 you ; but I have confidence enough in the God of 
 heaven to believe that he will protect this youth 
 while battling in our just cause. Yes, more, if 
 this noblest and purest offspring of the Asdings 
 should perish, it would be to me like a judgment 
 of God that we are really outcasts from his pres- 
 ence.” 
 
 “ Hold !” cried the king, bitterly. “ Do not tear 
 open the deepest wounds of my soul. If he should 
 fall? If really a judgment of God, such as you 
 speak of, should be executed so terribly against 
 us ? It is true he is guiltless, so far as a mortal 
 can be. But have you forgotten the fearful threat 
 about the iniquities of the parents? If I should 
 live to see that, I believe I should despair ; for I 
 should recognize the fulfilment of the avenging 
 curse/’ And with gloomy brow and folded arms 
 he paced nervously back and forth. 
 
 Here Gibamund whispered to his wife, who in- 
 dignantly shook her head, but made no reply. 
 “ Let him have his way. Such cares in the mind 
 of the commander-in-chief will injure more than 
 the spears of twenty boys could help us.” 
 
 “ But,” Ammata exclaimed defiantly, “arrows 
 fly far. If I, like a miserable coward, hide behind 
 
2g2 THE LAST OF THE VA HjDALS. 
 
 our ranks, even here in the camp, if the enemy 
 should conquer, I might fall ; although I certainly 
 should never become a captive,” he added haugh- 
 tily, clutching his dagger and tossing back his 
 head so that his blond locks brushed across the 
 light-blue armor that protected his shoulders. 
 “ Better shut me up at once in a church — -a Cath- 
 olic one, by all means ! That would be a perfect 
 asylum.” 
 
 “ I shall indeed imprison you, you unruly boy,” 
 said Gelimer, sharply. “As a punishment for this 
 insolent mockery, give up your arms at once. At 
 once, I say! Take them from him, Thrasaric. — 
 You, Thrasaric, will attack the enemy in front, 
 from Decimum. In Decimum there is a Catholic 
 church ; the Byzantines will hold it inviolable. 
 During the battle keep as a prisoner there this 
 boy, who wants to be a soldier and has not yet 
 learned to obey his king. In case of retreat take 
 him with you. And hear me, Thrasaric : you 
 promised that night, in the grove, to atone for 
 the past — ” 
 
 “ I think he has done it,” cried Hilda, indig- 
 nantly. 
 
 “ Whose squadrons,” joined in Gibamund, “are 
 the best drilled? Who has furnished so much 
 gold, so many horses and arms, as he ?” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 293 
 
 As yet, my king,” replied Thrasaric, “ I have 
 done nothing. Give me to-day an opportunity — ” 
 “ You shall have it. I rely upon you — especially 
 that you do not through your impetuosity, by a 
 too early attack, ruin my entire plan. And as 
 for this troublesome boy,” he said tenderly, “ I 
 place him in your keeping. Let him take no part 
 in the battle, and bring him to me safe and unhurt 
 after the victory, upon which I surely reckon. I 
 entrust to you also all the captives; among them 
 the hostages from Carthage, for in case of a re- 
 treat you will be the nearest to the place selected, — 
 its location you shall soon learn, — and the prisoners, 
 therefore, will be safest hi your care. I confide 
 .to you Ammata, my most precious treasure, be- 
 cause — well, because. you are — my valiant, faithful 
 Thrasaric.” And he placed both his hands on the 
 broad, Herculean shoulders. 
 
 “ King,” said the stalwart giant, as he looked 
 Gelimer steadily in the eye, “ you shall have him 
 back alive and uninjured, or you shall never agai 
 see Thrasaric.” 
 
 Eugenia started. 
 
 “ I thank you by the trust I place in you. Come 
 now, my generals, to my tent to hear my plan of 
 
 battle.” 
 
294 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 S ^ 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM PROCOPIUS. 
 
 Well, we are still alive! And quartered for 
 the night in Decimum ! 
 
 But we all came very near passing the night in 
 a body with the dog-fish at the bottom of the 
 Mediterranean. Never, says Belisarius, did anni- 
 hilation so seriously threaten him. 
 
 We were brought for a time into fearful peril 
 by the skilfully devised attack of this incompre- 
 hensible king. And then when the attack had 
 fully succeeded, it was he, the king himself, who 
 threw away his victory and saved us from certain 
 destruction. 
 
 I put together briefly the facts concerning these 
 latest occurrences, combining our own experience 
 with what we have learned from the inhabitants 
 of Decimum and the captured Vandals. 
 
 Unknown to us, the king had accompanied our 
 march ever since our landing. He had long be- 
 fore selected, with excellent judgment, the place 
 where he suddenly fell upon us. Belisarius says 
 that not even his great rival, Narses, could have 
 planned the affair more skilfully. 
 
 When we marched from our last camp towards 
 Decimum we had to do without, as I told you be- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 2g$ 
 
 fore, the protection afforded to our right flank 
 by our fleet. If now an overmastering assault 
 should be made upon us from the west,, it would 
 not here drive us, as hitherto, back upon our sup- 
 porting ships, but would hurl us down from the 
 road leading over the steep sand-hills along the 
 coast headlong into the sea. 
 
 Before reaching Decimum — which is a small, 
 open place — the road becomes exceedingly nar- 
 row. High hills stretch from the southwest close 
 up to the confined passage-way. Over their 
 masses of loose sand, blown hither from the des- 
 ert, neither man nor horse can pass without sink- 
 ing a foot deep at every step. Here we were to 
 be simultaneously attacked from three sides, and 
 driven into the sea on our right. 
 
 Gibamund, a brother of the king, with two 
 thousand men was to fall upon our left flank from 
 the west; on the north a Vandal noble with a 
 strong force was to attack us in front from Deci- 
 mum ; while the king himself was to hurl his main 
 army from the south upon our rear. 
 
 Belisarius had carefully arranged our order of 
 march for this dangerous portion of the way. He 
 sent Fara with his brave Heruli and with three 
 hundred picked men from the body-guard two and 
 a half Roman miles in advance. They were first 
 
296 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 to traverse by themselves^the narrow pass, and at 
 once to report to the main body, which Belisarius 
 commanded, any danger. The Hunnish riders 
 were sent out on our left flank, together with five 
 thousand excellent Thracian infantry, under their 
 leader Althias, to repel every attack which might 
 be threatened from that quarter, and to guard 
 against a surprise of the main army during the 
 march. 
 
 It happened to our great good-fortune that the 
 attack from the north, from Decimum, took place 
 much too soon. 
 
 We learn from prisoners that a younger brother 
 of the king, almost a boy, taking part in the bat- 
 tle contrary to Gelimer’s express command, dashed 
 forward from Decimum with a few horsemen 
 against our advancing column as soon as it came 
 in sight. The Vandal noble in command, wish- 
 ing to rescue the young prince at every cost, made 
 his attack upon us, with the small force he had 
 with him, at least four hours before the appointed 
 time, merely sending messengers towards Car- 
 thage to hurry up the troops advancing to his 
 support. 
 
 In spite of the overwhelming numbers that as- 
 sailed them, the youth and the nobleman made a 
 desperate stand. Twelve of the bravest of Beli- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 29 7 
 
 sarius’s body-guard, veterans of former campaigns, 
 were slain by them. At length they both fell. 
 And now, deprived of their leaders, the Vandal 
 riders turned their horses, and, dispersed in a 
 senseless flight, ran down all who were hurrying 
 from Carthage to their assistance — for the most 
 part small <3$iripanies of thirty or forty men. 
 Fara and his bold Heruli started after them in 
 swift pursuit, putting to the sword all whom they 
 overtook, for a distance of eight miles, almost to 
 the very gates of Carthage. The Vandals, who 
 had fought bravely as long as they had before 
 their eyes the example of the young Asding and 
 the nobleman, now threw away their arms and 
 suffered themselves to be slaughtered almost 
 without resistance. We found many thousands 
 of their dead along the highway and scattered 
 over the fields to the left. 
 
 After this first attack of the VandalsJhad result- 
 ed in the destruction of the assailants, Gibamund, 
 apparently without any knowledge of what had 
 happened, charged with his cavalry, at the time 
 appointed, upon the greatly superior forces of 
 the Huns and Thracians, about five miles west 
 of Decimum. Without help from Carthage and 
 Decimum his assault necessarily miscarried ; al- 
 most all his followers were killed, and their leader 
 
2g8 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 was seen to fall — no one knows whether living or 
 dead. 
 
 In the mean time, ignorant of what was going 
 On; we continued advancing with the main body 
 of our army on the road towards Decimum. 
 When about four miles from the town Belisarius 
 observed a place favorable fora cajjj^, and ordered 
 the army to halt. He knew, of course, that the 
 enemy must be in the vicinity, and the disappear- 
 ance of the two Huns in the night had made him 
 cautious. 
 
 He formed a well-fortified camp, and addressed 
 the assembled army. “The enemy,” he said, 
 “ must be near. If they attack us here, where the 
 fleet cannot assist us, our only safety lies in vie* 
 tory. If we are defeated, there is no fortress, llo 
 strong city, to receive us. The sea that roars be* 
 low there will devour us. Our fortified camp and 
 the tried swords in our hands afford our only pro- 
 tection. Fight valiantly, then ; for life as well as 
 glory is at stake.” 
 
 Leaving the infantry with the baggage and 
 utensils in camp as a strong reserve, he now led 
 all the cavalry forward towards Decimum. For 
 he was anxious not to risk everything upon a 
 single cast, but to find out first by means of a 
 cavalry skirmish the strength and plans of the 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 299 
 
 enemy. He sent the auxiliary cavalry in advance, 
 and followed with the remaining squadrons and 
 his mounted body-guard. When the auxiliary 
 cavalry reached Decimum they came upon the 
 Byzantines and Vandals who had fallen there. 
 Most of the inhabitants of the place had fled to 
 Carthage, when they discovered that their village 
 had been selected as the battle-field. Two or 
 three, however, were found concealed in the 
 houses, and they reported to us what had taken 
 place. 
 
 Here a wonderfully beautiful woman, the owner 
 of the finest villa in Decimum, — she looks some- 
 thing like the sphinx at Memphis, — voluntarily 
 came forward and told us about the death of the 
 nobleman, which she had herself witnessed. He 
 fell before her house, under her very eyes. 
 
 The leaders now consulted together, undecided 
 whether to advance, to halt, or to return to Beli- 
 sarius. Finally the entire force of auxiliary cav? 
 airy moved forward about two miles west from 
 Decinum, in order to obtain a better outlook in all 
 directions from the high sand-hills at that place. 
 
 Suddenly from the south-southwest, and, com 
 sequently, on their rear and left flank, rose a huge 
 cloud of dust, and soon there could be discerned 
 through it the gleam of arms and the field-insignia 
 
300 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 of a vast body of cavalry. Messengers were at 
 once despatched to Belisarius to announce that 
 he need look no further ; the enemy had been 
 found. 
 
 Meanwhile the barbarians rapidly drew nearer, 
 led by Gelimer himself. They were approaching 
 along a road leading between Belisarius’s main 
 body to the east and the Huns and Thracians on 
 the left wing who had defeated Gibamund and 
 were pursuing far to the west the fleeing remnant 
 of his force. But the hills along the road cut off 
 Gelimer’s view, so that he could not overlook 
 Gibamund’s battle-field. Both Byzantines and 
 Vandals, as soon as they perceived each other, en- 
 deavored to gain the summit of a high hill which 
 commanded the entire surrounding country. The 
 barbarians reached the top first, and from it King 
 Gelimer hurled himself with such fury upon our 
 auxiliary cavalry that these, struck with terror, 
 broke their ranks and fled in wild disorder to the 
 east, towards Decimum. 
 
 About nine hundred paces west of Decimum, 
 the fugitives came upon a strong body of reserves, 
 a force of eight hundred mounted shield-bearers, 
 led by Belox, aj^ officer of Belisarius’s body-guard. 
 Our general and all of us, who had seen with con- 
 sternation the flight of our auxiliary cavalry, com- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 301 
 
 forted ourselves with the hope that Belox would 
 stay the rout, gather together the fleeing troopers, 
 and advance with them upon the enemy. But 
 oh, disgrace and horror ! So terrific was the onset 
 of the Vandals that neither the fugitives nor the 
 shield-bearers attempted to sustain their charge, 
 but all together took to flight and came rushing 
 in uncontrollable panic right back upon Belisarius. 
 
 Our general says that at that moment he gave 
 up himself and all of us for lost. “Gelimer,” said 
 he, as we were taking our evening meal, “ had the 
 victory in his hands. Why he — voluntarily — let 
 it fall from them is inexplicable. Had he fol- 
 lowed up our fleeing troops, he would have swept 
 me and all my force irresistibly into the sea — so 
 great. was the fright of our men and the impetuos- 
 ity of the Vandal assault. Then the camp and 
 the infantry would have inevitably been over- 
 powered. Or had he, on the other hand, turned 
 back from Decimum towards Carthage, he could 
 have annihilated, almost without resistance, Fara 
 and his men, who, expecting no attack from tfieir 
 rear, were scattered along the road and through 
 the fields in small parties, engaged in plundering 
 the slain. And when in possession of Carthage, 
 he could have captured easily our unguarded fleet, 
 anchored in the vicinity, and cut us off from every 
 hope either of victory or of return.” 
 
302 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 But King Gelimer did neither. A sudden pa- 
 ralysis fell upon the energetic will that was so suc- 
 cessfully carrying everything before it. 
 
 Our captives tell us that as he charged down 
 the hill, spurring his gray horse far in advance of 
 his followers, he espied in the narrow pass, at the 
 southern entrance of Decimum, first of all the 
 corpse of his young brother lying in the road. 
 With a piercing cry of grief he sprang from his 
 horse, threw himself upon the body of the boy, 
 and thus blocked the progress of his cavalry, 
 whose foremost horses, held back with difficulty 
 by their riders that they might not trample the 
 king under their hoofs, reared, plunged, and 
 backed, throwing the ranks behind them into con- 
 fusion, and bringing the whole pursuit to a stand. 
 The king lifted up in his arms the disfigured 
 corpse, all covered with blood and sand, — for our 
 calvary in their flight had swept over it, — placed 
 it upon his horse, and commanded that it should 
 be buried with royal honors on one side of the 
 highway, himself assisting in the work. The 
 whole affair probably did not take more than a 
 quarter of an hour. But this quarter of an hour 
 cost the barbarians the victory they had won. 
 
 For in the mean time Belisarius rushed up to our 
 fugitives, roared out at them with his lion’s voice 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 303 
 
 his all-compelling “Halt!” and, raising his helmet, 
 showed them his countenance all ablaze with 
 anger, a thing which his soldiers fear more than 
 the spears of all the barbarians alive. Then he 
 brought to a stand the now thoroughly ashamed 
 soldiers, arranged them — amid a storm of furious 
 reproaches — as well as the shortness of time per- 
 mitted, and, having found out what it was neces- 
 sary for him to know concerning the position and 
 strength of the barbarians, advanced in turn upon 
 Gelimer and the Vandals. 
 
 They made but a feeble resistance. The sud- 
 den, to them unintelligible, stoppage of their 
 charge had bewildered, amazed, disheartened 
 them ; besides, they had expended their strength 
 in that furious ride. Fearfully hot, seriously 
 troubling us also, poured down the rays of the 
 African sun. Our first onset broke through their 
 ranks. Then they turned and fled. Their king, 
 who attempted to stop them, was swept along by 
 the tide. The direction of their flight was not 
 towards Carthage, nor yet towards Byzacium in 
 the southwest, whence they had come, but to- 
 wards the north-northwest, along the road which 
 leads to Numidia, to the plain of Bulla. Whether 
 this was by command of the king or without it, 
 we do not yet know. 
 
/ 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 304 The Last of the va heals. 
 
 We made a fearful slaughter of the fleeing 
 enemy. Only night put an end to the pursuit. 
 
 When darkness had set in, and the torches and 
 watch-fires were lighted, Fara and his Heruli re- 
 joined us from the north, and Althias with the 
 Huns and Thracians from the west. Then all to- 
 gether we took up our quarters for the night in 
 Decimum, celebrating three victories in one day, 
 — over the nobleman, over Gibamund, and over 
 the king. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 The fleeing Vandals, leaving Carthage far to 
 their right, had taken the road leading from 
 Decimum towards the northwest iato Numidia. 
 
 A crowd of women and children, who, some 
 days before, had abandoned Carthage, as an in- 
 secure place of refuge, had been sent already in 
 the same direction, under a strong guard, from 
 the camp of the previous night. These had halt- 
 ed at the little hamlet known as “ Castra Vetera/' 
 about half a day's march from the field of battle. 
 Here they were joined by the fugitives from 
 Decimum, about two hours before midnight. 
 
 The army encamped on- the open ground 
 around the village, the many wounded and the 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 305 
 
 leaders being sheltered in the rude huts of the* 
 place and the by no means numerous tents 
 brought with them by the women. In one of 
 these tents lay Gibamund, stretched out upon 
 coverlets and pillows. Hilda knelt beside him, 
 busily occupied in renewing the bandage around 
 his foot. As soon as she had done this she 
 turned to Gundomar, who sat on the other side of 
 the small enclosure, supporting his bandaged 
 head upon his hand, while the blood was trickling 
 down from his yellow hair. Carefully she ex- 
 amined the wound. “ It is not fatal,” she said at 
 length. “ Does it pain you much ?” 
 
 “ Not very much,” said the Gunding, pressing 
 his teeth tightly together. “ Where is the king?” 
 “ In the small chapel with Verus. He is pray- 
 ing.” The words came bitterly from her lips. 
 
 “ And my brother?” asked Gundomar. “How 
 is it with his shoulder?” 
 
 “ I cut the arrow-head out. The wound does 
 not trouble him much. He is now in command 
 of the guard. The king also is wounded.” 
 
 “What?” exclaimed both the startled men. 
 “He said nothing of it.” 
 
 “ His shame for his people kept him silent. 
 For not an enemy, but fleeing Vandals, whom he 
 forcibly attempted to stop and turn back, thrust 
 their daggers into his arm.” 
 
3 06 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ The dogs !" muttered Gundomar. 
 
 “ Gundobad, who witnessed the affair, revealed 
 it to me. Then I examined the arm ; the wounds 
 are not dangerous/' 
 
 “And Eugenia?" Gundomar asked after a 
 pause. 
 
 “ She lies in the next tent, like one that has been 
 stunned. When she heard of her husband’s 
 death, she cried: ‘To him ! Into his grave— Si- 
 T grun !’ — I had related to her once the saga of 
 Helgi — and she started, frenzied with grief, to 
 rush forth, but, the next moment, fell swooning 
 into my arms. Since she has recovered her 
 senses she lies heart-broken upon the couch. ‘ To 
 him ! — Sigrun ! Into his grave ! — I am coming, 
 Thrasaric ! ’ is all that she says in answer to my 
 questions. She wished to rise in order to hear 
 more exact details, but she could not. And I 
 forbade her positively to attempt it again. I will 
 tell her what is best for her to know, nothing 
 more. But if you are able, Gundomar, explain 
 to us — I know' all the rest — how Ammata, how 
 Thrasaric — ’’ 
 
 “ In a moment," replied the Gunding. “First, 
 one more drink of water. — And your wound, 
 Gibamund ?" 
 
 “ Oh, that is nothing !" said the latter, bitterly. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS: 30 7 
 
 “ I did not even reach the enemy. Messenger 
 after messenger I sent out to Thrasaric, when the 
 expected announcement that he was advancing 
 from Decimum failed to come. None of the 
 messengers returned; all fell into the hands of the 
 enemy. And no announcement from Thrasaric ! 
 The time decided upon for attack had fully ar- 
 rived. Faithful to the king’s command, I moved 
 forward, although I perceived the greatly superior 
 force of the foe, and although there were no signs 
 of the main assault, no signs of Thrasaric. 
 When we came within arrow-shot, the Hunnish 
 horsemen sprang apart, to the right and to the 
 left, and we saw the Thracian infantry, seven 
 ranks deep. Then a shower of arrows fell upon 
 us, aimed especially at the horses. Mine and all 
 those of our first line fell at once. Your valiant 
 brother, in the second rank, although himself hit 
 by an arrow, lifted me with difficulty upon his 
 own horse, for I could not stand, and saved me. 
 On both flanks the Hunnish cavalry now charged 
 upon us, while from the front the Thracians 
 pressed forward with levelled spears. Scarcely a 
 hundred of my two thousand men are left alive,’ 5 
 he concluded with a groan. 
 
 u But tell me, how came Ammata — contrary to 
 the king’s orders, in spite of Thrasaric’s precam 
 tions — *' demanded Hilda. 
 
308 the last of the vandals, 
 
 “ It happened thus/' replied the Gunding, 
 pressing his hand to the painful wound in his 
 head. “ We had placed the boy, deprived of his 
 weapons, in the small Catholic basilica at Deci- 
 mum, together with the hostages from Carthage 
 and the young Publius Pu^entius.” 
 
 “ And Hilderic and Euages?” 
 
 “ No ; Verus had caused them to be taken to 
 the second camp at Bulla. Bleda, the captive 
 Hun, was fastened with a rope to the bronze ring 
 outside of the church door ; he lay upon the up- 
 permost step. On the open place before the lit- 
 tle church were about twenty of our horsemen. 
 At Thrasaric’s command — he rode repeatedly to 
 the spot, making a careful inspection of all the 
 surroundings — many of them had dismounted, 
 had thrust their spe'ars into the sand beside their 
 horses, and from the flat roofs of the neighboring 
 houses were observing the enemy’s slow ap- 
 proach from the southwest. I sat on horseback 
 beside thet>pen window of the basilica, from the 
 corner of which there is an unbroken view to the 
 beginning of the main street of Decimum, where 
 Astarte’s, formerly Modigisel’s, villa lies. Thus I 
 heard every word spoken in the church — as yet 
 no Byzantines were in sight. Two boys were 
 quarrelling violently. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 3O9 
 
 • 
 
 “ ‘ What ! ’ cried one, 4 is this the boasted hero- 
 ism of the Vandals? You are staying in the 
 asylum afforded by the church of the persecuted 
 Catholics ? You are seeking refuge here ? ’ 
 
 “ ‘ Command of the king,’ replied Ammata, his 
 voice almost choked with rage. 
 
 “ ‘ Ha! ’ exclaimed the other, whose voice I now 
 recognized — it was Pudentius. ‘ I would submit 
 to no such command from either king or emperor. 
 I am fettered hand and foot ; otherwise I should 
 long since have been out there, fighting on the side 
 of the Romans.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Command of the king, I tell you.’ 
 
 “‘Command of cowardice! Were I a scion of 
 the royal house whose crown is here at stake, 
 nothing should hold me in a church while — -hark! 
 that is a trumpet. That is the Romans’ victori- 
 ous — ’ 
 
 “ I could hear no more, for just then from be- 
 yond Decimum rang out a loud peal of the Roman 
 
 trumpets.” 
 
 Here the folds of the tent were gently pushed 
 apart, and a pale face with two large, dark eyes 
 appeared at the opening. No one noticed it. 
 
 “At the same instant a youthful form leaped 
 out through the open window of the church — I 
 do not understand how the boy got up there — 
 
310 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 darted past me, sprang into the empty saddle 
 upon the horse of one of our riders, wrested the 
 spear beside it from the ground, and with the 
 exultant shout: ‘ Vandals! Vandals!* galloped 
 down the street toward the Byzantines. 
 
 “‘Ammata! Ammata! Stop!* Thrasaric called 
 to him ; but the boy was already far on his way. 
 
 “ ‘ After him, Gundomar ! After him ! Save 
 the boy ! * shouted Thrasaric, as he dashed past v 
 me. 
 
 “ I followed ; our horsemen — a mere handful — 
 did the same. 4 Too soon! Much too soon!’ I 
 exclaimed as I overtook Thrasaric. 
 
 “ 4 The king confided the boy to my care.’ 
 
 “ It was impossible to stop him, so I, too, rode 
 on. We had reached already the narrow southern 
 entrance to Decimum ; on the right was the villa 
 of Astarte, on the left the high stone wall of a 
 grain-magazine. Ammata, without helmet, breast* 
 plate, or shield, with only the spear in his hand, 
 had halted in front of a whole troop of mounted 
 lancers, who gazed in astonishment at the au- 
 dacious boy. 
 
 “‘Back, Ammata! Flee! I will protect the 
 passage here!’ cried Thrasaric. 
 
 ■“I do not flee ! I am a descendant pf Geis-, 
 eric/ was the boy’s answer. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 3 1 1 
 
 “‘Then we will die here together! Take my 
 shield/ 
 
 It was high time, for already the darts of the 
 Byzantines flew thick about us. Our three horses 
 fell, but we all sprang up uninjured. A javelin 
 stuck in the shield which Thrasaric had pressed 
 upon the boy, piercing through the emblazoned 
 hammer. A dozen of our horsemen now came up 
 behind us. Six of them sprang from their steeds 
 and levelled their spears, barring effectually the 
 narrow entrance. The Byzantines rushed upon 
 us, but there was room for three horses only 
 abreast. We three ran through two lancers and a 
 horse. The enemy were compelled to remove their 
 dead, and also the fallen horses, in order to make 
 fighting-room for themselves. While they were 
 attempting to do this, Ammata sprang forward 
 and stabbed another of the Byzantines. As he 
 leaped back, a dart grazed his throat ; the blood 
 spurted cut, but the boy only laughed. Again 
 the enemy charged upon us, and again two of 
 them fell. But so many spears were now fixed in 
 his shield that Ammata was compelled to lower 
 it, and Thrasaric received a lance-thrust in his left 
 arm. 
 
 “And now behind the Byzantines we heard the 
 sound of German horns. They resembled those 
 
312 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 of our cavalry. ‘ Gibamund ! Or the king ! ’ ex- 
 claimed our followers. ‘ We are saved ! ’ 
 
 “ On the contrary, we were hopelessly lost. 
 They were Herulians in the emperor’s service. 
 Their leader, a tall figure, with the wings of an 
 eagle above his helmet, assumed command of all 
 the enemy. He caused several of his horsemen 
 to dismount and to climb the wall of the granary 
 on his right, while others galloped off to the left, 
 to ride around the villa. At the same time they 
 poured upon us a perfect storm of darts. The 
 boar’s helmet, struck at once by two javelins, flew 
 from my head, while a third stretched me on the 
 ground. At this moment, while our whole atten- 
 tion was turned towards the enemy in front, a man 
 on foot rushed up from behind through our horse- 
 men. I heard a hoarse exclamation, ‘ Wait, boy ! * 
 and I saw the gleam of a weapon. Ammata fell 
 forward upon his knee. 
 
 “ It was Bleda, the captive Hun. He still drag- 
 ged after him the broken rope attached to his foot. 
 He had torn himself loose and seized a weapon. 
 Before, however, he could draw out his sword from 
 the boy’s back, Thrasaric ran him through with 
 his spear. But the valiant nobleman had forgot- 
 ten the assailants in front. He no longer thrust 
 aside as hitherto the flvirv hvelins. Two spears 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 3 1 3 
 
 struck him at once ; with a deep wound in his 
 thigh he staggered baclc against the wall of the 
 villa. Then suddenly a small gate opened, and 
 in the opening stood Astarte. * Come, my love, I 
 will save you,’ she said, and grasped him by the 
 arm. ‘A secret passage from my cellar — * 
 
 “ Without a word Thrasaric tore himself loose 
 and threw himself before the kneeling boy. And 
 now there pressed forward against them whole 
 troops of Herulians and Byzantines, both on horse 
 and on foot. The little gate was closed again. 
 
 “ I tried to rise, but could not. And so, unable 
 to give any help, but protected myself by the dead 
 body of my horse, I saw the end. 
 
 “ I make the story short. Sordong as he could 
 move an arm, the faithful Thrasaric protected the 
 boy with sword and^spear, and, when at length the 
 spear was beaten from his hand and his sword 
 broken, with his own body. I saw how, spreading 
 over him the huge bear-skin as a shield, he clasped 
 both his arms around Ammata’s breast. 
 
 “ ‘ Surrender, valiant man ! ’ called out the leader 
 of the Heruli. jBut Thrasaric. — Hark! what 
 was that ?” 
 
 “ A groan. Was it you, Gibamund ? Does 
 your foot pain so much ?” 
 
 “I was silent. Doubtless it was some night- 
 bird outside the tent,” 
 
314 the last of the vandals . 
 
 “ But Thrasaric shook his massive head, and 
 hurled the handle of his sword in the face of the 
 nearest Byzantine, so that he fell with a cry of 
 agony. 
 
 “ Then came such a flight of spears that Am- 
 mata sank down dead upon the ground. Thrasaric 
 did not fall, but remained standing in a half-stoop- 
 ing posture, both arms hanging down before him. 
 The leader of the Heruli stepped up close to him 
 and said: ‘ Assuredly I have never seen such a 
 
 thing as this before ! The man is dead; but he 
 cannot fall, so many* spears whose shafts rest on 
 the ground are sticking in his breast/ With gen- 
 tle hands for so rough a warrior he drew some of 
 them out, and let the body of the stalwart hero 
 sink down beside Ammata. 
 
 “ Our horsemen fled as soon as they saw us fall. 
 I lay like one dead, and the pursuit dashed past 
 me. After a long time, when all had become 
 quiet, I succeeded in raising myself a little. So 
 the king found me beside Ammata, whose fate 
 and that of Thrasaric I related to him. As for 
 the rest — how he lost the moment of victory ; yes, 
 threw away the victory already gained — you know 
 as well — ” 
 
 “ We know all that,” said Hilda, dejectedly. 
 
 “And where is Ammata — where is Thrasaric 
 buried ?” inquired GibamuncJ. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 3 1 $ 
 
 “ Close by Decimum, in two hills. The* land 
 belongs to a colonist. According to the custom 
 of our ancestors, three projecting spears were 
 planted in each hill. Then the king’s followers 
 placed me on a horse which brought me here in 
 the lamentable retreat. Fie upon this Vandal 
 people, that suffers its princes and nobles to fight 
 and bleed alone ! What have the masses yet 
 effected, except a headlong and disgraceful 
 flight?” 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 THE dim gray of early dawn was just beginning 
 to displace the darkness in the furthest east, al- 
 though overhead the stars still sparkled in the 
 sky, when there glided through the streets of the 
 camp, with swift but noiseless steps, a delicate, 
 girlish figure. 
 
 The shaggy dogs that watched the tents of 
 their masters growled slightly, but did not bark. 
 A Vandal who stood on guard at the corner of 
 one of the streets started, superstitiously crossed 
 himself, and attempted by a wide circuit to avoid 
 the approaching white figure. But the latter 
 came right up to him. 
 
 “ Where is Decimum — I mean in which direc- 
 tion?” she asked in low, quickly-uttered words. 
 
316 the last of the vandals . 
 
 “•To the east — yonder!” and he pointed with 
 his spear. 
 
 “ How far is it?” 
 
 “ How far ? Oh, a long distance ! We rode as 
 fast as our horses could carry us, urged on by 
 fear — I scarcely know of what — and did not draw 
 rein until we arrived here. It took us six — eight 
 hours.” 
 
 “ No matter!” 
 
 The hurrying form soon reached the exit of the 
 camp. The guards let her pass out unchallenged. 
 But one called after her, “ Which way? Not that! 
 The enemy is there !” 
 
 “ Do not remain long,” added a Moor. “The 
 evil wind is rising.” But she was already out of 
 hearing. As soon as she was beyond the camp, 
 she sought to avoid the road marked by the tracks 
 of men and horses, and also by lost and discarded 
 weapons — if this line through the desert could be 
 called a road. She turned, therefore, aside from 
 the path a few hundred paces to the south, 
 towards the interior of the desert, in so doing 
 climbing over several high, dune-like hills of sand. 
 
 After she believed herself sufficiently distant 
 from the road to be no longer visible from it, she 
 turned again in her original direction towards the 
 east, or what she supposed to be the east. For 
 
The last of the fa jvbals 317 
 
 the sun, that for a time had risen, like a bail of 
 glowing fire, eclipsing the light of the stars and 
 pointing out the way, had soon disappeared behind 
 a vaporous veil, the exhalation of the desert. 
 
 And now with all her strength she' hurried on. 
 There was no mark to guide her way, no tree, no 
 bush ; only the sky above and the sand below. 
 Sometimes this sank into valleys, sometimes it 
 rose in hills, but these were all monotonously 
 alike in formation and appearance. 
 
 “ If I can only reach his grave,” she thought ; 
 “ only reach his grave!” 
 
 How still it was! Save for her swiftly-moving 
 form it might have been merely a pictured world. 
 Once only she thought she saw, far to her left, in 
 the direction of the “road,” shadows like those 
 cast by scudding clouds; possibly, instead of 
 shadows, they might be ostriches or antelopes. 
 But no ; it seemed to her that she heard human 
 voices, then the tones of some one calling. It 
 was far, far away ; but the voice seemed to cry, 
 “Eugenia !” 
 
 She cowered in anxiety close to the sand-hill 
 -beside her. So from the left she could not be 
 seen, even if the valley in which she was hiding 
 was visible from some elevation. “ Eugenia !” 
 The word came now more distinctly ; it sounded 
 
31 8 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 like Hilda’s voice. Soon, however, the tones grew 
 fainter, mournfully, hopelessly dying away in the' 
 distance. Then again all was still. She sprang 
 up and began anew her breathless running. 
 
 It troubled her that she no longer had any 
 means of determining the direction in which she 
 was going. Suppose she was not keeping a 
 straight course ? Then it occurred to her to look 
 back. The track of every one of her light foot- 
 steps was imprinted clearly on the sand, and the 
 line was straight. She was rejoiced at her sa- f 
 gacity. And now she looked back often — every 
 hundred paces — to make sure that there was no 
 deviation. 
 
 Only forward, forward! She was growing anx- 
 ious. The perspiration was dripping from her 
 forehead, from her bare arms — it had grown so 
 hot and sultry, and the sky above was like lead. 
 But soon a low, hot wind sprang up from the 
 south. 
 
 She looked around again. Oh, horror! She 
 no longer saw any trace of her footprints ! The 
 whole stretch of sand lay as smooth behind her as 
 if she were just setting out on her journey. In 
 amazement she stamped her foot upon the 
 ground ; the impress was effaced almost instantly 
 by the particles of fine sand which flew along be- 
 fore the gentle wind. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 3 19 
 
 This frightened her. She pressed her hand 
 against her loudly beating heart. When she drew 
 it back, the palm was half full of sand, for a coat- 
 ing of fine-grained sand had covered her clothing, 
 her hair, and even her face. Through her bewild- 
 ered brain flashed the remembrance that she had 
 heard how men, camels, whole caravans, had been 
 covered over by such sand-drifts, and how the 
 sand, heaped together by the wind, often rose like 
 a monstrous wave and buried beneath it with in- 
 fallible certainty whatever life it swept over. She 
 fancied that on her right, to the south, she saw 
 such a wave forming and rolling rapidly forward to 
 obstruct the way. Therefore she must run more 
 quickly to escape it, for as yet the course was 
 clear. But suddenly there came from one side a 
 stronger puff of wind, that snatched from her 
 head her hat of intertwined bast and whirled it 
 along toward the north. Almost before she could 
 recover from her surprise it had disappeared from 
 sight. To regain it was impossible. Besides, she 
 must hasten on towards the east — forwards! on! 
 on ! 
 
 The wind grew stronger and stronger. The sun, 
 mounting higher and breaking its way through the 
 haze, poured its burning rays upon her unprotect- 
 ed head, her dark brown hair fluttered wildly 
 
320 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 about her ; it hurt her when, all crusted over with 
 salt, it struck her on the cheeks. Nor was it easy 
 for her to keep her eyes open, for the fine stinging 
 sand kept forcing its way through the long lashes. 
 Farther ! The sand filled her shoes, and the band 
 of the left one broke above the instep. She took 
 the shoe up: the wind swept it from her hand and 
 whirled it away. 
 
 Under the circumstances it was no great loss, 
 but she burst into tears, weeping at her helpless- 
 ness. She sank upon her knees, and softly, 
 stealthily, the insidious sand piled itself up about 
 her. Just then she heard a shrill, harrowing cry 
 of fear — the first sound that had come to her ears 
 in that vast solitude for many hours, — and a dark 
 object sped across the desert before her, from 
 south to north. It was an ostrich, fleeing in dead- 
 ly terror before the baleful wind. With its head 
 and long white neck stretched out before it, and 
 hastening with the sweep of its wings the pace of 
 its swift feet, it darted away like an arrow. 
 
 if This creature puts forth all its might in order 
 to save its life. ‘ Shall I allow my strength to fail, 
 I who am hastening to him I love ? ‘ Shame upon 
 you, little one ! ’ he would say.” And she smiled 
 through her tears, staggered to her feet, and ran 
 on once more. And so it went on for an hour- — 
 for many hours, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 321 
 
 Often it occurred to her that she must have 
 erred in her course, or else she would long since 
 have reached the battle-field. The wind had 
 grown into a storm. Her heart throbbed as if it 
 would burst. She became giddy, she fell — she 
 felt that she must rest. No Vandal now could 
 overtake her and keep her by force from her 
 cherished purpose. 
 
 Right beside her she saw something white stick- 
 ing out of the sand. It was the first thing for 
 hours that had broken the monotonous yellowness 
 of the ground. It was not a stone, so she reached 
 down to take it up; but oh ! — a cry of horror, of 
 despairing helplessness, broke from her — it was 
 her own shoe, which she had lost so long before ! 
 After all her efforts, then, she had been running 
 round in a circle ! Or had the wind carried the 
 shoe far beyond the place where she had lost it ? 
 Not so ; for as with a burst of tears she threw it 
 from her, it was filled with sand before the wind 
 could bear it off. With all her strength exhaust- 
 ed, she stood upon the very spot where she had 
 been hours before. 
 
 To die— now! To abandon further effort — to 
 rest — to sleep ! To the wearied one it seemed that 
 would be sweet. But no! To him! How did 
 it run? ‘And her love was so great that it drew 
 her into the grave of her dead hero/ To him !” 
 
322 
 
 THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 
 
 She rose with a great effort, for she had become 
 very weak. But almost instantly a fierce blast of 
 wind hurled her again to the ground. Once more 
 she struggled to her feet; she wished to look 
 whether some human being, some house, or even 
 the road might not be visible. Right before her 
 to the north was a sand-hill higher than any which 
 she had yet seen — rising perhaps a hundred feet. 
 If she could succeed in climbing this, she would 
 obtain from its summit a wide outlook. With in- 
 describable efforts, for at almost every step she 
 sank knee-deep in the loose sand until her foot 
 reached the older and coarser structure beneath, 
 she worked her way up, often, when she stumbled, 
 slipping back several steps. And the worst, the 
 most disquieting feature of her progress was that 
 at every such movement the whole sand-hill 
 seemed to tremble, to crumble and give way on 
 all sides. This at first startled her and caused her 
 to stop ; she thought perhaps the whole mass 
 would sink down and bury her." But she over- 
 came her fears and crawled up towards the last 
 on her knees, for she could no longer stand. The 
 wind, which had now become a hurricane, actually 
 helped her — it blew so strongly from the south in 
 the direction she was going. The journey seemed 
 to her longer than all the way before, but at last 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 3 2 3 
 
 she reached the top. She opened her eyes, which 
 she had for some time kept closed, and — oh, joy ! 
 — before her, at a great distance, it is true, but still 
 distinctly visible, was a strip of blue — that was the 
 sea! And on one side, to the east, she thought 
 she could distinguish houses and trees — surely that 
 was Decimum ! And somewhat farther inland 
 there rose a dark hill — that was the end of the 
 desert ! She believed — but of course it was im- 
 possible to see so far — she believed or fancied 
 that she saw on the top of the hill three thin, 
 black, upright lines, clearly defined against the 
 horizon — these must be the spears above his 
 grave. “ My beloved ! my hero !” she cried, “ I am 
 coming.” 
 
 With outstretched arms she started down the 
 northern side of the sand-hill. But at the first 
 step the treacherous surface yielded, and she sank 
 in up to her knees, then deeper, to her waist. 
 With her last remaining strength she thrust out 
 both her arms and plunged her hands down in the 
 sand, striving to extricate herself, while her great 
 antelope-like eyes looked up imploringly — ah, so 
 despairingly! — to the silent blue heaven above. 
 One more effort she made, still wilder and more 
 violent; then the whole mountain of sand, dis- 
 turbed by her struggles and shoved forward by 
 
324 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the' hurricane, plunging over to the north, fell 
 upon her, burying her in its depths and smother- 
 ing her in an instant. 
 
 And over the lofty mound it had heaped upon 
 her, the desert storm swept on, exulting and tri- 
 umphant* 
 
 Many years had passed, and the grave of the 
 devoted wife lay undisturbed, until one stormy 
 night the wind, that ever-changing architect, swept 
 away the sand-hill. 
 
 There came one day a pious hermit who obtained 
 from the charitable in Decimum the scanty sub- 
 sistence that he needed, and bore it to his sand- 
 cave in the desert. He had often before passed 
 this way, but it was only on the preceding day 
 that the storm had laid bare the skeleton. 
 
 The old man stopped thoughtfully before it. 
 
 The bones, bleached dazzlingly white, were as 
 fine and delicate as if fashioned by an artist’s 
 hand. The clothing, like the flesh, had long be- 
 fore been completely destroyed, by the infiltrating 
 moisture ; but the high sand-mound had faithfully 
 kept its secret trust, preserving unchanged for a 
 human generation the contour of the figure, just 
 as it was buried within its depths. It was evident 
 that the unfortunate one had endeavored with her 
 
THE LAST OP THE VANDALS. ' 325 
 
 fight hand to protect her eyes and mouth from 
 the sand which pressed upon them, her left hand 
 lay upon her breast, her face was turned towards 
 the ground. # 
 
 “Who were you, poor creature ?” said the holy 
 man, deeply moved, “ that found here so lonely an 
 end? For nowhere is there any trace of a com- 
 panion. A child, no doubt, or a maiden not yet 
 fully matured ! But at all events a Christian — 
 not a Moor; for here, hanging from the neck by a 
 silver chain, is a golden cross. And there, beside 
 it, is a singular ornament, a half-circlet of bronze 
 with characters engraved upon it — not Latin, not 
 Greek, not Hebrew. No matter! The maiden’s 
 bones shall not be scattered over the desert. The 
 Christian shall rest in consecrated ground. The 
 peasants must help me to bury her.” So saying, 
 he went on towards Decimum. 
 
 All traces of the fight with the Vandals had 
 long since disappeared. The children who at that 
 time had been carried off by the villagers in their 
 flight were now grown up, and were the owners 
 of the houses and fields. 
 
 The peasant to whom the hermit related his 
 pathetic discovery listened attentively. But when 
 he heard of the bronze half-ring with the strange 
 characters upon it, he interrupted the speaker and 
 
32 & THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 said: “ Strange ! In the tomb in the hill before 
 our village — the hill is my property, and bears 
 grapes upon its southern slope — there lies a young 
 Vandal prince who fell here, — my father helped 
 bury him ; and beside him rests a mighty warrior, 
 a terrible giant, who is said to have fought hero- 
 ically in defence of the prince. The priests say 
 that he was a monster, a god of the thunder, one 
 of the old heathen deities of the barbarians, at 
 whose fall their good fortune deserted them. 
 Now this giant has just such a bronze half-ring on 
 his arm as you describe. • Perhaps the two be- 
 long together; who knows? We cannot dig a 
 grave in the desert ; the wind would blow it away. 
 Come, I will drive out with my wagon, and we 
 will bring back the bones of the dead and place 
 them beside the giant ; his grave has been blessed 
 by the priests.” And so it was done. 
 
 After they had placed the small figure beside 
 the larger one in the tomb, and the monk had 
 uttered a half-whispered prayer, he said : “ I saw, 
 my friend, with pleased surprise that you have 
 left upon the dead all the decorations he wore. 
 And that you have taken so much trouble with 
 - the remains of the poor girl, that also is not ex- 
 actly—” 
 
 “The custom of the peasants, you think. You 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 32 7 
 
 are right, holy father. But King Gelimer, who 
 once ruled here, solemnly enjoined upon my father, 
 after the battle, the care of these graves. He was 
 to watch over them, as a sacred trust, until he, 
 Gelimer, should come again and remove the bodies 
 to Carthage. King Gelimer never returned to 
 Decimum. But my father, when dying, charged 
 upon me the protection of the graves ; and so shall 
 I enjoin it before my death upon my boy here, 
 who helped us at the burial to-day. For King 
 Gelimer was good to all, even to us Romans, and 
 in the Vandal times he conferred many favors 
 upon my father. Many now say he was not a 
 man, but a demon- — an evil one, some think ; but 
 in the opinion of most of us, a good one. But de- 
 mon or man, he certainly was good, for my father 
 often spoke in his praise.” 
 
 XXXIII. - 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM PROCOPIUS. 
 
 It is not yet three months since we left Byzan- 
 tium, and I am writing this — really and truly ! — - 
 in Carthage, at the Capitol, in the palace of the 
 Asdings, in the hall of arms of the terrible Geis- 
 eric. I sometimes almost doubt the fact myself, 
 yet it is certainly true ! 
 
328 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 On the day after the fight at Decimum our in- 
 fantry came up, and the whole army advanced to 
 Carthage, which we reached about evening. 
 
 We chose a place for a camp outside of the city, 
 although no one attempted to prevent our en- 
 trance. On the contrary, the Carthaginians had 
 opened all their gates, and everywhere along the 
 streets and in the public places had lighted torches 
 and lanterns. The whole night these fires of re- 
 joicing and welcome burned brightly throughout 
 the city, while the few Vandals who had not fled 
 sought asylum in the Catholic churches. 
 
 But Belisarius forbade positively that the city 
 should be entered in the night ; he feared some 
 ambuscade or military ruse. He could not be- 
 lieve that Geiseric’s capital would fall into his 
 hands without further contest. 
 
 On the following day our'ships, borne along by 
 a favorable south wmd, sailed around the promon- 
 tory of Mercury. As soon as the Carthaginians es- 
 pied our. flag, they removed the iron barring- 
 chains from their outer harbor, Mandracium, and 
 made signs to our sailors that they might enter. 
 This, however, our naval commander refused to 
 do, mindful of Belisarius’s warning ; so the fleet 
 anchored in the Bay of Stagnum, five miles from 
 this city, awaiting further instructions. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 329 
 
 But in order that the worthy citizens of Car- 
 thage might on the first day become acquainted 
 with their liberators, a ship-master, Kalonymos, 
 landed at Mandracium with some sailors — con- 
 trary to the directions of Belisarius and the quaes- 
 tor — and plundered all the merchants, foreigners 
 as well as Carthaginians, who have their store- 
 houses and residences at that place. He took all 
 the money, all the merchandise, and even the 
 handsome candelabra and lanterns which the; in- 
 habitants had lighted up to express their joy at 
 our coming. 
 
 We had hoped — Belisarius gave orders to look to 
 it carefully — to set free the captive king Hilderic 
 and his nephew. But this hope remains unfulfilled. 
 In the royal castle, high above on the Capitol, 
 is the gloomy dungeon in which the usurper 
 kept these Asdings imprisoned. He seemed to 
 adopt this course with all his enemies ; his prede- 
 cessors, on the other hand, preferred the execu- 
 tioner to the jailor. He also held confined here 
 many of our merchants, because he feared that if 
 they should sail away, they would convey to us all 
 sorts of useful information. That this opinion 
 was not without good grounds is shown in the 
 case of my Hegelochos, whom Belisarius sent back 
 to-day to Syracuse, richly rewarded. 
 
33 0 THE LAST OE THE VANDALS. 
 
 When the head-jailer, a Roman, learned of our 
 victory at Decimum, and saw our ships coming 
 round the promontory, he liberated all these pris- 
 oners. He would have brought out the king and 
 Euages also, but their cell was empty. No one 
 knows what has become of them. 
 
 At noon Belisarius commanded the crews of 
 the ships to land, and all the troops to furbish 
 their arms and look their best. Then the whole 
 army, in full battle array — for we were still on 
 guard against some trickery of the Vandals — 
 marched through the “ Grove of the Empress 
 Theodora,” as the thankful Carthaginians, I un- 
 derstand, have christened it anew, then through 
 the southern gate into the lower city. 
 
 Belisarius and his chief lieutenants ascended 
 with a select body of troops to the Capitol, and 
 our general ceremoniously took his place on the 
 purple and gold-adorned throne of Geiseric. 
 
 Belisarius caused the midday meal to be served 
 in the banquet-hall where Gelimer was accustomed 
 to entertain the nobles, of the Vandals. The 
 saloon is called “ Delphica,” because a magnificent 
 and artistically wrought tripod forms its chief 
 decoration. Here Belisarius acted as host to the 
 leaders of the army, on the very spot where, on 
 the day before, the meal was being prepared for 
 
33 1 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 Gelimer. Thus we feasted on the viands in- 
 tended for the celebration of his victory, and, 
 seasoned by such thoughts, we fpund them excel- 
 lent. The servants of Gelimer brought in the 
 dishes, filled the cups with fragrant Grassiker, 
 and served us in all things. Here again we see 
 how the fickle goddess delights in sporting with 
 the changing fortunes of men. 
 
 You, O Cethegus! — I know it well — think dif- 
 ferently in regard to the ultimate causes of events. 
 You see the rigid necessity of law regulating the 
 actions of men, as well as the sunshine and the 
 storm. That may be magnificent, it may be 
 heroic, but it is terrible. I am a modest spirit, 
 quite the opposite of a hero, and I cannot endure 
 such thoughts. I waver doubtfully between two 
 opinions. At times I can see only the capricious 
 rule of blind chance, rejoicing alternately to build 
 up and to destroy. Then, again, I believe that an 
 inscrutable* God directs all things, reaching down 
 out of the, clouds to accomplish his mysterious 
 aims. But I have altogether given up philoso- 
 phizing and am satisfied simply to watch the vary- 
 ing panorama of events, not without contempt and 
 ridicule for the follies of other mortals, and for 
 those of Procopius also. 
 
 And yet I do not wish to break away entirely 
 
332 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 from belief in Christianity. One does not know 
 whether on the last day the Son of man will not 
 really come in the clouds of heaven. In this case 
 I should much rather be placed among the sheep' 
 than the goats. 
 
 The people, the liberated Romans, the Cath- 
 olics, in their joy over their deliverance, see every- 
 where signs and miracles. They look upon our 
 Huns as angels from heaven. They will soon 
 learn to appreciate these angels more justly, es- 
 pecially if they have handsome wives and daugh- 
 ters or full money-chests. With all due respect 
 to his majesty the emperor, I must say that most 
 of our soldiers (Belisarius’s body-guard excepted) 
 .are as disreputable a rabble as could be got to- 
 gether from all the provinces of the empire, and 
 from the adjacent barbarian nations, not less ready 
 to steal, to rob, and to murder than they are to 
 fight. And yet, in consequence of the bound- 
 less good fortune that has attended us in this 
 whole undertaking, we — pickpockets and cut- 
 throats that we are! — actually begin to -believe 
 that we are the chosen favorites, the holy in- 
 struments of the Lord. Thus the whole army be- 
 lieves, heathens as well as Christians, that the 
 spring in the desert gushed forth for us miracu- 
 lously, by God’s command. So also both oiir 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 333 
 
 soldiers and the Carthaginians place faith in a so- 
 called “miracle of the lamps,” an account of which 
 I will give you. ^ 
 
 The greatest saint of the Carthaginians is St. 
 Cyprian, who has more than half a dozen basili- 
 cas and chapels, in all of which his holy-days are 
 ostentatiously celebrated. But the Vandals took 
 away almost all the churches from the Catholics 
 and turned them over to the Arians. Among 
 these was the great Basilica of St. Cyprian^down 
 by the harbor, out of which they drove the Catho- 
 lic priests with contempt and abuse. The loss of 
 this cathedral caused the deepest grief to the or- 
 thodox believers. It is stated that St. Cyprian 
 repeatedly appeared to the pious in their dreams, 
 comforting them and announcing that he would 
 ultimately avenge himself on the Vandals for the 
 injury they had done him. I consider that not 
 altogether praiseworthy in the great saint ; we 
 .poor sinners on the earth are taught that we must 
 forgive our enemies, and yet the angry saint above 
 can wreak his revengeful anger and still remain 
 the holy Cyprian ! The pious, strengthened and 
 justified in their desire for revenge by the senti- 
 ments of their most cherished saint, waited for a 
 long time eagerly and anxiously to see what blow 
 St. Cyprian would strike against the heretics, 
 
334 the last of the vandals. 
 
 Within the last few days it became manifest. The* 
 “ great Cyprianic festival ” was at hand ; it occurred 
 upon the day after the fight at Decimum. The 
 Arian priests had on the very day of the battle 
 decorated the church most magnificently, and had 
 arranged many thousands of small lamps to pro- 
 duce by night a brilliant illumination in honor of 
 their expected victory. At the written command 
 of the Archdeacon Verus — he had himself accom- 
 panied the king into the,, field — all the rich vessels 
 and treasures of the church were brought forth 
 from secret places of deposit, known only to Verus, 
 and placed upon the seven altars of the basilica. 
 Never would these undreamed-of treasures have 
 been found in the vaults of the church had not 
 Verus sent the directions and the keys. It hap^ 
 pened, however, that we, not the Vandals, were 
 the victors at Decimum. Upon receipt of this 
 news the Arian priests fled headlong from the 
 city. The Catholics poured into the basilica, dis- 
 covered the treasures of the heretics, and lighted 
 the heterodox lamps to celebrate the orthodox 
 victory. “ This is the revenge of St/Cyprian ! This 
 is the miracle of the lamps!” Thus they howl 
 through the streets, and cuff and thump every 
 doubter until he believes it too and joins them in 
 the cry: “Yes, indeed, this is the revenge and the 
 lamp-miracle of St. Cyprian !” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 335 
 
 Now I have no objection whatever to a genuine 
 miracle. On the contrary, I am delighted when 
 something occurs which the all-explaining philoso- 
 phers, who have tormented me so long, cannot 
 explain. But it must be an actual, an indisputa- 
 ble miracle. This affair, however, is by no means 
 inexplicable under the natural order of things. 
 How, then, can it be a miracle at all? Belisarius 
 undertook to reprove me for my sceptical derision, 
 but I merely replied that St. Cyprian appears to 
 be the patron-saint of lamp-lighters, and I do not 
 belong to the craft. 
 
 Fara the Herulian obtained the handsomest 
 piece of booty at Decimum. He received, it is 
 true, from the nobleman a rough spear-thrust 
 through his brazen* shield into his arm. But the 
 shield did its duty well, and the spear-point did 
 not penetrate very far into the flesh. When he 
 went up to the adjacent villa and was about to 
 burst open the door, suddenly it was opened from 
 within, and a wonderfully beautiful woman, richly 
 adorned with jewels and with deep-red flowers in 
 her black hair, advanced to meet him. She held 
 out to him a wreath of laurel and pomegranate 
 leaves. 
 
 “ Whom have you been expecting?’' asked the 
 astonished Herulian. 
 
336 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ The victor,” the fascinating creature answer- 
 ed. A tolerably oracular response ! 'This 
 sphinx would, without doubt, just as willingly 
 have given her wreath and herself to the Vandals, 
 if they had been successful. And, in fact, what 
 matters it to a Carthaginian woman whether Van- 
 dals or Byzantines conquer ? She is the prey of 
 the stronger, of the conqueror— perhaps, indeed, to 
 his destruction. But I fancy this time the sphinx 
 has found her CEdipus. If one of this singularly 
 matched pair is destined to come to grief, it is 
 hardly likely to be my friend Fara. He sets 
 some value upon me because I can read and write 
 — and so he introduced me to her. Evidently he 
 had boasted considerably about me, but the re- 
 sult was scarcely flattering. She surveyed me 
 from head to foot and from foot to head — no 
 very long task, for I am not tall — and, with a con- 
 temptuous curl of her full, voluptuous lips, deliber- 
 ately turned and walked away. I will not main- 
 tain that I am handsome, while, after Belisarius, 
 Fara is the most personable man of us all. But 
 it irritated me that she found the mortal part of 
 my being so unattractive that she did not care to 
 become acquainted with the immortal. I am 
 provoked at her. I wish her no harm. But it 
 would neither astonish me nor deeply grieve me 
 if she should come to a bad end. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 337 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 BELISARIUS keeps the people at work day and 
 night repairing the walls. Besides the entire army 
 and the sailors from the fleet, he has pressed 
 the citizens into this service. They are begin- 
 ning to- murmur. They supposed that we came 
 here to free them, and now we force them to hard- 
 er drudgery than Gelimer ever exacted. 
 
 The city walls in their wide circuit show so 
 many gaps and weak places that we see now the 
 reason why the king, after his lost battle, did not 
 retreat to his capital. Verus, who has great in- 
 fluence in temporal matters also with the tyrant 
 — for so, according to Justinian’s command, we 
 must call the champion of his people’s independ- 
 ence — is said in the beginning to have advised 
 the Vandals to shut themselves up in Carthage 
 and to suffer themselves to be besieged by us. 
 If that is so, then the priest understands — as is 
 natural — more about lanterns than about war. 
 On the very first night, our general thinks, we 
 would have slipped in through some breach ; 
 especially* as many thousands of Carthaginians 
 stood ready to show us where the breaches were. 
 And we would have caught the whole Vandal 
 power at one stroke, as if in a mouse-trap, 
 
338 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS 
 
 while now we are compelled to seek out our 
 enemy in the desert. 
 
 The goddess Fortune is the only woman in 
 whom I am disposed sometimes to believe. Per- 
 haps, too, I might add Folly. Folly and Fortune — 
 to, you all-powerful sisters, and not to St. Cyprian, 
 ought we to light thanksgiving lanterns ! The 
 goddess of Fortune seems never to weary of play- 
 ing ball with the fate of the Vandals; but she 
 could not do it had not Folly placed this ball in 
 her hands. 
 
 Yesterday a small sail-boat from the north ran 
 into the harbor. From its mast floated the blood- 
 red Vandal flag. Pounced upon suddenly by our 
 sentry-boats, which lay invisible behind the har- 
 bor wall, the Vandals on board were frightened 
 almost to death. They had no suspicion what- 
 ever that their capital had fallen. They came 
 straight from Sardinia. To send thither their 
 fleet and the flower of their army, when our ex- 
 pedition had already reached Sicily — that was an 
 act to which they could have been^ persuaded 
 only by Folly. On the shipmaster was found a 
 letter which runs as follows : “ Hail to you and 
 
 victory, King of the Vandals ! Where now are 
 your gloomy forebodings ? Our victory is com- 
 
THE LAST OP THE VANDALS. 339 
 
 plete. We landed near Karalis, the capital of 
 Sardinia. We have taken the harbor, the city, 
 the capitol. The traitor Goda fell by my spear ; 
 his army is either slain or captured ; the whole 
 island is once more yours. Celebrate a feast of 
 victory, for this is but the forerunner of the 
 great day when you will crush the insolent 
 enemy, who, we have just heard, is really sail- 
 ing towards our coast. Not one of them shall re- 
 turn from our Africa. Such is the message of 
 Zaro, your faithful general and brother.” 
 
 That was yesterday. And to-day another of 
 our cruisers brought into the harbor a Vandal 
 despatch-boat, captured on the way to Sardinia. 
 On board was a messenger from Gelimer with the 
 following letter : “ It was not Goda that decoyed 
 us to Sardinia, but some demon in Goda's form, a 
 demon to whom God has granted permission 
 to destroy us. You did not set forth that we 
 might reconquer Sardinia, but that our enemies 
 might win from us Africa. That was the will of 
 Heaven when it ordained your voyage. Scarcely 
 had you sailed, when Belisarius landed. His 
 army is small, but heroism and fortune have alike 
 abandoned our people. Our nation has no 
 guiding star, its king no judgment. The vehe^ 
 mence of one or the we^k heart of another ruins 
 
340 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 even well-devised plans. Ammata, the darling of 
 us all, has fallen, the faithful Thrasaric has fallen, 
 Gibamund has been wounded, our army badly de- 
 feated at Decimum. Our ship-yards, our ports, 
 our armories, are in the enemy’s hands. Car- 
 thage itself is theirs. But the Vandals whom I 
 still hold together are dazed by this first disaster; 
 they cannot be roused, although everything is at 
 stake. The short-lived impulse to action has 
 died out in almost all of them. It is shameful 
 to say that more fitness for war than in the whole 
 of our disheartened army exists at the present 
 time in the twelve thousand Moorish mercena- 
 ries whom I have enlisted at great cost and have 
 placed as a reserve in a strong camp at Bulla. If 
 these also should fail me, then all would be at an 
 end. Our only hope now rests in you and your 
 return. Never mind Sardinia and the punish- 
 ment of the rebel ; hasten hither with your whole 
 fleet. But, of course, do not land near Carthage, 
 but far to the west, somewhere about the bound- 
 ary line between Mauretania and Numidia. Let 
 us together avert the threatened ruin or share it 
 in common. v Geli^er.” 
 
 The despatches of the brothers cross each 
 other, and both fall into our hands ! The king 
 will wait for his fleet in^vain in the west ! Anc) 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 341 
 
 now, fair goddess Fortune, inflate your cheeks, 
 blow in the sails of the Vandal ships, and bring 
 them all in good shape, together with their vic- 
 torious army, here into the harbor of Carthage — 
 right into our clutches ! 
 
 The goddess Fortune is also a woman like the 
 rest. Suddenly she turns her back to us — at least 
 a little — and makes eyes at the blond-heads. I 
 have a good mind to renew my allegiance to the 
 saint of the lamps. 
 
 The tyrant is gaining ground. How ? Through 
 his amiability and goodness of heart, the peo- 
 ple say. He is winning over the country-people ; 
 not the Moors, but: — hear it and help us, St. Cyp- 
 rian ! — the Romans, the Catholics. He is draw- 
 ing them away from us to his side. He main- 
 tains strict discipline, while our Huns rob, pillage, 
 and steal, except when in the presence of Beli- 
 sarius — or when they are asleep: but even then, I 
 fancy, they dream about plundering. And so the 
 liberated peasants flee in troops before their lib- 
 erators and into the camp of the barbarian king, 
 preferring the Vandals to the Huns. They con- 
 spire together, attack our scattered heroes while 
 pillaging, — mostly camp-followers, it is true, — cut 
 off the heathen, yes, in some cases, even orthodox 
 
34 2 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS 
 
 heads and exchange them with the tyrant for a 
 heretic gold-piece. That perhaps in itself would 
 not be so very bad, but the peasants serve the 
 Vandal as spies and informers ; they betray to 
 him all that he wishes • to know, provided, of 
 course, they know it themselves.' No doubt his 
 goodness of heart is all hypocrisy. But it helps, 
 better perhaps than if it were genuine. 
 
 I am almost sorry for her, the sphinx. She 
 was so wondrously beautiful ! What a pity it 
 was, though, that she did not take the form of 
 some beast, rather than that of a woman ! Fara 
 found out that she was disposed to look with 
 favor also upon Althias, the Thracian, and Aigan, 
 the Hun. In the beginning the three heroes 
 came near fighting to the death for the possession 
 of this marvellous creature. But this time the 
 Hun was wiser than the German and the Thra- 
 cian. At his proposition they decided to share 
 the woman equally between them in brotherly 
 fashion, so they strapped her upon a board and 
 with a couple of strokes with an axe divided her 
 into three pieces. Fara received the head, as was 
 reasonable, for he had the most right to her. 
 For when she perceived that he suspected her, 
 she sought to appease him with a choice sped- 
 
343 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 men of fruit, which she picked fresh from a tree. 
 But she had overlooked the fact that Fara, the 
 Herulian and heathen, is much fonder of horse- 
 flesh than of peaches. He gave the fruit to her 
 monkey ; it bit into it, shook itself, and fell over 
 dead. That vexed the German. And he did not 
 rest until he had brought to light all the riddles 
 of this many-sided sphinx, including her natural 
 and inherent faithlessness. Then they divided, 
 as I have said, her beautiful form into three parts. 
 I advised them to bury the body right deep ; 
 otherwise flames might flash forth at night from 
 her grave. 
 
 A slight rebuff. 
 
 Belisarius complained that he knew too little 
 about the enemy. So he sent out one of his best 
 guardsmen, Diogenes, to the southwest with a 
 small force to obtain news. 
 
 They passed the night in a village. The peas- 
 ants swore that there were no Vandals within 
 two days’ march. Our soldiers slept in the best 
 house, in the upper story. To be sure, before 
 retiring they had spent some time below the 
 ground-floor — that is, in the cellar. They did 
 not station guards. Why should they ? Are 
 they not the liberators of the peasants? That 
 our heroes drank up all the villagers’ wine, slaugh- 
 
344 the last of the vandals. 
 
 tered their cattle, insulted their wives, has no 
 bearing on the subject. It is for such things 
 peasants are made. 
 
 Soon all were snoring ; Diogenes louder than 
 the rest. The night passed on. Then from the 
 immediate neighborhood the peasants brought 
 the Vandals, who surrounded the house. But 
 the holy Cyprian is stronger than the soundest 
 drunken sleep. He caused a sword to fall upon 
 a metal shield below, and awoke — now that is a 
 miracle which I can believe in, for no mortal man 
 could have done it — and awoke thereby one of 
 the sleepers. Under cover of the night most of 
 our men succeeded in escaping. Diogenes him- 
 self came back with three wounds in his throat 
 and face, without the little finger of his sword- 
 hand, and without any useful intelligence. 
 
 The goddess Fortune is blowing the wrong 
 way. The Vandal fleet has not yet sailed into 
 Carthage and into our skilfully-set trap. 
 
 The tyrant seems to have aroused his army 
 from its stupor. Our advance-posts, horsemen 
 whom we sent out around the city, bring the 
 news that “ vast clouds of dust are rising from the 
 southwest. Nothing less than an approaching 
 army can be concealed therein/' they say. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 345 
 
 No Zaro. Has lie, in spite "of the capture of 
 that letter, gotten wind of the true situation and 
 chosen another landing-place? 
 
 Without doubt the Vandals are hidden behind 
 yonder clouds of dust. Our Herulians have 
 caught a couple of peasants — we are already so 
 well known in the nearly freed Africa that the 
 peasants have to be caught by their deliverers, in 
 case we wish to get sight of them. They seek 
 refuge from freedom with the barbarians! The 
 prisoners say that the king is in full march against 
 us. He caused a Vandal noble who had kid- 
 napped the wife of a colonist to be hanged at the 
 door of the colonist's house, and the shield-bearer 
 of this same noble, who had stolen three of the 
 colonist’s geese, to be hanged on the stable door, 
 not far from his master. Singular, isn’t it? But 
 this seems to please the peasants, Compensat- 
 ing justice,” Aristotle calls it.. And this wonder- 
 ful Vandal hero is said to have paid not less at- 
 tention to philosophy than to spear-casting. 
 
 Belisarius has urgently appealed to Byzantium 
 for the pay long since due the Huns. These are 
 getting troublesome. It is now six months since 
 we left Byzantium — it is December. Storms rage 
 from the desert over Carthage and out upon the 
 gray sea, which has lost its beautiful blue polor, 
 
34 6 the last of the vandals. 
 
 The Huns threaten to leave our service. They 
 excuse their pillaging because the citizens of 
 Carthage and the peasants alike refuse to give 
 credit either to them or to the emperor. They 
 cannot pay, they say, with the money due them, 
 since it remains at Byzantium. To-day a ship 
 came from the imperial city. It brought not a 
 solidus in money, but about thirty tax-collectors 
 and the command to transmit the first taxes from 
 the conquered province. 
 
 If King Gelimer hangs people, so do we. But 
 we hang — Romans, not Vandals. The ill-will 
 towards us is no longer confined to the peasants ; 
 it is brewing here in Carthage under our very 
 eyes. The humbler classes, especially the artisans 
 and small shop-keepers, whom the rule of the bar- 
 barians did not ..press upon so heavily as upon the 
 rich senators, are becoming disaffected. A con- 
 spiracy has been discovered. Gelimer’s army is 
 posted not far from the western, or Numidian, 
 gate. His horsemen ride up by night as far as the 
 walls of the suburb Atlas. The plot was to Jet 
 in the Vandals at night through the unfinished 
 walls of the lower city. Belisarius had Laurus 
 and Victor, two Carthaginian citizens, convicted 
 of taking part in this conspiracy, hanged upon a 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA JVDALS. 347 
 
 hill in front of the Numidian gate. Our general 
 likes to set up his gallows upon a hill. His ad- 
 ministration of justice can be seen from afar, 
 swinging in the wind. But Bellsarius does not 
 dare, while the citizens are in this humor, to leave 
 the city exposed and to lead out the army. At 
 least the walls must be finished first. The citizens 
 are now compelled to work at them night and 
 day; and this displeases them greatly. 
 
 Still no Zaro ! And the Huns are in almost 
 open mutiny. They declare they will not fight 
 in the next battle ; they would get no pay for it 
 anyhow, and they have been enticed here over 
 the sea contrary to the terms of their enlist- 
 ment. Besides, they fear that after the conquest 
 of the Vandals they will be left here as a garrison 
 and will never again see their homes. Belisarius 
 has been looking around for a suitable hill. But 
 he has as yet found none that is big enough. 
 There are too many of the Huns, and we others 
 are — on the whole — too few. Besides, we reckon 
 them among our best soldiers. Consequently, our 
 general, who only yesterday wrot£ out an order 
 for the hanging of their leaders, to-day invited 
 them all to his table. That is the greatest pleas- 
 ure and honor that can be conferred upon them — 
 
348 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS \ 
 
 a less one for us old comrades of Belisarius ! He 
 praised them and proposed their health. Then 
 in a short time they were all drunk and perfectly 
 satisfied. 
 
 They have slept it off, and now again they are 
 more discontented than before — and still thirstier. 
 Wine there is in plenty. But for the last three 
 hours no water. The Vandals have broken down 
 the great aqueduct before the Numidian gate. 
 The Huns can do without water — easily enough ! 
 — but not we, nor the horses, the camels and the 
 Carthaginians. The king, therefore, forces mat- 
 ters to a decision, to a. battle. He cannot reduce 
 the city by a siege, since we command the sea. 
 Nor can he any longer take it by storm, for at last 
 the fortifications are completed in accordance with 
 the plans of Belisarius. He seeks, therefore, a 
 contest in the open field. His comb — or that 
 of his “ dazed army” — must have stiffened wonder- 
 fully since that desponding letter. 
 
 Belisarius has no choice ; early to-morrow he 
 will lead us out against the enemy. He is anxious 
 about the ‘Huns and fears they have some evil 
 design. He has commissioned Fara to keep his 
 eyes sharply upon them. As the fate of the bat- 
 tle vacillates, the Huns will vacillate with it. And 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA NDALS. 349 
 
 we are likely to see in front a fight between 
 Byzantines and Vandals, and in the rear a fight 
 between Herulians and Huns. That might prove 
 interesting! But it is just this anxiety, this 
 charm of danger, that attracts me into Belisarius’s 
 service.. Better a Vandal dart in my head than 
 the philosophy over which I have studied myself 
 sick. — Well, then, to-morrow! 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 On the following day Belisarius, having first 
 once more inspected the new fortifications of 
 Carthage and having decided that they would be 
 sufficient, in case of a reverse, to protect his army 
 and defy a siege, sent forth from the gates against 
 the enemy all the cavalry except five, hundred 
 picked Illyrians. To the Thracian Althias he 
 assigned the select troop of shield-bearers and the 
 imperial standard ; he was not to decline a fight 
 with the Vandal outposts, but rather to bring it 
 on. 
 
 ✓ 
 
 The general himself followed on the next day 
 with the infantry and the five hundred Illyrian 
 cavalry. Only the guards that were indispensable 
 for the gates, towers, and walls remained behind. 
 
 At Tricameron, about seventeen Roman miles 
 
350 THE last of the vandals. 
 
 west of Qirthage, Althias came upon the enemy. 
 The foremost ranks of both parties exchanged a 
 few darts, and returned with the announcement 
 to their respective armies. The Byzantines en- 
 camped where they stood, and not far from them 
 burned the countless watch-fires of the Vandals. 
 Between the two armies ran a small brook. The 
 entire region was flat and unwooded. Only upon 
 the left wing of the Romans, and very close to 
 the brook, a hill of moderate height rose out of 
 the sand. 
 
 Without waiting for the command or the per- 
 mission of Althias, as soon as he heard that the 
 campwould be pitched here and the battle fought 
 on the next day, Aigan, the chief leader of the 
 Huns, sprang forward to the hill. He was fol- 
 lowed at once by the whole swarm of his country- 
 men. Then they sent word to Althias that the 
 Huns would encamp there for the night, and 
 would take their position for the battle in the 
 morning. Althias took care not to forbid what 
 he could not prevent without bloodshed. But the 
 hill commanded the whole region. 
 
 Later in the night the leaders of the Huns con- 
 ferred together upon the summit. 
 
 “No spy about ?” asked Aigan. “This prince 
 of the Heruli does not withdraw from our neigh- 
 borhood. M 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 35 1 
 
 “ I did what you directed. Seventy Huns lie 
 on the watch in a circle around our position. Not 
 even a bird can fly over them unnoticed/’ 
 
 “ What are we to do to-morrow ?” asked the 
 third, leaning on the shoulder of his horse and 
 stroking his shaggy mane. “ I place no further 
 trust in the words of Belisarius. He is deceiving 
 us.” 
 
 “ Belisarius does not deceive us. His master 
 deceives him.” 
 
 “ I saw,” began the second anxiously, “ a singu- 
 lar sign. Just as it grew -completely dark, there 
 flashed forth blue flames from the spear-points of 
 the Romans. What can that signify ?” 
 
 “That signifies victory,” answered the third 
 Hun, considerably agitated. “One of my ances- 
 tors saw it himself — and the story has been handed 
 down from generation to generation— on the 
 night before the fearful battle in Gaul, when the 
 scourge of great Atta was broken.” 
 
 “ Atta in the clouds, great Atta, be propitious 
 to us !” whispered all three, bending low towards 
 the east. 
 
 “ My ancestor stood on guard there, on that 
 dark night, beside the rushing river. On the 
 other side two men rode up, examining the 
 ground, their spears across the shoulder. My 
 
35 2 the last of the va heals. 
 
 ancestor and his companions glided into the tall 
 rushes and drew their bows that never failed. 
 They took good aim.” 
 
 “‘See, ^Etius,” exclaimed one, “your spear is 
 tipped with flame P 
 
 “‘And yours also, king of the Visigoths!’ re- 
 plied the other. 
 
 “Our ancestors looked up, and truly a pale-blue 
 flame was playing around the spear-heads of their- 
 adversaries. Then our people fled in terror, not 
 daring to shoot against those whom the gods 
 were protecting. And on the next day Atta 
 was — ” 
 
 “ Atta, Atta, be not angry with us !” they cried 
 again with trembling voices, as they gazed up at 
 the clouds. 
 
 “ What at that time betokened victory for the 
 Germans and disaster to their foes,” said Aigan, 
 mistrustfully, “ may now again signify the same 
 thing. We will await the issue. To whichever 
 side the victory inclines, we will incline too. For 
 this reason I have selected this hill for our posi- 
 tion. From here we can clearly see the course of 
 the battle. Either straight down across the 
 brook upon the left wing of the Vandals — ” 
 
 “ Or to the right upon the Roman centre — like 
 a whirlwind !* 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , . 353 
 
 “ I should prefer to plunder the Vandal camp. 
 It is said to be full of yellow gold.” 
 
 “ And handsome women.” 
 
 “ But there is still more gold in Carthage than 
 the Vandal king has in his tents.” 
 
 “ The best of it is that the result will probably 
 be decided before the Byzantine lion comes up.” 
 
 “ You are right. I should not like to spur my 
 horse against the flash of his angry eye.” 
 
 “■Patience! Wait quietly. In whichever di- 
 rection I shoot my arrow, thither we will charge. 
 And Atta will hover in the air above his chil- 
 dren !” He took off his thick, black woollen cap, 
 threw it in the air and softly sang : 
 
 “ Atta, Atta, give us booty, 
 
 Booty for thy faithful children— 
 
 Yellow gold and shining silver, 
 
 And the red blood of the vintage. 
 
 And our foemen’s fairest women.” 
 
 All with uncovered heads repeated these words 
 reverently and with deep fervor. Then Aigan put 
 on again his helmet-like cap, and without further 
 parley they separated. 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 In the camp of the Vandals, on the left bank of 
 the brook, the great banner of Geiseric floated 
 
354 the last of the vandals. 
 
 above the royal tent, its folds gently rising and 
 falling in the night-wind. In a somewhat smaller 
 tent, on one side, Gibamund and Hilda sat, hand 
 in hand, upon a couch, the table before them 
 covered with Gibamund’s armor and weapons. 
 The lamp hanging down from above cast a feeble 
 light which was reflected from the bright met&K 
 By the side of these polished arms lay a small 
 black leather case, containing a dagger with a 
 handsome handle of curious workmanship. 
 
 “ It has been hard for me,” said Gibamund^ 
 springing up impatiently, “ to submit to the 
 king's orders and to assume the command to-day 
 in the camp until his return. The anxiety, the 
 suspense, is too great.” 
 
 “ Suppose the Moors should fail us! How 
 many are there, did you say?” 
 
 “ Twelve thousand. They ought to have been 
 here day before yesterday, had they hastened 
 forward, according to agreement, from Bulla. In 
 vain did the king send messenger after messenger 
 to hurry their advance. Finally, full of impa- 
 tience, he went out himself along the Numidian 
 road to meet them. For if the twelve thousand 
 infantry fail us to-morrow — they are to form our 
 entire left wing — then our position here will be 
 untenable. Hark ! that is the horn of the camp- 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 355 
 
 watch ! The king must have returned. I will 
 inquire.” 
 
 But already steps and the clatter of arms were 
 heard approaching. Both Gibamund and Hilda 
 sprang up and hastened to the entrance of the 
 tent. The curtains were thrust aside from without, 
 and before them, his massive helmet on his head, 
 stood— Zaro. 
 
 “ You, brother?” 
 
 “ You back, Zaro ! 9 Oh, now all is well !” 
 
 More earnest, more self-controlled than ever 
 before, but manly and undaunted, the strong man 
 stood between the two, clasped them both to his 
 breast, and pressed their hands. It was a joy, a 
 comfort to them simply to look at this loyal, stead- 
 fast brother. 
 
 “ Not all is well, dear sister-ki-law,” he replied 
 solemnly. “ Ah, Ammata ! And that whole day 
 at Decimum ! I do not understand it,” he said, 
 with a shake of his head ; “ but much can yet be 
 remedied.” 
 
 “How is it that you come so unexpectedly? 
 Have you seen Gelimer?” 
 
 “ He will be here soon. He promised me. He 
 - — is praying in his tent — with Verus.” 
 
 “You come from — ” 
 
 “ Sardinia — by the shortest course. A letter of 
 
356 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS , 
 
 the king forwarded by Verus, summoning me to 
 a swift return and warning me not to land at Car- 
 thage, miscarried. But a second letter, sent by my 
 brother himself, reached me with the full disastrous 
 news. I landed at the place appointed, and pro- 
 ceeded to Bulla to take command of the Moorish 
 mercenaries and lead them here. I arrived at 
 Bulla and found — ” He stamped with his foot 
 angrily upon the ground. \ 
 
 “ Well, what ?” 
 
 “ An empty camp.” 
 
 “The Moors, then, were already on the way* 
 hither ?” 
 
 “ They had dispersed. The whole twelve thou- 
 sand had returned into the desert.” 
 
 “ What?” 
 
 “ The traitors !” 
 
 “ No, not traitors. They sent back the money 
 which the king had paid them. Cabaon, their 
 oracular chief, has warned them, has forbidden 
 them to take part in this contest. All followed 
 his advice except a few hundred people from the 
 Pappuan Mountains — ” 
 
 “ The guest-rite has been exchanged between 
 them and Gelimer, and in fact the whole Asding 
 line.” 
 
 “ These followed us, led by their chief Sersaon.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 357 
 
 “ That overthrows the king’s entirS plan of bat- 
 tle for to-morrow.’' 
 
 u Well,’- said Zaro, quietly, “ in place of the 
 Moors' he unexpectedly has been joined by the 
 troops under my command — not the whole five 
 thousand, but — ” 
 
 “ But with you at their head,” cried Giba- 
 mund. 
 
 “ On the Numidian road he met, first, my mes- 
 sengers sent in advance, then my little army and 
 myself. What a mournful meeting ! How I had 
 rejoiced over my victory ! But now ! Gelimer’s 
 tears flowed fast as he lay on my breast. And I my- 
 self — OAmmata! But no! Now it is necessary 
 to be strong and calm and courageous, yes, stern ; 
 for this king is much too soft-hearted.” 
 
 “ Yet,” observed Gibamund, “ he has recovered 
 from the defeat at Decimum. At the time he 
 seemed utterly crushed.” 
 
 “ Yes,” muttered Hilda, “ more than is permitted 
 to a man.” 
 
 “I loved Ammata not less than he,” said Zaro 
 with quivering lips ; “ but to let slip from his hands 
 the assured victory, merely to lament for the boy, 
 to bury him — ” 
 
 “ That you would not have done, my Zaro,” 
 said a gentle voice. Gelimer had entered. He 
 
35 ^ THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 spoke the words in a quiet tone, while the others 
 turned round in embarrassment. “ Your censure 
 is deserved,” he continued. “But I saw in his 
 death — he was the first Vandal who fell in this 
 war — a judgment of God. If the most innocent 
 of us must perish, surely the punishment of God 
 rests upon us all for the sins of our fathers.” 
 
 Zaro shook his head indignantly and brought 
 his helmet down with aloud clang upon the table. 
 “ Brother, brother, this morbid and fatal delusion 
 can destroy you and all your people. I am not 
 learned enough to argue with you, but I, too, am 
 a Christian, a sincere one — no heathen, like our 
 beautiful Hilda here; and I say to you — No, let 
 me finish. How that fearful word of God, 4 ven- 
 geance/ is to be interpreted I know not, nor does 
 it trouble me much; but this I do know: if our 
 kingdom is to fall, it will fall, not on account of 
 the sins of our ancestors, but by reason of our own 
 errors. The sins of our fathers avenge themselves 
 of course ; vice and disease are inherited. Grown 
 effeminate themselves, they have begotten a de- 
 generate race, they have handed down their desire 
 for pleasure, and nourished it in their children. 
 And in other ways/ also, the iniquities of our 
 parents are avenged on 11s, but without the inter- 
 position of the saints. That the Catholics, per- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 359 
 
 secuted for so many decades, turn to the emperor ; 
 that the Ostrogoths help our enemies instead of 
 us, — -these truly are punishments for the misdeeds 
 of our forefathers. But for these things God is not 
 called upon to perform miracles: it would need a 
 miracle to prevent them. And Ammata — was he 
 blameless? In disobedience to your express com- 
 mand, he rushed into battle with foolhardy eager- 
 ness. And Thrasaric ? Instead, conformably to a 
 general's duty, of abandoning the unruly boy to 
 his fate and not attacking until Gibamund had 
 reached the position assigned him, he followed the 
 dictates of his own heart, and sought to save the 
 one you so passionately loved. And—” He hesi- 
 tated. 
 
 “ And the king,” continued Gelimer, “ instead of 
 doing his duty, broke down at the sight of the 
 dead boy. But just ther.e falls the curse, the ven- 
 geance of the Lord.” 
 
 “ By no means,” replied Zaro. “ That also is 
 no miracle. That also follows from the fact that 
 you yourself, O brother — I have said it before — no 
 longer are a genuine Vandal. You are sunk, not 
 like the people, in vice, but in morbid subtleties. 
 And this, too, is a consequence af the evil-doing 
 of our fathers; for had you not, when a boy, wit- 
 nessed that horrible persecution — But it does 
 
360 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 not help us to inquire how the past wreaks punish- 
 ment for its guilt upon the present ; it is neces- 
 sary to-day, to-morrow, and at all times, to do 
 one’s duty steadfastly, faithfully, and without un- 
 healthy brooding. Then either we shall conquer 
 — and that will be well, — or we shall fall as brave 
 men — and that will not be wholly an evil. We 
 can do no more than the duty required of us. 
 The gracious Lord in heaven will deal with our 
 souls in His wisdom and mercy. I do not fear 
 for mine, if I should fall in battle for my country.” 
 “ Oh,” cried Hilda, joyously, “ that has done 
 us good ! That was like the fresh north wind that 
 drives away the sultry clouds.” 
 
 Sorrowfully, but without reproach, Gelimer re- 
 plied : “ Yes, the healthy man cannot comprehend 
 why the sick do not stir about and make merry. 
 I cannot help it. I must 1 brood over subtleties,’ 
 as you term it. Yet,” he added, with a melan- 
 choly smile, “ sometimes I brood the matter out. 
 Sometimes, in my own way, I break through the 
 clouds. So I have now again in fervent prayer 
 found my way to my old, strong consolation. 
 Only Verus, my confessor, knows about these at- 
 tacks, and for what reason I succeed in overcom- 
 ing them. The right is on my side. I am not a 
 usurper, as the emperor abusively calls me. The 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 36 1 
 
 murderous Hilderic was justly deposed. No 
 guilt in his case attaches itself to me ; I did him 
 injustice, and the emperor has no wrong to 
 avenge. That is my hold, my support, and my 
 staff. — Ah, Verus, one never hears you enter.” 
 With hostile glances Zaro surveyed the priest. 
 
 “ I come to take you away, O king. There are 
 still many written orders to be prepared. I must 
 also remind you about the prisoners — ” 
 
 “ Ah, yes ! Hear me, Zaro ; grant at length the 
 consent I have long entreated from you. Permit 
 me to set free Hilderic and Euages — ” 
 
 “ By no means !” cried Zaro, pacing with long 
 strides the narrow tent. “ By no means ! Least 
 of all on the night before the decisive battle. 
 Shall Belisarius place Hilderic again upon the 
 throne of Carthage, after we have fallen? Or 
 shall he, after we have conquered, be kept con- 
 tinually in Byzantium, a living pretext for another 
 attack upon us? Off with the heads of the mur- 
 derers ! Where are they ?” 
 
 “ Here in the camp and well guarded.” 
 
 “ And the hostages?” 
 
 “ Together with the son of Pudentius, they 
 were confined in Decimum,” answered Verus. 
 “ After our defeat they were set free by the 
 victors.” 
 
362 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ That might be repeated to-morrow/' said 
 Zaro, excitedly. “ The enemy might easily, in the 
 tumult of battle* penetrate temporarily into this 
 open camp. I demand, king — ” 
 
 “ Let it be so/' interrupted Gelimer. And turn- 
 ing to Verus, he gave the order: u Let Hilderic 
 and Euages be removed — ” 
 
 “ Whither?” 
 
 “To a secure place where no Byzantine can set 
 them free.” 
 
 Verus boWed and hastily withdrew. 
 
 “ I will follow you,” the king called after him. 
 “ Do not be too bitter against me in your hearts,” 
 he said in gentle tones, turning to the other three, 
 “ you who are sound in soul. I am like a tree that 
 has been cleft by lightning. But to-morrow,” he 
 added with a changed voice, “ to-morrow I think 
 you will be contented with me. Even you, exact- 
 ing Hilda! Lend me your harp. You will not 
 repent it.” 
 
 Hilda brought it from a corner of the tent. 
 “ Here. But you know,” she said, smiling, “ its 
 strings would break if they should be used to ac- 
 company Latin verses designed for — penitential 
 hymns.” 
 
 “ They will not break. Sleep well !” And the 
 king withdrew from the tent. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 363 
 
 “ This harp, made wholly of dark wood,” said 
 Zaro, “ I think I have seen before in other 
 hands. But where ? In Ravenna, was it not?” 
 
 Hilda nodded. “ My friend Teia, my instructor 
 on the harp and in the use of weapons, presented 
 it to me as a marriage-gift. And he has not for- 
 gotten- me, noble, faithful friend! In my happi- 
 ness he never communicated with me. But 
 now — ” 
 
 “ Well ?” asked Zaro. 
 
 “ As soon as the first news of our disaster 
 at Decimum reached Ravenna,” Gibamund ex- 
 plained, “ it was reported that I — doubtless I was 
 confounded with Ammata — had fallen, certain 
 valiant men of the Ostrogoths — the old master- 
 of-arms Hildebrand, Teia, and several others 
 wanted to come with a force of volunteers to our 
 assistance. The queen-regent absolutely forbade 
 it. Then Teia sent my widow, as he believed her 
 to be, this beautiful dagger of dark bronze.” 
 
 “ That is rare workmanship,” said Zaro, drawing 
 the blade and examining it. “ What a noble 
 weapon !” 
 
 “ He forged it himself!” exclaimed Hilda, eager- 
 ly. “ See, here is the monogram of his house on 
 the handle.” 
 
 *‘And on the blade an adage, engraved in 
 
364 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 runes/' said Zaro, taking it close to the light of 
 the lamp. “ ‘ The dead are free.’ Hm ! not over- 
 cheerful consolation ; still not too grave for Hilda. 
 Preserve this.” 
 
 “ Yes,” replied Hilda, calmly, “ the dagger in my 
 girdle, and the adage in my mind.” 
 
 “ But, Hilda, not too soon !” said Zaro, warning- 
 ly, as he left the tent. 
 
 “ Have no fears,” she answered, throwing her 
 arms around her husband. “ It will be the 
 widow’s comfort and her weapon.” * 
 
 XXXVII, 
 
 The next day at sunrise a protracted blast of 
 horns awoke the sleeping camp of the Vandals. 
 
 Concealed from the eyes of the Romans by the 
 outermost row's of tents, the barbarian army was 
 marshalled within its own camp. On the evening 
 before, written orders had been issued to the 
 several leaders, assigning each his position. These 
 orders were now executed without difficulty, and 
 the people were instructed to take their break- 
 fast of bread and wine where they stood. 
 
 The camp was very long, but narrow, following 
 the course of the little brook. Besides the soldiers, 
 there were in it many thousands of women, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 365 
 
 children, and old men, who had fled from Car- 
 thage and other districts occupied or threatened 
 by the enemy. 
 
 Another blast of horns summoned the sub-com- 
 manders and the leaders of a thousand to the 
 • midst of the camp, where, in a large and vacant 
 space, they found the king and his two brothers 
 on horseback. Beside them, leaning on the 
 shoulder of her noble black steed, stood Hilda, 
 with the shaft of an enwrapped spear in her hand. 
 There too, mounted and in full priest’s attire, was 
 Verus. Besides the leaders there came also the 
 soldiers with whom Zaro had reconquered Sar- 
 dinia. 
 
 Still another blast of the horns rang through 
 the streets of the camp. Then, amid enthusiastic 
 shouts, Zaro rode a few steps forward and spoke, 
 in a voice that was loud, clear, and resolute: 
 
 “ Hear me, army of the Vandals ! We fight 
 to-day, not for victory — we fight for all that we 
 have, the kingdom of Geiseric and its glory, your 
 wives and children in yonder tents, who, if we 
 succumb, are slaves. To-day it behooves us to 
 look the enemy and to look death straight in the 
 face. The king has commanded that this battle 
 shall be fought by the Vandals with the sword 
 alone — not with bows and arrows, not with jave- 
 lins and spears. Here I cast my spear from me. 
 
366 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Do likewise, and with sword in hand fight the 
 enemy at close quarters.” 
 
 He let his lance drop, and all his troopers did 
 the same. “ Only one spear,” he continued, “ will 
 be carried to-day in the Vandal army — this!” 
 Hilda stepped forward ; he took the pole from 
 her hand, tore the wrapping off, and swung above 
 his head a great, waving, blood-red banner. 
 
 “ Geiseric’s banner! Geiseric’s Victorious dra- 
 gon !” shouted thousands of voices. 
 
 “ Follow this banner wheresoever it calls you. 
 Let it never come into the enemy’s hands ! Swear 
 to follow it until death.” 
 
 “ We will follow it until death !” 
 
 “ Good ! I have faith in you, Vandals. Now 
 hearken to your king. You know he has a special 
 talent for the harp and for song. He has arranged 
 with masterly skill our order of battle ; he has 
 also composed the battle-song, that shall carry 
 you forward and encourage you in the fight.” 
 Gelimer threw back his long purple mantle, 
 took up Hilda’s cfark triangular harp, and sang to 
 the music of its melodious strings: 
 
 “ Forward now, Vandals, 
 
 Forward to battle ! 
 
 Follow the banner, 
 
 The glory-crowned banner 
 That leads us to victory t 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 367 
 
 “ Charge on the foemen ! 
 
 With breasts to their breastplates 
 Fight them and hurl them 
 Down in the conflict ! 
 
 “ Keep ever sacred, 
 
 Brave men of the Vandals, 
 
 The kingdom and glory 
 Our forefathers left us ! 
 
 “ Vengeance is arming 
 On high in the heavens. 
 
 And the right will prevail. 
 
 God gives the victory 
 To the just cause !” 
 
 “ God gives the victory to the just cause!** re- 
 peatedly enthusiastically the Vandal warriors, as 
 they separated and poured forth into the streets 
 of the camp. 
 
 The king and his brothers now dismounted, to 
 hold a last brief council and to refresh themselves 
 with the wine which Hilda offered them. 
 
 Just as Gelimer handed the harp back to Hilda 
 there pressed forward through the dispersing 
 throng of soldiers a man of strange and striking 
 appearance. 
 
 The king and his brothers gazed in astonish- 
 ment on a tall figure, enveloped from the head to 
 the ankles in a robe of camel’s hair, which was 
 
36B THE LAST OF THE VA NEALS. 
 
 held together around the loins, not by a rope, but 
 by a girdle formed from braids of beautiful gold- 
 en-brown hair. No sandals protected his naked 
 feet, no covering his closely-shorn head. His 
 cheeks were sunken, and from their deep cavities 
 looked forth a pair of fiery eyes. He threw him- 
 self at the feet of the king and lifted his hands 
 imploringly. 
 
 “ By Heaven! I know you, man,” spoke Geli- 
 mer. 
 
 “ Yes ; that is — ” began Gibamund. 
 
 “ Thrasabad, Thrasaric’s brother,” said Zaro. 
 
 “The one who disappeared — the one so long 
 supposed dead ?” asked Hilda, coming nearer. 
 
 “Yes, Thrasabad,” a hollow voice replied — 
 “ unhappy Thrasabad ! I am a murderer — her 
 murderer ! King, sentence me.” 
 
 Gelimer bent forward, took him by the right 
 hand and raised him from the ground. “ Not the 
 murderer of the poor Greek! I heard the story 
 from your brother.” 
 
 “ Just the same ! Her blood lies on my soul. I 
 felt that the moment I saw it gush forth. I placed 
 my poor victim upon a horse and galloped away 
 with her — away from the eyes of men ! On — ever 
 on into the desert — until the horse sank down ex- 
 hausted. Then with these hands — not far from 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 369 
 
 here— I buried her in a sand-ravine. Her beauti- 
 ful hair I cut off — how often had I stroked and 
 caressed it ! And ever since I have been mourn- 
 ing and praying beside her grave. Pious monks of 
 the desert found me there at my vigils, fasting and 
 nearly dead. I confessed to them my heavy guilt. 
 And they promised me God's forgiveness if, as one 
 of their number, I would make atonement from 
 that time on by repentance and prayer at her grave. 
 I promised. Then they gave me the dress of their 
 order, — I fastened it together with Glauca’s hair, 
 that I might be constantly reminded of my guilt, — 
 and brought my food for me into the lonely ravine. 
 But when I learned of the day at Decimum and 
 my brother’s death, when the conflict drew nearer 
 and nearer to this place, when both you and the 
 enemy pitched your camps here, close beside my 
 hiding-place, since — for the last two days — I have 
 heard the war-horns of my people, I no longer 
 find peace in solitary prayers. I had once some 
 skill with the sword. My whole heart longed to 
 follow the blast of the battle-horn once more — for 
 the last time! Ah, I did not dare — I know I am 
 not worthy of it ! But last night she appeared to 
 me in my dreams, her human beauty spiritualized 
 into an angel’s radiant glory, with no trace of 
 earthliness about her. And she spoke : ‘ Go now 
 
37<3 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 to your brothers-in-arms, ask for a sword, and 
 fight and fall for your people — that is the best 
 atonement.' Oh, believe me, my king! I do not 
 falsely use the name of this sainted being. If you: 
 can pardon me, for her sake — oh, let me — ” 
 
 Here Zaro stepped forward, took the sword of 
 one of his followers from its sheath, and handed 
 it to the monk. 
 
 “ Here, Thrasabad, Thrasamer's son, I take it 
 upon me for the king. Do you see? He has al- 
 ready nodded assent. Take this sword and follow 
 me to the battle. You will not, I think, need its * 
 sheath again. — Now, King Gelimer, let the horns 
 sound, and forward against the foe!" 
 
 XXXVIII. 
 
 The king, with the keen eye of a general, liad^ 
 perceived that the decisive struggle must take 
 place in the centre of the two armies, where, 
 southwestwardly to the left and northeasterly to 
 the right, rose the slight elevations on which the 
 camps were pitched. 
 
 Besides, it had been announced by deserters 
 from the Huns that this mercenary contingent 
 would either take no part in the battle or, at least, 
 would be lukewarm. Consequently Gelimer an- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 371 
 
 ticipated no danger to his left from the right wing 
 of the Romans. 
 
 His right flank he drew back for some distance, 
 so that the enemy would be compelled to make 
 a long iparch before they could reach it — long 
 enough, perhaps, for the issue to be decided favor- 
 ably in the centre, and the desertion and aid of 
 the JH.uns thereby secured. 
 
 In the centre, therefore, the king placed the best 
 troops of his army, almost all cavalry, with a very 
 few foot-soldiers. Here under their general's com- 
 mand were the nearly five thousand veteran sol- 
 diers of Zaro ; here also Gibamund was stationed 
 with his devoted following of about two hundred 
 men ; here were the two Gundings with their nu- 
 merous kinsmen, wearing the boar-helm and bear- 
 ing, like their chiefs, boar-emblazoned shields ; 
 here was the king himself, in the third division, 
 with a strong force of cavalry, to which he had 
 added the few faithful Moors from the Pappuan 
 Mountains, under their chief Sersaon. The com- 
 mand of the wings he had entrusted to two other 
 nobles. Gelimer himself, before the beginning of 
 the contest, rode along the lines, inspecting and 
 encouraging the soldiers. 
 
 The battle began, as the king had planned, 
 with a complete surprise of the enemy. 
 
37 2 the last of the vandals . 
 
 While the Byzantines were busy with the prep- 
 aration of their morning meal, the king led his 
 centre from behind the sheltering rows of tents 
 to the left bank of the brook. This stream is in 
 itself of so little importance that the people of 
 the vicinity give it no special name, although it 
 never runs dry. The bank occupied by the Van- 
 dals was the higher of the two. 
 
 Belisarius had not yet come up, and his 'sur- 
 prised lieutenants arranged their troops as well as 
 the shortness of time admitted, each division just 
 where it stood or was encamped. The Huns 
 held the right wing of the Romans, occupying 
 the hill, from which they did not move. Close 
 to them, in conformity to the secret orders, 
 Fara and the Herulians took their station, care- 
 fully watching their suspected allies. Next to 
 these were posted, in the centre, Althias the 
 Thracian, and Johannes the Armenian, with the 
 troops of their own nationalities and also the 
 shield-bearers and lancers of Belisarius’s body- 
 guard/ Here also was the imperial standard, the 
 “vexillum prsetorium/ the field-banner of Beli- 
 sarius. 
 
 The other auxiliaries formed the left wing of 
 the Romans, for the Byzantines also saw that the 
 decisive contest would take place between the 
 centres of the two armies. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 373 
 
 As Gibamund rode forward on a white horse 
 at the head of his followers, Hilda, mounted on 
 her superb black stallion, accompanied him. 
 
 At her husband’s wish she had protected her 
 head by a light steel casque, above which waved 
 the wings of the white falcon. From under this 
 her light yellow hair streamed down freely upon 
 her neck and over her white mantle. Gibamund 
 had pressed upon her also a light, brightly sil- 
 vered shield. Her white undergarment was girt 
 with the black belt that held Teia’s dagger, but 
 she had declined to wear a breastplate on account 
 of its weight. “ You will not let me fight with 
 you, you know, nor ride by your side,” she la- 
 mented. 
 
 “ Stop here, my love,” commanded Gibamund, 
 as the arrows of the Byzantines began to fall 
 among the Vandals. “Not a step further! Not 
 within range of the arrows ! Wait here, upon 
 this little elevation. I leave you ten of my men 
 as a guard. From this spot you will have an 
 excellent view. Watch the white heron’s wings 
 on my helmet and the dragon-banner. I follow 
 that.” 
 
 A pressure of the hand, and Gibamund rode 
 on. Hilda reined in her horse ; she was very 
 pale, 
 
374 the last of the vandals. 
 
 The first encounter took place almost immedi- 
 ately. Johannes the Armenian, one of the best 
 of the captains of Belisarius, pushed forward with 
 his countrymen across the brook, the water of 
 which came up only to their knees, and began 
 ascending the bank occupied by the Vandals. 
 
 He was beaten back at once. Zaro hurled his 
 first division upon him with the force with which 
 a bird of prey strikes its victim. The Romans 
 were driven headlong down the half-climbed hill 
 into the middle of the brook, whose waters were 
 soon colored red with blood, and finally back to 
 the other shore. 
 
 From where she stood, Hilda saw the whole 
 scene distinctly. “ Oh, at last, at last,” she cried, 
 “a breath of victory !” 
 
 Zaro did not follow farther, but prudently led 
 his men back to the left bank of the stream. 
 “ First let us utilize once more our position on the 1 
 hill and drive them down here *again,” he said 
 with a laugh. 
 
 In their flight the Armenians had borne along 
 with them their valiant leader, who had received 
 a wound in the arm from Zaro’s sword. Turning 
 to Marcellus, the commander of the body-guard, 
 he said grimly : “ The devil has taken possession 
 of these cowards of Decimum, That they fight 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 375 
 
 only with their swdrds confuses my lancers. The 
 barbarians dash our long spears to the right, 
 rush up to our men and stab them with the 
 sword. And this fellow with the buffalo-helm 
 thrusts with the strength of a wild bull. Give 
 me your shield-bearers. I will try it once more.” 
 With the shield-bearers, led by Martinus, the 
 Armenian repeated the attack. Not an arrow, 
 not a javelin met his advancing troops, but as 
 soon as they began to climb the little hill on the 
 Vandal bank, the Germans charged again with 
 drawn swords. Martinus fell by Gibarhund’s 
 hand. Upon this the shield-bearers turned and 
 fled. The Armenians hesitated, wavered, fell for 
 an instant into confusion, then they also fled, 
 pursued by the Vandals. 
 
 “ Charge on the foemen ! 
 
 Fight them, and hurl them 
 Down in the conflict!” 
 
 rang out the battle-song triumphantly along 
 Zaro’s lines. But the latter once more led the 
 Vandals back to the left bank. “ They must re- 
 peatedly see the backs of the dreaded Byzantines, 
 before they will gain courage to defeat them 
 utterly,” he said to Gibamund, who urged him to 
 pursue. “ And — but where is Belisarius?” 
 
 It was just at this moment that the Byzantine 
 
3 76 # THE LAST OF THE VANDAL £ 
 
 general arrived on the field of battle, with his five 
 Hundred horsemen, and witnessed the repulse 
 and flight of his cavalry. 
 
 When he learned that this was the second un- 
 successful assault, he commanded all his body- 
 guard, men trained equally well to fight on foot 
 or on horseback, to dismount and advance on 
 foot, together with the Thracians under Althias, 
 to a third attack. They were to bear with them 
 his own banner, the “ standard of the general/' 
 
 It was a striking spectacle, and to the Vandals 
 a threatening one. The trumpets of the Romans 
 sounded a salutation to the general’s banner. 
 Like a moving wall of steel the Byzantines ad- 
 vanced in close array, with their long lances lev- 
 elled. Zaro saw that his followers were startled. 
 “ Now forward ! Across the brook ! Charge !” 
 He sprang on in advance. But he soon noticed 
 that very few, except the Gundings and their 
 boar-helms, were following him. 
 
 “ Forward !” he commanded again, but still the 
 Vandals hesitated. They felt that the rush down 
 from the hill had rendered their success easier; 
 they did not wish to abandon this advantageous 
 position ; and, besides, they had seen in the dis- 
 tance Belisarius. Meantime the formidable array 
 of spearmen was steadily advancing. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 377 
 
 “ If we, too, only had our spears !” were the 
 words Zaro heard anxiously uttered behind him. 
 -The Byzantines had already reached the brook, 
 they were wading the narrow stream, and still the 
 Vandals on the hill did not obey the order to 
 attack. 
 
 “ You will not ?” cried the angry Zaro. “ Oh, 
 but you SHALL !” 
 
 With these words he snatched from the hands 
 of the horseman at his side the dragon-banner of 
 Geiseric, and with the cry, “ Regain your banner 
 and your honor!” hurled it with all his might 
 across the brook, right into the ranks of the 
 Byzantines. 
 
 A Thracian picked up the banner and started 
 to carry it to Belisarius. 
 
 But he did not get far. 
 
 For when they saw the most valued treasure of 
 their kingdom in the hands of the enemy, all the 
 Vandals, on horse and on foot, dashed down the 
 hill, rushed into the brook, and fell upon the 
 Byzantines. 
 
 Then there sprang forward from Zaro’s side a 
 strange figure, mounted, upon a powerful horse. 
 It was a monk, clad in a gray mantle, without 
 helmet, shield, or coat-of-mail, but with a flashing 
 sword in his hand. He broke his way through 
 
378 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 the hostile horsemen, reached the bearer of the 
 red banner, wrested it from his hand, and with a 
 single stroke of his sword laid him dead at his 
 feet. The fallen man was Valerianus, the com- 
 mander of the mounted lancers. 
 
 The victor swung -on high the regained banner., 
 but a moment after fell from his horse, pierced at 
 once by five javelins. 
 
 But from the hands of the dying man Gundo- 
 bad, the Gunding, took the banner. “ This way * 
 Mass here, men of the Gundings !” he cried. 
 44 This way, you boars, and show your tusks!” 
 
 And, even while he spoke, his brother reached 
 his side, followed by the whole band of the boar- 
 helms. For the moment, at least, the banner and 
 its bearer were rescued. 
 
 The nearest lines of the enemy wavered and 
 began to fall back. 
 
 44 Victory!” shouted the Vandals, and, pressing 
 boldly forward, they sang : 
 
 “ Charge on the foemen ! 
 
 Follow the banner, 
 
 The glory-crowned banner, 
 
 That leads us to victory !” 
 
 And with their sword-blades they struck upon 
 their shields a ringing accompaniment. 
 
 44 Victory !” cried the exulting Hilda, as she 
 gazed down upon the glorious scene. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. $?9 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 BELISARIUS also saw the critical situation of 
 affairs. 
 
 “ Hasten/’ he cried to Procopius, “ hasten to 
 Fara and the Heruli. Let them wheel to the left 
 and capture that red rag.” 
 
 “And the Huns?” Procopius asked. “Look! 
 They are riding slowing forward ; but not towards 
 the west, not against the Vandals — ” 
 
 “ Obey ! A bloody end must be put to this wild 
 dance around the red banner. If the fighting 
 furore of their Teutonic blood is once really 
 aroused, it is all over with us. In case of neces- 
 sity, my countenance alone will hold the Huns in 
 check.” 
 
 Procopius drove the spurs into his horse and 
 dashed away to the right. 
 
 Mean while the dragon-banner had again 
 changed its bearer. Innumerable arrows and 
 darts were aimed at it from all sides. Gundobad’s 
 horse fell, and its rider did not rise again. 
 
 But from his hand his brother Gundomar caught 
 the banner and thrust the spear-point on its shaft 
 into the throat of Cyprianus, the second leader of 
 the Thracians, who had cleft with his battle-axe 
 the boar-helm and head of Gundobad, as the lat- 
 
380 THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 
 
 ter was about to spring up from his dead horse. 
 Hilda had seen the red banner disappear for a 
 moment. In her anxiety she gave her horse a 
 gentle blow with her hand, and the fiery creature 
 darted swiftly forward. Not until she reached the 
 brook did it occur to her to draw rein. A few 
 moments later the soldiers of her guard joined 
 her at the newly selected place of observation. 
 
 Althias the Thracian had now reached the sec- 
 ond Gunding. The fight was unequal, almost 
 necessarily fatal to every banner-bearer. The left 
 hand, which held the reins and carried the heavy 
 banner, could not manage the shield, while the 
 weight itself materially impaired the power of the 
 right arm for defence. After a short battle Gun- 
 domar fell from his horse, pierced by the Thra- 
 cian’s spear. 
 
 But in an instant Gibamund was on the spot, 
 and close behind him Zaro. When the latter saw 
 the banner safe in his brother’s hands, he cried . 
 “ Belisarius also has a banner !” 
 
 And swiftly darting to the left, he scattered 
 with a furious charge of his horse a whole line of 
 Thracians, reached the guardsman of Belisarius 
 who carried the gold-embroidered imperial stan- 
 dard, and with a sweeping stroke of his sword cut 
 right through the front of the man’s helmet. 
 
 The Roman standard fell, while Gibamund, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 38 1 
 
 surrounded and strongly covered by his followers, 
 waved on high again the red dragon-banner. 
 
 Hilda saw it distinctly. Involuntarily she fol- 
 lowed the movement forward, to victory. Her 
 black horse, obedient to her lightest indication, 
 bore her across the brook, whose water scarcely 
 touched the border of her long white robe. She 
 was across ; she was following the victory ! Be- 
 fore her, somewhat to her left, she saw Gelimer 
 and his cavalry- — for the whole centre of the Van- 
 dals was now in full advance. 
 
 It was the zenith of Vandal success, and also 
 the turning-point of the battle. 
 
 Again Althias endeavofed to force his way 
 through the throng, and at length succeeded in 
 reaching Gibamund. Scarcely, however, had a 
 couple of blows been exchanged between them, 
 when there came from the left to the Thracian’s 
 ear a wild cry of lamentation. He turned and 
 saw his general’s standard fall. 
 
 It was the second time, for Zaro had slain the 
 second man who bore it. Already the victor was 
 stretching out his hand to seize the pole of the 
 banner, which no third Byzantine showed a dispo- 
 sition to take up, when suddenly there came from 
 the right, close at hand, the sound of German 
 horns. It was the Heruli, who, assailing the Van- 
 
382 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS.' 
 
 dais on the flank, had broken through their ranks 
 and were charging straight against Zaro, 
 
 A well-aimed javelin, hurled by Fara’s hand, 
 carried away the buffalo-helmet from the head of 
 the Vandal leader ; he could give no further 
 attention to Belisarius’s banner, but was forced to 
 think of his own safety. Half turning round, he* 
 cried : 
 
 “ Now to our help, King Gelimer!” 
 
 “ Here I am, brother,” was the answer. For 
 the king was already close to the spot. 
 
 Slowly following the advance of his brothers, 
 he had led his Vandals and Moors steadily nearer, 
 until he perceived the new attack of the enemy 
 and the moment of danger. * 
 
 “ Forward ! Rescue Zaro !” he shouted, and 
 dashed fiercely at the head of his followers against 
 the Heruli. A man sprang forward, seized with 
 his left hand the bridle of the king’s' horse and 
 aimed a javelin with his right ; but before the 
 spear could fly, Gelimer’s sword had pierced the 
 Herulian’s throat. 
 
 Hilda saw it ; for constantly nearer and nearer 
 she rode up to the battle, as if irresistibly attracted 
 by the clash of arms. 
 
 At this moment she saw Verus, in his full ec- 
 clesiastical garb, dash past her towards the king. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 383 
 
 It was by no means easy for him to force his way 
 through the ranks of the Moors and Vandals. 
 
 A second, a third spearman was stretched on 
 the ground by Gelimer’s sword. He was now 
 close to Zaro, and the force of his Vandals’ onset 
 fell full upon the Heruli. These did not yield, 
 but, on the other hand, they were able to gain no 
 further ground. Like tw r o wrestlers who, locked 
 arm in arm, measure against each other an equal 
 strength, neither able to force the other from his 
 position, the opposing squadrons pressed to- 
 gether in a desperate, unyielding struggle. 
 
 “Why is our infantry not here?” Belisarius 
 asked, anxiously looking towards the distant 
 hills, through which the Numidian road stretched 
 away towards Carthage. 
 
 “ I have already sent three messengers to them,” 
 replied Procopius. 
 
 “ There ! The Thracians are giving way. The 
 Armenians are wavering. The Heruli are hard 
 pressed by superior numbers. Forw r ard, Illyrians, 
 and save me this battle ! Belisarius himself will 
 lead you !” 
 
 And with a loud peal of the trumpets, at the 
 head of his five hundred chosen Illyrians, the 
 general charged down the hill to the assistance of 
 the Heruli. 
 
384 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Gelimer heard the sound, saw the coming onset, 
 and beckoned to some fresh squadrons to advance 
 from his reserve. “ Yonder!” he called to them, 
 pointing with his sword. “ And strike up again 
 the battle-song : • 
 
 “ ‘ Vengeance is arming 
 On high in the heavens, 
 
 And the right will prevail.’ 
 
 “You, Verus, here? What is it? Your face 
 is — ” 
 
 “ O king !” cried the priest. “ What a bloody 
 crime !” 
 
 “ What has happened?” 
 
 “ The officer I sent to take charge of the pris- 
 oners — a freedman of mine — misunderstood your 
 words, ‘ be removed where none can set them 
 free/ ” 
 
 “Well?” 
 
 “ He has — he just announced it to me— and es- 
 caped when he perceived my anger.” 
 
 “ Well, what ?” 
 
 “ He has put to death Hilderic and Euages.” 
 
 “ Almighty God !” exclaimed the king, turning 
 pale. “ I did not desire that.” 
 
 “ But still more — ” continued Verus. 
 
 “ Help, Gelimer!” came the voice of Zaro from 
 the thickest of the fight. Belisarius and the Illy- 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 385 
 
 rians had reached him. Gibamund was at his 
 side. 
 
 Gelimer also spurred forward his horse. But 
 Verus seized the bridle and cried : “ The letter ! 
 The warning to Hilderic! I have found the 
 letter, stuck fast between two of the drawers. 
 Here it is. Hilderic did not lie. He wished 
 merely to protect himself against you. Although 
 innocent, he has been deposed, imprisoned, and 
 executed. ” 
 
 * 
 
 For a moment Gelimer stared, speechless with 
 horror, into the stony face: he seemed stunned. 
 Then there sounded in his ears the battle-song of 
 his soldiers : 
 
 -‘Vengeance is arming 
 On high in the heavens, 
 
 And the right will prevail.” 
 
 “ Oh, woe, woe ! I am a criminal, a murderer !” 
 lamented the king in a loud voice. The sword 
 fell from his grasp, and he covered his face with 
 his hands. Then a fearful spasm seized him, and 
 he seemed about to fall from his saddle. Verus, 
 however, supported him, whirled the king’s horse 
 around, so that its back was towards the enemy, 
 and with all his might struck it a blow on the 
 flank. With a bound it darted off. Sersaon and 
 JVLarkomer, the captain of the royal cavalry-guard. 
 
386 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 one on each side, held in his seat the reeling 
 rider. 
 
 “ Help! help! I shall be overpowered, brother 
 Gelimer !” called out again, more urgently, de- 
 spairingly, the voice of Zaro. 
 
 But his words were drowned by the wild, dis- 
 orderly shouts that burst from the Vandals : 
 “ Flee ! Flee ! The king himself has fled. Flee ! 
 Save the women and children !” 
 
 And by hundreds they turned their horses about 
 and galloped off, across the brook, towards the 
 camp. 
 
 Then Hilda, now only a few steps distant from 
 the tumult, saw Zaro ’ t s tall form vanish. His 
 horse fell, struck by a spear. He himself was 
 bleeding from several wounds. 
 
 But again he sprang to his feet. Fara the 
 Herulian rushed upon him from the left, and with 
 a blow of his battle-axe shattered his dragon-em- 
 blazoned shield. Zaro, however, hurled the bro- 
 ken buckler at the head of the Herulian with such 
 force that, stunned by the blow, he almost reeled 
 from his saddle. 
 
 Then on the right Barbatus, the commander of 
 the Illyrians, rode up with his long spear levelled. 
 With his last strength Zaro struck the weapon 
 aside, sprang up close to the horse of the shield- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 387 
 
 less rider, and drove his sword between the hel- 
 met and breastplate right into the Illyrian's 
 throat. 
 
 But in springing back the Vandal sank upon 
 his knee, and before he could regain his footing 
 two horsemen drew up before him with raised 
 javelins. 
 
 “ Help, Gibamund !” cried the kneeling man, 
 raising his left arm above his head, in place of a 
 shield. He saw himself surrounded by foes ; no 
 Vandals anywhere. Ah, yes, one — the red ban- 
 ner still waved ! 
 
 “ Help, Gibamund !” he cried. 
 
 His appeal was answered. One of his assail- 
 ants fell from his horse, and Gibamund was at 
 Zaro’s side. With the spear-point on the pole of 
 the banner he had struck the man just under his 
 upraised arm. But now Fara, who had meantime 
 recovered from the blow received from Zaro’s 
 shield, letting fall the reins of his horse, grasped 
 with his left hand at the pole of the banner. Gib- 
 amund defended himself with his sword with dif- 
 ficulty against the mighty blows the Herulian’s 
 right hand dealt with the battle-axe. 
 
 The other horseman who with lifted spear had 
 halted before Zaro now turned upon the Vandal 
 a countenance of striking power. “Yield, heroic 
 man!” he said. “Yield to me — I am Belisarius!” 
 
388 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Zaro shook his head. With feeble strength he 
 sprang up, his sword raised to strike. But Beli- 
 sarius with all his force thrust the head of his 
 spear up to the shaft through Zaro’s coat-of-mail 
 into his breast. The dying man cast one glance 
 to the left : he saw Gibamund’s white horse sink 
 down, streaming with blood ; he saw the red ban- 
 ner fall. “ Woe, Vandalia !” was his heart-broken 
 cry; then his eyes closed in death. 
 
 “ That was a hero !” said Belisarius, bending 
 over him. “ Where is Geiseric’s banner, Fara?” 
 
 “Gone!” replied the Herulian, angrily. See, 
 yonder it vanishes — on the other side of the 
 brook.” 
 
 “ Who has — ” 9 
 
 “ A woman ! In a helmet with falcon’s wings — 
 with a silver-white shield. I half believe it was 
 a Valkyr,” said the heathen, with a slight shud- 
 der. “ It all happened so quickly I scarcely saw 
 it. I had just slain the young banner-bearer’s 
 horse. Then a black steed — I never saw such an 
 animal! — dashed against my own with such vio- 
 lence that it sank back upon its hind-quarters, and 
 I heard a voice : ‘ Hilda ? Thanks ! ’ And at the 
 same instant the black horse bounded away with 
 the speed of the wind. I think it bore two riders. 
 A long white mantle floated after it — or was it 
 the wings of a swan? — and over this waved the 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 389 
 
 red banner. There it is, just disappearing in yon- 
 der cloud of dust. Hilda,’* concluded the Ger- 
 man, as if communing with himself, “ the name 
 also agrees. Yes, it was a Valkyr that bore it 
 away.” 
 
 “ Forward !” shouted Belisarius. “ Pursue them ! 
 Across the brook ! There is no longer any army 
 of the Vandals. Their centre is broken — is rouk 
 ed. And behold our faithful Huns!” he laughed 
 scornfully, “how they are rushing down from 
 their hill and falling upon the fleeing barbarians! 
 What an act of heroism ! And how they are all 
 aiming for the camp to plunder it ! And yonder, 
 at last, our infantry is coming up on our left 
 flank. There, too, the Vandals have taken to 
 flight witho.ut a battle. On to the camp! The 
 Huns must not have the whole booty. All the 
 gold and silver for the emperor, the pearls and 
 precious stones for the empress ! Forward !” 
 
 XL. 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM PROCOPIUS. 
 
 I HAVE witnessed a good many of Belisarius’s 
 battles, most of them, it is true, from a safe dis- 
 distance, but I never before saw so peculiar an 
 encounter as this. 
 
390 the last of the vandals. 
 
 In this combat, which has decided the fate of 
 the Vandal kingdom, we have lost- altogether only 
 forty-nine men, but all of them our very best 
 people, and among the number eight command- 
 ers. Fara, Althias, Johannes, are all three 
 wounded. Yet we have not many, not more 
 than a hundred, disabled; for the Vandals fought 
 only with their swords, and such a contest leaves 
 nearly as many dead as injured. The most of 
 our loss was suffered at the hands of the three 
 Asdings, two nobles in boar-helmets, and an ap- 
 parently crazy monk. Eight hundred dead Van- 
 dals lay upon the field, but by far the greater 
 part of these fell in the course of the flight. We 
 have captured, including the wounded, about ten 
 thousand men, together with women and children 
 almost innumerable. On our two wings we did not 
 lose a man, except indeed a Hun whom Belisa- 
 rius was compelled to hang because he had filled 
 his pockets, shoes, hair, and ears with pearls and 
 gems industriously collected in the Vandal camp, 
 especially in the tents of the women. And these 
 jewels, you know, are all reserved for the Em- 
 press Theodora, who has honestly earned them. 
 
 Our pursuit was checked only by our own cov- 
 etousness. The fallen and captured Vandals wore 
 rich decorations of silver and gold on their wea- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 39 1 
 
 pons and horses, and our heroes stopped to plun- 
 der each one before they passed him by. Our 
 horsemen, who first reached the enemy’s camp, 
 did not dare, in spite of their greed, to enter at 
 once. They deemed it impossible that an army 
 so overwhelmingly superior in number to them- 
 selves would not defend their own camp, contain- 
 ing their wives and children. 
 
 The king is said to have halted here for a mo- 
 ment, like a man dazed. But when Belisarius 
 appeared with his troops before the tents, Geli- 
 mer, with the cry, “ The avenger !” continued his 
 flight towards Numidia, accompanied by a few of 
 his relatives and servants, and by the faithful 
 Moors. Then, in a wild rush to escape, all the 
 Vandal soldiers dashed out of the camp, aban-' 
 doning their screaming children, their lamenting 
 wives, and all their rich possessions without a 
 stroke of the sword. 
 
 And these are — or rather these were Germans ! 
 No wonder if Justinian next attempts to free 
 Italy and Spain from the Goths. 
 
 Our troops followed the fugitives for the rest 
 of the day and through the whole moonlight 
 night, slaughtering the men without resistance, 
 and seizing the women and children by thou- 
 sands, to reduce them to slavery. Never before 
 
392 
 
 THE LAST OF THE V A JVHALS. 
 
 in my life have I seen so much beauty, and never, 
 also, such piles of money, both gold and silver, as 
 in the tents of the king and Vandal nobles. It 
 seems almost incredible. 
 
 But Belisarius after the victory was troubled 
 with the gravest apprehensions. For in this camp, 
 abounding in beautiful women, in wine and sup- 
 plies, in treasures of every sort, our soldiers forgot 
 all prudence, all discipline; intoxicated by t^eir 
 unheard-of and undreamed-of good fortune, they 
 lived only for the pleasure of the moment ; they 
 broke through every barrier, cast from them 
 every curb. It seemed they co'uld not sate them- 
 selves. 
 
 That demon of Africa, inordinate desire for 
 pleasure, had taken possession of them. Singly 
 or in small parties they roamed through the 
 camp and its neighborhood, following the tracks 
 of the fugitives, wherever the prospect of booty or 
 enjoyment lured them. There was no longer any 
 thought of the enemy, any regard for their gen- 
 eral’s commands. Those who were still sober en- 
 deavored. loaded down with booty and driving 
 the prisoners before them, to make their way back 
 to Carthage. Belisarius says, had the Vandals 
 attacked us again an hour after we had entered 
 their camp, not a man of us all would have es- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 393 
 
 caped. So completely had the control of the 
 victorious army, and even of his own guardsmen, 
 slipped from his hands. 
 
 At daybreak he summoned together all — that 
 is, all who were sober. His guardsmen came 
 quickly enough and evidently repentant. Then, 
 instead of an address of praise and thanks, he de- 
 livered to the officers and soldiers a reproof, such 
 as I have never heard from his lips. 
 
 He told us we were military adventurers, serv- 
 ing for pay, ruffians as bold and savage as raven- 
 ous beasts, excellently adapted, like hunting leop- 
 ards, for a bloody chase, but not able to leave the 
 slaughtered prey or to bring it to the hunter, 
 and then creep back into the cage. We must first 
 devour in advance our share of the blood and the 
 flesh. It was not very complimentary ; but much 
 better than philosophy and theology, rhetoric, 
 grammar, and dialectics combined. 
 
 The Vandal war is, I fancy, at an end. To- 
 morrow we shall, doubtless, capture the fugitive 
 king. 
 
 Belisarius entrusted to his countryman, the 
 Thracian Althias, the pursuit of the fleeing king. 
 “ I choose you/’ he said, “ because I trust you 
 above all when there is need of quick and inde- 
 
394 the last of the vandals. 
 
 fatigable action. If you overtake the Vandal be- 
 fore he finds a place of refuge, the war is over; 
 but if you permit him to escape, you will make for 
 us considerable further trouble. Choose your own 
 troops, but rest neither day nor night until you 
 have taken the tyrant, living or dead.” 
 
 Althias blushed like a flattered girl, chose, in 
 addition to his Thracians, some guardsmen, and a 
 couple of hundred Heruli under Fara. He also 
 begged me to accompany him, less, I suppose, on 
 account of my unwarlike sword than for the sake 
 of my advice. I willingly consented. 
 
 And now began a most remarkable chase after 
 the Vandals. For five days and five nights we 
 pushed on, almost without stopping, following the 
 tracks of the fugitives, which were plainly visible 
 in the sand of the desert. We gradually reduced 
 more and more the advantage of their start, so 
 that on the fifth night we felt sure that on the 
 next day we would overtake them and bring them 
 to a stand, before they could reach the protecting 
 Pappuan Mountains. 
 
 But it was not the will of the capricious goddess 
 that Gelimer should fall into the hands of Al- 
 thias. 
 
 Uliari, a member of Belisarius’s body-guard, is 
 a valiant fellow and very strong, but thoughtless 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 395 
 
 and, like all Germans, too fond of drink. He is 
 also an enthusiastic hunter, and has been repeat- 
 edly punished because, even on the march, he set 
 out in pursuit of every wild animal that showed 
 itself. 
 
 At sunrise on the sixth day, when, after a short 
 rest, we had mounted again, Uliari saw a large 
 vulture sitting on one of the prickly bushes which 
 in certain parts of the desert grow almost to a 
 man's height out of the salty ground. To grasp 
 his bow, draw an arrow from his quiver, take aim, 
 and shoot, was the work of an instant. The bow 
 twanged, the bird flew off; but a cry was heard 
 just ahead of us, and Althias, who was riding for- 
 ward in advance of the rest, fell from his horse, 
 shot in the back of the head, just below his helmet. 
 Uliari, usually an excellent archer, had not slept 
 off his drunkenness of the night before. Horrified 
 at his deed, he put spurs to his horse and fled 
 back to the nearest inhabited place, to seek asylum 
 in the chapel there. 
 
 We all gathered around the dying Althias, al- 
 though he commanded us by signs to leave him to 
 his fate and to continue the pursuit. But we 
 could not find it in our hearts to do this. In fact 
 when Fara and I, after our friend had expired in 
 our arms, desired to proceed, the Thracians de- 
 
39 6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 manded with threats that the corpse should first 
 be buried, in order that his spirit might not be 
 condemned to lament his £ate here until the 
 judgment-day. We dug a grave, therefore, and 
 buried the body with the customary honors. 
 
 This loss of a couple of hours ensured Gelimer’s 
 escape. The fugitives reached their goal, the 
 Pappuan Mountains on the border of Numidia, 
 mountains whose almost inaccessible summits 
 can be gained only by a laborious ascent over 
 steep and rugged masses of rock. The Moors 
 who dwell here are faithful and devoted to Geli- 
 mer. An old city, Medenus, now merely a col- 
 lection of huts on the northern ridge of the 
 mountain, received the king and his companions. 
 
 To carry by assault these rough antelope-paths 
 would be an impossibility. A single man with , a 
 shield could successfully block the ascent. The 
 Moors have rejected contemptuously our proposi- 
 tion that they should surrender the refugees and 
 receive in return a liberal reward. And so, 
 patience! We will pitch our camp at the foot of 
 the mountain, guard all the paths, and starve the 
 people out. 
 
 But that may take some time. It is now winter. 
 Sometimes in the morning we see the mountain- 
 tops covered with a light snow, which, however, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 39 7 
 
 the sun soon dissolves, when it breaks through the 
 clouds. But it does not always break through, 
 while, on the other hand, mist and rain do unceas- 
 ingly penetrate the camel-skins from which our 
 tents are made. 
 
 XLI. 
 
 We still lie before the only entrance to these 
 Pappuan Mountains. We cannot get in; the 
 others cannot get out. I once saw a cat lying 
 thus in front of a mouse hole. It was tedious for 
 the cat, very ; but as the hole had no other outlet, 
 the mouse was compelled either to starve or to run 
 at length into the claws of its enemy. 
 
 To-day we received news and reinforcements 
 from Carthage. Belisarius, informed of the situa- 
 tion of affairs, has appointed Fara to the chief 
 command instead of Althias. It was Fara with 
 his Heruli who won for Belisarius his most 
 glorious battle, the victory over the Persians at 
 Dara. Nothing but German heroism, which, I 
 take it, is closely related to insanity, could have 
 saved the day. As it was, Fara left more than 
 half his Heruli dead upon the field. Belisarius, I 
 learn, is now marching against Hippo, 
 
 Further news — from Hippo : 
 
 Our general took the city without resistance. 
 
398 the last of the va heals. 
 
 The Vandals, among them many nobles, sought 
 refuge in the Catholic churches and abandoned 
 their asylum only upon assurance that their lives 
 would be spared. And soon the wind blew again 
 — this time literally — a rich prize into our hands. 
 
 The tyrant prudently had removed the royal 
 hoard of the Vandals from the citadel at Carthage, 
 since he mistrusted both the fidelity of the citi- 
 zens and the protection afforded by the dilapi- 
 dated walls. He placed this hoard upon a ship 
 and commanded Bonifacius, his private -secretary, 
 to convey it to Spain, if disaster overtook the 
 Vandals, to Theudis, the king of the Visigoths. 
 It was with him that Gelimer designed to take 
 refuge, in case he should lose his kingdom, in 
 order, perhaps, with the aid of the Visigoths ulti- 
 mately to regain it. 
 
 A violent storm drove the treasure-ship back 
 into the harbor of Hippo, just after Belisarius had 
 occupied the place. So the hoard of the Vandals, 
 plundered by Geiseric from the coasts and islands 
 of three seas, is now on its way to Byzantium, 
 into the hands of the imperial pair. Theodora, 
 your piety is profitable ! 
 
 And yet not quite all the royal treasures of the 
 Vandals are going to Byzantium. 
 
 The Emperor Titus, when he destroyed Jerusa* 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 399 
 
 lem, conveyed to Rome the sacred vessels of the 
 Jewish Temple — candlesticks, bowls, dishes, pitch- 
 ers, and every conceivable sacred article of gold or 
 of silver, many of them adorned with pearls and 
 other gems. When Geiseric plundered Rome, he 
 transferred in his pirate ships the Temple treas- 
 ures to Carthage. The empress was aware of 
 this ; and this treasure was not the least of the 
 reasons which necessitated the bishop’s dream. 
 When now these sacred vessels were about to be 
 shipped at Hippo with the rest of the hoard to 
 Carthage — Belisarius wishes the entire booty to be 
 displayed on his triumphal entry into Byzantium — 
 the oldest of the Jews of Hippo sought an inter- 
 view with Belisarius, and said : 
 
 “Take warning, mighty warrior! Do not ship 
 these vessels to Byzantium. Listen to a fable 
 from the mouth of thy humble servant : 
 
 “ An eagle stole a piece of meat from the burnt- 
 offering and bore it to his eyrie. But some glim- 
 mering coals adhered to the meat consecrated to 
 God. And these glimmering coals set fire to the 
 nest of the great bird of prey and consumed his 
 young, whose wings were not yet strong enough 
 for flight, and the mother-eagle with them. And 
 when the old eagle attempted to save them, he 
 fell into the flames. Thus the powerful robber 
 
466 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 that had carried into his house that which belonged 
 to the holy God met a wretched death. Truly, 
 truly, I say unto you, the Capitol at Rome fell into 
 ail enemy’s hands because it held the vessels of 
 God’s temple; the citadel of the Vandals fell into 
 an enemy’s hands because it contained these treas- 
 ures. Shall now the citadel of the emperor at 
 Byzantium — God bless the defender of justice ! — 
 be the third eagle’s eyrie that is destroyed on 
 their account? Truly, I say unto you, thus 
 Speaks the Lord : This gold and this silver shall 
 wander over the earth, and shall destroy every city 
 to which robbery conveys it, until the gold and 
 silver lie again in the holy city of Jerusalem.” 
 
 And lo ! Belisarius was frightened. He wrote to 
 the Emperor Justinian the old Jew’s fable, and — 
 really and truly the Patriarch Moses can accom- 
 plish greater miracles than St. Cyprian! — J ustinian, 
 who is more avaricious than all the Jews combined, 
 ordered that these treasures should be taken, not 
 to Byzantium, but to Jerusalem. And there they 
 are to be divided between the Christian churches 
 and the synagogues of the Jews. 
 
 So the old Hebrew has gotten back, without a 
 stroke of the sword, a part of the treasure for his 
 people, while Romans, Vandals and Byzantines 
 gained them only after fierce fighting and with 
 
401 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the expenditure of much blood. Does the old 
 man believe in the curse that lies upon the treas- 
 ures? I fancy that he does believe it. In such a 
 case he would not have to lie, and his faith would 
 Subserve his purpose. Therefore, why not believe 
 it? 
 
 Gradually, as we learn, what is left of the bar- 
 barian kingdom is being picked off, piece by piece, 
 for Justinian’s wide-open mouth, just as a man 
 eats artichokes. The next care of Belisarius, after 
 his victory over the land forces, was to get posses- 
 sion of the hostile fleet. 
 
 He learned from captives where it lay at anchor, 
 and learned also that it was very weakly manned, 
 as Zaro had taken with him almost all the soldiers. 
 A few of our triremes, sent out from Carthage, 
 sufficed to take possession of the hundred and 
 fifty galleys, upon which we found only some 
 sailors. Not a spear was thrown. So the much- 
 dreaded pirate-ships of Geiseric were brought in 
 tow to Carthage, having been captured without 
 resistance, like a flock of storm-beaten wild swans 
 that fall exhausted and with crippled wings into a 
 pond, where one can easily catch them with his 
 hand. A lieutenant of Belisarius has regained 
 Sardinia. It was necessary, but sufficient, to show 
 
402 ' THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 the head of Zaro on a spear. Until then the peo- 
 ple would not believe in the overthrow of the Van- 
 dals; but when they saw the head of their dreaded 
 conqueror, they no longer doubted. 
 
 Corsica, too, at once submitted; so also the 
 populous Caesarea in Mauretania, and Septa, one 
 of the Pillars of Hercules. Tripolis was besieged 
 by the Moors, who, during the struggle between 
 Byzantium and the Vandals, thought an oppor- 
 tunity was presented to acquire land and booty 
 on their own account. The city was, however, 
 relieved by us, and received for the emperor from 
 the hands of Pudentius. 
 
 One might almost suppose that the entire -na- 
 tion of the Vandals consisted of their royal house 
 and a few nobles. After Zaro and the nobles with 
 him fell, after the king took to flight, all resistance 
 ceased, just as the sticks fall apart from a bundle 
 when the cord that binds them together is cut. 
 Since the day at Tricameron the barbarians suffer 
 themselves to be caught like sheep. We find them 
 now only in the Catholic churches, where, seeking 
 sanctuary and without weapons, they embrace the 
 altars which they have so often dishonored. 
 
 Assuredly, if their brothers in Italy and Spain, 
 if their cousins, the Franks, the Allemanni, and the 
 other hordes of these barbarians, by whatever 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 403 
 
 names they are known in Gaul and Germany, 
 were also as cultured as these Vandals, and could, 
 like them, compose poetry in Latin and in Greek, 
 then the Emperor Justinian, with the aid of Beli- 
 sarius and Narses, would soon take away the en- 
 tire West from the Germans. But I fear the Van- 
 dals stand alone on such a pinnacle of refinement. 
 
 XLII. 
 
 FURTHER news! Perhaps another war and 
 fresh victories close at hand ! 
 
 Shall I, in reality, O Cethegus, soon be per- 
 mitted to visit you in your Italy and help you, by 
 means of the Huns and Heruli, to deliver Rome? 
 Your tyrants, the Ostrogoths, have made the 
 bridge for us into this land ; your Sicily was that 
 bridge. Justinian’s thanks are quick of wing. 
 When Belisarius was about to sail from Byzantium 
 he* received from the emperor sealed commands, 
 with instructions not to open the papyrus until 
 after the overthrow of the Vandal kingdom. In 
 accordance with these instructions, ourgeneral now 
 demands from the court at Ravenna the cession 
 of the important promontory and fortress of 
 Lilybaeum and of all that part of Sicily which 
 formerly belonged to the Vandals. For the 
 
404 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 kingdom of the Vandals has now reverted to 
 Byzantium ; consequently all that ever pertained 
 to this kingdom is subject to the same reversion. 
 One is not etnperor of the Pandects for nothing. 
 
 To be honest, I consider it a little brutal to 
 reveal so quickly to the startled eyes of our 
 dupes their amazing stupidity. It is certainly 
 the crown of all statesmanship to overthrow the 
 first by the aid of the second, and then, by 
 way of thanks, to overthrow the second also. 
 But it has been a long time since the game has 
 been played quite so openly. Belisarius must, 
 therefore, threaten war, and war not only for 
 Lilybaeum and Sicily, but for all Italy, for Ra- 
 venna and Rome. Immediately after the battle 
 of Tricameron I composed for Belisarius the 
 letter to the Queen-regent Amalaswintha, in 
 accordance with the secret instructions of the 
 emperor. It closes as follows: “If you refuse, 
 you will find out that you have brought upon 
 yourselves, not the danger of war, but war itself; 
 a war in which we shall take from you not merely 
 Lilybaeum, but all that you hold without right, 
 and that is — all Italy/’ The news to-day is that 
 a revolution has taken plaice at Ravenna. Some 
 evil-disposed men, who formerly wished to sup- 
 port the Vandals against us, men who do not 
 
THE LAST OF TILE VAJVDALS. 
 
 405 
 
 love Justinian, (and also, unfortunately, do not 
 fear him) have seized the helm of government 
 there and flatly rejected our demands. The 
 names of these barbarians — Hildebrand, Witiges, 
 Teia — you are doubtless more familiar with than 
 I am. But I fancy I can hear the sound of 
 trumpets in the air. 
 
 First, however, we must get possession of this 
 Vandal king without a kingdom. The siege is 
 lasting altogether too long for our impatience 
 and that of Belisarius. All propositions for a 
 surrender have hitherto been refused, even the 
 senselessly favorable terms offered by us in order 
 to bring the affair to an end. Our general’s 
 desire seems to be to have a speedy triumphal 
 entry into Byzantium, such as has not taken place 
 for more than a century, and then to continue on 
 in Italy as he has begun here. And since per- 
 suasion with words will not prevail with this 
 remarkable king, who seems sometimes to be 
 soft wax, at others the hardest granite, we shall 
 to-morrow undertake to persuade him with jave- 
 lins. 
 
 Fara hopes that hunger has so exhausted the 
 Vandals and Moors on the mountain that they 
 cannot hold out against a vigorous attack. The 
 truth is, Fara, a German — and a most excellent 
 
40 6 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 fellow ! — can endure everything except a continu- 
 ation of thirst and inactivity. Now our stock 
 of wine has run low, and what we have is bad. 
 And we have nothing to do except alternately to 
 sleep and to keep guard before the mouse-hole 
 called Pappua. He has had enough of this and 
 is determined to force matters to an issue. As, 
 however, I observe the steep and narrow path up 
 those rugged rocks I have my doubts about the 
 result. I fear, unless St. Cyprian or Lady Fortune 
 performs another miracle for us, we shall get to- 
 morrow, not Gelimer and the Vandals, but hard 
 knocks. 
 
 Well, we have them ! I mean the hard knocks. 
 The Vandals and the Moors up there wagered 
 with each other which could treat us worst, and 
 we paid the stakes. 
 
 Fara performed his duty as a commander and 
 a soldier as well as a man could do when he 
 attempts the impossible. He divided us into 
 three divisions; first the Armenians, then the 
 Thracians, and last of all the Heruli. ' The Huns, 
 whose horses can do much, but not exactly climb 
 over the rocks like goats, remained below in front 
 pf the camp. 
 
 In divisions of two hundred men each we ad- 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 4 0? 
 
 vanced in a long procession, two abreast, in front 
 in single file, up the only traversable path. 
 
 I make the story short : the Moors rolled down 
 rocks, the Vandals hurled spears at us. Twenty 
 Armenians fell without having seen a single 
 enemy; the rest turned back. 
 
 Then the Thracians pushed forward with fear- 
 less contempt of death. They succeeded in get- 
 ting, perhaps, a hundred steps higher. By that 
 time they had lost thirty-five men, and still not 
 an enemy in sight. Then they too turned back. 
 
 “ Cowardice !” scolded Fara. 
 
 “ It is an impossibility,” replied Arzen, the 
 severely wounded leader of the Armenians. A 
 Vandal spear, marked with the emblem of the 
 Asdings, a flying dart, had penetrated his thigh. 
 
 “ That I do not believe,” Fara cried. “ Follow 
 me, my Heruli !” 
 
 They followed. So did I, but discreetly, as 
 one of the last. For, as the legal counsellor of 
 Belisarius, I do not consider myself obligated 
 to extraordinary deeds of heroism. Only when 
 he himself is looking on, I sometimes foolishly 
 fancy my place is at his side. 
 
 I have never seen such an assault. Masses of 
 rock and spears, hurled by invisible hands, 
 crushed and impaled our men. But those still 
 
4o8 the last of the vandals. 
 
 left alive climbed, leaped, and crept higher and 
 higher. The top of the mountain, which the two 
 first attempts had not nearly reached, was gained. 
 The hiding-places of the Moors among the rocks 
 were surmounted, and many of these brown, 
 haggard creatures paid with their lives for their 
 hospitality towards the fugitives. I saw Fara 
 himself cut down three of them. Then he 
 arranged his almost breathless band and was 
 about to order them to charge through the nar- 
 row. passage in the rocks on the crest of the 
 mountain, when out of this very gateway burst 
 the Vandals with the king at their head. The 
 dentated crown he wore identified him, and I saw 
 him quite close. Never shall I forget that face ! 
 He looked like a fanatical monk, and yet, at the 
 same time, like the hero Zaro, who fell before 
 Belisarius. Behind him was a young man who 
 much resembled him. The red banner was borne, 
 I verily believe, by a woman. But of this I can- 
 not be sure, for the whole shock came upon us 
 with the swiftness and force of lightning. 
 
 The first rank of the Heruli was swept away 
 as completely as if it had never stood there. 
 “ Where is the king ?” exclaimed Fara, springing 
 forward. “Here!” rang out the answer, and the 
 next moment five of the Heruli were lifting from 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 409 
 
 the ground the body of their badly wounded 
 leader. 
 
 That much I saw. Then I fell over backwards. 
 The young Vandal behind the king had hurled 
 his javelin full against my breastplate. I stum- 
 bled, fell, and slipped along down the shingly 
 decline, far faster and more easily than I had 
 climbed it. When I finally picked myself up, his 
 faithful followers were carrying past me Fara 
 stretched upon two shields. The officer of the 
 Armenians was leaning on his spear. “ Do you 
 believe it now, Fara?” he asked. “Yes,” re- 
 plied the latter, holding his hand to his head. 
 “ Now I believe it. Oh, my handsome helmet !” 
 he laughed. “ But better the helmet split alone 
 than th£ skull beneath it too !” 
 
 When we got below, however, he was in no 
 mood for laughing. Of his two hundred Heruli, 
 one hundred and twenty were lying dead among 
 the rocks. That was our first attempt to storm 
 the Pappuan Mountain, and I think it will be the 
 last. 
 
 Fara’s wound is healing, but he complains a 
 good deal of headache. 
 
 Up there on that accursed mountain the 
 Vandals must die a miserable death by starvation. 
 
4io 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Deserters frequently come to us now, but exclu- 
 sively Moors. As yet in the whole campaign not 
 a Vandal has voluntarily joined us, and, that, too 
 in spite of my elegantly-worded invitation to re- 
 volt and treachery. Fidelity is the only one of 
 the much-praised German virtues that seems to 
 be left to this degenerate race. 
 
 Fara has commanded that we shall receive no 
 more deserters. “ The more mouths and stom- 
 achs there are with Gelimer,” he says, “ the less 
 there will be for each.” But now since they are 
 no longer accepted as comrades-in-arms, the 
 Moors sell themselves to us as slaves, in exchange 
 for a piece of bread. 
 
 Even these dismal business transactions have 
 finally been prohibited by Fara. He said to his 
 soldiers : “ Let them starve together up there, 
 that the sooner you may get them all as slaves 
 taken in war.” 
 
 It is said that there are not more than forty 
 Vandals on the mountain. It does them all 
 honor that they still hold out when Moors suc- 
 cumb. That, I take it, is as great a paradox as 
 one can think of. For all that we heard in 
 Byzantium concerning the luxuriousness and 
 effeminacy of the Vandals was far surpassed 
 by what we found in their palaces, villas, and 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 41 1 
 
 private houses, and by what the Carthaginians 
 related to us : two, even three baths a day, on 
 their tables the delicacies of all lands and seas, 
 all their service of pure gold, pageants, sports of 
 the circus, hunting — but with the least possible 
 exertion !— dancers, actors, musicians, promenades 
 in delightfully laid out groves full of the choicest 
 fruit-trees, daily banquets, daily drinking-bouts, 
 and the enjoyment of unbridled pleasures of 
 every sort. As the life of the Vandals was the 
 most luxurious of all the people in the world, so 
 that of the Moors is the most indigent and 
 pinched. Half-naked, wearing alike in winter 
 and summer only a short gray garment, they live 
 in low huts made of skins or leather, huts in 
 which one can scarcely breathe ; neither the snow 
 of the mountains nor the burning heat of the 
 desert affects them ; they sleep on the bare ground, 
 only the richest spreading under them a camel’s 
 skin ; they know neither bread nor wine, nor any 
 other of the better kinds of food, but like cattle 
 chew unground, unparched barley and spelt. 
 
 And now the Vandals hold out with unbroken 
 spirit while the Moors succumb. It is incompre- 
 hensible ; for are they not the same people from 
 whom we have taken Africa in two short cavalry- 
 battles? To all our astonished questions the 
 
412 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 deserters return but one answer, 4 The holy king/ 
 He inspires them with his eyes, with the sound of 
 his voice, with magic. 
 
 Fara thinks, however, that no magic can pre- 
 vail long against hunger and thirst. And since, 
 according to the reports of these gaunt and 
 famished Moors, the sufferings of the king and his 
 followers are beyond all description, it occurred 
 to Fara, really out of kindness of heart, to put 
 an end to this misery. Therefore he dictated to 
 me the following letter : 
 
 44 Pardon me, King of the Vandals, if what I am 
 writing to you seems somewhat foolish. My 
 head was always better adapted for enduring 
 sword-cuts than for composing letters. And since 
 you and my head came into collision it is still 
 harder for me to think than it was before. 
 
 44 1 write — or, rather, I have this letter written — 
 frankly, after the manner of a barbarian. 
 
 44 My dear Gelimer, why do you plunge yourself 
 and those who are faithful to you into such an 
 abyss of misery? Merely that you may not be 
 compelled to be subject to the emperor? For 
 the word 4 freedom ’ is, I suppose, the thing that 
 deludes you. Do you not see that you are under 
 obligations for this freedom to wretched Moors, 
 and that its continuance depends upon these 
 
THE LAST OF THE V A HEALS. 
 
 413 
 
 savages? Is it not better to be a subject of the 
 great emperor at Byzantium than to rule over a 
 handful of starving followers at Pappua? Or is 
 it disgraceful to acknowledge the same master 
 that Belisarius serves? 
 
 “ Lay aside this folly, noble Gelimer. I myself 
 am a German, of the royal blood of the Heruli, 
 and my ancestors ruled as kings in our old home 
 on the coast of the stormy sea, opposite the islands 
 of the Danes ; yet I serve under the great com- 
 mander, and I am proud of it. My sword and 
 the ready valor of my Heruli decided the greatest 
 victory of great Belisarius. I have remained a 
 general and a hero, although in the emperor’s ser- 
 vice. The same opportunity awaits you. Belisarius 
 assures to you your life, your freedom, an estate 
 in Asia Minor, the dignity of patrician, and a 
 military command immediately under himself. 
 Esteemed Gelimer, noble king, T mean this well. 
 Defiance is, in its place, an excellent thing, but 
 folly is — foolish. Bring it to an end.” 
 
 The messenger has returned. He saw the king 
 himself, and says he looks like a ghost rather than 
 a mortal, a veritable king of shadows. And this 
 inflexible man, when he read the kindly letter of 
 the good-hearted German, burst into tears. He 
 
414 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 wept like a woman, he who struck down the 
 hitherto unconquered Fara, and who unflinchingly 
 endures privations that seem incredible. Here is 
 the Vandal’s answer: 
 
 “ I thank you for your advice, but I cannot fol- 
 low it. You have given up your home and are 
 blown about the world like a straw. I was, I am 
 king of the Vandals. I will not serve the unjust 
 enemy of my people. God, as I believe, com- 
 mands me and the remnant of the Vandals still to 
 endure; he can save us if he will. I can write 
 no further. The sorrow that encompasses me 
 benumbs my thoughts. Send me, kind Fara, a 
 loaf of bread. A tender boy, the son of a fallen 
 noble, lies very sick for want of food. He begs, 
 he implores, he cries so piteously for bread ! It is 
 long since any of us have tasted such a thing. 
 
 “ And a sponge, dipped in water. My eyes, in- 
 flamed by watching and weeping, burn so pain- 
 fully. 
 
 “ And a harp. I have composed a song upon 
 our fate, that I would like to sing to the harp.” 
 
 Fara fulfilled the three requests, although the 
 harp could be obtained only in the nearest city. 
 But still more closely than before he besets the 
 “mountain of sorrow,” as our soldiers now name it. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 415 
 
 XLIII. 
 
 It was a cold, foggy morning in early March, 
 a morning on which the rays of the sun had not 
 been able to penetrate the dense clouds that hung 
 over the mountains. 
 
 The old city of Medenus had long since been 
 abandoned by its Carthaginian and Roman inhab- 
 itants. Most of its houses, built of the stone of 
 the mountain, were desolate and in ruins. The 
 few which were still protected by roofs were used 
 in winter by wandering Moors as places of shelter. 
 Of these the old basilica afforded the most room, 
 and here the king and his company had taken up 
 their quarters. 
 
 In the middle of the building, on the stone 
 floor, a feeble fire had been kindled from brush- 
 wood and straw, but it gave out more smoke than 
 heat. And every where the damp fog forced its 
 way through the chinks in the walls and through 
 the holes in the roof, where it drove down again 
 the slowly rising, yellowish-gray smoke, which, 
 creeping along the bare walls and through the 
 opening where the entrance-doors had once stood, 
 sought other means of exit. In the semicircular 
 space forming the after-part of the apsis some 
 coverlets and skins were spread upon the marble 
 
416 the last of the vandals. 
 
 pavement. Here sat Gibamund, hammering on 
 his badly hacked shield, while Hilda stitched 
 together the rents in the red banner, which lay 
 across her lap. 
 
 “ Many a dart has pierced you, old battle-scarred 
 banner ! And this gaping rent here — that must 
 have been made by a sword-cut. But you shall 
 still hold together until the end.” 
 
 “The end !” exclaimed Gibamund, impatiently, 
 finishing with a last stroke of the hammer his 
 work on the shield. “I would it were here! I 
 cannot endure this continued misery — your mis- 
 ery. For a long time I have urged the king to 
 make an end. The Moors may yield themselves 
 up, but let us, all the Vandals, rush together upon 
 the enemy and — He would not let me finish. -That 
 would be self-murder and sin,’ he replied. ‘We 
 must patiently endure what God has laid upon us as 
 a punishment. If it be his will, he can also deliver 
 us from this place and bear us hence on the wings 
 of his angels.’ ” 
 
 “The end, however, is approaching, fast ap- 
 proaching. The number of graves yonder on the 
 mountain-side increases daily.” 
 
 “ Yes, ever longer and more numerous grow the 
 rows of the cross-surmounted, high-arched burial- 
 mounds of our Vandals.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS v 417 
 
 “And of the cairns of the faithful Moors, encir- 
 cled by the ring of black flint. Yesterday even- 
 ing we buried the youthful Gundoric, the last 
 scion of the proud Gundings, the hope and com- 
 fort of his valiant father Gundoftad.” 
 
 “ Poor boy ! his suffering is over. I remember 
 how I used to see the child in Carthage, dressed 
 in purple silk and reclining in a shell-formed wagon 
 drawn by young ostriches. 
 
 “ Yesterday the king brought him, as he lay on 
 his wretched bed of straw, the appetizing bread 
 which he had begged from the enemy. The boy 
 began to devour it so greedily that we had to stop 
 him. We turned away for a moment — in com- 
 pany with the king I was bringing water for the 
 sick — when a lamenting and angry cry summoned 
 us back. A Moorish youth, who, I suppose, had 
 detected the odor of the bread, had sprung in 
 through the window and forcibly wrested the mor- 
 sel from the teeth of the sick child. This affected 
 the king deeply. ‘This child too ! this innocent 
 one, O terrible God ! 9 he repeated several times. 
 This morning I closed the eyes of the dead Gun- 
 doric. M 
 
 “ It cannot endure much longer. The people 
 have long since slaughtered the last horse, except 
 Styx,” 
 
 4 
 
41 8 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 “ Styx shall not be slaughtered !” cried Hilda. 
 “ It was he that saved you and bore you away from 
 certain death.” 
 
 u It was you that saved me>vith your Valkyr- 
 like ride,” Gibamund exclaimed ; and, happy even 
 in his suffering, he pressed his wife to his breast 
 and kissed tenderly her golden hair, her forehead, 
 and her eyes. “ Hark ! What is that ?” 
 
 “That is the' song that the king has composed. 
 He sings it to the harp which Fara sent him. Well 
 for you, O Teia’s gift, that you are not compelled 
 to accompany such a song!” she said, springing up 
 indignantly and putting the banner aside. “ Sooner 
 would I have shattered my harp on the nearest 
 rock than loaned it for such a purpose !” 
 
 “ But it acts like a magic charm upon the Van- 
 dals and the Moors.” 
 
 “ They do not understand it — it is Latin, you 
 know. He has rejected the alliteration, too, as 
 being heathenish, as having the mystic power of 
 runes. He permits no one to speak to him of his 
 last battle-song.” 
 
 “ It is true they scarcely understand it. But 
 when they behold the king as he wanders alone, 
 like one enrapt or in a dream, over the rocks and 
 snow of the mountain, his burning eyes half 
 closed, his disordered hair falling over his pale and 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA HEALS. 419 
 
 sorrowful face, his tattered royal mantle about 
 his shoulders, his harp in his hand, when they hear 
 the deep pathos of his voice and the plaintive 
 melody of the song, then it works upon them like 
 magic, even if they do but slightly comprehend its 
 sense. Hark! there it is again. ” 
 
 And nearer and nearer, at times broken by the 
 wind, came the words of the song, accompanied 
 by the music of the chords : 
 
 “ I am mourning, Vandal people, 
 
 For thy dark, unhappy fate, 
 
 For that name of fallen splendor 
 Whose renown was once so great. 
 
 “ Gloriously hast thou arisen, 
 
 Like a meteor, from the sea; 
 
 Sad and fameless is thy setting 
 In the night’s eternity. 
 
 “ Richest heaps of dazzling treasure 
 Geiseric to Carthage led ; 
 
 Now that great king’s last successor, 
 Hungering, begs his foe for bread. 
 
 41 Gods fierce anger rests upon thee. 
 
 Gone thy strength, thy former trust. 
 
 Leave to Goths and other Germans 
 Fame and honor; they are dust.” 
 
 “ I will not listen to it. I cannot bear it,” ex- 
 claimed Hilda. “ It is not right thus to inveigh 
 against what alone makes life worth living.” 
 
420 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 And now the plaintive melody seemed close at 
 hand, and the accompanying words were dis- 
 tinctly heard. 
 
 “ All, alas ! was sin and folly, 
 
 All thy glory, Vandal race ! 
 
 That is why the God of heaven 
 Sends thee ruin and disgrace. 
 
 “ Bend thee, bend thee in submission, 
 
 Geiseric’s bruised and broken line, 
 
 Thankful, kiss the rod that chastens, 
 
 Knowing, Lord, that rod is thine.” 
 
 The song ceased. Up the half-fallen steps of 
 the basilica slowly came the # tottering form of the 
 royal singer, his left arm, which dragged after it 
 the harp, hanging listlessly at his side. When he 
 reached the gray, weather-beaten pillars at the 
 entrance, he laid against the cold stone his right 
 arm and bent down upon it his wearied head. 
 
 Just then a young Moor hastened up the steps ; 
 with a couple of bounds he was at the top. 
 Gibamund and Hilda arose in surprise and went 
 towards him. 
 
 “ I have not seen you move so nimbly for a 
 long time, Sersaon," remarked Gibamund. 
 
 “Your eye flashes,’' said Hilda. “You bring 
 good news." 
 
 The king raised his head slowly from the pillar, 
 and gazed at the Moor with a mournful look. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 421 
 
 “Yes, white queen,” Sersaon replied, “The 
 best news — escape !” 
 
 “ Impossible!” responded Gelimer in a hopeless 
 tone. 
 
 “It is true, O king. Verus here will confirm 
 it.” 
 
 With slow step, but unbroken in strength, the 
 priest approached the spot. He appeared even 
 prouder and stronger than in the days of pros- 
 perity. He held in his hand an arrow and a piece 
 of papyrus. 
 
 “ Last night,” continued the Moor, “ I was 
 -stationed on guard at our furthest outpost 
 towards the south. Just at daybreak I heard the 
 cry of an ostrich calling for its mate. I held it 
 for deception, for the bird never mounts to such 
 heights, and besides it is not the time for pairing. 
 But this cry is our signal with the tribes to the 
 south, with the Soloans who live over towards the 
 coast. 
 
 “ I listened now and looked sharply around. 
 And sure enough I saw, clinging closely to the 
 brown wall of rock and scarcely to be distin- 
 guished from it, a Soloan. 
 
 “ I answered the call in a low tone. Then an 
 arrow fell to the ground near me, an arrow with- 
 out a point ; and in the hollow reed was this letter. 
 
422 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 I pulled it out— I myself cannot read — but I took 
 it to the nearest Vandals. Two of them read it 
 and uttered an exclamation of joy. Then by 
 chance Verus came along. He wanted to tear up 
 the papyrus, and forbade us to speak to you about 
 it. But hunger and the hope of safety are 
 stronger than his command — ” 
 
 Here Verus interrupted the Moor: “ I con- 
 sidered it a trap, a piece of treachery; it is too 
 improbable/' 
 
 Gibamund took the writing from him and read : 
 “ The way down on the south, where the cry of 
 the ostrich was heard, is unguarded. It is sup- 
 posed that it is impossible to descend there. 
 Climb down, one by one, at midnight. We are 
 waiting near by with fresh horses. Theudis, the 
 king of the Visigoths, has sent us gold to save 
 you. There is a small ship ready for you on the 
 coast. Hasten." 
 
 “ There is still fidelity ! There are still friends 
 in need!" cried Hilda, as with tears of joy she 
 threw herself upon her husband’s breast. 
 
 The king drew himself up, and his eye lost its 
 melancholy, hopeless expression. “ Do you see 
 now how criminal it would have been to seek 
 death? This is the helping hand which God’s 
 mercy extends towards us. Let us grasp it!" 
 
THE LAST OF THE FAJVEALS, 4 2 3 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 VERUS advised, in order to lull suspicion for 
 the coming night, that he should be sent to pro- 
 pose to Fara a conference with Gelimer at noon 
 on the following day, on the northern slope of the 
 mountain, at which interview the terms offered by 
 Belisarius could be further discussed. 
 
 After some compunctions of conscience, the 
 king consented to this stratagem. 
 
 In due time Verus reported that Fara was 
 greatly pleased to receive such a communication, 
 and that he would wait for Gelimer. 
 
 Notwithstanding this assurance, the besieged, 
 who, from their position on the mountain, had an 
 unobstructed view, kept a sharp watch all day 
 upon the outposts and camp of the enemy, for the 
 purpose of detecting any movement towards the 
 intended place of descent, or any indication that 
 the plan of flight or the hiding-place of the Moors, 
 at the foot of the mountain, had been discovered. 
 
 Nothing of the kind was noticeable. The day 
 passed in the usual way among the Byzantines 
 below. The guards were not strengthened, nor 
 when it grew dark were the watch-fires either in- 
 creased or changed. The Vandals, also, kindled 
 their fires as usual on the northern side, 
 
424 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 Shortly before midnight the little party set out. 
 The Moors who were acquainted with the way 
 went in advance, provided with ropes. At every 
 step the fugitives had carefully to try the ground 
 with the butt-end of their spears, to determine 
 whether the crumbling, broken surface of the 
 mountain afforded a secure foothold. After the 
 Moors came Gibamund and Hilda. The latter had 
 folded together in a small compass the great ban- 
 ner of Geiseric and fastened it to the handle of a 
 spear which served her as a mountain-staff. Then 
 followed Gelimer, behind him Verus and the little 
 band of the remaining Vandals. 
 
 Thus they went on far about half an hour along 
 the ridge of the mountain, until they reached the 
 southern side, where the steep and dangerous de- 
 scent began. Every step was taken at the peril of 
 life, for they did not dare to light torches. 
 
 Here suddenly the king turned round. O 
 Verus/’ he said, “ death may now be very near to 
 us. Offer a prayer — Why, where? is Verus ?” 
 
 “ He went back some time ago,” replied Mar- 
 comer. “ He returned for a holy relic which he 
 had forgotten. He commanded us to proceed, 
 and said that he would overtake us at the next 
 bend in the way, before we descend through the 
 .gorge.” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 425 
 
 The king stopped for a moment, and began in a 
 low voice to repeat the Lord’s Prayer. 
 
 “ There is no time to lose,” whispered Sersaon 
 the Moor, who was in the lead ; “we must pass as 
 quickly as possible around this projecting point— 
 Ha! look ! Torches ! treason ! Rack, back to — ” 
 
 He could not finish, for an arrow pierced his 
 throat. The glare of torches shone dazzlingly in 
 the eyes of the fugitives the moment they turned 
 the projecting wall of rock. Weapons gleamed op- 
 posite to thegn, and in front of the ranks of the 
 Herulians came a man holding a torch and light- 
 ing with it the rocks ahead. “ The second man 
 yonder is the king,” he cried; “ take him alive!” 
 And he advanced a stepr* further. 
 
 “ Verus !” shrieked Gelimer, and fell, swooning, 
 to the ground. Two Vandals raised him and 
 carried him back, up the rocks. 
 
 “ Forward, there ! Storm the place !” com- 
 manded Fara from below. 
 
 But that was impossible. No army could take 
 by storm a path up which it could advance only in 
 single file, and even then only provided each man 
 steadied himself with both hands against the per- 
 pendicular wall of the cliff. 
 
 Fara perceived this himself as he viewed the 
 ascent by the light of the torches, and saw Giba- 
 
426 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 mund standing with raised spear on the last broad 
 ledge that afforded secure footing. 
 
 “ Hard luck !” he cried. “ But we have closed 
 yotir last loop-hole of escape. Surrender !” 
 
 li Never !” Gibamund exclaimed, and hurled his 
 spear. The rnan beside Fara fell. 
 
 “ Shoot ! Quick ! All together ! ” commanded 
 the Herulian, angrily. 
 
 Behind the Heruli twenty Hunnish archers were 
 posted. Their bows twanged ; Gibamund stag- 
 gered and fell backwards. 
 
 With a piercing cry Hilda caught him in her 
 arms. Marcomer stepped forward to the place 
 where Gibamund had stood and threateningly 
 lifted his lance. 
 
 “ Desist,” Fara commanded. “ But keep the 
 path well guarded. To-morrow or the day after, 
 at the latest, the priest says they must surrender.” 
 Gelimer had recovered from his swoon just in 
 time to hear Hilda’s cry. “ Now Gibamund, too, 
 has fallen,” he said calmly. “ It is over.” 
 
 And wearily he turned back, supporting him- 
 self by his spear, A couple of Vandals followed 
 him. 
 
 Hilda sat for a long time in silence, the head 
 of her dead husband on her lap, the banner- 
 wrapped spear resting upon her shoulder. She 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDAL Sr 427 
 
 did not weep, but in the darkness gently caressed 
 with her hand the loved face. 
 
 Then she heard a Vandal who had come back 
 from the king say to Marcomer : “ That was the 
 end. Tam to announce to the enemy that the 
 king will surrender to-morrow.” 
 
 She sprang up and asked a couple of the men 
 to help her carry the body back to the top of the 
 mountain. There, in a little pine-grove in front of 
 the old city, was a wooden hut which formerly had 
 held stores of various sorts. Now only the wood 
 cut for fuel still lay there in a considerable pile. 
 
 In this hut she passed the night alone with the 
 dead. But when the day dawned she fought the 
 king. 
 
 She found him in the basilica, on the spot where 
 the altar had formerly stood — the remains of a 
 couple of steps served to point it out. Here Geli- 
 mer had fastened in a crevice between two stones 
 a cross roughly made from boughs. He lay before 
 this upon his face, embracing the cross with both 
 arms. 
 
 “Gelimer, my brother-in-law,” she said abruptly 
 and sternly, “ is it true? Do you intend to 
 surrender?” 
 
 He did not answer. 
 
 ' She shook him by the shoulder, “ Will you 
 
428 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 give yourself up as a prisoner, King of the Van- 
 dals?’' she asked in louder tones. “They will set 
 you up for a show, lead you as the crowning feat- 
 ure of their triumph through the streets of Byzan- 
 tium, Will you still further disgrace your people 
 — your dead people?” 
 
 “Vanity,” he answered monotonously. “ Van- 
 ity speaks through you. What you are thinking 
 of is sin, is vanity, is pride.” 
 
 “Why now, so suddenly? You have held out 
 for months. Why yield now?” 
 
 “ Verus !” he replied, with a deep groan. “ God 
 has abandoned me, my protecting spirit has be- 
 trayed me. Iam condemned upon earth and for 
 even I cannot end it otherwise.” 
 
 “You can. Here, Gelimer, here is your keen- 
 edged sword.” She stooped and drew it from its 
 sheath, which, together with the belt, lay at the 
 foot of the steps. “The dead are free. There 
 is truth in the words.” 
 
 He shook his head. “ Vanity — proudness of 
 heart — heathenish sin ! I am a Christian ; I cam 
 not kill myself. I will bear my cross — as Christ 
 bore his — until I break down under it.” 
 
 She threw the sword from her, and it fell clang 
 ing upon the stones at his feet. Then without a 
 word of farewell she turned from him. 
 
THE LAST OF THE FA HEALS. 429 
 
 Where are you going? What is it you mean 
 to do?” 
 
 “ Do you think I loved less faithfully and pas- 
 sionately than that warm-hearted Grecian girl? I 
 am coming, my hero and my husband !” 
 
 She hurried away to a building formerly the 
 senate-house of Medenus, but afterwards con- 
 verted into a stable. At one time a number of 
 horses had been kept in it ; now Styx, the black 
 stallion, was left there alone. She took him by 
 the mane, and quietly as a lamb the faithful and 
 intelligent animal followed her. 
 
 She led him to the door of the wooden hut. 
 He stopped for a moment before he would follow 
 her into the narrow enclosure that was feebly 
 lighted by a burning pine-knot, held in an iron 
 clasp. 
 
 “ Come,” she said to the horse, drawing him 
 gently after her. “ It is better for you also. You 
 have long been sick and suffering. Your beauty, 
 your strength is gone. And after the service you 
 rendered in the battle, and in that splendid ride, 
 the enemy shall not take you as booty and tor- 
 ment you with unworthy drudgery. How does it 
 run in the old song? 
 
 “ ‘ And they heaped for the hero 
 The logs for a pyre. 
 
43 ° the last of the vandals. 
 
 And the death of the master 
 Was shared by his steed, 
 
 Was shared by the wife whom he loved. 
 
 For she as a widow 
 Had no wish to live, 
 
 Bearing alone and in sorrow 
 The burden of life. 
 
 Then she led the horse close beside the pile of 
 wood upon which she had laid her dead. Feeling 
 with her hand for the spot where the heart beat, 
 she drew Gibamund’s sword from its scabbard, 
 and, with a powerful thrust, drove it into the 
 animal’s body. The horse fell dead at once, and 
 she threw from her the bloody sword. 
 
 “ O my love !” she cried, “ O my husband, my 
 life ! Why did I never fully tell you how deep 
 and fervent was my love? Ah, I did not know 
 myself its full extent until now ! But even now 
 hear it, hear it, Gibamund ! My whole heart, my 
 whole life, was yours! Thanks, friend Teia ! 
 Gibamund, my husband, I am coming!” 
 
 She drew the keen, dark dagger from her belt. 
 With a single stroke she separated the banner from 
 the spear and spread it over the body ; it was so 
 broad tha^t it covered also the space beside the 
 dead. Next with the blazing pine-knot she set 
 fire to the wood at the base of the pile, and bent 
 over and kissed for the last time the pale, cold 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 43 f 
 
 lips. Then raising on high the dark weapon, she 
 plunged it with a sure blow into her proud, coura- 
 geous heart. 
 
 She sank face downward upon Gibamund’s 
 body. And the flames, gently curling and crack- 
 ling, seized first upon the red banner that lay en- 
 wrapping both the husband and the wife. 
 
 The morning wind blew freshly in through the 
 half-shut door and through the chinks in the logs, 
 and the bright flames soon burst their way through 
 the roof. 
 
 XLV. 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM PROCOPIUS. 
 
 It is ended, thanks to God, or to whomso- 
 ever else the thanks are properly due ! 
 
 For three weary months we lay before that 
 stubborn mountain. It is now March. The 
 nights are still cool, but the heat of .the midday 
 snn has become almost unbearable. 
 
 An attempt at escape failed through treachery. 
 Verus, Gelimer’s chancellor and most intimate 
 friend, receives the reward for this disgraceful 
 deed. Acting on the priest's information, we 
 searched the southern side of the mountains for 
 concealed Soloans, who were to have guided the 
 fugitives to the sea, but we found only the tracks 
 
432 THE LAST OF THE V A HEALS, 
 
 of numerous hoofs which must have passed in that 
 direction. However, we blocked the path of 
 escape. Then the king voluntarily offered to sur- 
 render without further delay. 
 
 Fara was greatly rejoiced. He would have 
 granted any condition in his power in order to 
 bring the king as a captive to Belisarius, who has 
 been longing even more impatiently than we for 
 the termination of the affair. 
 
 At the entrance of the gorge, which we had 
 never been able to force our way through, I re- 
 ceived the little party of Vandals, about twenty in 
 number. 
 
 The Moors also came down, but at Gelimer’s 
 request Fara at once released them. 
 
 These Vandals — what living pictures they are 
 of wretchedness, hunger, privation, sickness, and 
 grief ! 
 
 I cannot comprehend how they were able to 
 hold out and continue their resistance, for they 
 scarcely had strength enough left to carry their 
 weapons ; they seemed really glad to be relieved 
 of them. 
 
 But when I saw and spoke with Gelimer, then, 
 broken as he now is, I could understand how this 
 man’s influence and will could dominate others 
 and compel their support and obedience. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 433 
 
 I have never seen his like, — a monk, a fanatic, 
 and yet a kingly hero. 
 
 I begged permission from Fara to take him 
 into my tent. While vve can with difficulty 
 restrain the others from immoderate use of the 
 food of which they have been so long deprived, 
 he voluntarily continues his fast. Indeed it was 
 with difficulty Fara persuaded him to take some 
 wine. The Herulian fears lest his prisoner may 
 die on the way, before he can deliver him to Beli- 
 sarius. For a long time he refused ; but when I 
 suggested that perhaps it was his intention to 
 commit suicide in this way, he drank at once and 
 partook of some bread. 
 
 For half the night we conversed together. He 
 is full of submissive resignation to his fate. It is 
 touching to hear him attribute all his misfortunes 
 to the will of God. Yet I cannot always follow 
 the subtle train of his thoughts. Thus when I 
 expressed my opinion that, after holding out so 
 long, the failure of his attempted escape had per- 
 suaded him to a sudden surrender, he replied with 
 a mournful smile: “ Oh no ! Had the flight been 
 thwarted from some other cause, I would have 
 held out until death. But Verus, Verus !” 
 
 He paused for a moment, and then added: 
 “ You will not understand that. But I know now 
 
434 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 that God has abandoned me, if, indeed, he ever 
 looked upon me with favor. I know now that it 
 was a sin to have loved my people so passion- 
 ately, and out of pride in the Asding blood and 
 our old glory in arms to have refused to submit. 
 It is our duty to love God with our whole hearts 
 and to live only for heaven.” 
 
 Just then Fara entered the tent, not a little out 
 of temper. “ You have not kept faith, king,” he 
 complained. “You promised to surrender all 
 your arms and military insignia, but the most im- 
 portant piece of booty, the great banner of King 
 Geiseric, is missing. Belisarius especially charged 
 me to secure this. He saw how it was saved in 
 the battle, and I myself at the time of our recent 
 attack noticed it in a woman's hands. Our people 
 and I myself, guided by the Vandals, have 
 searched everywhere for it. We found these 
 golden nails lying beside some bones in the ashes 
 of a hut. The Vandals say that the nails are from 
 the spear-shaft of the banner. Did you burn it?” 
 “ No; I would not have grudged it to you and 
 Belisarius. A woman did that — Hilda. She slew 
 herself. May God forgive her!” 
 
 And this is not hypocrisy. I confess I do not 
 understand this way of looking at things, yet 
 these remarkable occurrences force into my mind 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 435 
 
 thoughts which I would gladly avoid. He who 
 has once tasted philosophy can never break him- 
 self of the habit of asking — Why ? 
 
 In the history of the human race we often find 
 „ successes recorded that surpassed all expectation. 
 But whether any previous enterprise was blessed 
 with good fortune comparable to ours is, at least, 
 doubtful. 
 
 Belisarius himself is amazed. Five thousand 
 horsemen— for our infantry scarcely struck a blow 
 —strangers, who, after they had landed, possessed 
 no harbor, no fortress, no spot of ground in all 
 Africa except that upon which they stood — five 
 thousand horsemen, in two short battles against 
 ten times their numbers, have overthrown the 
 kingdom of the fearful Geiseric and taken captive 
 his descendant, whose citadel and treasure they 
 have seized ! 
 
 It is true the generalship of Belisarius and the 
 bravery of our well-disciplined army contributed 
 much towards the result. Something, too, is due 
 to the previously plotted and finally executed 
 treason of Verus, who, we now learn, had been all 
 the time in secret correspondence with the em- 
 peror and empress. The most potent of all the 
 causes at work was, undoubtedly, the degeneracy 
 of the people, outside of the royal line. And, be- 
 
436 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 sides, the inexplicable, contradictory nature of the 
 king himself vitiated his own best efforts and those 
 of his supporters. But all these combined could 
 not have accomplished the result so speedily, had 
 it not been for the unexampled good fortune which 
 accompanied us from the beginning. 
 
 And this good fortune, is it chance? Oris it 
 God’s work, who wished to punish the Vandals for 
 their sins and those of their ancestors ?. 
 
 It may be so ; and not without reverence do I 
 bow to such a dispensation. But — and here the 
 old cynical doubt twitches me, the doubt that 
 never leaves me — in that case one must say that 
 God is not over-choice about his instruments. For 
 surely this Gelimer and his brothers are not sur- 
 passed in nobility of character and virtue by Jus- 
 tinian, Theodora, Belisarius, or perhaps even, O 
 Cethegus, by your friend, the writer of these let- 
 ters. 
 
 XLVI. 
 
 On the day after Gelimer’s surrender, the 
 Byzantine camp was broken up, and the march 
 back to Carthage begun. 
 
 At the head of the column rode Fara, Procopius, 
 and the other leaders upon horses and camels. 
 In the middle, surrounded by the foot-soldiers, 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 
 
 437 
 
 came the captive Vandals, their hands and feet 
 fettered with chains, -which permitted walking or 
 riding, but not running. The Hunnish cavalry 
 brought up the rear. 
 
 Thus the march back proceeded slowly, halts 
 being made at night for rest ; it required fourteen 
 days to traverse the ground which had been 
 covered by the swift pursuit in eight. 
 
 Verus rode for the most part alone ; he avoided 
 the Vandals, and the Byzantines avoided him. 
 
 On the second day after leaving the mountain 
 — Fara and Procopius were some distance in ad- 
 vance — the priest checked his horse at a bend of 
 the way, and waited until the prisoners came up. 
 Many a fettered fist was raised against him, 
 many a curse was uttered, but he gave no heed to 
 such demonstrations. Finally Gelimer appeared, 
 tottering along on foot, and holding in his man- 
 acled right hand a staff which terminated in a 
 cross. 
 
 Verus pushed his horse through the line of 
 guards and rode up close to him. The prisoner 
 glanced up. 
 
 “ You, Verus !” he said with a shudder. 
 
 “ Yes, I, Verus. I have waited for you here — 
 for you and for this hour, — for this hour, so long 
 delayed, but come at last ? which I have longed 
 
438 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 for, prayed for, worked for in every plan and act! 
 For this hour alone I have lived, suffered, strug- 
 gled for the best years of my life.” 
 
 “ And why, 0 Verus, why? What evil have I 
 done you ?” 
 
 Here Verys burst into a loud laugh, and gave 
 such a jerk to the bridle that his horse suddenly 
 stopped. 
 
 Gelimer w r as startled ; he had seldom seen this 
 man smile, and never heard him laugh aloud. 
 
 “Why? Ha, ha! You ask me why? Because — 
 But in order to answer this question, I must 
 repeat from the beginning the whole story of the 
 persecution which Geiseric inflicted upon us in 
 this land — upon the Romans, the Catholics. Why? 
 Because I am the avenger, the requiter of that 
 century-long crime called the Kingdom of the 
 Vandals in Africa. Hear it, ye saints in heaven ! 
 This man stood by while all my family were tor- 
 tured horribly to death, and tie asks why I have 
 hated and ruined him and his people !” 
 
 “ I know— ” 
 
 “You know nothing. For you ask me — why? 
 You heard, you would say, the curse of my dying 
 mother. But this you do not know — for you had 
 fallen in a swoon — that I, when she hurled that 
 curse at you, tore myself loose from my bonds. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 439 
 
 from my martyr’s stake, that I sprang into the 
 flames to my mother, threw my arms around her, 
 and wished to share her death. She thrust me 
 back from the fire and cried : 4 Live ! Live to 
 avenge me and thy people — and fulfil the curse 
 upon this one and all his race.’ 
 
 “ A second time I sprang forward, clasped the 
 hand of my dying parent, and swore to execute 
 her commands. Then your soldiers tore me away ; 
 I saw her sink down in the flames, and I fell 
 senseless to the ground. 
 
 “ When I came to myself again I was no longer 
 a boy — I was the avenger ! I felt nothing but 
 that last pressure of my mother’s hand ; I saw 
 nothing but the death-look on her face ; I heard 
 nothing but my oath. And I abjured my faith — • 
 apparently. 
 
 “ And you, miserable barbarians, rendered stupid 
 by your own arrogance, supposed I did that from 
 cowardice, from fear of torture and the flames ! 
 
 “ How often in former years have I felt your 
 scarcely concealed contempt, and endured it with 
 the deadliest hate, with a wrath which threatened 
 to consume my very heart ! 
 
 “ Arrogant brood of dim-sighted fools! You 
 attributed to me fear and cowardice, in your esti- 
 mation the most disgraceful of all disgraces. As 
 
440 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 if I had not suffered more, all these years, tenfold 
 more than the death by fire in subduing my own 
 feelings, in enduring without a word of explana- 
 tion the abhorrence of the Catholics at my apos- 
 tasy, in holding myself under the strictest dis- 
 cipline, in smothering in hate and scorn every im- 
 pulse of my heart, in outwardly turning myself 
 into stone, while my whole inner being glowed 
 with a consuming fire ! I even forced myself to 
 serve you, to perform as your priest the sacri- 
 legious service of your church, to endure your in- 
 tolerable boasting. Oh, how I hate you !” And 
 he struck with his whip the captive king, who re- 
 ceived the blow but did not seem to feel it. 
 “You barbarians — what were you a few genera- 
 tions ago but cattle-thieves on the outskirts of 
 our empire, slaughtered by us by thousands, re- 
 duced to slavery, thrown as food to wild beasts, 
 naked, hungry beggars, who thankfully licked up 
 the crumbs that Roman generosity threw to you ? 
 Away with you all, you beasts, whose animal 
 strength alone, under God's permission, — as a 
 punishment for our sins, — has enabled you to break 
 your way into the Roman Empire ! Away with 
 you, Isay!" And he lifted his hand again to 
 strike, but as he saw the eyes of one of the Heru- 
 lian guards turned threateningly upon him, he 
 disconcertedly let fall his arm. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VA NDALS. 
 
 441 
 
 Gelimer had remained silent, with only an oc- 
 casional sigh. Now, however, he said gently: 
 “ And your conscience? Has it never troubled 
 you? Since that encounter with the lion, I — I 
 trusted you so implicitly, I gave you my whole 
 heart. You were my confessor — did you feel no 
 shame at such deceit ?” 
 
 For a moment a flush suffused the pale cheeks 
 of the priest, but it was as transient as summer 
 lightning. Then he answered : “Yes, sometimes, 
 in the beginning — so foolish was my heart. But,” 
 he continued grimly, “ I always overcame this at- 
 tack of weakness when I said to myself, ‘ They 
 consider you a man so contemptible that out of 
 cowardice, in the very presence of your dead, you 
 forswore your faith. These insolent, these im- 
 measurably stupid barbarians — yet it is more 
 vain-glorious pride than stupidity — actually sup- 
 pose that you, the son of these parents, can really 
 be devoted to such masters, can serve them and 
 their brutal and tyrannical power, in forgetfulness 
 of your own martyrs. It is thus they look upon 
 you, thus they treat you — you are to them an ob- 
 ject of inexpressible contempt. Revenge your- 
 self, revenge yourself for this insufferable effron- 
 tery ! ’ Oh, hate also is a pleasure — the hate of a 
 people against a people ! And hated you Ger- 
 
44 2 the last of the vandals , , 
 
 mans shall be as long as a^drop of blood flows in 
 the veins of other nations, hated until death, un- 
 til you are crushed under foot — ” 
 
 And with his fist he struck the bare head of 
 the king, who was tottering along beside him. 
 
 Gelimer neither started nor looked up. 
 
 “What are you muttering ?” asked the priest, 
 bending over towards him. 
 
 “ I was praying — ‘ as we forgive those who have 
 trespassed against us/ But, perhaps, even that is 
 over-estimation of self, is a sin. It may be you 
 have not trespassed against me. It may be that 
 you are really the angel,” — he shuddered, however, 
 at the thought, — whom God has sent me, not for 
 my protection, as in my vanity I supposed, but 
 for my punishment—” 
 
 “ I certainly never was your good angel,” laughed 
 the priest. 
 
 “But — -if it is permitted to ask — ” 
 
 “ Oh yes ; ask. I wish to enjoy this hour to 
 the full.” 
 
 “ If you hated me so bitterly, if you wished to 
 avenge your mother on me, why have you played 
 this game of deceit for so many years ? You have 
 had frequent opportunities to kill me — you might 
 have let me perish beside the lion. Why have 
 you acted as you did?” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 443 
 
 “ Have you not — have you still not compre- 
 hended ? Fool! It is true I hated you, but I 
 hated still more your people. To destroy you — 
 oh yes ! the thought was pleasant ! And hard 
 enough I had to struggle with my hate, that I 
 might not kill you instead of the lion. I hesi- 
 tated— 
 
 “ I saw that.” 
 
 0 
 
 “ But I felt that here, in this man, lives the soul 
 of the Vandal nation. To place him upon the 
 throne and then control him, that means to shape 
 the destiny of his people, If I kill him now, 
 I drive Hilderic to a secret agreement with Byzan- 
 tium, while Zaro, Gibamund, and other warlike 
 men may make a long resistance. But if this man 
 becomes king, this man who, above all others, has 
 power to save his people, and then as king is sub- 
 ject to my will, the Vandal nation is lost beyond 
 a shadow of doubt. To murder him alone — that 
 would be nothing. But through him to ruin and 
 destroy his people — ” 
 
 A groan broke from Gelimer. He staggered 
 like a man struck with some mortal sickness, and 
 to sustain himself clutched involuntarily at the 
 horse's bridle. 
 
 Verus thrust the hand away. Gelimer stumbled 
 and fell down upon the sand ; but he arose at 
 once and proceeded on his way. 
 
444 
 
 THE LAST OF THE V A HEALS. 
 
 “Did the priest there strike you ?” asked the 
 Herulian, angrily. 
 
 “ No, friend.” 
 
 Verus continued: “ It was necessary that Hil- 
 deric should vacate the throne. He demanded 
 all sorts of conditions on behalf of the Vandals, 
 and Justinian was disposed to grant them. My 
 purpose was, not to bring Gelimer and the Vandals 
 under subjection to Justinian, but utterly to de- 
 stroy them. Your brother discovered my inter- 
 course with Puden.tius — had I been searched then, 
 the letter of Pudentius would have been found, 
 and all would have been lost. Instead of that I 
 betrayed the Tripolitan’s hiding-place, but I knew 
 that he was mounted on my best courser and al- 
 ready outside the gates. The king and you both 
 fell into my trap. I rejoiced to see how ready 
 you were to believe in Hilderic’s guilt, because 
 you wished it true, because of your secret eager- 
 ness for the crown. Even if you dethroned 
 Hilderic in good faith, how alert you were, how 
 zealous to secure the crown for yourself ! I stood 
 by, I saw how- you struck down Hoamer, who was 
 in the right when he denied that Hilderic had any 
 murderous intentions. You called the combat a 
 judgment of God. You deemed that you were 
 Serving God’s justice, when you served only your 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 445 
 
 own ambition and, through that, — me. It was 
 Satan, not God, who gave you the strength of 
 arm to slay Hoamer. It was a devil’s judgment 
 — a victory of hell, not a sentence of God. Then 
 I became your chancellor, and that meant your 
 destroyer. I broke off openly with the emperor, 
 but I kept up a secret correspondence with the 
 empress. I sent your fleet away to Sardinia, al- 
 though some days before I had heard of the sail- 
 ing of Belisarius. 
 
 “ After the defeat at Decimum I advised that 
 you and the army should shut yourselves up in 
 Carthage. The game would have ended six 
 months sooner. In this alone you did not follow 
 my advice. Then I had to prevent Hilderic from 
 justifying himself before you. I took the letter of 
 warning out of the drawer before I permitted Hil- 
 deric to search for it. No scion of Geiseric’s race 
 could I permit to remain alive, for after the victory 
 of Belisarius Justinian would have honorably re- 
 ceived your captives. Therefore I had them put 
 to death by my freedman, whose escape I managed. 
 But you — and I had long reserved this for the 
 hour when your strength was at its best, for the 
 possibility of some threatening danger to my 
 plans — you I crushed in the very nick of time by 
 the revelation that you had dethroned and mur- 
 
446 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 dered Hilderic without cause. Still my oath was 
 not fulfilled until I saw you in chains, the captive 
 of Justinian. It was simply, therefore, to prevent 
 your escape that I shared all the want and misery 
 of these three months. Letters had come from 
 King Theudis immediately after the fight at De- 
 cimum, offering you a means of retreat by the 
 help of the coast tribes and Visigothic ships. You 
 never saw the letters, for I destroyed them. 
 
 “Not until safety really beckoned to you, not 
 until her hand was really stretched out towards 
 you, did I at length throw off the mask and openly 
 strangle your last hope. Now in the Hippodrome 
 at Byzantium I shall see you kiss Justinian’s feet 
 — that is the culmination of my mother’s curse, 
 my own oath, and my people’s revenge.” 
 
 He ceased ; his countenance glowed with ex- 
 citement, his eyes shot fiery glances of triumphant 
 hate down at the prisoner. 
 
 Gelimer bent down and kissed the priest’s shoe, 
 as it rested in the stirrup. “You, then, w r ere the 
 rod with which God chastened and still chastens 
 me. I thank God and you for every deserved 
 blow, just as I thanked God and you when I took 
 you for my guardian spirit. And if, in acting as 
 you have done, you have sinned against me and 
 my people — that is not for me to say — then may 
 God pardon you, as I myself fully do !” 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS, 447 
 
 XLVII. 
 
 TO CETHEGUS FROM PROCOPIUS. 
 
 The captive king traversed the entire way back 
 to Carthage on foot, positively declining either 
 horse or camel. He journeyed on in silence, 
 except that from time to time he prayed aloud in 
 Latin ; but never in the Vandal tongue. 
 
 Fara offered him suitable clothing instead of the 
 torn and tattered purple mantle which he wore. 
 The prisoner thanked him and asked for a peni- 
 tential belt with sharp pricks upon the inner side, 
 such as the hermits of the desert are accustomed 
 to use. We did not have with us such a senseless 
 article, and besides Fara strongly disapproved of 
 the request. So the “ tyrant” had to fashion one 
 for himself out of an old bridle which he found, 
 and from the sharp thorns of the desert acacia. 
 
 He broke down right before the gate of his 
 royal city, and fell upon his face in the sand of 
 the road. Verus halted behind him, hesitated 
 for a moment, and then raised his foot. I believe 
 he would have set it upon the king’s neck, had not 
 Fara, who seemed to entertain the same suspicion, 
 jerked the priest away with no gentle hand, and 
 with some words of sympathy raised the fallen 
 man. 
 
448 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 
 
 Immediately within the Numidian gate, upon a 
 spacious open place in the suburb Atlas, Belisa- 
 rius had drawn up the greater part of his troops, 
 filling three sides of the square ; the fourth, that 
 towards the gate, remained unoccupied. 
 
 Just opposite the gate, on a raised seat, our 
 general sat enthroned, in the full splendor of his 
 armor. Above his head rose the imperial stand- 
 ard ; at his feet lay the scarlet flags and banners 
 of the Vandals, many dozens of which we had 
 captured. Only their great royal banner, which 
 we have never been able to find, was wanting. 
 
 Around Belisarius stood the leaders of his 
 victorious troops and many bishops and priests ; 
 also many senators and distinguished citizens of 
 Carthage and other towns, who within the last 
 few months have returned from banishment or 
 flight, — among them the rejoicing Pudentius of 
 Tripolis and his son. 
 
 To the left of Belisarius lay, spread out at his 
 feet on purple cloths, the royal hoard of the Van- 
 dals, heaped up in artistically desjgned disorder : 
 many chairs of solid gold ; the chariot of the 
 Vandal queens; an inestimable quantity of jew- 
 elry of every sort ; the entire silver table-service of 
 the king, and all the other appointments of the 
 palace ; weapons innumerable, including those 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 449 
 
 from the armories of Geiseric ; also old Roman 
 battle-standards, now at last set free from a cap- 
 tivity of many decades. There were arms enough 
 with which, in the hands of valiant men, to con- 
 quer the world ; there were Roman helmets with 
 proudly waving crests, German boar and buffalo 
 casques, Moorish shields covered with panther- 
 skins, Moorish head-bands with nodding ostrich- 
 feathers, doublets made from the hide of the 
 crocodile — but it is scarcely possible to describe 
 the variety and magnificence of the spoil. 
 
 To the right of Belisarius stood the most dis- 
 tinguished of the captives, their hands bound 
 behind their backs. Besides the men there were 
 many of the Vandal women, handsome in features 
 and voluptuous in form. The whole picture was 
 enclosed, as if in a metallic frame, by the squad- 
 rons of our cavalry and the thick masses of our 
 infantry. What with the neighing of the horses, 
 the waving of the crests, the clang and the glitter 
 of the arms, it was a glorious spectacle, that 
 thrilled the heart of every man who did not gaze 
 upon it as one of the conquered. 
 
 Behind our soldiers the populace of Carthage 
 pressed eagerly forward, reminded, however, by 
 many a blow from the shaft of a spear that they 
 had no part, except that of spectators, in this 
 
450 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 celebration of their deliverance and that of Africa. 
 This whole performance was, of course, only the 
 prologue to the triumph in the Hippodrome at 
 Byzantium which the emperor has already prom- 
 ised to Belisarius. 
 
 Meantime our little procession halted within 
 the arched gateway, waiting for the appointed 
 signal. 
 
 At a blast of the trumpets Fara and I, accom 
 panied by some subordinate officers and thirty- 
 Herulians, rode forward into the square and halted 
 before the seat of Belisarius. He arose, com- 
 manded us to dismount, embraced and kissed 
 Fara, and hung around his neck a great plate of 
 gold as a prize of victory for the capture of a 
 crowned king. As for me, he pressed my hand 
 and bade me be his companion in all his future 
 campaigns. That is for me the greatest possible 
 reward, for I love this man with the courage of a 
 lion and the heart of a child. 
 
 At his direction we stationed ourselves to the 
 right and the left of his throne. 
 
 Then came two trumpet-peals, and Verus ad- 
 vanced through the gate into the square. He 
 was attired in the rich ceremonial vestments of 
 the Catholic priesthood. I noticed also that his 
 narrow Arian tonsure had been changed into 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS . 45 1 
 
 the broader Catholic style. He came forward 
 proudly, with head borne haughtily erect and 
 with a look on his face that seemed to say, 
 “ Without me you would not be here, vain- 
 glorious soldiers !” That, however, is not entirely 
 true ; We should undoubtedly have conquered 
 without him, although it would have been harder 
 and more tedious. And just so far as his claims 
 have any justification, to that very extent they 
 vex my friend Belisariiis. 
 
 Our general knit his brow and cast upon the 
 approaching priest a look of contempt, which 
 caused the latter to lower his eyes, as, with a 
 haughty mien, he bowed in salutation. 
 
 “ I have a letter of the emperor to read to you, 
 priest,” spoke Belisarius. And taking from an at- 
 tendant a purple roll of papyrus, he kissed it and 
 read : 
 
 “‘Imperator Caesar Flavius Justinianus Augus- 
 tus, the pious, fortunate, and illustrious ruler 
 and general, conqueror of the Allematini, Franks. 
 Germans, Antians, Alani, Persians, and now also 
 of the Vandals, the Moors, and of Africa, to Verus 
 the Archdeacon : 
 
 “‘You have preferred to carry on with my 
 saintly consort, the empress, rather than with my- 
 self, a secret correspondence in regard to the over- 
 
452 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 throw of the tyrant by our arms and with the aid 
 of God. She promised, in case we should con- 
 quer, to request from me the reward which you 
 desire. Theodora does not ask in vain from Jus- 
 tinian. Since you have established the fact that 
 your acceptance of the heretic belief was mere 
 pretence, that in your heart you remained a stead- 
 fast adherent of the true faith, and were recog- 
 nized as such by your Catholic confessor, who was 
 empowered to grant you a dispensation for the 
 outward appearance of this sin, your standing as 
 an orthodox priest cannot be questioned. There- 
 fore, I command Belisarius by virtue of this letter 
 to proclaim you forthwith the Catholic Bishop of 
 Carthage ’ — hear, all ye Carthaginians and Romans, 
 I proclaim, in the name of the emperor, that Verus 
 is the Catholic Bishop of Carthage — 4 to set upon 
 your head the bishop’s mitre and to place in your 
 hand the bishop’s staff.’ Kneel down, Bishop.” 
 
 Verus hesitated. It seemed as if he would 
 much rather receive the gold-embroidered mitre 
 standing ; but Belisarius held it down so low, so 
 close to his own knees, that no other course re- 
 mained to the priest except to submit to necessity 
 if he wished his head to be adorned with the cov- 
 eted honor. 
 
 As soon, however, as he had received it, he 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 453 
 
 sprang to his feet. Then Belisarius placed the 
 richly gilded shepherd’s staff in his hand. 
 
 With swelling heart and head erect the bishop 
 started to pass to the right of the throne. But 
 Belisarius said : “ Stay, most holy man ! I have 
 not yet finished the emperor’s letter.” And he 
 read on: 
 
 “ ‘ Thus you obtain the stipulated reward. But 
 Theodora, as you have already learned, does not 
 ask in vain from Justinian. Therefore I fulfil also 
 her second request. 
 
 “ ‘ In her opinion a man so bold and crafty 
 would be altogether too dangerous as bishop of 
 Carthage. You might serve your new master as 
 you did the old. Therefore she requests me that 
 Belisarius, by virtue of this command, shall have 
 you seized ’—here, at a motion from Belisarius, 
 Fara, evidently much rejoiced, laid his mailed 
 hand upon the shoulder of the priest, who had 
 turned deathly pale — ‘ for you are banished for life 
 to Martyropolis, on the Tigris, on the Persian 
 frontier, as far as possible from Carthage. In your 
 place, as your vicarius, the confessor of the em- 
 press, whom she wishes removed from Byzantium, 
 will perform the duties of the bishop, with the 
 approval of the Holy Father at Rome. At Mar- 
 tyropolis there are mines for criminals. You will 
 
454 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 care for the souls of these exiles six hours each 
 day* And in order that you may better under- 
 stand their spiritual condition, for six other hours 
 you will share their labor.’ Away with him !” 
 
 Verus attempted to reply, but once more the 
 trumpets pealed, and before the third blast died 
 away the priest had been led off by six Thracians, 
 and had disappeared down the steeet which ran 
 towards the harbor. 
 
 “ Now summon Gelimer, the king of the Van- 
 dals/’ Belisarius called out in a loud voice. 
 
 Gelimer came forward from the gate upon the 
 square, his hands fettered with a golden chain. 
 One of the many dentated golden crowns found in 
 the royal hoard had been pressed upon his long, 
 disordered hair, and over his old, torn purple 
 mantle and penitential belt a new and magnificent 
 robe of the same regal material had been thrown 
 He stood passive, listless, silent, while being thus 
 arrayed ; only against the crown he at first made a 
 gesture of protest, but a moment after submitted 
 with the low murmur, "Well, then, my crown of 
 thorns !” 
 
 Just as listless and silent, like a moving corpse, 
 he now advanced across the open place, a distance 
 of perhaps three hundred feet, and approached 
 Belisarius. 
 
THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 455 
 
 At the mention of his name a loud whisper, 
 broken by occasional exclamations, had passed 
 along the ranks, but now when they saw him a 
 silence fell upon all the thousands present ; mock- 
 cry, triumph, curiosity, revenge, sympathy, all 
 failed to find expression, all were hushed before 
 the majesty of his appearance, the majesty of un- 
 utterable sorrow. 
 
 No other prisoner, not even a guard, accompa- 
 nied the captive king; he crossed the square entirely 
 alone. His eyes, shaded by their long lashes and 
 deeply sunken in their sockets, were fixed upon 
 the ground ; deeply sunken, too, were his pale 
 cheeks ; the gaunt fingers of his right hand were 
 clasped about a small wooden cross. Blood trickled 
 from his girdle and fell slowly in drops upon the 
 white sand as he moved along. 
 
 Not a word was spoken. A death-like stillness 
 pervaded the whole broad space ; the people 
 seemed almost to hold their breath until the un- 
 fortunate monarch stood before Belisarius. 
 
 Shocked at the sight and deeply moved, even 
 the conqueror was at a loss for words. Im- 
 pulsively he held out his hand to the man standing 
 before him. Gelimer raised his great, mournful 
 eyes, beheld Belisarius in all the splendor of 
 gold and arms, glanced hastily around the three 
 
456 THE LAST OF THE VANDALS. 
 
 sides of the square, saw the brilliant display of 
 martial pomp, saw the standard of the victor 
 waving above his head, the banners of tne Vandals 
 and their royal hoard spread out at his feet, and, 
 with a wild, convulsive movement, dropping his 
 cross, he clasped his hands, fettered as they were 
 by the golden chain, high above his head, while a 
 shrill and horrible laugh burst from him. Then 
 with the cry, “ Vanity! vanity! all is vanity !” he 
 threw himself upon his face down in the sand, 
 right at the feet of Belisarius. 
 
 “ Is this sickness?” asked our general in a low 
 voice. 
 
 “ Oh no,” I replied in the same tone. “ It is 
 despair — or, possibly, excessive piety. He deems 
 life not worth the living, and all that is human, all 
 that is earthly, even kindred and people, nothing 
 but vanity, emptiness, sin. Is that, perhaps, to be 
 the ultimate conclusion reached by our Christian 
 faith ?” 
 
 “No; that is insanity!” exclaimed Beli§arius 
 the hero. “Forward, my brave soldiers! Let the 
 trumpet once more sound — the Roman trumpet, 
 whose blast rings through the world. To the 
 harbor ! On board ! And to our triumph in 
 Byzantium !” 
 
 THE END.