CHAPTER IX.
The company of soldiers, who had been sent by the city-prefect inpursuit of the Batavian and his companions, had given up the chase at ashort distance from Ardea. They rode slowly into the town, and rappedwith their sword-hilts at the door of the little old tavern till theinnkeeper crept grumpily out of his bed, and let them in. A stable boyunsaddled the horses, while Ciconia, the host's unprepossessing wife,brought out a dish of smoked cheese,[69] some loaves, and a jar of redwine from Veii.
While his men sat round the stone table and burned their parchedthroats with coarse liquor, the captain walked up and down the roomreflecting with little satisfaction indeed on the events of the night.He wondered why the fugitives had selected the road through Ardea.The Via Appia would have been wider, more convenient, and safer forstrangers unfamiliar with the district, while the road to Ardea, withits many inequalities and turnings, would seem to give the pursuers,who were more familiar with them, an appreciable advantage. The morehe thought of it, the more convinced he became that Antium must havebeen the goal of their hopes. But, in that case, the refugees must haveintended to sail from Antium and reach one of the neighboring islands,or perhaps even Sardinia or Corsica. And in that case it would not bedifficult to find out who had undertaken to convey them. Thus all wasnot yet lost. He took up a cup of wine and emptied it at a draught.Then, turning to the hostess, he asked in great excitement:
"Ciconia, have you a horse?"
"No, my lord; what do you want it for?"
"I must get on to Antium immediately, and our beasts are tired todeath."
Ciconia reflected.
"Well," she said, "there is a horse, no doubt, in the stable--standingthere since noon. It belongs to a trader out of Metapontum[70]--but Ido not know whether he would allow it."
"He must; or, better still, why should he ever know it? I shall beback again in a few hours. I will leave all our horses in pledge withyou, and pay for your nasty verjuice as if it were Falernian. Make noceremony."
In five minutes the Metapontine trader's steed stood saddled andbridled at the door. It was a small, square-set brute, but strong. Thesoldier mounted, desired his men to await his return, and set off at around pace.
Shortly before reaching Antium he met two riderless horses, one ofwhich he at once recognized as that of his wounded comrade. There couldno longer be a doubt; the fugitives were trusting to the sea. Withrenewed energy he struck spurs into his horse, and had soon got overthe few hundred paces, that still lay between him and the harbor. Here,however, there was nothing to be seen or heard. He rode all round thebay and back again, keeping a sharp lookout. The ships lay motionlessby the mole--the barges and shore-boats in the middle, farther out thelarger merchant-vessels, and away to the left the imperial trireme,which through the summer months had cruised in search of pirates aboutthe coasts of Egypt and Cyrenaica.[71] All was as silent as the dead,excepting when, now and then, the night-breeze whistled through thecordage.
Then he stopped awhile, and gazed out to sea--not a speck was to beseen on the starlit expanse so far as the eye could reach. He wasbeginning to think that he had been wrong in his calculations, and wasabout to take his way back again in a very provoked frame of mind,when an unhoped-for incident arrested him in the very act. Was it theuncertain twilight that cheated his sight? The large barque at thefarthest end of the harbor seemed to be slowly moving, and then heheard the distant stroke of oars. At the same moment he sprang from hissaddle, and thundered with a powerful fist at the door of the nearesthouse.
"A boat!" he shouted as the bewildered door-keeper opened to him."In the name of the city-prefect I must row at once to the imperialguard-ship."
"My lord, you are under a mistake," said the slave not very civilly."We are neither boat-keepers nor oarsmen. Euterpius lives here, theharbor-master."
"So much the better. Take me to your master immediately, if you want tokeep your head on your shoulders, fellow."
Such a mode of address admitted of no denial; the harbor-master himselfunderstood that the case was no common one, and in ten minutes he andthe soldier were seated side by side in a light boat. They soon reachedthe imperial trireme, which at once took them on board, and the soldierexplained in breathless haste how matters stood. The captain of theship, a man of prompt determination, at once gave orders for sailingafter the fugitives. While the soldiers made ready for a fight, thesailors weighed anchor and hauled in the chains. The oarsmen took theirseats, the coxswain's hammer gave the stroke, and they were off inchase.
The Batavian's trireme had a good start; it was now but a speck,motionless as it seemed, on the north-western horizon.
It was not till nearly an hour later, that any one discovered on boardthe Batavia that they were being chased, and it was Magus' eagle eyethat made the unpleasant discovery. Keeping a bright lookout landwardfrom the stern, he perceived that a dark object, which he at firstthought to be part of the buildings above the harbor, was a vesselin motion. Its starting at so unusual an hour, and still more, thedirection it was taking, roused his suspicions. Magus confessed hisfears to Caius Aurelius, and, in the dawn which was now breaking, hismaster saw clearly the danger of their position. The conspirators--whoafter exchanging greetings had separated, some to rest, and some,wrapped in cloaks, like Aurelius himself, to pace the deck--were soonassembled to hold council in that centre-cabin, which, to Aurelius, hada peculiar sanctity, as having been the scene of his first meeting withClaudia. The steersman was called in, and Magus remained on deck tofind out what more he might.
"Forgive me," the Batavian began, "for having, under stress ofcircumstances, disturbed your slumbers. You have heard of the newdanger which threatens us. It is a trireme, and, to judge from thespeed she is making, well manned."
"Then we must pull for our lives," said Ulpius Trajanus. "A fight wouldbe useless."
"I know the ship," said Cornelius Cinna, addressing the Hispanian. "Itis the Charybdis, which has been in chase of pirates all the summer,off the coast of Cyrenaica. It was the only imperial vessel lying offAntium. She is well manned--no doubt of that; but only when she is onservice. At the end of the season the soldiers go on shore to do otherduty, or take leave of absence. There are very few left on board duringthe winter."
"If I understand Aurelius rightly, he spoke of the rowers, not ofthe fighting men," replied Trajanus. "And as the oarsmen are in fullnumbers, leave has probably not yet begun."
"Nay, you are mistaken. The oarsmen work at day in the harbor, but thelaw compels them to pass the night on board. I do not wish to fight!I only meant to say that, if it came to the worst, the battle is notso hopeless as you think, particularly as Caius Aurelius has arms onboard for half a cohort of soldiers. So, if Fate will have it that weare not to escape scot-free, we can, at any rate, give the foe a warmreception."
"Of course, of course," cried Trajanus. "None but a coward yieldswithout a struggle. However, our surest hope, I believe, is founded onthe strength of the oarsmen. We must not forget the sheathed rostrum!Our Batavia is a splendid ship, and, Aurelius assures me, has athree-fold coating of timber, but how often has it happened that thestrongest vessels have been pierced and sunk by a well-directed thrustfrom the prow of the enemy--and the imperial guard-ships are admirablyarmed. What will the most splendid courage avail us then? I wouldpropose, therefore, that the rowers' seats are at once manned by thevery best of your oarsmen."
"That has already been done, my lord!" said the steersman. "And asregards the foe's rostrum, I confess I do not share your fears. Ifwe fail to escape, we can but turn round. Then, prow to prow--twocan play at that game, and we shall see who is sunk first. We arenot accustomed, it is true, to manoeuvre like a man-of-war, but theBatavia answers her helm as a fish turns with its tail, and that is thegreat thing."
He had hardly spoken, when Magus appeared.
"They are gaining on us. As I reckon, they have twenty oars more thanthe Batavia."
"You hear!" exclaimed Cinna, springi
ng from his seat "There is nofarther time for deliberation. Let each man be assigned his part atonce."
"You then must be general of the forces," said Nerva quietly. "Many arebetter at laying plans than you are, but in carrying them out you areunequalled."
"Agreed," said Cneius Afranius. "Our new Rome, met here on board theBatavia, invests Cinna with the dignity of Dictator."
"I accept your jest as of good augury," replied Nerva. "Our new Romeis indeed in the hour of its birth, and it is our part to see that itshall thrive and grow. Good! Now, Dictator, summon the troops."
Cinna's orders were soon issued. All the oarsmen were armed; thosewho were rowing, as well as those who were resting below till theirturn came at the oars. Nor did the trireme lose ground while thesepreparations were being made; a sword and a small round shield werelaid at the feet of each rower, without stopping him in his pull; theycould not yet give up all hope of escape. If it became hopeless, therowers were to cease at the word of command, to rest till the enemywas close upon them, and then pull again till the Charybdis was withingrappling range. At the instant when the enemy's boarding-planks werethrust across over the grappling-hooks,[72] the men were to seizetheir arms and await the commands of Ulpius Trajanus, who would leadthem on deck.
Nerva himself, stepping from bench to bench, issued these instructionsto the rowers. Dimly lighted by the ruddy gleam of a flickering lampand by the twilight of dawn, the tall, majestic figure, with longsilver hair, made a singular impression on the crew.
These men, who sat and steadily dipped their oars, were for themost part of Teutonic origin, natives of the Rhine provinces andthe north-east of Germany--rough and primitive creatures, hardlyunderstanding the Latin tongue--indeed Magus had to interpret to themtheir illustrious commander's orders. But one thing they perfectlyunderstood, their beloved master, Caius Aurelius, was in the utmostperil, and the proud but gentle old man, who passed down their ranks,was a friend of Aurelius and a partner in his danger. This was enough.They glanced down at the weapons, and were almost glad to think theirstrength would be tested at some other toil than pulling their oars.And then it was for Caius Aurelius! Was there in all the Roman Empirea knight, who treated his people with so much kindness--nay, with somuch friendliness? What a jolly time they had just spent at Ostia! Thelong voyage from Trajectum, to be sure, had been a severe pull, buthow handsomely he had rewarded them, and what perfect liberty theyhad enjoyed while the Batavia lay at anchor. Well, he took after hisworthy father--stern when duty was to be attended to, but, thoughstrict, never hard; open-handed, and never without a kind thought forthe humblest of his slaves. That was what the old merchant had been,and his son was the same....
While the rowers were indulging in these reflections and expressingtheir views in whispers, the men off duty were posted ready for actionon the forepart of the deck, with Cornelius Cinna himself at theirhead. He desired the Batavian to remain with the ship's servants inthe cabins till the moment of attack. Nerva--and this was unanimouslyagreed to by all the conspirators--in consideration of his advancedage--was entreated to remain in the hold of the vessel, till the battlewas decided. But the old man stoutly refused; he still had vigorenough, he said, to wield a blade, and a man was never too old to diefor freedom by the side of brave comrades. So Cocceius Nerva was toldoff to the division under Aurelius--only as a private soldier, for hepositively refused to command. Cneius Afranius and the old, one-armedcenturion took their places by Cinna, somewhat as his adjutants orlieutenants.
All this time they had rowed steadily ahead. To the east, over Latium,it grew lighter every minute. The elaborate rigging of the imperialtrireme was now distinctly visible, for its sails, like those of theBatavia, were close-reefed, the wind being contrary. The three ranksof oars on each side rose and fell like broad black wings. There wasno longer any doubt. She was gaining on them. Her oarsmen outnumberedthose of the Batavia, not by twenty only, but by thirty or more.Aurelius measured with his eye the fast diminishing distance betweenthem, not without a feeling of apprehension. On board both vesselsthere was absolute silence; nothing broke the stillness of the dawnbut the splash of the oars' blades in the water and the hammer-strokesof the time-keepers. Not another vessel was to be seen on the calmlead-colored waste. In all this vast and desert expanse the only livingthing was that embodiment of stealthy and vindictive hatred!...
It was a ghastly thought, and he shivered.
Another quarter of an hour went by, and the most persistently hopefulcould no longer dream of escape. Cornelius Cinna gave the word; theBatavia turned round and the oars ceased to lash the waves. TheCharybdis immediately slackened her tremendous speed, evidently inorder to put on a final spurt for a killing thrust She came nearer andnearer, till within about three hundred paces. Then the rowers suddenlyfell to with all their force; the ship made a half-turn and rushed withfurious might on the Batavia, which was lying still. But Chrysostomus,her steersman, was an experienced seaman. With five or six strokes sheturned sharply round, and the Charybdis shot by, close to along-sidebut harmless.
She turned back at once; the Batavia was again lying to in watchfulexpectation, her gleaming rostrum threatening the foe, and theCharybdis was not far enough off to repeat her attack with any effect.She now took another line of action. She pulled slowly and peacefullyto within a speaking distance of the Batavia. The city-prefect'scaptain came to the bulwarks with the ship's commander and roaredout to them, in the tone of a conqueror, to give up their uselessresistance and return to Antium.
"And who are you?" asked Cinna contemptuously.
"A servant of Caesar's and a guardian of the insulted majesty of thelaw."
"Or else a pirate[73]...."
"A foolish subterfuge!--You know the sovereign's guard-ship; aye, aswell as I know the face of a rebel. Are not you Cinna, the eloquentadvocate of the Nazarenes?"
Cinna did not fail to observe that, during this colloquy, theCharybdis, stealthily, worked only by the stern-most oars, was creepingnearer and nearer. This was exactly what he had hoped for. If onlythey would grapple! If only they would board. A fight on the decksof the Batavia was, of all the chances open to them, by far the mostpromising; their knowledge of the vessel, and particularly of itstrap-doors and ladders would be a precious advantage. Cinna thereforejudged it wise to parley a little longer with the enemy, that hemight be deluded into believing that his scheme was not perceived orunderstood.
"Aye--that is my name!" he shouted back. "And who in the world has anyright to dog my movements and detain me here?"
"Caesar and the law," replied the soldier. "Do not resist, but trustrather to Caesar's clemency than to the issue of an unequal battle."
"I do not understand your meaning. Cornelius Cinna sails forLiguria.[74]--What spite is this, that dares to hinder his doing so?"
The warrior exchanged a few words with the ship's captain.
"Is not Caius Aurelius Menapius on board?" he asked after a short pause.
"Not to my knowledge. Now, make an end of this insolent catechising. Iowe you no account of my proceedings, and I demand a free passage--or,by Pluto!..."
Magus, meanwhile, without speaking a word, had run down to the armory.There he seized a sharp axe, which he tried on the panel of the cabin,and then took the heft firmly between his teeth. While Cornelius Cinnastood disputing with the officer, our friend the Goth glided like aweasel through the port-hole near the rudder, and slid softly into thesea. For a few seconds he lay floating on his back, breathing deeplythrough the nostrils; then he dived in the clear blue water and came upagain close to the rudder of the unsuspecting Charybdis. Again he drewa deep breath; then, swimming with his left hand, he took the axe inhis right, and with two or three mighty blows he severed the rope bywhich the rudder was worked.[75] A broad smile of satisfaction shone onhis tanned face; he dropped the axe into the sea and made his way backto the Batavia.
The Goth was out of reach before the enemy's crew fully understoodtheir disaster. The harpoons and lances they flung after hi
m missedtheir mark, and he got on board unhurt.
Chrysostomus, the steersman, had at the same time handled his shipvery cleverly. The Batavia was now in a position, on her part, to runthe foe through the flank with her iron-shod beak so effectually, thathe would never have made his way home, for with a loose rudder theCharybdis was of course defenceless. Cinna, however, would not hear ofthis. He would have fought for freedom--he would not fight for revenge.
Three blows of the hammer, the Batavia's oars dipped deeply in thewaves and she rode majestically away to the westward. The Charybdis didnot even attempt to chase her.
The soldier and the captain of the vessel foamed with rage. They hadbeen so sure of their prey, and it had slipped through their fingerswhen they thought they held it fast. It was their confidence, which hadled to their disappointment.
Cornelius Cinna leaned thoughtfully over the taffrail, gazing at theCharybdis as she diminished to a speck, for she had taken a homewardcourse to Antium. Strange thoughts filled his brain. Was it so easyas this, to make a proud and well-armed vessel incapably helpless?One bold stroke, and she had become unmanageable--was it not the sameperhaps with the vessel of State?[76] Could it be so difficult to deala blow at that ship's rudder, to board the drifting barque and to pullit at last into the haven of freedom and peace, there to be freshlyfitted and manned for a happier voyage in the future?
Magus, of course, was the hero of the hour. He was loaded with thanksand praises, his master embraced him warmly, and gifts were showeredupon him; but the honest fellow seemed hardly to understand why so muchwas made of his achievement. What was the difference, whether he hungover a precipice on some northern shore to gather a rare plant from therock, or cut his way through the Rugian forests to cast a net over thehorns of the aurochs, or climbed to the top-most branches of a primevaloak, or--as he had just done--swam a few paces to thwart a foe? It wasall instinctive prompting, nothing meritorious or remarkable.
The rowers set to work with a will, notwithstanding that the imperialtrireme was now disabled. The coast was still too close for them tofeel sure whence or by whom the pursuit might not be taken up.
After a short council, they decided on taking a course between thelittle islands of Planasia and Ilva,[77] north of Corsica, to the coastof Gallia Narbonensis, and then to cast anchor in the most unfrequentedbay they could find; Athenopolis[78] perhaps, or Olbia.[79] Fromthence, either separately or together, they could make their way intothe interior, and reach Gallia Lugdunensis, where a large number oftroops were stationed, some in scattered fortresses, and some in thechief town of the province, Lugdunum on the Rhodanus.[80] Rodumna, onthe Liger, the native town of Afranius, was still to be the centralpoint of meeting on a particular day, to be fixed later, unless theconspiracy should through some unforeseen occurrence be broken up.
It had now long been day. The fugitives, quite tired out, retired totheir couches; Aurelius only still found something to do. First he wentto Herodianus' cabin; he had taken himself to bed as soon as he hadcome on board, and all the bustle of the last hour or two had not wakedhim. He now lifted up a bruised and swollen face, and complained ofsevere pain. His fall on the way had shaken him considerably. Aureliushelped him to move, and then applied a bandage and a herb poultice tohis arm and shoulder, and in five minutes the patient was asleep again.
Aurelius, however, still could not rest. He went next to the fugitiveentrusted to his protection by Quintus Claudius: Eurymachus. He foundhim excited, pale, and breathless. He was in a high fever, and sittingup in bed. Through the half-opened port-hole of his cabin he hadlistened in alarm to the mysterious confusion and noise; he imaginedthat the pursuit had been on his account, and it had distressed himbeyond measure to think that the magnanimous Aurelius should beinvolved in his hapless fate. When the Batavian had reassured him onthis point, he fell back on his pillows with a few words of gratitude.A sort of ague fit shook his frame, and his teeth chattered as if withcold.
"How strange," said Aurelius to himself. "This man, who is soindifferent to danger for himself, is ready to die with anxiety for thesafety of his preserver!"
He went back to his own room, and threw himself, wrapped in his cloakas he was, on the outside of his bed. He tried to recall all the eventsof the last twenty-four hours, but his thoughts became confused. Heseemed to see a sweet maiden form stooping over him--to see her smileand feel her kiss his forehead. "Claudia!" he sighed and shivered;then he fell quite asleep--and he was at Baiae, in the quiet, peacefulgarden, far from the world of hatred, tyranny, and persecutions. Alovely dream! as distinct from the realities of the present, as abright star in the dark vault of night.
FOOTNOTES:
[69] SMOKED CHEESE. See Mart. _Ep._ XI, 52; XIII, 32. The best smoked cheese was the Velabrian, so called from Velabrum, a region between the Capitoline, Palatine and Aventine Hills.
[70] METAPONTUM, also Metapontium ([Greek: Metapontion]). A Greek city on the Tarentine Gulf, which has now disappeared except the remains of a Doric temple (_la Tavola de' Paladini_). Even at the time of our story the once famous city had already begun to decline.
[71] CYRENAICA. A region on the northern coast of Africa; now the table-land of Barca.
[72] GRAPPLING HOOKS. Grapnels (_corvi_, _manus ferreae_) were an invention of Duilius. See Front. II, 3, 24; Flor. II, 2. When the _corvi_ had seized the hostile ship, bridges were thrown across. Of course the party most interested in securing this close combat was the side that considered itself the superior in military strength, while inferior in point of strategy. For instance, the Romans in their wars with the Carthaginians.
[73] OR ELSE A PIRATE. In spite of the energetic measures adopted against the piracy practised by the Illyrians, Cilicians and Isaurians, it was not wholly suppressed on the Mediterranean, even in the reign of Domitian.
[74] LIGURIA. The Ligurians lived in the country, now called the Riviera, between Marseilles and Pisa. Under the emperors the territory of Liguria contained the region now occupied by Nice, Genoa, Southern Piedmont, and the Western part of Parma and Piacenza.
[75] HE SEVERED THE ROPE BY WHICH THE RUDDER WAS WORKED. This bold method of rendering a hostile ship unfit for battle, was by no means rare. The two-edged axe, used to cut the rope of the rudder, was called _bipennis_.
[76] WAS IT NOT THE SAME PERHAPS WITH THE VESSEL OF STATE? Comparing the administration of the government to a ship was common among the Romans. See the well-known ode of Horace "_Ad rem publicam_" (I, 14.): _O navis, referent in mare te novi fluctus_....
[77] PLANASIA AND ILVA, now Pianosa and Elba.
[78] ATHENOPOLIS, now Saint Tropez.
[79] _Olbia_, now Hyeres.
[80] RHODANUS, now called the Rhone.