A Struggle for Rome, v. 3

  CHAPTER XVI.

  The next day Totila reached Taginae, accompanied by Valeria and Julius.He had hastened forward to join Teja with a portion of his troops,while Wisand and Guntharis reached him later with the main army. Onlyafter their arrival could any attack be made upon the very strongposition of the Prefect.

  Cethegus, too, attempted no assault, but while thus inactive, awaitinghis "second army," he once more, and in vain, endeavoured to regain thelost affection of Julius. He went to Taginae to meet him at a spotbetween the outposts of the opposing forces. He tried all possiblemeans to induce him to return to his allegiance, even unveiling thehistory of his past life. The mother of Julius had once been betrothedto Cethegus, but her father had been persuaded by Duke Alaric to breakoff the match, and to give her in marriage to a Gothic noble. On theday of her wedding, Cethegus, mad with grief, had tried to carry heroff by force, but, overpowered by numbers, had been struck down, andthrown, seemingly lifeless, on the banks of the Tiber. Many yearsafter, he had found Julius, a young boy, forsaken, with his dyingmother, in their villa on the banks of the Rhodus, which had beensacked by bands of marauders. From that moment Cethegus had adopted theson of his lost bride.--But in vain he now appealed to the gratitude ofhis adopted son. Julius not only recoiled with horror from any furtherconnection with a man whose ruthless hands were stained with blood, buthis deepening religious feeling separated him entirely from the avowedatheist.

  And, blow upon blow, Cethegus was disappointed in another matter. The"second army" was at last reported as approaching. Syphax brought thenews; he had ridden night and day in order to reach the Prefectbefore this army should arrive, for at its head was, not Areobindos,but--_Narses_.

  Vexed and alarmed, Cethegus left his camp, and rode forward to meetNarses, with whom he found Alboin, the Longobardian chief. Narsesreceived him with marked coolness, and at once explained to him that hecould suffer no rival in his camp; that Cethegus must either serveunder him as one of his generals, or remain inactive as his _guest_.Clearly seeing that he must either submit or be a prisoner, Cethegus atonce affirmed that he considered it an honour to serve under Narses,and together the generals reached a favourable position betweenHelvillum and Taginae.

  And a mighty army was that of Narses, with which he had advanced fromthe north and east in terrible strides, driving before him the Gothsfrom position to position, making no prisoners, but inexorablyannihilating all who stood in his way.

  Totila had but a small force to oppose to these numbers, for his armyhad been fearfully diminished; and now, when the Italians foresaw theprobable consequences of the renewed war, and that the Goths were beingslowly but surely overcome, they ceased to rally round Totila's flag,and even, where they felt themselves safe, betrayed the hiding-placesof the Gothic people to the Byzantines. The persecuted Gothic familiesfled, and sought protection in the camp of Totila, who, fearing thefamine sure to be caused by the accumulation of helpless masses, sentthem still farther south to those parts of the peninsula yet uninvadedby Narses.

  Surrounded by his Earls, Totila now formed a plan by which he intendedto entice the centre of the army of Narses (which was held by theLongobardians) into an ambush between Caprae and Taginae. Reckoning uponthe headlong valour of the Longobardians, Totila determined to placethe full half of his troops in the town of Caprae, leaving the otherhalf in Taginae. Totila himself, with his small troop of horsemen, wouldadvance beyond Caprae against the Longobardians; and at the moment ofattack, would turn, feigning a sudden panic; would gallop back throughthe gates of Caprae (the troops there remaining concealed in thehouses), and thus draw on the Longobardians to pursue him into thenarrow road, between low hills, which lay between Caprae and Taginae. Atthis spot Totila would place in ambush a troop of Persian horsemen,which had been unexpectedly brought to him by his old friend and rival,Furius Ahalla, who had orders, when the Longobardians were fairly takenin the trap, to issue from their ambush, and annihilate them. Totilacounted upon the fidelity of Ahalla, who was bound to him by strongties of gratitude in spite of the defeat he had suffered in his suit ofValeria. This plan of Totila was highly approved of by Hildebrand, andall the warriors who shared his counsels.

  The evening before the day of its execution all was in readiness.Furius Ahalla and his horsemen were posted in the narrow road, the"Flaminian Way." Earl Thorismuth himself went out to make sure thatthey had punctually obeyed orders. When he returned to Totila's camp,he brought word that Furius Ahalla begged Totila to delay his attackand feigned flight on the morrow, until three hundred of his best men,who had been delayed on the march, should have joined him; of whichevent he would immediately apprise Totila outside the gates of Caprae.

  "Well," said Totila, smiling, "I will await the proper moment, andmeantime entertain the Longobardians by my feats of horsemanship.To-morrow, Teja, God will decide the right. Thou sayest there is no Godbut necessity. I say there is a living God--my victory to-morrow shallprove it."

  "Stay," cried Julius, who was present, "ye shall not tempt the Lord!"

  "Seest thou," cried Teja, as he rose and took up his shield, "Juliusfears for his God!"