demetrios came without any hindrance into narenta, a free city. he believed his emperor must have sent galleys toward christendom to get tidings of his generalissimo, but in this city of merchants demetrios heard no report of them. yet in the harbour he found a trading-ship prepared for traffic in the country of the pagans; the sail was naked to the wind, the anchor chain was already shortened at the bow. demetrios bargained with the captain of this vessel, and in the outcome paid him four hundred sequins. in exchange the man agreed to touch at the needle of ansignano that afternoon and take demetrios aboard. since the proconsul had no passport, he could not with safety endeavour to elude those officers of the tribunal who must endorse the ship's passage at piaja.
thus about sunset demetrios waited the ship's coming, alone upon the
needle. this promontory is like a titan's finger of black rock thrust
out into the water. the day was perishing, and the querulous sea before
demetrios was an unresting welter of gold and blood.
he thought of how he had won safely through a horde of dangers, and the gross man chuckled. he considered that unquestioned rulership of every person near demetrios which awaited him oversea, and chiefly he thought of melicent whom he loved even better than he did the power to sneer at everything the world contained. and the proconsul chuckled.
he said, aloud:
"i owe very much to messire de la forêt. i owe far more than i can estimate. for, by this, those lackeys will have slain messire de la forêt or else they will have taken messire de la forêt to king theodoret, who will piously make an end of this handsome idiot. either way, i shall enjoy tranquillity and shall possess my melicent until i die. decidedly, i owe a deal to this self-satisfied tall fool."
thus he contended with his irritation. it may be that the man was never sane; it is certain that the mainspring of his least action was an inordinate pride. now hatred quickened, spreading from a flicker of distaste; and his faculties were stupefied, as though he faced a girdling conflagration. it was not possible to hate adequately this perion who had struck demetrios of anatolia and perhaps was not yet dead; nor could demetrios think of any sufficing requital for this perion who dared to be so tall and handsome and young-looking when demetrios was none of these things, for this perion whom melicent had loved and loved to-day. and demetrios of anatolia had fought with a charmed sword against a person such as this, safe as an angler matched against a minnow; demetrios of anatolia, now at the last, accepted alms from what had been until to-day a pertinacious gnat. demetrios was physically shaken by disgust at the situation, and in the sunset's glare his swarthy countenance showed like that of belial among the damned.
"the life of melicent hangs on my safe return to nacumera…. ey, what is that to me!" the proconsul cried aloud. "the thought of melicent is sweeter than the thought of any god. it is not sweet enough to bribe me into living as this perion's debtor."
so when the ship touched at the needle, a half-hour later, that spur of rock was vacant. demetrios had untethered his horse, had thrown away his sword and other armour, and had torn his garments; afterward he rolled in the first puddle he discovered. thus he set out afoot, in grimy rags—for no one marks a beggar upon the highway—and thus he came again into the realm of king theodoret, where certainly nobody looked for demetrios to come unarmed.
with the advantage of a quiet advent, as was quickly proven, he found no check for a notorious leave-taking.
