beric and aemilia were sitting on the following day in the shade in front of the house, where porus had erected a verandah of boughs to keep off the sun, when they observed a female peasant and an elderly man ascending the hill. they were still some distance down, and the man spoke to one of the farm men who was on his way down the hill.
"they are coming this way," aemilia said; "they have passed the point where the paths fork. she seems to find that basket she is carrying heavy, and no wonder, for it is a steep climb under the midday sun."
stopping once or twice to get breath the two peasants approached.
"she is a good looking girl, beric," aemilia said.
"our host has two or three nieces down in the town," beric replied; "i expect it is one of them. yes, she is certainly pretty, and not so browned and sunburnt as most of these peasant girls are."
as they came close the girl stopped and looked at the house, and then, instead of going to the entrance, left her companion and walked across to the verandah. a smile came across her face.
"shall i tell you your fortune?" she said abruptly to aemilia.
"it is told," aemilia said; "to be a farmer's wife. but what do you know of fortunes?"
"i can tell you the past if not the future," the young woman said, setting down her basket. "may i do so?"
"you are a strange girl," aemilia said, "but tell me what you can."
"i can see an amphitheatre," the girl went on, "a great one, greater than that across at messina, and it is crowded with people. in the front row there sits a man past middle age and a lady and a girl. in the centre of the arena is a young girl in white."
"hush, hush!" aemilia cried, leaping to her feet, "say no more. you know me, though how i cannot guess."
"i see another scene," the girl went on without heeding her; "it is a hut. it must belong to some savage people. it is quite unlike our cottages. there is an old woman there and a man and a young girl. the old woman does not speak to them; she does not seem of the same race; the other two are romans. the mat at the door is pushed aside and there enters a tall youth. not so tall as this man, not so strong; and yet like him, just as a boy might be to a man.
"the girl jumps up and exclaims 'beric.'"
beric had risen to his feet also now. "is it possible," he cried, "that as the boy has grown into the man, so has the girl grown into--" and he stopped.
"into a young woman, beric. yes, don't you remember me now?"
"it is berenice!" he exclaimed.
"it is indeed, beric, the child you saved from death. and this is your wife aemilia, the daughter of norbanus, who is the uncle of my husband pollio. and do you not know who that is standing there?"
"why, surely it is my tutor and friend nepo;" and running towards him he embraced him with heartiness and then led him to the verandah, where berenice was talking with aemilia.
"but why are you thus disguised, and how did you know that aemilia and i were here?"
"we have come to warn you, beric. you have been betrayed, and tonight there will be troops ranged along above the house to cut off your retreat, and a company of soldiers will advance from below straight upon the house. my father told me, i think, in order that i might save you, though as a roman general he could do nought save his duty. pollio, too, though he said he would willingly give his sanction, knows not that i have come hither. he pretended that his duty as a soldier prevented him from warning you, though i believe that had not i been with him his friendship and gratitude would have been too much for his duty. however, i was with him, and he gave me permission to come; though, mind you, i should have come whether he gave me permission or not. you did not ask permission of anyone when you saved me, and even if pollio had threatened to divorce me if i disobeyed him i would have come; but as i needed a disguise, and did not like to trust any of the slaves, i took nepo into my confidence, and he managed everything."
"we are, indeed, grateful to you," aemilia cried, embracing berenice warmly. "it was brave of you indeed to come."
"it requires less bravery to come up here with a message, aemilia, than to run away from rome with an outlaw who had just bearded caesar in his palace."
"i did not do that, berenice. it was not because i was unwilling, but because beric would not take me with him. i stayed for months in rome, hidden in the catacombs with the christians, until beric sent for me to join him here; but come inside and take some refreshment, for you must be weary indeed with your long walk up the hill."
"no one else must see me," berenice said. "there may be inquiries when they come tonight and find that you are gone, and i would not that any should see me."
"no one will see you. the room is situated at the back of the house, and though i shall take the slaves with us in our flight, they shall not catch even a glimpse of your face. i will set them some needlework to do."
they were soon seated in aemilia's room, and beric brought in fruit and wine, goat's milk, cheese, and bread.
"there is no hurry for me to return," berenice said. "the slaves believe that i have gone out to pay some visits, and i do not wish to get back until after sunset. there is so much for beric to tell us.
"you do not know, beric, how often nepo and i have talked about it, and how we have longed to see you, and i believe that what drew me first to pollio was his praises of you. but before you begin there is one thing i must tell you. my father has received private news from rome; there is a report there that the legions have proclaimed galba emperor, and that ere long he will be in rome. at present it is but a rumour, and of course at court all profess to disbelieve it, and nero openly scoffs at the pretensions of galba; but the friend who wrote to my father says that he believes it true. now my father is a great friend of galba's. they were much together as young men, and served together both in gaul and syria; and he feels sure that if galba comes to the throne he will be able to obtain a pardon for you and those with you, since you have done no one harm save when attacked. he attempted to procure it from nero, but altogether without success; with galba it will be different, especially as a new emperor generally begins his reign by acts of clemency. now, as i have given you my news, beric, do you tell us, while we are eating the fruit, everything that has happened to you since i last saw you at that hut."
"so much has happened that it will be impossible to tell you all, berenice; but i will give you the outline of it. the principal thing of all is, that i have taken a wife."
berenice pouted. "it is lucky for you, aemilia, that i was not at rome when beric arrived, for i had as a girl always determined that i should some day marry him and become a british chieftainess. he had not seen you then except at massilia, and i should have had him all to myself at rome, for you did not get there, pollio tells me, until months later."
aemilia laughed. "i should not have entered the lists against you, berenice. it was not until after he saved ennia from the lion in the arena that i came to love him."
"well, i must put up with pollio," berenice said. "he is your cousin, and i have nothing to say against him as a husband; he is kind and indulgent, and a brave soldier, and all one could want; but he is not a hero like beric."
beric laughed. "you should have said a giant, berenice, which would have been much nearer the truth. and now i will tell you my story;" and during the next two hours he gave her a sketch of all that had passed since they had last parted in britain.
"there, cneius nepo," berenice said when he had finished. "you never thought for a moment that your pupil, who used to pore with you over those parchments, till i often wished i could throw them in the fire when i wanted him to play with me, was to go through such adventures--to match himself first against suetonius, and then against my father, both times with honour; to be nero's bodyguard; to say nothing of fighting in the arena, and getting up a revolt in the palace of caesar."
"i expected great things of him," nepo said; "but not like these. i fancied he would become a great chief among the british, and that he might perhaps induce them to adopt something of our civilization. i had fancied him as a wise ruler; and, seeing how fond he was of the exercise of arms, i had thought long before the insurrection broke out that some day he might lead his countrymen to battle against us, and that, benefiting by his study of caesar and other military writers, he would give far more trouble to the romans than even caractacus had done. but assuredly i never dreamt of him as fighting a lion barehanded in a roman arena in defence of a roman girl. as to marriages, i own that the thought crossed my mind that the union of a great british chief with the daughter of a roman of rank like your father would be an augury of peace, and might lead to better relations between the two countries."
"that dream must be given up," berenice said seriously, "there are two obstacles. but i have no doubt aemilia would make quite as good a chieftainess as i should have done. some day, aemilia, if you return to britain with beric, as i hope you will do, and pollio becomes a commander of a legion, i will get him to apply for service there. it is cold and foggy; but wood is a good deal more plentiful and cheaper than it is at rome, and with good fires one can exist anywhere. and now it is time for us to be going. we will take another path in returning down the hills, so that any one who noticed us coming up will not see us as we descend. nepo's toga and my stola are hidden in a grove just outside the town, and it will be dusk by the time we arrive there. kiss me, aemilia; i am glad that i know you, for i have heard much of you from pollio. i am glad that beric has chosen so well. goodbye, beric; i hope we may meet again before long, and that without danger to any of us. you may salute me if aemilia does not object--i told pollio i should permit it;" and she laughingly lifted up her face to him. "he never used to kiss me when i was a child," she said to aemilia. "i always thought it very unkind, and was greatly discontented at it. now, nepo, let us be going."
beric and his wife stood watching them until they were far down the hill. "she makes light of it," beric said; "but it is no common risk she has run. nero can punish women as well as men, and were it to come to his ears that she has enabled me to escape his vengeance, even the influence of her father might not avail to save her."
"i shall remember her always in my prayers," aemilia said earnestly, "and pray that she too may some day come to know the truth."
beric did not answer. aemilia had explained to him all that she knew of her religion, but while admitting the beauty of its teaching, and the loftiness of its morals, he had not yet been able to bring himself to believe the great facts upon which it was based.
"we must be moving," he said, and summoned philo, who had been much surprised at beric's being so long in conversation with strangers.
"send porus to me," he said, "and bid cornelius also come here."
the two men came round to the verandah together. "we are betrayed, porus," he said, "and the romans will be here this evening."
porus grasped the handle of his dagger and looked menacingly at the farmer. "our good friend has nought to do with it, porus; it is some one from one of the other farms who has taken down the news to rhegium. do you order the others to be in readiness to start for the camp. but first strip down the hangings of our room, roll them and the mats and all else in seven bundles, with all my wife's clothing and belongings."
"we need leave little behind. we can take everything," porus said. "the six of us can carry well nigh as much as the same number of horses, and philo can take something. i will see about it immediately."
"now, cornelius," beric went on when porus had left, "you must prepare your story, and see that your men and the rest of the household stick to it. you will be sharply questioned. you have only the truth to say, namely, that some of my band came down here and threatened to burn your house and slay all in it unless you agreed to sell us what things we required; that, seeing no other way of preserving your lives, you agreed to do so. after a time a young woman--do not say lady--came with two attendants, and you were forced to provide her with a room; and as five men were placed here constantly, you still dared give no information to the authorities, because a watch was also set on you, and your family would have been slain long before any troops could arrive here. what you will be most closely questioned about is as to why we all left you today. they will ask you if any one has been here. you saw no one, did you?"
"no, my lord. i heard voices in your room, but it was no business of mine who was with you."
"that is good," beric said. "that is what you must say. you know someone did come because you heard voices; but you saw nobody either coming or going, and know not how many of them there were, nor what was their age. you only know that i summoned you suddenly, and told you i had been betrayed, and that the romans would soon be coming in search of me, and therefore i was obliged to take to the mountains. but go first and inquire among the household, and see if any of them noticed persons coming here."
"one of the men says that he saw an old peasant with a girl who asked which was my farm."
"then that man must go with us to the mountains. he shall return safe and unharmed in a few days. the romans must not know of this. this is the one point on which you must be silent; on all others speak freely. it is important to me that it should not be known whether it was man or woman, old or young, who warned me.
"i do not threaten you. i know that you are true and honest; but, to ensure silence among your household, tell them that i shall certainly find out if the roman soldiers learn here that it was an old man and a girl who visited me, and that i will take dire vengeance on whomsoever tells this to the romans. discharge your man before we leave with him, so that you may say truly that those the romans find here are your whole household, and maintain that not one of them saw who it was who came to me today."
"i can promise that, my lord. you and the lady aemilia have been kind and good to us, and my wife, the female slave, and the hired men would do anything for you. as for the children, they were not present when balbus said that he had been questioned by the old man, and can tell nought, however closely they may be questioned, save that balbus was here and has gone."
"i had not thought of that," beric said. "better, then, tell the soldiers the truth: you had two serving men, but we have carried one away with us."
in half an hour all was ready for a start. the two female slaves, although attached to their mistress, were terrified at the thoughts of going away among the mountains, although aemilia assured them that no harm could happen to them there. then, with a hearty adieu to the farmer and his wife, beric and his companions shouldered the loads, and with balbus, philo, aemilia, and the two female slaves made their way up the mountain. as soon as they started, beric gave orders to philo to go on with all speed to the camp, and to tell boduoc of the coming of aemilia, and bid him order the men at once to prepare a bower at some short distance from their camp. accordingly when the party arrived great fires were blazing, and the outlaws received aemilia with shouts of welcome.
"i thank you all," beric said, "for my wife and myself. she knows that in no place could she be so safe as here, guarded by the brave men who have so faithfully followed her husband."
so heartily had the men laboured that in the hour and a half that had elapsed since philo had arrived a large hut had been erected a hundred yards from the camp, with a small bower beside it for the use of the female slaves. a great bonfire burnt in front, and the interior was lighted by torches of resinous wood.
"thanks, my friends," beric said. "you have indeed built us a leafy palace. i need not exhort the guards to be watchful tonight, for it may be that the traitor who will guide the romans to the house where we have been stopping may know something of the mountains, and guessing the direction of our camp may attempt to lead them to it. therefore, boduoc, let the outposts be thrown out farther than usual, and let some be placed fully three miles from here, in all the ravines by which it is likely the enemy might make their way hither."
three days later philo went down to learn what had passed. he was ordered not to approach the house, as some soldiers might have been left there to seize upon any one who came down, but to remain at a distance until he saw the farmer or one of his household at work in the fields. he brought back news that the romans had arrived on the night they had left, had searched the house and country round, had closely questioned all there, even to the children, and had carried off the farmer and his man. these had returned the next evening. they had been questioned by the general, who had admonished the farmer severely on his failure to report the presence of the outlaws at whatever risk to his family and property; but on their taking an oath that they were unable to give any information whatever, either as to the outlaws' retreat or the persons who had brought up the news of the intended attack by the romans, they were released.
balbus was then sent back to the farm with presents for all there, and it was agreed that the camp should be broken up. the general would, in compliance with the orders of nero, make fresh efforts to hunt down the band; and as he knew now the neighbourhood in which they were, and treachery might again betray the spot, it was better to choose some other locality; there was, too, no longer any occasion for them to keep together. they had the mountains to themselves now, and although the wild animals had been considerably diminished, there were still goats in the upper ranges, and swine and wild boar in the thickest parts of the forests. it was also advisable to know what was passing elsewhere, and to have warning of the approach of any body of troops from the camps round it. accordingly, while the britons remained with beric, who took up his quarters in the forest at the foot of one of the loftiest crags, whence a view could be obtained of the hills from rhegium to cosenza, the rest were broken up into parties of five. signals were arranged by which by smoke during day or fire at night warning could be given of the approach of an enemy, and also whether it was a mere scouting party or a strong column.
for another three months they lived among the hills. their life was rougher than it had been, for they had now to subsist entirely upon the spoils of the chase, and bread made of ground acorns and beechnuts, mixed with a very small portion of flour. the latter was obtained from lonely cottages, for beric insisted that no villages should be entered.
"there may be soldiers in every hamlet on the hills, and i would have no risk run of death or capture. did a few of us fall into their hands it would encourage them to continue their blockade, but as time goes on, and it is found that their presence is entirely fruitless, they may be recalled."
for the first few weeks, indeed, after the failure of the attempt to entrap beric, parties were sent up into the hills from all the camps, for as the remaining band of gladiators was known to number under a hundred men, it would be no longer necessary for the assailants to move as an army; but after marching hither and thither through the forests without finding any signs of the fugitives the troops returned to their camps, and a fortnight later the greater portion of them were either transported to sicily or sent north, a few hundred men only remaining to watch for the reappearance of the band. from time to time philo went down to rhegium to gather news of what was passing. as the farmer had not been troubled since the visit of the troopers, they renewed their relations with him, except that they abstained from purchasing food of him lest he should be again questioned. nevertheless he occasionally sent up by philo a skin of wine as a present to beric.
"so that i can swear that i have sold them nothing, and that they have taken nothing, there is little chance of my ever being asked if i made them a present," he said.
he was surprised one day by a visit from a roman, who informed him that he was secretary to the general, and whom, indeed, he had seen when brought before him.
"do you still hear aught of the brigands, cornelius?" he asked. the farmer was taken aback by this question.
"no harm is intended you," nepo said. "the general may have reason for desiring to communicate with the band, whose leader at one time stayed in your house, and which is now the last remnant of the gladiators among the hills. the search for them has been given up as vain, and probably he will receive orders from rome to withdraw the troops altogether and to offer terms to the gladiators. at present he cannot communicate with them, and he would be glad for you to renew your connection with them, not to assist them by selling them food or receiving them here, but that you should arrange some means of communication with them."
"i might manage that," the farmer said. "it is true that once or twice some of them have come down here. they have taken nothing, and have come, i think, more to learn what is passing without than for any other purpose; but it may be some time before they come again."
"at any rate," nepo said, "when they do come, do you arrange for a signal, such, for instance, as lighting two fires on the crest above there, with plenty of green wood, that would make a smoke which would be seen for many miles away. this smoke will tell them that there is a message for them from the general. i give you my word as a roman that no treachery is intended, and i myself, accompanied perhaps by one officer, but no more, will bring it up here and be in waiting to see their chief; so you see i should place myself much more in his hands than he in mine."
it was but a few days before beric received this message. it filled him with hope, for remembering what berenice had said about the proclamation of galba as emperor, it seemed to him that this life as a fugitive might be approaching its end. for himself he was perfectly happy. he and his britons lived much as they had done at home. it required hard work to keep the larder supplied, but this only gave a greater zest to the chase. they sighed sometimes for the cool skies of britain, but in other respects they were perfectly contented.
since the soldiers had been withdrawn they had had no difficulty in obtaining the two things they most required, flour and wine, and, indeed, sometimes brought up sacks of grain and jars of honey, from which they manufactured a sweet beer such as they had drunk at home, and was to them far better than wine. beric, perhaps, was more anxious for a change than any of his followers. aemilia seemed perfectly happy, her spirits were as high now as when he had first known her as a girl at massilia. she was the life and soul of the little band, and the britons adored her; but beric remembered that she had been brought up in comfort and luxury, and longed to give her similar surroundings. although for luxuries he himself cared nothing, he did sometimes feel an ardent desire again to associate with men such as he had met at the house of norbanus, to enjoy long talks on literary and other subjects, and to discuss history and philosophy.
"it is good," he said one day to aemilia, "for a man who lives among his fellows to have learned to enjoy study and to find in enlightened conversation his chief pleasure, but if his lot is thrown far from towns it were far better that he had known nothing of these pleasures."
one morning boduoc, who had gone up early to the summit of the crag, brought down the news that he could make out two columns of smoke rising from the hill over rhegium.
"i hope to bring you back good news tomorrow, aemilia," beric said as he at once prepared to start. "i may find nepo at the farm when i get there and may possibly be back tonight, but it is full six hours' journey, and as there is no moon i can hardly travel after sundown."
"i shall not expect you till tomorrow, beric. it were best to arrange that, and then i shall not be looking for you. even if nepo is there when you arrive, you will want a long talk with him, and it is likely that pollio will be with him, so do not think of starting back till the morning."
it was just noon when beric reached the farm.
"you are just to the time," cornelius said. "i received an order at daybreak this morning to light the fires and to tell you if you came that the general's secretary would be here at noon. see, there are two figures coming up the hill now."
the moment he saw that they had passed the fork of the paths and were really coming to the house beric rushed down to meet them, and as he approached saw that they were indeed pollio and nepo. he and pollio embraced each other affectionately.
"i am well pleased indeed," pollio said, "that we meet here for the first time, and that i did not encounter you in the forests. by the gods, but you have grown into a veritable giant. why, you must overtop the tallest of your band."
"by an inch or two, pollio. and you have altered somewhat too."
"the cares of matrimony age a man rapidly," pollio said laughing, "though doubtless they sit lightly on your huge shoulders. why, you could let my little cousin sit on your hand and hold her out at arm's length. i always told her that she would need a masterful husband to keep her in order, and truly she is well suited. and now for my news, beric. nero is dead. the news arrived last night."
beric uttered an exclamation of surprise. "how died he?" he asked.
"by his own hand. when the news came that other legions had followed the example of those of galba, all fell away from nero, and the praetorians themselves, whom he had petted and spoilt, having no inclination for a fight with galba's legionaries, proclaimed the latter emperor. then nero showed himself a craven, flying in disguise to the house of phaon. there he remained in hiding, weeping and terrified, knowing that he must die, but afraid to kill himself. he may well have thought then of how many he had compelled to die, and how calmly and fearlessly they had opened their veins. it was not until he heard the trampling of the horsemen sent to seize him that he nerved himself, and even then could not strike, but placing the point of a dagger against his breast, bade a slave drive it home.
"the senate proclaimed galba emperor two days before the death of nero; but as yet all is uncertain. there are other generals whose legions may dispute this point. syria and egypt may choose vespasian; the transalpine legions, who favoured vindex, may pronounce for some other. the praetorians themselves, with the sailors of the fleet, knowing that galba has the reputation of being close fisted, may choose someone who may flatter and feast them as nero did. as yet there is no saying what will be done, but at any rate your chief enemy is dead. muro bids me say that some months may yet elapse before galba comes to rome; but that, as he has at present no imperial master, and the senate will be far too busy wrangling and persecuting the adherents of the man whom but a short time since they declared to be a god, to trouble themselves about a handful of gladiators in bruttium, he will at once collect his troops at rhegium, and you will be entirely unmolested if you promise that your band will in no way ill treat the people. i know that they have not hitherto done so, and that they will not do so, but the fact that he has a formal engagement with you to that effect will justify him in withdrawing his troops. indeed, he said that it would be better, perhaps, that a document should be drawn up and signed, in which you pledge yourself to peaceful courses, urging that it was but the tyranny of nero that forced you to become fugitives, and craving that, as your band has never done any harm to the people, an amnesty may be granted you. this document will aid him when he meets galba. he will not wait until the latter comes to rome, but will shortly ask permission from the senate to quit his post for a time, all being quiet here, and will at once take ship to massilia and see galba. the new emperor is not, he says, a man bent on having his own way, but always leans on friends for advice, and he feels sure that his representations will suffice to obtain a free pardon for your band, and permission for them to leave the mountains and go wheresoever they will, so that in that case there will be nought to prevent you and your followers returning to britain."
"this is joyous news indeed, pollio, and i cannot too warmly thank the general for his kindness to me. as to berenice--"
"there, there," pollio said laughing, "let us hear nothing about berenice. she is a self willed woman, and i am not responsible for her doings, and want to hear nothing more of them than she chooses to tell me."
by this time they had reached the farmhouse, where a meal was speedily prepared, and they sat talking together until evening, when pollio and his companion returned to rhegium.
another three months passed. there was now no lack of food among the outlaws. they still hunted, but it was for amusement, buying sheep and other animals from the villagers, together with all else they required, the natives rejoicing in finding good customers instead of dangerous neighbours among the hills.
at last the signal smokes again ascended, and beric, taking aemilia with him, made his way to the farmhouse, where he learned that nepo had been there with a message that he desired to see beric in rhegium. this was sufficient to show that muro's mission had been to some extent successful, and after resting for an hour or two at the farmhouse they descended the hill. beric had purchased suitable garments to replace the goatskins which had for a long time previously been worn by the outlaws, their rough work in the woods having speedily reduced their garments to rags, and save that men looked up and marvelled his size, he passed almost unnoticed through the streets of rhegium to the house of the general. orders had been given that he was to be admitted, for the sentries passed him without question. as the slave at the door conducted them into the atrium muro advanced with outstretched hands.
"welcome! thrice welcome, beric! had i not heard from pollio how you had changed, i should not have recognized in you the british lad i parted with six years ago in britain. and this is your wife? pollio, spare your cousin to me for a moment. i am glad to know you, aemilia. i never met your father, though i have often heard of him as a noble roman, and i know that his daughter is worthy of being the wife of beric, not only from what i have heard of you from my son in law, but from your readiness to share the exile and perils of your husband. i see that berenice has greeted you as if she knew you. a month since i should have said that that was impossible," and a smile passed over his face, "but now i may admit that it may have been. and now for my news. i have seen galba, and have strongly represented to him the whole facts of the case, and i have, under his hand, a free pardon for yourself and all your followers, who are permitted to go wheresoever they please, without molestation from any. but more than that, i have represented to him how useful it would be that the britons of the east, where the great rising against rome took place, should be governed by one of their own chiefs, who, having a knowledge of the might and power of rome, would, more than any other, be able to influence them in remaining peaceful and adopting somewhat of our civilization. he has, therefore, filled up an appointment creating you provincial governor of that part of britain lying north of the thames as far as the northern estuary, and bounded on the east by the region of swamps--the land of the trinobantes, the iceni, and a portion of the brigantes--with full power over that country, and answerable only to the propraetor himself. moreover, he has written to him on the subject, begging him to give you a free hand, and to support you warmly against the minor roman officials of the district. i need not say that i answered for you fully, and pledged myself that you would in all things be faithful to rome, and would use your influence to the utmost to reconcile the people to our rule."
beric was for a time too overcome to be able to thank muro for his kindness.
"i have repaid in a small way the debt that i and pollio owe you," he said. "the senate has not at present ratified the appointment, but that is a mere form, and it will not be presented to them until galba arrives. they are eagerly looking for his coming to free them from the excesses and tyranny of the praetorian guard, led by nymphidius the prefect, who has himself been scheming to succeed nero, and they will ratify without question all that galba may request. in the meantime there need be no delay. we can charter a ship to convey you and your british and gaulish followers to massilia. galba is already supreme there, and thence you can travel as a roman official of high rank. i will, of course, furnish you with means to do so."
"in that respect i am still well provided," beric said. "nero, with all his faults, was generous, and was, in addition to my appointments, continually loading me with presents, which i could not refuse. even after paying for all that was necessary for my band during the past year, i am a wealthy man, and have ample to support aemilia in luxury to the end of our lives."
"you will, of course, draw no pay until your arrival in britain; but after that your appointment will be ample. however, i shall insist upon chartering the ship to convey you to massilia."
the beacon fires were lighted again next morning, and an hour later beric met boduoc, whom he had, on leaving, directed to follow with the britons, and to post himself near the crest of the hills. he returned with him to the band, who were transported with delight at hearing the news. messengers were at once sent off to the party under gatho, and on the following day the whole band reassembled, the joy of the gauls being no less than that of the britons.
"you will have to take me with you, beric," porus said. "i am fit for nothing here save the arena. i have been away from scythia since i was a boy, and should find myself a stranger there."
"i will gladly take you, porus, and will find you a wife among my countrywomen. you have shared in my perils, and should share in my good fortunes. you must all remain here among the hills till i send you up word that the ship is in readiness. boduoc will come down with me, and will send up to the farm garments to replace your sheepskins, for truly rhegium would be in an uproar did you descend in your present garb. boduoc will bring you instructions as to your coming down. it were best that you came after nightfall, and in small parties, and went direct on board the ship which he will point out to you. we do not wish to attract attention or to cause a talk in the town, as the news would be carried to rome, and the senate might question the right of muro to act upon a document which they have not yet ratified. therefore we wish it kept quiet until the arrival of galba at rome."
a week later the whole party stood on the deck of a ship in the port of rhegium. beric had bidden farewell to muro at his house; pollio and berenice accompanied him and aemilia on board.
"i do not mean this as a farewell for ever, beric," pollio said. "i foresee that we are going to have troubled times in rome. nero was the last of his race, and no one now has greater right than his fellows to be emperor. now that they have once begun these military insurrections, for the proclamation of galba was nothing else, i fear we shall have many more. the throne is open now to any ambitious man who is strong enough to grasp it. generals will no longer think of defeating the enemies of their country and of ruling provinces. as propraetors they will seek to gain the love and vote of their soldiers; discipline will become relaxed, and the basest instead of the noblest passions of the troops be appealed to. we may have civil wars again, like those of marius and scylla, and anthony and brutus. i hate the intrigues of rome, and loathe the arts of the demagogue, and to this our generals will descend. therefore i shall soon apply for service in britain again. muro approves, and when i obtain an office there he will come out and build another villa, and settle and end his days there.
"there is little chance of the troops in britain dealing in intrigues. they are too far away to make their voice heard, too few to impose their will upon rome. therefore he agrees with me that there is more chance of peace and contentment there than anywhere. the britons have given no trouble since the iceni surrendered, and i look to the time when we shall raise our towns there and live surrounded by a contented people. you may visit muro at his house in camalodunum once again, beric."
"it will be a happy day for us when you come, pollio, you and berenice; and glad indeed shall i be to have her noble father dwelling among us. whatever troubles there may be in other parts of britain i cannot say, but i think i can answer that in eastern britain there will never again be a rising."
"they are throwing off the ropes," pollio said; "we must go ashore. may the gods keep and bless you both!"
"and may my god, who has almost become beric's god, also bless you and berenice and muro!" aemilia said.
ten minutes later the ship had left port, and was making her way up the straits of messina. the weather was fair with a southerly wind, running before which the ship coasted along inside the mountainous isle of sardinia, passed through the straits between that and corsica, then shaped its course for massilia, where it arrived without adventure. there was some surprise in the town at the appearance of beric and his followers, and they were escorted by the guard at the port to the house of the chief magistrate. on beric's presenting to him his appointment, signed by galba, and the safe conduct for himself and his comrades, the magistrate invited him and aemilia to stay at his house. there were many officials to whom aemilia was known when she dwelt there with her father, and for ten days they stayed in the city. the gauls of beric's party proceeded to their various destinations on the day after they landed, beric making a present to each to enable them to defray the expenses of their travel to their respective homes, and obtaining a separate safe conduct for each from the chief magistrate. bidding adieu to their friends at massilia the britons started north.
while in the town beric obtained for his twenty followers a dress which was a mixture of that of the britons and romans, having the trousers or leggings of the british and the short roman tunic. all were armed with sword, shield, and spear. aemilia travelled in a carriage; the two female slaves had been given their freedom and left behind at rhegium. beric was handsomely attired in a dress suitable to his rank, but, like his followers, wore the british leggings. a horse was taken with them for him to ride when they passed through towns, but generally it was led by philo, and beric marched with his men. they took long journeys, for the men were all eager to be home, and, inured as they were to fatigue, thought nothing of doing each day double the distance that was regarded as an ordinary day's journey.
at the towns through which they passed the people gazed with surprise at beric and his bodyguard, and warm sympathy was shown by the gauls for the britons returning after their captivity in rome. on arriving at the northwesterly port of gaul, beric learned that london, verulamium, and camalodunum had been rebuilt, and that the propraetor had established himself in london as his chief place of residence. beric therefore hired a ship, which sailed across the straits to the mouth of the thames, ascended the river, and four days after putting out anchored at london. beric and his followers were surprised at the change which had been effected in the six years which had passed since they saw it a heap of ruins. a temple of diana had been erected on the highest point of ground. near this was the palace of the propraetor, and numerous villas of the roman officials were scattered on the slopes. a strong wall surrounded the roman quarter, beyond which clustered the houses of the traders, already forming a place of considerable size.
upon landing beric proceeded, accompanied by boduoc, to the palace of the propraetor, to whom he presented galba's letter especially recommending him, and his own official appointment. celsius, who had succeeded petronius as propraetor, had received beric sitting; but upon reading the document rose and greeted him cordially.
"i have heard much of you, beric, since i came here," he said, "and many have been the entreaties of your people to me that i would write to rome to pray caesar to restore you to them. i did so write to nero, but received no reply; but my friends keep me acquainted with what is passing there, and the story of your combat with the lion in the arena, and of your heading a revolt in nero's palace reached me. as it was about the time of the latter event that i wrote to caesar, i wondered not that i received no answer to my letter. after that i heard that you had been giving terrible trouble in bruttium to caius muro, and little dreamed that my next news of you would be that galba had appointed you governor of the eastern province."
"it was upon the recommendation and by the good offices of muro," beric said. "i had been brought up at his house at camalodunum, and had the good fortune to save his daughter's life at the sack of that city. he knew that i had been driven by the conduct of nero into revolt, and that, even though in arms against rome, i and my band had injured and robbed no roman man or woman. he represented to galba that, holding in high respect the power of rome, and being well regarded by my people here, i should, more than any stranger, be able to persuade them of the madness of any further rising against the imperial power, and to induce them to apply themselves to the arts of agriculture, and to become, like the gauls, a settled people contented and prosperous.
"these arguments had weight with the emperor, who, as you see, has been pleased to appoint me governor of the province that my people occupied, together with that adjoining on the south, formerly belonging to the trinobantes, and on the north occupied by a portion of the brigantes."
"i think the emperor has done well, and i look for great results from your appointment, beric. i am convinced that it is the best policy to content a conquered people by placing over them men of their own race and tongue, instead of filling every post by strangers who are ignorant of their ways and customs, and whose presence and dress constantly remind them that they are governed by their conquerors. where do you think of establishing yourself--at camalodunum?"
"no. camalodunum is a roman town; the people would not so freely come to me there to arbitrate in their disputes. i shall fix it at norwich, which lies midway between camalodunum and the northern boundary of the province, and through which, as i hear, one of your roads has now been made."
after staying three days in london as the guest of celsius, beric started for the seat of his government, attended by his own bodyguard and a centurion with a company of roman soldiers. the news that a british governor had been appointed to the province spread rapidly, and at verulamium, where he stopped for two days, crowds of the country people assembled and greeted him with shouts of welcome. beric assured them that he had been sent by the emperor galba, who desired to see peace and contentment reign in britain, and had therefore appointed a countryman of their own as governor of their province, and that, though he should make norwich the place of his government, he should journey about throughout the country, listen to all complaints and grievances, and administer justice against offenders, whatever their rank and station.
above all he exhorted them to tranquillity and obedience. "rome wishes you well," he said, "and would fain see you as contented beneath her sway as is gaul, and as are the other countries she has conquered and occupied. we form part of the roman empire now, that is as fixed and irrevocable as the rising and setting of the sun. to struggle against rome is as great a folly as for an infant to wrestle with a giant. but once forming a part of the empire we shall share in its greatness. towns will rise over the land and wealth increase, and all will benefit by the civilization that rome will bring to us."
he addressed similar speeches to the people at each halting place, and was everywhere applauded, for the trinobantes had felt most heavily the power of rome, and all thought of resistance had faded out since the terrible slaughter that followed the defeat of boadicea.
beric did not turn aside to enter camalodunum, but kept his course north. the news of his coming had preceded him, and the iceni flocked to meet him, and gave him an enthusiastic welcome. they were proud of him as a national hero; he alone of their chiefs had maintained resistance against the romans, and his successes had obliterated the humiliation of their great defeat. great numbers of those who came to meet him owed their lives to the refuge he had provided for them in the swamps, and they considered that it was to his influence they owed it, that after his capture they were allowed to return to their native villages, and to take up their life there unmolested by the romans.
the members of his band, too, found relations and friends among the crowd, and it added to their enthusiasm that beric had brought back with him every one of his companions in captivity. aemilia was much affected at the evidence of her husband's popularity, and at the shouting crowd of great fair haired men and women who surged round the escort, and who, when beric took her by the hand and bidding her stand up in the chariot presented her to the iceni as his wife, shouted for her almost as enthusiastically as they had done for him.
"what a little insignificant thing these tall british matrons and maids must think me, beric!" she said.
"we all admire our opposites, aemilia, that is how it was that you came to fall in love with me; these people can have seen but few roman ladies, and doubtless there is not one among them who does not think as i do, that with your dark hair and eyes, and the rich colour of your cheek, you are the loveliest woman that they ever saw."
"if they knew what you were saying they would lose all respect for you, beric," she said laughing and colouring. "we have been married nearly a year, sir--a great deal too long for you to pay me compliments."
"you must remember that you are in britain now, aemilia, and though in rome men regard themselves as the lords and masters of their wives it is not so here, where women are looked upon as in every way equal to men. i expect that you will quite change under the influence of british air, and that though i am nominally governor it is you who will rule. you will see that in a short time the people will come to you with their petitions as readily as to me."
as soon as beric established himself at norwich he set about the erection of a suitable abode; the funds were provided as was usual from the treasury of the province--a certain sum from the taxes raised being set aside to pay the share of the national tribute to rome, while the rest was devoted to the payment of officials, the construction of roads, public works, and buildings. long before the house was finished a child was born to beric, the event being celebrated with great festivity by the iceni, contrary to their own customs, for among themselves a birth was regarded rather as an occasion of mourning than of rejoicing.
beric set vigorously to work to put the affairs of the province in order; he appointed boduoc to an important office under him, and to act for him during his absences, which were at first frequent, as he constantly travelled about the country holding courts, redressing grievances, punishing and degrading officials who had abused their position or ill treated the people, and appointing in many cases natives in their places. bitter complaints were made by the dispossessed roman officials to celsius, who, however, declined in any way to interfere, saying that beric had received the fullest powers from galba, and that, moreover, did he interfere with him it was clear that there would be another revolt of the iceni.
galba fell, and was succeeded by otho, who was very shortly afterwards followed by vespasian, a just, though severe emperor. complaints were laid before him by powerful families, whose relations had been dismissed by beric, and the latter was ordered to furnish a full explanation of his conduct. beric replied by a long and full report of his government. vespasian was greatly struck alike by the firmness with which beric defended himself, and by the intelligence and activity with which, as the report showed, he had conducted the affairs of his province; he therefore issued an order for the disaffected officials to return at once to rome, confirmed beric in the powers granted him by galba, and gave him full authority to dismiss even the highest roman officials in the district should he see occasion to do so.
roman towns and stations had sprung up all over the island, roads and bridges opened the way for trade. now that the tribal wars had ceased, and the whole people had become welded into one, they turned their attention more and more to agriculture. the forest diminished rapidly in extent; the roman plough took the place of the rough hoe of the briton, houses of brick and stone that of rough huts; intermarriages became frequent. the roman legionaries became established as military colonists and took british wives. the foreign traders and artisans, who formed the bulk of the populations of the towns, did the same; and although this in the end had the effect of diminishing the physical proportions of the british, and lowering the lofty stature and size that had struck the romans on their landing with astonishment, it introduced many characteristics hitherto wanting in the race, and aided in their conversion from tribes of fierce warriors into a settled and semi-civilized people.
among the many who came to britain, were some christians who sought homes in the distant island to escape the persecutions at rome. there was soon a colony of these settled at norwich under the protection of aemilia. they brought with them an eloquent priest, and in a short time beric, already strongly inclined to the christian religion, openly accepted that faith, which spread rapidly throughout his government. porus was not long in finding a british wife, and never regretted the day when he left the ludus of scopus and joined his fortunes to those of beric. philo embraced christianity, and became a priest of that church.
a year after beric came to britain he and aemilia were delighted by the arrival of pollio and berenice with caius muro. the former had at the accession of otho, with whom his family were connected, obtained a civil appointment in britain, and at beric's request celsius appointed him to the control of the collection of taxes in his district, there being constant complaints among the people of the rapacity and unfairness of the roman official occupying this position. pollio therefore established himself also at norwich; muro, with whom came cneius nepo, taking up his residence there with him, and as many other roman families were there, neither aemilia nor berenice ever regretted the loss of the society of rome. pollio proved an excellent official, and ably seconded beric in his efforts to render the people contented.
had beric foreseen the time when the romans would abandon britain, and leave it to the mercy of the savages of the north and of the pirates of north germany and scandinavia, he would have seen that the extinction of the martial qualities of the british would lead to their ruin; but that rome would decay and fall to pieces and become the prey of barbarians, was a contingency beyond human ken, and he and those who worked with him thought that the greatest blessing they could bestow upon their country was to render it a contented and prosperous province of the roman empire. this he succeeded in doing in his own government, and when, full of years and rich in the affection of his countrymen, he died, his son succeeded him in the government, and for many generations the eastern division of the island was governed by descendants of beric the briton.
