XXVII

And on the following day Gontharis sent the head of Areobindus to
Antalas, but decided to deprive him of the money and of the soldiers.
Antalas, therefore, was outraged, because he was not carrying out
anything of what had been agreed with him, and at the same time, upon
considering what Gontharis had sworn and what he had done to Areobindus,
he was incensed. For it did not seem to him that one who had disregarded
such oaths would ever be faithful either to him or to anyone else at
all. So after considering the matter long with himself, he was desirous
of submitting to the Emperor Justinian; for this reason, then, he
marched back. And learning that Marcentius, who commanded the troops in
Byzacium, had fled to one of the islands which lie off the coast, he
sent to him, and telling him the whole story and giving pledges,
persuaded him by kind words to come to him. And Marcentius remained with
Antalas in the camp, while the soldiers who were on duty in Byzacium,
being well disposed to the emperor, were guarding the city of
Hadrumetum. But the soldiers of Stotzas, being not less than a thousand,
perceiving what was being done, went in great haste, with John leading
them, to Gontharis; and he gladly received them into the city. Now there
were five hundred Romans and about eighty Huns, while all the rest were
Vandals. And Artabanes, upon receiving pledges, went up to the palace
with his Armenians, and promised to serve the tyrant according to his
orders. But secretly he was purposing to destroy Gontharis, having
previously communicated this purpose to Gregorius, his nephew, and to
Artasires, his body-guard. And Gregorius, urging him on to the
undertaking, spoke as follows:

"Artabanes, the opportunity is now at hand for you, and you alone, to
win the glory of Belisarius--nay more, even to surpass that glory by
far. For he came here, having received from the emperor a most
formidable army and great sums of money, having officers accompanying
him and advisers in great numbers, and a fleet of ships whose like we
have never before heard tell of, and numerous cavalry, and arms, and
everything else, to put it in a word, prepared for him in a manner
worthy of the Roman empire. And thus equipped he won back Libya for the
Romans with much toil. But all these achievements have so completely
come to naught, that they are, at this moment, as if they had never
been--except indeed, that there is at present left to the Romans fr