me. The letter to the Regent Amalaswintha concludes,--I had to
compose it for Belisarius in his tent, according to the Emperor's
secret order directly after the battle of Trikameron: "If you refuse,
you must know that you will not incur merely the _danger_ of war, but
war itself, in which we shall take from you not only Lilybaeum, but
everything you possess contrary to justice; that is, all!" To-day
came the news that there had been a revolution in Ravenna. Very wicked
men, who had already wished to support the Vandals against us, do not
love Justinian (but also unfortunately do not fear him), barbaric
names,--you will be more familiar with them than I, O Cethegus!
Hildebrand, Vitigis, Teja, have seized the helm there and flatly refuse
our demand. It seems to me that there is the blast of the tuba in the
air.

But first of all we must subdue this Vandal King without a kingdom up
above there. The siege is lasting too long for the patience of
Belisarius. Hitherto all proposals for surrender have been refused,
even those on the most absurdly favorable conditions, made because
Belisarius desires to bring the war here swiftly to an end, as it seems
to me that he may be able speedily to celebrate a triumph in
Constantinople such as has not been witnessed there for centuries, and
then continue in Italy what he had begun here.

And since this singular King, who sometimes seems to be soft wax,
sometimes the hardest granite, is not to be influenced by fair words,
we will address him to-morrow with spears.

Fara hopes that hunger has so enfeebled the Vandals and Moors that they
cannot withstand a violent assault. The truth is: Fara, a German,--and
a thoroughly admirable one,--can endure everything except
long-continued thirst and inactivity. And we have very little wine
left. Poor wine too! There is nothing to do except by turns to sleep
and mount guard before the mouse-hole called Pappua. He is tired of it.
He wants to take it by force. The Herulians will fight like madmen;
that is their way. But I look at the narrow ascent in those yellow
cliffs, and have my doubts of success. I think, unless Saint Cyprian
and Tyche work in our behalf to-morrow, we shall get, not Gelimer and
the Vandals, but plenty of hard knocks.

We have had them,--the hard knocks! And they were our just due. The
Vandals and Moors up yonder vied with each other in trying which could
serve us worst, and we paid the penalty. Fara, as leader and warrior,
man