Byzantium. She felt that he was born to be a
hero, and so, when duty suddenly called him away from love and
friendship, she bore the parting with noble self-control.

For as soon as the Byzantine fleet was known to be cruising off
Syracusae, the young Goth was inflamed with an insatiable thirst for
war. It was his duty, as commodore of the South Italian squadron, to
watch the movements of the enemy and protect the coast. He promptly set
sail to meet the Grecian fleet, and demanded the reason of its
appearance in those waters. Belisarius, who had orders to avoid all
inimical proceedings until called upon to commence hostilities by
Petros, gave a peaceful and plausible answer, alleging as his pretext
the disturbances in Africa and the piracies of Mauritanian ships.
Totila was obliged to content himself with this reply, but in his heart
he was sure that the war would soon break out; perhaps only because he
so ardently desired it.

He therefore took all precautions: sent messengers with warnings to
Ravenna, and, above all, essayed to protect the city of Neapolis at
least towards the sea, for the inland fortifications had fallen into
decay during the long peace, and old Uliaris, the commander of the
city, was not to be shaken out of his proud security and contempt of
the Greeks.

The Goths in general cherished the dangerous delusion that the
Byzantines would never dare to attack them; and their treacherous King
did all in his power to strengthen this belief.

The warnings of Totila, therefore, were disregarded, and the zealous
commodore was even deprived of his whole fleet, which was ordered to
the Harbour of Ravenna, on the pretext of an exchange; but the ships
which should have replaced those which had sailed away never arrived.

So Totila had nothing left but a few small guardships, with which, as
he declared to his friends, he could not even sufficiently watch the
movements of the enemy, much less prevent their advance.

When apprised of all this, the merchant determined to leave his
villa at Neapolis, and to go to his rich estates and mercantile
establishments at Regium, on the south point of the peninsula, in order
to remove all his most valuable property from that neighbourhood--where
Totila feared the first attack of the enemy--and bring it to Neapolis;
and also to make his preparations in case of a prolonged war.

Julius was to accompany him on this journey; and Valeria was not to be
persuaded to remain behi