ked by bands of marauders. From that moment Cethegus had adopted the
son of his lost bride.--But in vain he now appealed to the gratitude of
his adopted son. Julius not only recoiled with horror from any further
connection with a man whose ruthless hands were stained with blood, but
his deepening religious feeling separated him entirely from the avowed
atheist.

And, blow upon blow, Cethegus was disappointed in another matter. The
"second army" was at last reported as approaching. Syphax brought the
news; he had ridden night and day in order to reach the Prefect
before this army should arrive, for at its head was, not Areobindos,
but--_Narses_.

Vexed and alarmed, Cethegus left his camp, and rode forward to meet
Narses, with whom he found Alboin, the Longobardian chief. Narses
received him with marked coolness, and at once explained to him that he
could suffer no rival in his camp; that Cethegus must either serve
under him as one of his generals, or remain inactive as his _guest_.
Clearly seeing that he must either submit or be a prisoner, Cethegus at
once affirmed that he considered it an honour to serve under Narses,
and together the generals reached a favourable position between
Helvillum and Taginae.

And a mighty army was that of Narses, with which he had advanced from
the north and east in terrible strides, driving before him the Goths
from position to position, making no prisoners, but inexorably
annihilating all who stood in his way.

Totila had but a small force to oppose to these numbers, for his army
had been fearfully diminished; and now, when the Italians foresaw the
probable consequences of the renewed war, and that the Goths were being
slowly but surely overcome, they ceased to rally round Totila's flag,
and even, where they felt themselves safe, betrayed the hiding-places
of the Gothic people to the Byzantines. The persecuted Gothic families
fled, and sought protection in the camp of Totila, who, fearing the
famine sure to be caused by the accumulation of helpless masses, sent
them still farther south to those parts of the peninsula yet uninvaded
by Narses.

Surrounded by his Earls, Totila now formed a plan by which he intended
to entice the centre of the army of Narses (which was held by the
Longobardians) into an ambush between Caprae and Taginae. Reckoning upon
the headlong valour of the Longobardians, Totila determined to place
the full half of his troops in the town of Caprae, leaving the othe