n room by room--"we were obliged to
hack to pieces by inches one of their leaders, who ran Anzalas through
as he leaped into the first breach, before we could force our way into
the town over his body."

"Who was he?" asked Cethegus earnestly. "I hope Earl Teja?"

"No; Earl Thorismuth. When we had finished our bloody work, and Narses
was about to let himself be carried into the town, he met in the gate a
messenger from our left wing--which no more exists! It was Zeuxippos,
wounded, and accompanied by Gothic heralds."

"Who has----?"

"He whom you just named--Earl Teja! He guessed or learned that
Zeuxippos was threatening his centre, that the King was wounded--and,
well knowing that he would arrive too late to turn the course of events
at Taginae, he came to a bold and desperate resolution. He suddenly gave
up his post of expectation on the hills, threw himself upon our left
wing, which was slowly advancing up the hill opposite to him, beat it
at the first onset, pursued the fugitives into their camp, and there
made prisoners of ten thousand of our men, and all the captains,
amongst them my Orestes and Zeuxippos. He sent Gothic heralds to
Narses, who took Zeuxippos with them to witness to the truth of what
they said, and demanded an immediate truce of twenty-four hours."

"Impossible!"

"Otherwise he swore to slay all his ten thousand prisoners---together
with the captains."

"That is no matter," observed Cethegus.

"It may be no matter to you, Roman--what matters to you a myriad of our
troops?--but not so to Narses. The terrible surprise, the still more
terrible necessity of making a choice, quite prostrated him. A severe
attack of his malady came on, and as he sank down, he gave me his
commander's staff, and I, of course, accepted the conditions----"

"Of course, Pylades must save Orestes!" said Cethegus in a rage.

"And, besides, ten thousand men of the imperial army!"

"I am not bound by this agreement," cried Cethegus; "I shall again
attack."

"You dare not! Teja has taken most of his prisoners and all the
captains with him as hostages--he will slay them if another arrow be
shot?"

"Let him slay them! I shall attack."

"See whether the Byzantines will follow you! I at once communicated the
order of Narses to your troops: for now _I_ am Narses."

"You shall die, as soon as Narses has recovered his senses!"

But Cethegus perceived that he could do nothing against the Goths with
his mercenaries alo