ed, came the legionaries.

They marched up the mountain in silence, without the word of command,
or the flourish of trumpets. The Gothic heroes would not retreat into
the pass behind their King. They halted before the entrance.

Guntharis was the first with whom Cethegus came into contact. The
Duke's spear was shattered on the shield of Cethegus, and at once
Cethegus thrust his spear into his adversary's body; the deadly shaft
broke in the wound.

Earl Grippa of Ravenna set to work to avenge the Woelfung; he swung his
long sword over his head; but Cethegus ran under the thrust, and struck
the old follower of Theodoric below the right shoulder with his broad
Roman sword. Grippa fell and died.

Wisand, the standard-bearer, advanced furiously against Cethegus; their
blades crossed; sparks flew from shield and helmet; but Cethegus
cleverly parried a too hasty stroke, and before the Goth could recover
himself, the broad blade of the Roman had entered his thigh. Wisand
tottered. Two of his cousins bore him out of the fight.

His brother, Ragnaris of Tarentum, now attacked Cethegus, but Syphax,
running up, caught the well-thrust spear in his hand, and before
Ragnaris could let fall the shaft, and draw his axe from his belt,
Cethegus stabbed him in the forehead.

Struck with horror, the Goths retreated before the terrible Roman, and
pressed past their King into the ravine. Aligern alone, Teja's cousin,
would not yield. He hurled his spear with such force at the shield of
Cethegus, that it pierced it; but Cethegus lowered it quickly, and
received Aligern, as he rushed forward, on the point of his sword.
Severely wounded, Aligern fell into old Hildebrand's arms, who, letting
fall his heavy stone axe, tried to carry the fainting man into the
ravine.

But Aligern's spear had also been well-aimed. The shield-arm of
Cethegus bled profusely. But he did not heed it; he pressed on to make
an end of both the Goths, Hildebrand and Aligern, and at that moment
Adalgoth caught sight of his father's hated enemy.

"Alaric! Alaric!" he shouted, and, springing forward, he caught up the
heavy stone axe from the ground. "Alaric!" he cried.

Cethegus caught the name and looked up. The axe, accurately aimed, came
whizzing through the air upon his tall helmet. Stunned, Cethegus fell.
Syphax sprang to him, took him in both his arms, and carried him aside.
But the legionaries would not retreat; they could not. Behind them,
sent by Narses, tw