ully of Justinian; his only
loyalty was to himself.

At high summertide, the Gothic camp was pitched before Rome, and the
siege anticipated for so many months had at length begun. For whatever
reason, Totila had never attempted to possess himself of Portus, which
guarded the mouth of the river Tiber on the north bank and alone made
possible the provisioning of the city. Fearing that this stronghold
would now be attacked, Bessas despatched a body of soldiers to
strengthen its garrison; but they fell into a Gothic ambush, and were
cut to pieces. Opposite Portus, and separated from it by a desert
island, on either side of which Tiber flowed to the sea, lay the
ancient town of Ostia, once the port of the world's traffic, now
ruinous and scarce inhabited. Here Totila established an outpost; but
he did not otherwise threaten the harbour on the other side. His
purpose evidently was to avoid all conflict which would risk a
reduction of the Gothic army, and by patient blockade to starve the
Romans into surrender.

He could not surround the city, with its circuit of twelve miles; he
could not keep ceaseless watch upon the sixteen gates and the numerous
posterns. King Vitiges, in his attempt to do so, had suffered terrible
losses. It was inevitable that folk should pass in and out of Rome. But
from inland no supplies could be expected by the besieged, and any ship
sailing up to Portus would have little chance of landing its cargo
safely. Before long, indeed, this was put to proof. The Pope, whose
indecision still kept him lingering in Sicily, nearly a twelvemonth
after his departure from Rome for Constantinople, freighted a vessel
with corn for the relief of the city, and its voyage was uninterrupted
as far as the Tiber's mouth. There it became an object of interest, not
only to the Greeks on the walls of Portus, but to the Gothic soldiers
at. Ostia, who forthwith crossed in little boats, and lay awaiting the
ship at the entrance to the haven. Observant of this stratagem, the
garrison, by all manner of signalling, tried to warn the sailors of the
danger awaiting them; but their signals were misunderstood, being taken
for gestures of eager welcome; and the ship came on. With that lack of
courage which characterised them, the Greeks did nothing more than wave
arms and shout: under their very eyes, the corn-ship was boarded by the
Goths, and taken into Ostia.

Of courage, indeed, as of all other soldierly virtues, little enough
w