Part 20 (1/2)

Long, long sat he thus.

Suddenly the nightingale was silent.

Liuthari was quickly awakened out of his thoughts and dreams: in hot haste, their iron hoofs resounding on the hard pavement of the road, several horses came galloping from Juvavum; the practised ear of the German clearly distinguished two, perhaps three horses.

The young man sprang up, and seized the spear which was lying near him.

”Those are not Alemannian hors.e.m.e.n,” said he. ”Who else can it be?--Fugitive Romans? or even--her husband?”

He stepped behind the pier of the entrance to the right, where his form and also his shadow was hidden, while the moonlight revealed clearly to him the road and the footpath which led to the villa.

The hoof-strokes were now silent.

The watcher plainly saw how, at the turn o the footpath, three riders sprang from their horses, and fastened them to a milestone.

The one, the tallest, wore a Roman helm, with a dark flowing plume, the two others the close-fitting headgear of the Moorish cavalry; their white mantles floated in the night wind.

”That is scarcely her husband, and those are not slaves of this villa.

And yet they are coming here. What may they be seeking? Shall I call Haduwalt? Bah! King Liutbert's son has often already stood against three enemies at once.”

At this moment the one in the helmet reached the entrance.

”Wait here,” he commanded, raising his short spear, ”I alone will fetch the woman; if I need you, I will call. But I think”----

”Halt! stand, Roman!” cried Liuthari, with levelled spear, springing into the gateway in the full moonlight. ”What seek you here?”

”A German! Down with him!” cried the three voices at once. But at the same moment the leader stumbled two steps backwards, struck on the breast by the spear of Liuthari.

If the armour-factory of Lorch had not supplied such excellent work, the point would have gone through and through the man. But it rebounded and--broke.

The German angrily dropped the now useless shaft.

”By Tartarus, that was a murderous blow!” cried Leo fiercely. ”Prudence is necessary. Raise the spears; we will throw together.”

The three lances flew at once--all three the Alemannian stopped with his s.h.i.+eld. One, hurled with especial momentum and fury, penetrated the threefold ox-hide and ash-wood of the s.h.i.+eld, and wounded his arm near the shoulder.

The young man, full of strength, hardly felt the slight wound; but the s.h.i.+eld, enc.u.mbered with three spear-shafts, he could no longer dexterously use.

”Haduwalt!” cried he now with a loud voice, ”Waffena! Feindo! Help!”

At the same time he seized one of the lances in his s.h.i.+eld, tore it out, and threw. The Moor at the right of the Tribune cried out and fell dead to the ground.

”I will throw him down; thou, sir, stab him!” cried the other. It was Himilco, the centurion.

”With the leap of the panther of his native deserts, he now sprang at the throat of the German; but, quick as lightning, Liuthari had drawn the short knife from his shoulder-belt. He thrust it into the brow between the eyes of his a.s.sailant. The brown, muscular arms which had seized the German's two shoulders as with the claws o a beast of prey, loosened; without a sound the African fell backwards. But Liuthari had not time to draw out the deeply imbedded dagger-blade.

”Haduwalt! Help!” cried he loudly.

For already the third enemy, a most formidable opponent, had rushed upon him.