Volume Ii Part 62 (2/2)

”But I must have projectiles; spears, lances! else we can do nothing!”

cried Cethegus.

”There is nothing left,” answered Balbus; ”we hoped that you would come with your Isaurians.”

”They are still far, far behind me!” cried Kallistratos, who was the first to arrive after Cethegus.

And the number of ladders and the rising helmets increased. Ruin was imminent. Cethegus looked wildly round.

”Projectiles,” he cried, stamping his foot; ”we must have them!”

At that moment his eye fell upon a gigantic marble statue of Jupiter, which stood upon the ramparts to his left hand. A thought flashed across him. He sprang up, and with his axe struck off the right arm of the statue, together with the thunderbolt it held.

”Jupiter!” he cried, ”lend me thy lightnings! Why dost thou hold them so idly? Up, my men! shatter the statues and hurl them at the enemy!”

Before he could finish his sentence, his example was followed.

The hard-pressed defenders fell upon the G.o.ds and heroes with hammers and axes, and in a moment the lovely forms were shattered.

It was a frightful sight. There lay a grand Hadrian, an equestrian statue, man and horse split in two; there a laughing Aphrodite fell upon its knees; there the beautiful head of an Antinous fell from the trunk, and hurled by two hands, fell cras.h.i.+ng upon a Gothic s.h.i.+eld of buffalo-hide. And far and wide upon the ramparts fell fragments and pieces of marble and bronze, of iron and gold.

Down from the ramparts, thundering and cras.h.i.+ng, fell the mighty weight of metal and stone, and shattered the helms and s.h.i.+elds, the armour and limbs of the attacking Goths, and the ladders which bore them.

Cethegus looked with horror at the work of destruction which his words had called into action.

But it had saved them.

Twelve, fifteen, twenty ladders stood empty, although a moment before they had swarmed with men like ants; just as many lay broken at the foot of the wall.

Surprised by this unexpected hail of bronze and marble, the Goths fell back for a s.p.a.ce.

But presently Markja's horn called them to the attack. And again the tons of marble thundered through the air.

”Unhappy man, what have you done?” cried Kallistratos, full of grief, and staring at the ruin.

”What was necessary!” cried Cethegus, and hurled the trunk of the Jupiter-statue over the wall. ”Did you see it strike? two barbarians at one blow.” And he looked down with great content.

At that moment he heard the Corinthian cry:

”No, no; not this one. Not the Apollo!”

Cethegus turned and saw a gigantic Isaurian raising his axe over the head of the statue.

”Fool, shall the Goths come up?” asked the mercenary, and raised his arm again.

”Not my Apollo!” repeated the Greek, and embraced the statue with both arms, protecting it with his body.

Earl Markja saw this movement from his stand upon the nearest ladder, and believing that Kallistratos was about to hurl the statue at him, he cast his spear and hit the Greek in the breast.

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