Beric the Briton : a Story of the Roman Invasion, Page 3

  CHAPTER III: A WOLF HUNT

  Shouts of welcome saluted Beric as with his party he crossed therough bridge over the stream and descended the slope to the village.Some fifteen hundred men were gathered here, all armed for thechase with spears, javelins, and long knives. Their hair fell overtheir necks, their faces were, according to the universal custom,shaved with the exception of the moustache. Many of them weretattooed--a custom that at one time had been universal, but wasnow dying out among the more civilized. Most of them were, save forthe mantle, naked from the waist up, the body being stained a deepblue with woad--a plant largely cultivated for its dye. This plant,known as Isatis tinctoria, is still grown in France and Flanders.It requires rich ground and grows to a height of three or fourfeet, bearing yellow flowers. The dye is obtained from the leaves,which are stripped two or three times in the season. They arepartially dried, and are then pounded or ground, pressed into amass with the hands or feet, and piled in a heap, when fermentationtakes place. When this process is completed the paste is cut up,and when placed in water yields a blue dye. It can also be preparedby laying it in the water in the first place and allowing itto ferment there. The water, which becomes a deep blue, is drawnoff and allowed to settle, the dye remaining at the bottom. Freshwater is then added to the leaves, which are again stirred up andthe operation is repeated.

  Passing through the crowd of tribesmen, Beric entered his mother'sabode, walked up to the dais, and saluted her by a deep bow. Partawas a woman of tall stature and of robust form. Her garment wasfastened at each shoulder by a gold brooch. A belt studded andclasped by the same metal girded it in at the waist, and it thenfell in loose folds almost to her feet. She had heavy gold braceletson her arms.

  "You are late, Beric," she said sternly. "Our tribesmen have beenwaiting nigh an hour for you. I only heard at daybreak that Borgonhad gone out to search for you with a party."

  "It was well that he did, mother, for Boduoc and I were besiegedin a hut by a pack of wolves, who would shortly have made an endof us had not rescue arrived."

  "What were you doing in the hut?" she asked. "You told me you shouldleave the Romans' town before sunset and make your way straightback here."

  Beric shortly related the circumstances of the fight.

  "It is well that it is no worse," she said; "but Boduoc oughtto have known better than to have allowed you to leave the trees,where you would at least have been safe from the wolves. Whatmattered the life of a woman in comparison to yours, when you knowmy hopes and plans for you? But stay not talking. Magartha has someroasted kid in readiness for you. Eat it quickly, and take a hornof mead, and be gone. An hour has been wasted already."

  A few minutes sufficed for Beric to satisfy his hunger. Then hewent out and joined two or three minor chiefs of experience whohad charge of the hunt. The greater portion of the tribesmen hadalready started. Almost every man had brought with him one or morelarge dogs trained in hunting the wolf and boar, and the woodsbeyond the swamp rang with their deep barking. Instructions hadalready been given to the men. These proceeded in parties of four,each group taking its post some fifty yards from the next. Thosewho had the farthest to go had started before daybreak, and it wasanother two hours before the whole were in position, forming a longline through the forest upwards of ten miles in length. A horn wassounded in the centre where the leaders had posted themselves, andthe signal was repeated at points along the line, and then, withshouts on the part of the men and fierce barkings on that of thedogs, the whole moved forward. The right of the line rested on theStour, the left upon the Orwell; and as they passed along throughthe forest the line contracted. At times wild boars made a dashto break through it. Many of these were slain, till the chiefsconsidered that there was a sufficient supply of food, and the restwere then allowed to pass through.

  No wolves were seen until they neared the point where the tworivers unite, by which time the groups were within a few paces ofeach other. Then among the trees in front of them a fierce snarlingand yelping was heard. The dogs, which had hitherto been keptin hand, were now loosed, and with a shout the men rushed forwardboth on the bluffs in the centre and along the low land skirtingthe rivers on either side. Soon the wolves came pouring down fromthe wooded bluff, and engaged in a furious conflict with the dogs.As the men ran up, a few of the wolves in their desperation chargedthem and endeavoured to break through, but the great majority,cowed by the clamour and fierce assault, crouched to the earth andreceived their death blow unresistingly. Some took to the water,but coracles had been sent down to the point the evening before,and they were speedily slain. Altogether some four or five hundredwolves were killed.

  It was now late in the afternoon. Wood was collected and greatfires made, and the boars' flesh was soon roasting over them. Atdaybreak they started again, and retracing their steps formed afresh line at the point where the last beat had begun, this timebeating in a great semicircle and driving the wolves down on tothe Stour. So for a fortnight the war went on. Only such deer andboar as were required for food were killed; but the wolves wereslain without mercy, and at the end of the operations that portionof the country was completely cleared of these savage beasts, forthose who had escaped the beating parties had fled far away throughthe forest to more quiet quarters.

  The work had been laborious; for each day some forty miles had beentraversed in the march from the last place of slaughter to the nextbeat, and in the subsequent proceedings. It had, however, been fullof interest and excitement, especially during the second week, when,having cleared all the country in the neighbourhood of the rivers,the men were ranged in wide circles some ten miles in diameter,advancing gradually towards a centre. Occasionally many of the wolvesescaped before the lines had narrowed sufficiently for the men tobe near enough to each other to oppose a successful resistance, butin each case the majority continued to slink from the approachingnoises until the cordon was too close for them to break through.

  Altogether over four thousand wolves were slain. All those whosecoats were in good condition were skinned, the skins being valuablefor linings to the huts, for beds, and winter mantles. Many menhad been bitten more or less severely by them, but none had beenkilled; and there was much rejoicing at the complete clearance fromthe district of a foe that had, since the arrival of the large packsfrom the north, made terrible inroads among the herds of cattleand swine, and had killed a considerable number of men, women, andchildren. The previous winter had been a very severe one, and haddriven great numbers of wolves down from North Britain. The fightingthat had been going on for years in the south and west, and at timesin the midlands, had put a stop to the usual chases of wolves inthose districts, and they had consequently multiplied exceedinglyand had become a serious scourge even before the arrival of thefresh bands from the north. However, after so great a slaughter itwas hoped that for a time at least they would not again make theirappearance in that neighbourhood.

  Returning home at the end of their expedition Beric was surprisedas he entered the hall to see a Druid standing upon the daisconversing with his mother, who was pacing up and down with angrygestures. That their conference was an important one he did notdoubt; for the Druids dwelt in the recesses of the forests or neartheir temples, and those who wished to consult them must journeyto them to ask their counsel beneath a sacred oak or in the circleof the magic stones. When great events were impending, or whentribes took up arms against each other, the Druids would leavetheir forest abodes, and, interposing between the combatants,authoritatively bid them desist. They acted as mediators betweengreat chiefs, and were judges upon all matters in dispute. He wassure, therefore, that the Druid was the bearer of news of importance.He stood waiting in the centre of the hall until his mother's eyefell upon him.

  "Come hither, Beric," she said, "and hear the news that the holyDruid has brought. Think you not that the Romans have carried theiroppression far enough when they have seized half the land of ourisland, enslaved the people, and exacted tribute from the freeBritons? What think you, no
w? The Roman governor Severus, knowingthat it is our religion as well as love of our country that armsus against them, and that the Druids ever raise their voices to bidus defend our altars and our homes, have resolved upon an expeditionagainst the Sacred Island, and have determined to exterminate ourpriests, to break down our altars, and to destroy our religion.Ten days since the legion marched from Camalodunum to join the armyhe is assembling in the west. From all other parts he has drawnsoldiers, and he has declared his intention of rooting out anddestroying our religion at its centre."

  "The news is terrible," the Druid said, "but our gods will fightfor us, and doubtless a terrible destruction will fall upon theimpious men who thus dream of profaning the Sacred Island; but itmay be otherwise, or perchance the gods may see that thus, and thusonly, can the people of Britain be stirred to take up arms and toannihilate the worshippers of the false gods of Rome. Assuredly weare on the eve of great events, and every Briton must prepare totake up arms, either to fall upon the legions whom our gods havestricken or to avenge the insult offered to our faith."

  "It is terrible news, indeed," Beric said; "and though I am but alad, father, I am ready when the call comes to fight in the frontranks of the Iceni with our people. My father fell fighting forhis country by the sword of the Romans, and I am ready to followhis example when my mother shall say, 'Go out to war.'"

  "For the present, Beric, we must remain quiet; we must await newsof the result of this expedition; but the word has gone round,and I and my brethren are to visit every chief of the Iceni, whilethe Druids of the north stir up the Brigantes; the news, too, thatthe time of their deliverance is at hand, and that they must holdthemselves in readiness to rise against the oppressors, is passingthrough the Trinobantes and the tribes of the south and southwest.This time it must be no partial rising, and we must avoid the ruinouserror of matching a single tribe against the whole strength of theRomans. It must be Britain against Rome--a whole people strugglingfor their homes and altars against those who would destroy theirreligion and reduce them to slavery."

  "I would that it could have been postponed for a time, father," Bericsaid. "During the four years I passed as a hostage at CamalodunumI have been learning the tactics that have enabled the Romansto conquer us. I have learned their words of command, and how themovements were executed, and I hope when I become a man to trainthe Sarci to fight in solid order, to wheel and turn as do theRomans, so that we might form a band which might in the day ofbattle oppose itself to the Roman onset, check pursuit, and perhapsconvert a reverse into a victory."

  "Heed not that," the Druid said enthusiastically. "It would beuseful indeed, but there is but scant time for it now. Our godswill fight for us. We have numbers and valour. Our warriors willsweep their soldiers aside as a wave dashes over a rock."

  The conversation between the Druid and Parta had been heard byothers in the hall, and the news spread rapidly among the tribesmenas they returned from the chase. Shouts of fury and indignationrose outside, and several of the minor chiefs, followed by a crowdof excited men, poured into the hall, demanding with loud shoutsthat war should be declared against the Romans. The Druid advancedto the edge of the dais.

  "Children," he said, "the time has not yet come, nor can the Sarcido aught until the word is given by Prasutagus, and the whole ofthe Iceni rise in arms, and not the Iceni alone, but Britons fromsea to sea. Till then hold yourselves in readiness. Sharpen yourarms and prepare for the contest. But you need a chief. In theordinary course of things years would have elapsed before Beric, theson of your last brave prince, would have been associated with hismother in the rule of the tribe; but on the eve of such a struggleordinary customs and usages must be set at nought. I therefore,in virtue of my sacred authority, now appoint Beric as chief nextto his mother in the tribe, and I bid you obey him in all thingsrelating to war. He has learned much of Roman ways and methods,and is thus better fitted than many far older than he to instructyou how best to stand their onset, and I prophesy that under him nosmall honour and glory will fall to the tribe, and that they willbear a signal share in avenging our gods and winning our freedom.Come hither, Beric;" and the Druid, laying a hand upon the lad'shead, raised the other to heaven and implored the gods to bestowwisdom and strength upon him, and to raise in him a mighty championof his country and faith. Then he uttered a terrible malediction uponany who should disobey Beric's orders, or question his authority,who should show faint heart in the day of battle, or hold his lifeof any account in the cause of his country.

  "Now," he concluded, "retire to your homes. We must give no causeor pretext for Roman aggression until the signal is given. Youwill not be idle. Your young chief will teach you somewhat of thediscipline that has rendered the Roman soldiers so formidable, sothat you may know how to set yourselves in the day of battle, howto oppose rank to rank, to draw off in good order, or to pressforward to victory. The issue is ever in the hands of the gods,but we should do all we can to deserve it. It is good to learn evenfrom our enemies. They have studied war for ages, and if they haveconquered brave peoples, it has not been by superior valour, butbecause they have studied war, while others have trusted solely totheir native valour. Therefore deem not instruction useless, ordespise methods simply because you do not understand them. Nonecould be braver than those who fought under Caractacus, yet theywere conquered, not by the valour, but by the discipline of theRomans. It was the will of the gods that your young chief shoulddwell for four years a hostage among the Romans, and doubtlessthey willed it should be so in order that he might be fitted to bea worthy champion of his country, and so to effect what even thevalour of Caractacus failed to do. The gods have spoken by me. Seethat you obey them, and woe to the wretch who murmurs even in hisown heart against their decrees!"

  As he concluded a loud shout was raised throughout the crowded hall,and swelled into a mighty roar outside, for those at the open doorhad passed his words to the throng of tribesmen outside. When theshout subsided, Beric added a few words, saying, that although heregretted he had not yet come to his full strength, and that thusearly he should be called upon to lead men, he accepted the decree ofthe gods, and would strive not to be wanting in the day of trial.In matters connected with war he had learned much from the Romans,who, oppressors as they were and despisers of the gods of Britain,were skilled beyond all others in such matters. In all other respectshe had happily his mother's counsel and guidance to depend upon,and before assuming any civil authority he should wait until yearshad taught him wisdom, and should then go through all the usualceremonies appointed by their religion, and receive his instalmentsolemnly in the temple at the hands of the Druids.

  That night there was high feasting at Cardun. A bullock and threeswine were slain by order of Parta, and a number of great earthenjars of mead broached, and while the principal men of the tribefeasted in the hall, the rest made merry outside. The bard attachedto Parta's household sang tales of the glories of the tribe, eventhe women from the villages and detached huts for a large circleround came in, happy that, now the wolves had been cleared away,they could stir out after nightfall without fear. After entertainingtheir guests in the hall, Parta and her son went round among thetribesmen outside and saw that they had all they needed, and spokepleasantly even to the poorest among them.

  It was long before Beric closed his eyes that night. The events ofthe day had been a complete surprise to him. He had thought thatin the distant future he should share with his mother in the rulingof the tribe, but had never once dreamed of its coming for years.Had it not been for the news that they had heard of the intendedinvasion of the Holy Isle he should not have regretted his elevation,for it would have given him the means and opportunity to train thetribesmen to fight in close order as did the Romans. But now he couldnot hope that there would be time to carry this out effectually.He knew that throughout Britain the feeling of rage and indignationat this outrage upon the gods of their country would raise thepassions of men to boiling point, and that the slightest incidentwould suffice to brin
g on a general explosion, and he greatly fearedthat the result of such a rising would in the end be disastrous.

  His reading had shown him how great was the power of Rome, and howobstinately she clung to her conquests. His countrymen seemed tothink that were they, with a mighty effort, to free Britain of itsinvaders, their freedom would be achieved; but he knew that such adisaster would arouse the Roman pride, and that however great theeffort required, fresh armies would be despatched to avenge thedisaster and to regain the territory lost.

  "The Britons know nothing of Roman power," he said to himself."They see but twenty or thirty thousand men here, and they forgetthat that number have alone been sent because they were sufficientfor the work, and that Rome could, if need be, despatch five timesas many men. With time to teach the people, not of the Sarci tribeonly, but all the Iceni, to fight in solid masses, and to bear thebrunt of the battle, while the rest of the tribes attacked furiouslyon all sides, we might hope for victory; but fighting withoutorder or regularity, each man for himself, cannot hope to prevailagainst their solid mass.

  "If I could have gained a name before the time came, so that myvoice might have had weight and power in the councils of the chiefs,I might have done something. As it is, I fear that a rising nowwill bring ruin and slavery upon all Britain."

  Beric thought but little of himself, or of the personal danger heshould encounter. The Britons were careless of their lives. Theybelieved implicitly in a future life, and that those who fell fightingbravely for their country would meet with reward hereafter; hence,as among the Gauls, cowardice was an almost unknown vice.

  Beric had faith in the gods of his country, while he had nonewhatever in those of Rome, and wondered how a mighty people couldbelieve in such deities; but, unlike the Britons in general, he didnot believe that the gods interfered to decide the fate of battles.

  He saw that the Romans, with their false gods, had conquered allother nations, and that so far they had uniformly triumphed overhis own. Therefore, mighty as he believed the gods to be, he thoughtthat they concerned themselves but little in the affairs of theworld, and that battles were to be won solely by valour, discipline,and numbers. Numbers and valour the British had, but of disciplinethey were absolutely ignorant, and it was this that gave so tremendousan advantage to the Romans. Hence Beric felt none of the exultationand excitement that most British lads of his age would have doneon attaining to rank and command in the tribe to which they belonged.

  The Britons despised the Romans as much for their belief in manygods as for their luxury, and what they considered their effeminacy.The religion of the Britons was a pure one, though disfigured bythe offering of human sacrifices. They believed in one great SupremeSpirit, whose power pervaded everything. They thought of him lessas an absolute being than as a pervading influence. They worshippedhim everywhere, in the forests and in the streams, in the skyand heavenly bodies. Through the Druids they consulted him in alltheir undertakings. If the answer was favourable, they followedit; if unfavourable, they endeavoured to change it by sacrificesand offerings to the priests. They believed firmly in a life afterdeath, when they held that the souls of all brave and good menand women would be transported at once to an island far out in theAtlantic, which they called the Happy Island. The highest placeswould be theirs who had fought valiantly and died in battle; butthere was room for all, and all would be happy. Holding this ideafirmly, the Britons sought rather than avoided death. Their livesin their separate tribes were quiet and simple, except when engagedin the chase or war. They were averse to labour. They were domestic,virtuous, frank, and straightforward. The personal property ofa stranger was sacred among them, and the most lavish hospitalitywas exercised. It was not strange that a simple hardy people,believing firmly in the one supreme god, should have regarded withcontempt alike the luxury of the Romans and their worship of manygods in the likenesses of men and women, and that the more Beric hadseen of the learning and wisdom of the Romans in other directions,the more he should wonder that such a people should be slaves towhat seemed to him childish superstitions.

  The next morning, after a consultation with some of the minor chiefs,a hundred men were summoned to attend on the following day. Theywere picked out from families where there were two or more malesof working age, so that there would be as little disturbance oflabour as possible. It was principally in companies of a hundredthat Beric had seen the Romans exercised, and he had learned everyorder by heart from first to last. The manoeuvres to be taught werenot of a complicated nature. To form in fighting order six deep,and to move in column, were the principal points; but when the nextday the band assembled, Beric was surprised and vexed to find thatthe operations were vastly more difficult than he expected. Tobegin with, every man was to have his place in the line, and thetribesmen, though eager to learn, and anxious to please their youngchief, could not see that it mattered in what order they stood.When, however, having arranged them at first in a line two deep,Beric proceeded to explain how the spears were to be held, andin what order the movements were to be performed,--the exerciseanswering to the manual and platoon of modern days,--thetribesmen were unable to restrain their laughter. What differencecould it make whether the hands were two feet apart or three, whetherthe spears were held upright or sloped, whether they came down tothe charge one after another or all together? To men absolutelyunaccustomed to order of any kind, but used only to fight each inthe way that suited him best, these details appeared absolutelyludicrous.

  Beric was obliged to stop and harangue them, pointing out to themthat it was just these little things that gave the Romans theirfighting power; that it was because the whole company moved as oneman, and fought as one man, each knowing his place and falling intoit, however great the confusion, however sudden the alarm, thatmade them what they were.

  "Why do they conquer you?" he said. "Chiefly because you can neverthrow them into confusion. Charge down upon them and break them,and they at once reunite and a solid wall opposes your scatteredefforts. You know how cattle, when wolves attack them, gather ina circle with their horns outwards, and so keep at bay those whocould pull them down and rend them separately. At present it seemsridiculous to you that every position of the hand, every movementof the arm, should be done by rule; but when you have practised themthese will become a second nature; so with your other movements.It seems folly to you to do with measured steps what it seems youcould do far more quickly by running together hastily; but it isnot so. The slowest movement is really the quickest, and it has theadvantage that no one is hurried, that everything is done steadilyand regularly, and that even in the greatest heat and confusion ofa battle every man takes his place, as calm and ready to fight asif no foe were in sight. Now let us try this again. At the end ofthe day I shall pick out some of those who are quickest and mostattentive, and make of them officers under me. They will have morework to do, for they will have to understand and teach my orders,but also they will gain more honour and credit."

  For hours the drill went on; then they broke off for dinner andagain worked until evening, and by that time had made sufficientprogress in their simple movements to begin to feel that therewas after all something more in it than they had fancied. For thefirst hour it had seemed to them a sort of joke--a mere freak onthe part of their young chief; but they were themselves surprisedto find by the end of the day how rapidly they were able to changefrom their rank two deep into the solid formation, and how theirspears rose and fell together at the order. Beric bade them bythe next morning provide themselves with spears six feet longer.Britons were more accustomed to fight with javelin than with spear,and the latter weapons were shorter and lighter than those of theRomans. Beric felt that the advantage should be the other way, forthe small shields carried by the Britons were inferior as defensiveweapons to those of the Romans, and to preserve the balance it wasnecessary therefore to have longer spears; the more so since theBritons were taller, and far more powerful men than their foes,and should therefore be able, with practice, to use longer w
eapons.

  The next day Beric chose Boduoc as his second in command, and appointedten men sub-officers or sergeants. After a week of almost incessantwork that would have exhausted men less hardy and vigorous, Bericwas satisfied. The company had now come to take great interest intheir work, and were able to go through their exercises with a fairshow of regularity. Even the older chiefs, who had at first shakentheir heads as they looked on, acknowledged that there was a greatdeal to be gained from the exercises. Parta was delighted. It wasshe who had foreseen the advantages that might be derived fromBeric's stay among the Romans, and she entered heartily into hisplans, ordering the men engaged to be fed from the produce of herflocks and herds.

  When the week was over two hundred more men were summoned, a sufficientnumber of the brightest and most intelligent of the first companybeing chosen as their sub-officers. Before the drill commenced,however, the first company were put through their exercises inorder that the newcomers might see what was expected of them, andhow much could be done. This time several of the chiefs joined thecompanies in order that they might learn the words of command andbe fitted to lead. This greatly encouraged Beric, who had foreseenthat while he himself could command a company, he could do nothingtowards controlling ten or fifteen companies unless these had eachofficers of rank and influence enough to control them.

  The exercises after the first company had been drilled were carried onin the forest some miles away from the village, the men assemblingthere and camping beneath the trees, so that no rumour of gatheringsor preparations for war should reach the Romans, although at presentthese were not in a position to make any eruption from Camalodunum,as the greater portion of the legionaries had marched with Suetonius.

  Returning one day to Cardun with Boduoc, Beric was surprised tohear loud cries of lamentation. The women were running about withdishevelled hair and disordered garments. Fearful that somethingmight have happened to his mother, he hurried on to the hall. Partawas sitting on the ground rocking herself to and fro in her grief,while the women were assembled round her uttering cries of anguish.

  "What is the matter?" Beric asked as he hurried forward. The bardstepped forward to answer the question.

  "My son," he said, "misfortune has fallen on the land. The godshave hidden their faces and refused to fight for their children.Woe and desolation have come upon us. The altars are thrown downand the priests slaughtered."

  "Mona is taken!" Beric exclaimed.

  "Yes, my son, Mona is taken. The Druid Boroc but an hour ago broughtthe news. The Romans having reached the strait, constructed flatbottomed boats, and in these approached the island, the horsementowing their horses behind them. There were assembled the womenof the Silures and the Druids from all parts of Britain, withmany fugitives who had fled for shelter to the island. The Druidsremained by their altars offering up human sacrifices, the men andwomen assembled on the beach waving torches, hurling imprecationsupon the invaders, and imploring the gods to aid them and to crushthe impious foe. For a time the Romans paused in mid channel,terrified at the spectacle, and the hopes of all that the godshad paralysed their arms rose high; but, alas! the halt was buttemporary. Encouraging each other with shouts, they again advanced,and, leaping from their boats, waded through the water and set footon the sacred soil.

  "What was there to do? The men were few, and though the women intheir despair rushed wildly at the enemy, it was all in vain; menand women were alike slaughtered; and then, moving forward, theyadvanced against the holy circle and slew the Druids upon the altarsof the gods they served, and yet the gods were silent. They saw,they heard, but answered not; neither the clouds rained fire uponthe invaders nor the earth shook. Ah! my son, evil days have fallenupon the land. What will be the end of them?"

  Throughout the length and breadth of Britain a thrill of horror wasfelt at the news of the massacre of Druids at Mona, and everywhereit was followed by a stern determination to prepare for battle toclear the land of the Romans. The Druids went from tribe to tribeand from village to village stirring up men's hearts; the women,even more deeply excited than the men at the news of the calamity,behaved as if possessed, many going about the country calling uponthe men to take up arms, and foretelling victory to the Britonsand destruction to the Romans; even in the streets of Camalodunumat night their voices were heard crying out curses upon the Romansand predicting the destruction of the city.

  A week after the news came, Beric, in fulfilment of the promisehe had given to Berenice, paid another visit to Camalodunum. Therewere no signs in its busy streets of uneasiness or fear. The newpropraetor Catus Decianus, who commanded in the absence of Suetonius,was holding a sort of court there, and the bearing of the Romansseemed even more arrogant and insolent than usual. The news ofthe destruction of the Druids at Mona had by them been hailed asa final and most crushing blow to the resistance of the Britons.Since their gods could not protect their own altars what hopecould there be for them in the future? Decianus, a haughty tyrantwho had been sent to Britain by Nero as a mark of signal favour,in order that he might enrich himself by the spoils of the Britons,was levying exactions at a rate hitherto unknown, treating thepeople as if they were but dirt under his feet. His lieutenants,all creatures of Nero, followed his example, and the exasperationof the unfortunate Trinobantes, who were the chief victims, hadreached such a point that they were ready for revolt whensoeverthe signal might come.

  On arrival at the house of Caius Muro, Beric found Berenice at home;she received him with joy. "I am glad that you have come, Beric;it is so dull now that father has gone away to the war. I have beenexpecting you here for the last fortnight. I suppose you have beenamusing yourself too much to give a thought to me."

  "I have been very busy, Berenice. I am a chief now, and have hadmuch to do in the tribe. Among other things we have been havinggreat war with the wolves."

  "Yes, you told me when you were last here that you were going toset out next day on an expedition against them."

  "They began first, as it turned out," he said smiling, "and verynearly made a meal of me that night on my way homeward."

  "Sit down and tell me all about it," she said. "You know I lovestories."

  Beric recited to her the story of the fight at the hut.

  "And there was a woman there! How terrible it must have been forher to be alone with her children before you arrived, and to thinkof her killing wolves with the spear. How different your women mustbe from us, Beric, for we are only taught to embroider, to dressourselves, and to care for pretty things. Why, I should be frightenedout of my life at the sight of a wolf if I were all alone and hadno one to protect me."

  "Our women are brought up differently, Berenice. We regard them asaltogether our equals, and many of our tribes are ruled by women.My own, you know, for example. They do not go into battle with themen; but when a camp is attacked they are ready to fight in itsdefence, and being brought up to lead a vigorous life, they are wellnigh as strong as we are. Among all the Gaulish nations the womenare held in high respect. Of course with you this is so sometimes.Your father was wont to listen to the opinions of your mother; butyou know that is not often so, and that with many Romans women arelooked upon as inferior creatures, good only for dress and pleasure,useful in ordering a house and in managing the slaves, but unfitto take part in public life, and knowing nothing of aught savedomestic affairs. And what has been going on here, Berenice?"

  "Nothing," the girl said; "at least I have been doing nothing. Iwent to the footraces the other day, and saw the propraetor, butI don't like him. I think that he is a bad man, and I hear storiesamong the ladies of his being cruel and greedy; and there have beenmad women going about at night shrieking and crying; I have heardthem several times myself. Some of the ladies said they wish thatmy father was back here with his legion, for that there are but fewsoldiers, and if Decianus continues to treat the people so badlythere may be trouble. What do you think, Beric?"

  "I cannot say," he replied. "It seems to me that the Romans arebent upon c
rushing us down altogether. They have just captured ourHoly Island, slaying the priests and priestesses, and overthrowingthe altars, while Nero's officers wring from the people the lastcoin and the last animal they possess. I fear that there will betrouble, Berenice. No men worthy of the name could see their godsinsulted and themselves despoiled of all they possess withoutstriking a blow in defence."

  "But they will only bring more trouble upon themselves," the girlsaid gravely. "I have heard my father lament that they forced us tofight against them, though you know he held that it was our faultmore than theirs, and that if they were ruled kindly and wisely,as were the people in Southern Gaul, where the legion was stationedbefore it came over here, they would settle down and live peaceably,and be greatly benefited by our rule."

  "If you treat a man as you would a dog you must not be surprisedif he bites you," Beric said. "Some of your people not only thinkthat we are dogs, but that we are toothless ones. Mayhap they willfind their mistake some day."

  "But you will never fight against us, Beric," the girl said anxiously,"after living so long among us?"

  "I would not fight against your father or against those who havetreated me well," he replied; "but against those who ill treat andabuse us I would fight when my countrymen fought. Yet if I couldever do you a service, Berenice, I would lay down my life to doit."

  The event seemed so improbable to the girl that she passed overthe promise without comment.

  "So you are a chief, Beric! But I thought chiefs wore goldenbracelets and ornaments, and you are just as you were when you camehere last."

  "Because I come here only as a visitor. If I came on a mission fromthe queen, or as one of a deputation of chiefs, I should wear myornaments. I wear them at home now, those that my father had."

  Beric stayed for some hours chatting with Berenice, and his oldinstructor, who had been left by Caius in charge of the household.As he walked home he wondered over the careless security ofthe Romans, and vowed that should opportunity occur he would saveBerenice from the fate that was likely to fall upon all in Camalodunumshould the Britons rise.