THE BATTLE AT THE CITY.
Then Turnus commanded that of the chiefs some should set the battle in
array, and some should fortify the gates, and some should follow after
himself. And men dug trenches before the gates, and gathered store of
stones and stakes; and the women and children stood upon the walls.
But the queen and the chiefest of the matrons went to the temple of
Pallas, and with them was the virgin Lavinia, from whom all these
sorrows sprang, casting down her beautiful eyes to the ground. And
they offered incense and prayer to the goddess, that she would break
the Phrygian robber's spear, and lay him low before the walls of the
city. Then Turnus armed himself for the battle, and ran down from the
citadel, and lo! at the gate there met him Camilla, with a troop of
virgins riding on horses. And when they had lighted down therefrom,
the Queen spake, saying, "I promise thee, Turnus, to meet the horsemen
of Troy and of the Tuscans. Do thou abide here on foot and guard the
walls." And Turnus, steadfastly regarding her, made answer, "What
thanks shall I give thee for such service? But now hearken to me.
There lieth a valley whereby Æneas purposeth to come against this
city: in the mouth thereof will I lay an ambush; do thou, therefore,
meet the Tuscan horsemen in battle, having with thee Messapus and the
horsemen of Tibur." And when he had said this he departed and laid the
ambush against Æneas.
In the mean time Diana, where she sat in heaven, spake to Opis, who
was one of the nymphs that waited on her: "Camilla goeth forth to
battle, who is dearer to me than all virgins beside, and hath been so
even from a child. She is the daughter of King Metabus. Now Metabus,
being banished from his city, even Privernum, by reason of his
violence, fled, taking with him his daughter. Her he carried in his
bosom, and the Volscians pressed hard upon him as he fled. And he came
to the river Amasenus, and it chanced that the river was swollen with
abundance of rain, and overflowed his banks. And the king, when he
would have crossed it by swimming, feared for the child. Therefore he
took the great spear which he carried in his hand, and bound the girl
thereto with strips of bark, and balanced it in his hands, saying, 'I
vow this child to thee, daughter of Latona, to be thy servant for
ever.' And he cast the spear with all his might, so that it fell on
the other side of the river. Then did he throw himself into the
stream, and so escaped from the land of his enemies. Thereafter he
dwelt not in house or city, but lived on the hills with the shepherds.
And the child he nourished with mare's milk, and the like. And when
she could first put her feet upon the ground, he put a javelin in her
hand, and gave her a bow also and arrows. No gold had she on her hair,
nor wore she long garments such as women use, but was adorned with a
tiger-skin. Also from a child she would cast the javelin from her
hand, and whirl the sling above her head, and strike the crane or the
wild swan even in the midst of the clouds. Many Tuscan mothers would
have had her for their daughter-in-law, but marriage pleased her not.
I would she had not come to this war. Then had I made her one of my
companions. But seeing that her doom is upon her, I give thee this
charge concerning her. Pass thou down to the earth, to the Latin land,
where they begin even now this evil battle. And take from thy quiver
an avenging arrow, and whosoever shall harm the virgin, be he man of
Troy or Italian, shall pay the penalty. But her will I carry back to
her native country, neither shall any man spoil her of her arms."
In the meanwhile Æneas and his army were come near to the walls. And
first the horsemen ran together against each other, holding their
spears forth in front. In this battle Tyrrhenus the Tuscan met
Aconteus, and drave him from his horse with the shock, as a
thunderbolt is driven from the sky or a stone from an engine; and the
ranks of the Latins were troubled and fled, and the men of Troy
pursued them; but when they came near to the gates the Latins turned
upon them, and the men of Troy fled in their turn. Even as a wave upon
the shore floweth and ebbeth, so twice they fled and twice they
pursued. But the third time they joined battle, and gave not place one
to the other. Then fell many men and horses dying to the ground.
Orsilochus smote the horse of Remulus between the temples, and the
beast reared and threw his rider to the earth. Next Catillus of Tibur
slew Iollas, and Herminius, who fought with breast and shoulders bare,
driving his spear through him from side to side. But fiercest of all
was the virgin Camilla. With one breast bare she fought; and now she
would shoot arrows from her bow, and now would ply the battle-axe. And
the virgins that were her fellows, as Larina and Tulla and Tarpeia,
followed close behind her. Like to the Amazons they were when, having
their shields shaped as is the moon, they throng around their Queen
Penthesilea or Hippolyté. Euneüs she slew, a man of Troy; and Pagasus
and Liris, Etruscans; and others besides. With every arrow she slew a
man. And the hunter Ornytus came against her, having for helmet the
head of a wolf with white teeth, and in his hand a hunting spear. He
was of greater stature than other men, but she slew him, and mocked
him, saying, "Didst thou think, Tuscan, that thou wert hunting wild
beasts this day? Lo! a woman's arms have brought thy boasts to
nothing." Then she slew Orsilochus and Butes, mighty men of Troy.
Butes she smote as he fled from her, but from Orsilochus she made as
she would flee; then, wheeling round, met him face to face, and cleft
his head in twain. The son of Aunus, whose father dwelt amongst the
Apennines, trembled to see the deed, and was fain to escape her by
craft, after the fashion of his country, being a man of Liguria.
Therefore he said, "What glory is it if thou prevailest by reason of
the swiftness of thy horse? Fight with me now on foot, and let us see
who shall gain the victory." And when the virgin leapt to the ground,
giving her horse to her companions, he turned his horse to flee. But
the virgin cried, "Thinkest thou to escape me thus, thou fool? Never
shalt thou see thy father, the crafty Aunus, again." And she made
haste and outran the horse, and catching the reins in her hands, stood
before him and slew him.
[Illustration: CAMILLA AND THE SON OF AUNUS.]
Then did Tarchon the Tuscan rebuke his horsemen, calling each by
his name, and saying, "What fear, what baseness, is this, ye Tuscans?
Shall a woman drive you before her? Ready enough are ye for the dance,
and the feast, and the sacrifice; but ye lag behind in war." And he
drave his horse at Venulus of Tibur, and caught him in his arms, and
carried him away. As an eagle carries a snake which he hath caught,
and the snake, winding his coils about the bird, struggles and hisses,
so did Tarchon carry him off, and spy out a place where he might smite
him, and Venulus strove amain to keep the sword from his throat. And
all the men of Troy and the Tuscans charged again when they saw their
chief do so valiantly.
But all the while Arruns watched the virgin Camilla, that he might
take her unawares. Now there was a certain Chloreus, priest of Cybelé,
who rode through the battle, very splendid to behold. For his horse
was clad in bronze mail, that was clasped with gold; and he himself
was clad in purple from beyond the seas; his bow was of Lycia and his
arrows of Crete; of gold was his bow, and of gold the helmet; and his
saffron scarf was clasped with gold; and his tunic was embroidered
with needlework, and his trews were of divers colours. Him alone the
virgin followed, blind to all beside, with a woman's love of beautiful
spoil. And Arruns watched her from the ambush where he lay; and when
the time was come, he cried, "Apollo, lord of Soracte, help me now; if
ever I and my people have passed over the burning coals in thy honour,
help me now. I seek not spoil nor glory; let me return without honour
to my country, so but I slay this fury." And part of his prayer the
god heard, and part was scattered by the winds. Camilla, indeed, he
slew, but to his country he went not back. But when the bow twanged,
all the Volscians turned their eyes to the queen; but she was not
aware of the arrow, even till it smote her under her breast. Then her
companions ran together and caught her as she fell. And she would have
drawn forth the arrow, but it was deep in her side. Then did her eyes
swim cold in death, and the colour, that was as the colour of a rose,
faded from her cheek. And as she died, she said to Acca, who was
dearest to her of all her companions, "Acca, my sister, my strength
faileth me. Bid Turnus that he join the battle, and keep the men of
Troy from the city." And she loosed hold of the reins, and fell to the
earth; and the battle grew fiercer as she lay.
[Illustration: THE DEATH OF CAMILLA.]
But when the nymph Opis saw that she was dead, she groaned, and cried,
"O Virgin, thou hast paid the penalty of thy deed, in that thou
defiedst the men of Troy. Neither hath it profited thee to be the
servant of Diana. Yet will she not have thee unhonoured in thy death;
for whosoever hath harmed thee shall surely die." Then she flew
through the air, and lighted on a mound that was the tomb of Laurens,
that had once been king of the land. And when she saw Arruns boasting
of his deed--for at first he had fled stricken with fear, but had now
taken heart again--she cried, "Come hither, that thou mayest suffer
thy doom, in that thou hast slain the virgin Camilla." And she drew
the bow till the ends thereof came close together, and her left hand
was on the arrowhead and her right hand on the string. And even as
Arruns heard the clang of the bow the arrow smote him that he died.
But when Camilla was dead her companions fled, and the Rutulians
also, and the chiefs were scattered and the battalions left desolate.
And there rose a great cloud of dust that rolled ever nearer the city;
and a dreadful shout went up to heaven. Then those that first came to
the gates were trodden down by the crowd behind them, that they died,
yea, even in the sight of their homes. And those that were within shut
the gates and drave back with arms such as would have entered. And
then was slaughter and confusion without end. And even the women upon
the walls cast javelins with their hands, and thrust with stakes of
wood that had been charred with fire, even as with spears.
But now there came ill tidings to Turnus as he lay in ambush in the
wood, even that Camilla was dead, and that the enemy had the mastery.
Wherefore he rose up from his place, and came out upon the plain; and
even as he rose up, Æneas had won his way through the wood and
overpassed the ridge. Then did they both haste towards the walls. And
Æneas saw Turnus, and knew him, and Turnus also saw Æneas; but the
darkness hindered them that they should not fight together that day.