Now it would be tedious to tell how with a handful of highly trained
fighting men, I charged and recharged, and finally broke up that horde
of rebels which outnumbered us by fifteen times. It must be remembered
that they grew suddenly panic-stricken in finding that of all those
who went in under the city walls by the mine on which they had set such
great store, none came back, and that the sounds of panic which had
first broken out within the city soon gave way to cries of triumph and
joy. And it must be carried in memory also that these wretched rebels
were without training worthy of the name, were for the most part
weaponed very vilely, and, seeing that their silly principles made each
the equal of his neighbour, were practically without heads or leaders
also.
So when the panic began, it spread like a malignant murrain through all
their ragged ranks, and there were none to rally the flying, none to
direct those of more desperate bravery who stayed and fought.
My scheme of attack was simple. I hunted them without a halt. I and my
fellows never stopped to play the defensive. We turned one flank, and
charged through a centre, and then we were harrying the other flank,
and once more hacking our passage through the solid mass. And so by
constantly keeping them on the run, and in ignorance of whence would
come the next attack, panic began to grow amongst them and ferment, till
presently those in the outer lines commenced to scurry away towards
the forests and the spoiled corn-lands of the country, and those in the
inner packs were only wishful of a chance to follow them.
It was no feat of arms this breaking up of the rebel leaguer, and no
practised soldier would wish to claim it as such. It was simply taking
advantage of the chances of the moment, and as such it was successful.
Given an open battle on their own ground, these desperate rebels would
have fought till none could stand, and by sheer ferocious numbers
would have pulled down any trained troops that the city could have sent
against them, whether they had advanced in phalanx or what formation
you will. For it must be remembered they were far removed from cowards,
being Atlantean all, just as were those within the city, and were,
moreover, spurred to extraordinary savageness and desperation by the
oppression under which they had groaned, and the wrongs they had been
forced to endure.
Still, as I say, the poor creatures were scattered, and the siege was
raised from that moment, and it was plain to see that the rebellion
might be made to end, if no unreasonable harshness was used for its
final suppression. Too great severity, though perhaps it may be justly
their portion, only drives such malcontents to further desperations.
Now, following up these fugitives, to make sure that there was no halt
in their retreat, and to send the lesson of panic thoroughly home to
them, had led us a long distance from the city walls; and as we had
fought all through the burning heat of the day and my men were heavily
wearied, I decided to halt where we were for the night amongst
some half-ruined houses which would make a temporary fortification.
Fortunately, a drove of little cloven-hoofed horses which had been
scared by some of the rebels in their flight happened to blunder into
our lines, and as we killed five before they were clear again, there was
a soldier’s supper for us, and quickly the fires were lit and cooking
it.
Sentries paced the outskirts and made their cries to one another, and
the wounded sat by the fires and dressed their hurts, and with the
officers I talked over the engagements of the day, and the methods of
each charge, and the other details of the fighting. It is the special
perquisite of soldiers to dally over these matters with gusto, though
they are entirely without interest for laymen.
The hour drew on for sleep, and snores went up from every side. It was
clear that all my officers were wearied out, and only continued the
talk through deference to their commander. Yet I had a feverish dread
of being left alone again with my thoughts, and pressed them on with
conversation remorselessly. But in the end they were saved the rudeness
of dropping off into unconsciousness during my talk. A sentry came up
and saluted. “My lord,” he reported, “there is a woman come up from the
city whom we have caught trying to come into the bivouac.”
“How is she named?”
“She will not say.”
“Has she business?’
“She will say none. She demands only to see my lord.”
“Bring her here to the fire,” I ordered, and then on second thoughts
remembering that the woman, whoever she might be, had news likely enough
for my private ear (or otherwise she would not have come to so uncouth
a rendezvous), I said to the sentry: “Stay,” and got up from the ground
beside the fire, and went with him to the outer line.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“My comrades are holding her. She might be a wench belonging to these
rebels, with designs to put a knife into my lord’s heart, and then we
sentries would suffer. The Empress,” he added simply, “seems to set
good store upon my lord at present, and we know the cleverness of her
tormentors.”
“Your thoughtfulness is frank,” I said, and then he showed me the woman.
She was muffled up in hood and cloak, but one who loved Nais as I loved
could not mistake the form of Ylga, her twin sister, because of mere
swathings. So I told the sentries to release her without asking her for
speech, and then led her out from the bivouac beyond earshot of their
lines.
“It is something of the most pressing that has brought you out here,
Ylga?”
“You know me, then? There must be something warmer than the ordinary
between us two, Deucalion, if you could guess who walked beneath all
these mufflings.”