With less cheerfulness than the Tribune, had his confederate Zeno
received the news of the appearance of the Germans before the town.
He owned many estates outside the gates, managed by slaves and
slave-women, who might take this opportunity, as the oppressed often do
in such cases, to run away to the barbarians, and with them make good
their escape.
Although he was no patron of art, and was too prudent to leave
treasures outside the fortress, yet his villas contained much valuable
furniture and other household goods. There were also herds of cattle,
sheep, and swine, which he would very unwillingly have bestowed on the
robbers.
Therefore, in the early hours of the morning, when Severus went out to
reconnoitre and to take possession of the bridge over the Ivarus, Zeno
sent out, under the protection of this troop, his slave-master, himself
an emancipated slave, with a gang of armed men, to bring in from the
houses which lay, at all events, on this side of the river, the most
valuable effects. The slaves especially belonging to those properties
were to be led into the town--if necessary by force. These peasants and
herdsmen, always rougher, wilder, more insubordinate than the town
servants, had only obeyed with reluctance; on two estates the unhappy
creatures had resisted, but were overpowered by superior numbers and
bound with chains to each other. The slave-master swung incessantly
over them the many-lashed leather scourge, urging them to haste, and to
burden themselves with still heavier loads, which they balanced on
their heads.
In a long train, those that were chained in the centre, cattle and
sheep forward, armed slaves at each side, the overseers at the head and
end of the line, they now came back through the Vindelician gate, which
was immediately closed behind them.
"Forward, Thrax, thou old dog!" cried Calvus, the overseer--he was
considered Zeno's son by a slave-woman--to a white-haired old man who
staggered under a load of bronze vessels; and as from feebleness he
could not hasten his steps, Calvus struck him a severe blow on the back
with the flat of his sword-blade.
The old man cried aloud and stumbled to the ground.
A gigantic neatherd, who was very heavily chained--he had resisted
furiously, and still bled from several wounds--then halted; he thereby
stopped the progress of all who were chained to him.
"I pray thee, Calvus, spare my father! Give his basket to me."
"Wait, Keix, thou cursed Thracian, I will give thee that which is thy
due," cried Calvus, and struck him with the edge of the sword over head
and shoulder, so that the blood spouted out. He was silent; not a cry
of pain escaped his tightly-pressed lips. But Calvus continued: "Thou
hast risen in open rebellion; we might have thee quartered for it. But
it would be losing too much capital to kill such a beast, that we have
fed for thirty years. Patience, my little son! I shall try on thee the
new torture instrument which the master has procured from Byzantium.
That shall be my refreshing evening's amusement."
The strong Thracian grew pale; but with anger, not fear. He only cast a
look at his persecutor, and again strode forwards.
While some of the servants distributed the herds in the town stabling,
the chained slaves were taken by Calvus to the court of the master's
house in the Via Augustana, to receive their punishment.
"Do with them as thou wilt," said Zeno in his writing-chamber, reading
through the list of the rescued property, "only take care that the life
and value, that means the power to work of these wretches, does not
suffer thereby. Previous to mutilation, we must, according to the law
of the pious Constantine, obtain the sentence of the Judge. I will ask
my son-in-law. Mucius," and he smiled; "but, with a slight modification
of the law, _afterwards_. Now I shall go to the Bath of Amphitrite to
inquire the news."
While he, accompanied by Calvus, was passing through the court, his
eyes fell on old Thrax, who lay in the comer on some straw; quite
exhausted, he had sunk into a deep sleep; by him, leaning against the
wall, was his giant son, heavily chained; blood still trickled from his
wounds. Zeno thrust at the sleeper with his staff; the old man opened
his tired eyes:
"Ah, am I still alive? I dreamt that the Lord had called me! I walked
in Paradise! But on the earth also I belong to the Lord Christ!"
"Then thy Lord Christ shall feed thee," mocked Zeno. "Calvus, that old
man is good for nothing. Withdraw from him the wine and bacon. It is
useless to feed him." His look then met the eye of the son, who grasped
his chains in rage.
Zeno was alarmed.
"Listen, Calvus," whispered he; "that one there, after he has been
tortured, let him be sold. He makes me uneasy. He has the look of our
black bull immediately before it went mad. Away with him to the mines
of the Fiscus! They need there such strong scoundrels, and the lead
soon poisons. Now to the bath!"
With that he went out of the court. He had hardly crossed the threshold
of his house, when a lame slave hobbled in, who very much resembled the
powerful-limbed Keix; it was his elder brother. But he did not seem to
notice either the old father or the brother streaming with blood; he
limped towards Calvus, and said, deeply bending:
"My master, Mucius the Judge, sends you this writing. Zeno and thou,
you are accused before him, by Johannes the priest, of having scourged
the Syrian woman, so that the unborn child died. He says he can this
time only with difficulty acquit you."
The writing was long; while Calvus read it with a knitted brow, the
lame man glided silently to his brother and pressed a file into his
hand; it was wrapped in a strip of papyrus. Keix read: "After the
mid-day meal." With his chained hand he lifted the small strip to his
mouth and swallowed it.
The lame man stood again behind Calvus. "What answer, sir?"
Highly displeased, Calvus gave him back the indictment. "May Orkus
swallow up this priest! He knows everything that does not concern him.
I must myself speak with thy master. Go on! Thou limpest horribly,
Kottys," laughed he. "But the expedient has been successful. We sold
thee to the Judge as incorrigible. But since thy new master has cut thy
sinews for thee, thou hast not again attempted to escape, and art
become tame, quite tame." They then both left the court.
In an hour Zeno returned from the bath. As he crossed the courtyard,
all the slaves, chained and unchained, were sitting at their scanty
meal, consisting of small pieces of coarse barley-bread, onions, and
bad wine, sour as vinegar. He went into his writing-room to his
accounts.
There, as was well known, no one dared disturb him.
This room--alone in the house--had instead of curtains a strong wooden
door, which could be locked.
The low window looked on a narrow lane, not on the principal street.
He soon noticed an unusual noise, as of the screaming and running of
many men in the distance. The door then opened gently. Astonished,
displeased at the intrusion, Zeno turned.
He was still more astonished to see old Thrax standing upon the
threshold, who shut the door carefully, turned the key, and laid his
finger on his lips, warning silence, for his master had angrily given a
cry of displeasure.
"Flee, master! Quick! Through the window! Thou art a dead man if they
seize thee."
"Who? Are the barbarians in the town?"
"Thy slaves; they are in revolt; all, in the whole town. They will be
here immediately."
Horror seized the Byzantian. He was well aware what vengeance he had
heaped up against himself. From the courtyard the wild cry already rang
in his ears. He seized a large bag of gold pieces, and a little purse
full of precious stones which lay before him on the counter of slate;
he had been in the act of counting them. The old man pushed a stool to
the window to help him to mount. Zeno started; it was with astonishment
that he saw the old man actively engaged about his escape. "Why doest
thou this for me?"
The slave answered solemnly: "I do it for the sake of the Saviour;
Johannes has taught me that my Lord Christ has said: 'Reward evil with
good.'"
"But whither, whither shall I flee?"
"To the church! There is safety. Johannes will protect thee."
"Johannes!"
Zeno wondered if the Tribune had already carried out his bloody
counsel. His knees shook. He was not able to climb the low breastwork
of the window.
Nearer and nearer sounded the uproar.
He heard the voice of Calvus. "Mercy! mercy!" he cried.
Immediately afterwards was heard a heavy fall.
"Alas!" groaned Zeno, now at last lifted up by the slave to the window.
"If they guess my hiding-place!"
"Master, no one knows it but myself, and I"----
"Thou shalt never betray me!" cried the Byzantian, and he seized the
dagger in his tunic, thrust it to the haft in the neck of the old man,
and swung himself into the street.