Chapter III
"I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity.” - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Polymecles looked nervous. His eyes shifted around from face to face and he was clearly not concentrating on the conversation. The landlord looked past me, over my shoulder as I talked, and he was clearly shaken by something.
'Polymecles, we need to know!' I said.
The three of us stood in the tenement courtyard in the afternoon sunshine. It was hot but cooling down, for it was mid-afternoon and the city was finally beginning to stir. I could smell cooking from somewhere near. The brightness of the sun tinged everything with a bright yellow that made us squint. A fly buzzed around my head. Settling every now and again on my face, an itching crawling that made swatting irresistible.
'Lord, I cannot tell you. I have no knowledge of such things. I am but a humble landlord and no one tells me such things.'
'Look you silly man,' interjected Junius, 'We killed two men who were carrying large amounts of gold. There must have been a reason. Why would anyone here make a deal with the corsairs for gold if it wasn't important?'
'Maybe, Lord Junius, the inn-keeper can tell you? I cannot.'
'Can't or won't?'
'My lord, if I knew, I would tell you, for are not the Romans the new masters of this great city?'
'By Jupiter Optimus Maximus, if you don't tell me what you know or guess I'll tear the heart from your chest and feed it to the birds!'
Junius grabbed the unfortunate man by the front of his robe and hoisted him into the air. I stood in the background, having no taste for such dramatics. I was well aware that Junius would never harm the landlord and I suspected that Polymecles for all his protestations knew the same.
'Master! Master, please, all I know is that the corsairs do not only attack ships, they sometimes transport things and people away from the city. Why do you think that there was so little treasure left in the government coffers when you came? It could not be hidden in the city.'
Junius put the cringing man down. He smiled.
'We now have enough to pay you for your kind hospitality. Here are five gold pieces. It is all you are getting. I expect you to produce a good meal for two when we return. We're going to the tavern to see if we can find out more about all this.'
Polymecles looked at the gold in his palm and grinned in genuine pleasure. For a man who had seemed terrified only moments before, he seemed to make a remarkable recovery.
'You shall dine tonight like kings! I can even provide entertainment for such wealthy lords who can distribute such rewards to a poor and common landlord!'
He scuttled away and Junius and I were left alone outside the tenement.
'I don't think that approach will work on the landlord of the tavern,' I suggested.
'I think he'll respond to a gold piece, money loosens the tightest tongues you know. It is certainly worthwhile to give a bit to get a little, as my old father used to say!'
We made our way to the tavern where the fight had taken place. The streets were filling up with busy people, awakening from their afternoon rest. They were mainly thin, gaunt, drawn people, for the Roman occupation had not been easy on the citizens of Sinope. After three months of siege, to have most of the Roman army to billet and feed had introduced both ill feeling and deprivation. Lucullus' idea of winning hearts and minds was, it seemed, was not working well.
I could still smell cooking, but the overriding odour was of spices and body smells as we made our way through the streets. It was a smell of humanity on a huge scale and I realised that it must have been much the same for hundreds of years in this, the capital of Pontus. There were sounds too. Oddly, it came to me, that even in this far corner of the Empire they were familiar sounds, the same sounds as Rome. Vendors selling, children playing, an occasional shout, but the missing ingredient, striking in its absence, was laughter. We heard none. An occupation, we were realising, could not be pleasant for anyone and I confess, I felt for the Pontics.
As we rounded the corner of the tavern's street, we noticed immediately that the crowd had thinned on the tavern side of the street. Six or seven men were carrying large bundles wrapped in carpet-like material out of the tavern. I put my hand up to halt my companion and we stood still on the corner and watched. Apart from an occasional passing Pontic who glared at us, we were largely unnoticed or ignored.
The men carrying the bodies wore the same swords as the dead men, and were similarly dressed. Had not Polymecles said there were plenty of corsairs around in the city?
'They look familiar,' commented Junius.
'Yes, I wonder where they are taking their dead comrades.' I said, 'we might try following at a distance.'
'Why not? They may lead us to their ship.'
Following the men at a distance was not difficult but the problem was that we were both in full armour and our red tunics stood out like beacons on a dark shore. We followed all the same, and stopped at each street corner to keep a reasonable distance from our quarry.
The corsairs led us to one of the inland wharfs where stone three-storey warehouses lined a small quay. It was used mainly by fishermen in those days, as the large port of Sinope was on the eastern side of the peninsula on which the city was built. Most ships docked there. The men were met by three more and they opened the wide doors of one of the warehouses and entered. Junius and I waited, but nothing happened.
'You wait here, I'm going to try and get a closer look,' Junius said.
'No chance, my friend. Anyway if you hear any conversation you won't understand it, since you don't speak Greek.'
'All right we both go, but keep very quiet.'
'What did you say that for? I'm not stupid.'
'Well you look pretty daft. Anyway it's all Greek to me.' Junius was smiling, but his humour was wasted on me. I still had a mental picture of the dead corsair's face in my mind and it would not budge.
We sneaked closer using the gaps between the buildings for cover with each scurry forward. Within a few moments, we reached the door of the warehouse where the corsairs had entered. We could hear voices from within. Junius kept lookout whilst I put my ear to the gap.
'What do you mean gone?'
It was a rough accented voice speaking in Greek. The accent was unlike that of the locals in Pontus and reminded me of the corsair in the tavern.
'Gone is gone. All I found when I went to look for him was these two bodies, no gold and no captain.'
'Did you ask anyone where he went?'
'One woman outside said something about two Romans taking him away but I couldn't understand her accent. These bloody Pontics don't speak Greek very well.'
'If they took him to the temple we should be all right. He may even get back here. If he does, we'll still be able to do the deal.'
'You want to wait here with the place crawling with Romans? You're crazy!'
'Look, if the captain gets out he won't be best pleased to find us back on the ship with two dead palace servants on our hands will he? No, we sit tight and don't panic. The captain can take care of himself.'
'What's that?'
'What?'
'I heard a noise at the door.'
'Well don't just stand there, go and look.'
There was silence for a moment as the footsteps approached the warehouse door.
'There's no one there,' he called back, 'must be getting jumpy with all these red tunics about.'
We had backed away in time and stood in the gap between the buildings. Silently, we made our way towards the street where we had entered the little dockyard. Some sea birds flew overhead, their cackles mocking as we left. It smelt of fish.
The barman of the tavern looked askance at us when we entered and seemed to be deciding whether to run out through the door or stay.
'It's all right. I know last time we caused trouble, but this time we only want to sit down and talk. Promise!' I said.
The blood had been cleared up and the room was restored to its
previous gloomy atmosphere as if no one had died and there had been no fight. We ordered some wine and this time paid generously for the best wine in the house, for of course, we could afford it. We leaned towards each other conspiratorially and spoke in low voices, much to the alarm of the barman.
'What did they say?' asked Junius.
'They said something about a deal and they thought their captain would escape. They obviously don't know about Roman's manacles and torture.'
'Are they going to escape? What did they say the deal was about?'
'They didn't, but the two men who died were palace servants but I didn't hear enough to make out what the connection with the palace might be.'
'The Pontic Queen is still here. Maybe they're arranging some kind of ransom or something. Maybe they're stealing something from the Queen?'
'Here, let's see if the barman knows anything.' Junius beckoned the barman. The tavern was empty; no doubt, the fight had scared any further custom away.
'Please pull up a seat and have a cup of your delicious wine with us.'
The barman sat down reluctantly, eyeing his two customers with suspicion. We had killed two men already in the tavern and he seemed keen not to join us. He sweated as he picked up his cup. He downed the wine in a gulp, swallowing nervously.
'Tell me, those two men who tried to kill us earlier; do you know who they were?' I asked.
'No sir.'
'You aren't in any trouble, I can assure you.'
'I don't know anything. Please don't kill me.'
'We are Roman soldiers. You saw it, the men attacked us and they outnumbered us. We don't go around hurting people for nothing. Here's a gold piece for you, if you tell us all you know.'
I put the coin on the table reluctantly. I had never had so much money in my life and it seemed a painful waste to give it to anyone.
The barman, a short, bald, rounded man looked suspiciously at me then Junius. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and then wiped his hands on his apron.
'I can tell you a little but you mustn't tell anyone. The corsairs have a strong presence in Sinope. They would kill me if they knew I even talked to you.'
He reached for the coin. I put a flat hand over it.
'Talk first, then money.'
'I know that the man you took away is a leader amongst the corsairs. The two men you fought with and killed are servants and bodyguards to the Queen. That's all I know.'
'Not worth gold, my man. More!'
'I did hear some of the conversation as I served the wine.'
'Well?'
'One of them said something about transporting it at night by ship from the city. The other said it would be politically advantageous for them if it were soon. That really is all I know, now please go, before they come back.'
'You have been of service to Rome. It will reward you to keep your eyes open and your ears receptive,' I said. We stood to leave.
'Oh there was one more thing, I nearly forgot. The corsair said something about his man in the temple would keep the troops away, but what he meant I have no idea.'
We walked slowly to our billet through the busy street. Women carrying jars and packages on their heads, men wheeling barrows and occasional carts filled the streets, criss-crossing in front of us as we walked. We threaded our way through the crowds and by early evening had reached the house of Polymecles.
The evening meal was already prepared and we dined well. The little half-Greek had been as good as his word. We sat in the dining hall each on a divan and ate from low tables set before us. The rush matting on the floor smelled a little damp but the whitewashed walls with their adornment of rugs and tapestries were homely enough. Polymecles directed the servant who waited upon us personally and the wine flowed for once.
There was roast fowl with honey, vegetable dishes flavoured with local spices and a large strange looking fish with oily tasting black fish eggs, all of it local produce. The wine had improved too. It was still a local wine but it was fragrant and floral. The deep dark colour stained our lips and teeth as we laughed and discussed the day's events.
'Aulus, I think there is a plot afoot that we might do well to report tomorrow.'
'Yes, it may be of interest to Asinnius. He seems to be a decent fellow, even if he did take our prisoner.'
'I don't mind him getting some of the credit but not all of it.'
We were drunk by this time and our speech began to slur.
'All we know is that there are plenty of the corsairs in town and that they have some kind of deal with the Pontic Queen to smuggle out some of the city treasures, if it is about gold.'
'True, but think of the kudos of being the ones who prevent the treasures of Sinope being smuggled out, under the noses of the entire legion.'
I hiccoughed.
'All right we report it and hope we get at least some of the credit.'
We drank more wine until late. I began to become thoughtful. Wine often does that to me.
'Junius,' I slurred, 'have you ever killed a man apart from today?'
'Only in Crete. You remember when I went out on patrol before the rebels were rounded up? Titus and I had a small skirmish and took out several rebels. I told you before. Why?'
'Because, apart from that other battle in Crete, you remember the one when we had a proper century co-ordinated fight, today was my first.'
'Good for you. He was attacking you and I don't think he would have stayed his hand wondering whether it was a nice thing to do or not.'
'That's not what I mean. As I wiped my sword on his tunic, I looked in his eyes. There was a light gone from them, I swear it by Hera! I took a life and although it all happened fast, it's still coming back to me in flashes. I see that face every time I look away or into the distance.'
'What do you think soldiers do? We kill or get killed. Anyway, we see killing all the time in the arena. Even children and women see the death throes of the gladiators. No one in Rome fears such things. Why are you worrying about it now?'
'Seeing a gladiatorial game from a distance is one thing, but when your victim is close enough for you to smell him, it's different somehow.'
'Maybe you aren't cut out to be a soldier? Maybe you should go home and tend cattle? You could even speak to them in Greek!'
I threw a half-eaten seed cake at my friend. We both laughed then and it took the seriousness out of the conversation. That night however, despite anything that Junius had had to say about it, I continued to see flashes of the day's events until sleep took me far away, much to my relief.