CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE CHARIOTEER.
"I shall never be able to do it, Serge," said Marcus, nervously, as hestood with his old companion looking admiringly at a pair offiery-looking little steeds harnessed to a low chariot just big enoughto afford room for three.
The little pair were being held, stamping and covering their sides withthe foam they champed from their bits, by a short, broad-shouldered,swarthy driver, who had his work to restrain the impatient littleanimals.
They were less in size than what would now be termed cobs, almostponies, but beautifully formed, arched-necked and heavily maned andtailed, a pair that had excited admiration in the boy's eyes as soon ashe saw the chariot to which he had been led. But they were almost wild,and ready to resent the buffets given by their driver with teeth andhoofs.
"A chariot to be proud of," Serge had growled in the boy's ear. "Why, acaptain needn't wish for better. I don't know what the master will saywhen he sees you."
"Oh, don't talk about the meeting, Serge. I feel so excited," repliedthe boy, and then he added the words which head this chapter.
"Never be able to do what?" cried the old soldier.
"Manage the chariot. It seems too much for me."
"Tchah!" cried Serge. "Don't want no managing. You've got your driverto take you where you tell him right at the enemy, when you get yourorders to advance, and cut them up. You'll stand there in front withyour spear or javelin, and I shall sit behind ready with spare ones foryou to throw when you are amongst the enemy, and stop anyone who triesto come up behind if he's foolish enough. But I don't hold withthrowing javelins. It wants a lot of practice, and those who havepractised most, when they are going at full gallop, are pretty well sureto miss. I should like for you to use your spear, and keep it tightlyin your hand. It means closer quarters, but your thrusts are surer, andyou do better work. Besides, you don't lose your weapon."
"But I feel it's almost too much for me."
"Then don't feel at all," said the old soldier. "Go and do what you'vegot to do along with the cavalry when you have got your orders, anddon't think at all. What you have got to do is to skirmish and drivethe enemy, and what I have got to do is to mind they don't skirmish anddrive you. There, jump in boldly, and look as big as you can."
"Nonsense! How am I to look big?"
"By opening your mouth, boy, and speaking loud. You are not afraid?"
"Oh no, I am not afraid," cried Marcus.
"Then don't let that little driver chap think you are," whispered Serge."Act like a captain. That little fellow is only your slave, but if youput on a scared look he'll try to play the master. Unlucky for him ifhe does, for, if he don't do what he's told, I'll crack him like I woulda nut."
There was no time for more conversation, for the little detachment underthe captain's command had already begun to advance; an order was broughtto the cavalry, and the chariot driver appealed to Serge to come andstand at the horses' heads for a moment while he took the reins.
Serge changed places with him directly, while the driver assumed thereins, the slight touch upon the ponies' withers making them snort andplunge as much as Serge's strong arms at their bits would allow.
Then a trumpet rang out, Serge joined his young master in the chariot,and in a few minutes the ponies had settled down into a steady progressat the rear of the column.
Exciting days followed, during which Marcus began to learn lessons ofwhat it meant to advance into an enemy's country, the necessity of beingconstantly on the alert, where everyone was unfriendly, and to loiterbehind the main body meant being cut off, leaving the loiterer's placein the column empty.
It was all new to Marcus, as those days passed on, and his captainfollowed exactly in the track of the army that had gone before, workinghis men hard, practising various evolutions, keeping them on the alertand ready for action at a moment's notice.
It was on one of these occasions, many days after their start, thattowards evening a halt was called just after the column had moved outfrom a narrow mountain ravine, such a place as had presented plenty ofopportunities for the enemy, had they been near, to descend from one ofthe side gorges and attack, to the cutting off of the column.
And all this had necessitated careful scouting and watchfulness on thepart of the leader. But at last it seemed as if they had ridden outinto safety, a wide, open plain stretching before them, suitable forforming camp for the night, where there was no risk of ambush orsurprise.
A murmur of satisfaction ran through the column as posts were set, fireslit, and the men began settling down. Marcus' horses had given up agood deal of their wildness and begun to form a kind of friendship withLupe, who had narrowly escaped execution, consequent upon the effectthat he had had upon Marcus' chariot pair, who, whenever he came near,had exhibited a frantic determination to tear off at full speed, andthis generally where the ground was of the very roughest character andthe destruction of the chariot would have been certain.
It had been a difficulty, but, like other difficulties better or worse,it had been mastered, and, instead of meeting his death, the constanttraining, through which the chariots and horsemen had passed, resultedin the above-named friendly feeling, and now, at an advance, the dogtook his place just in front of the fiery little steeds and trottedbefore them, while when they halted, he took it as a matter of coursethat one or other of the beautiful little animals should stretch out itsarched neck, nuzzle among his bristly hairs, and at times close itsteeth upon the back of the dog's neck and attempt to raise him from theground.
"I should never have thought he would have stood it, my lad," saidSerge; "but he has found out it means friendly, or else he'd bark andlet them have his teeth in turn."
This was said as the sturdy driver was freeing the pair from their placeon each side of the chariot pole and twisting up their traces, for nightwas falling fast, and the men's fires were beginning to twinkle here andthere.
"Tired, boy?" said the old soldier, who was carefully removing the dustfrom his armour.
"Horribly," replied Marcus. "I want to lie down and sleep. Oh, how Ican sleep to-night!"
The words had hardly passed his lips when there was the blare of atrumpet, followed by another and another, with the result that it seemedas if a nest of hornets had been disturbed, for a loud buzzing filledthe darkening air, leaders' voices rose giving orders, and there was amurmur punctuated, so to speak, by the clinking of armour, the rattle ofweapons against shields, and the whinnying and squealing of horses,accompanied by angry cries from those who were harnessing them again.
"And I was so tired, Serge," said Marcus, as he finished hurrying on hisarmour. "What does it mean?"
"An alarm or an advance; I can't say which, boy. But be smart. We mayget our orders at any moment."
"I shall be ready directly. There, he has done harnessing the horses.Down, Lupe! Quiet! Keep away from their heads."
The dog crouched in front, just beyond the reach of one of the horses,waiting patiently for what was next to come.
"Ah, you are the best off, after all," said Marcus, "You just get up onall four legs, give yourself a shake, and you are ready for anything."
The dog looked up, gave the speaker a friendly growl, and then let hishead rest again upon his extended paws, while Marcus walked to the sideof his chariot horses to pat and caress their arched necks, friendlyadvances which were now accepted by the savage little animals withoutany attempts to bite, while he could pass behind them now without havingto beware of a lightning-like kick.
"All ready?" growled Serge, who had just loosened the throwing spears hehad laid in the bottom of the chariot.
"Oh yes, I am ready; but can't I lie down and sleep till the order comesto advance?"
"No, you can't," growled Serge. "A soldier shouldn't want to sleep whenhe is waiting for the trumpet to sound."
"Oh, I don't know," said Marcus, peevishly. "I should have thought heought to snatch a little sleep whenever he could."
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"That's right," said the old soldier, grumpily. "But he can't now."
"Why?" said Marcus, with a yawn.
"Because the foot soldiers are starting now, and the horse went scoutingon ten minutes ago. I wonder we haven't got our orders before this."
"Why, we shouldn't have been ready if they had come," said Marcus.
"No," growled Serge. "We with the chariots are horribly slow. It's allthrough having to depend upon these driver fellows and our horses havingto drag a clumsy car at their heels. Now look here, I am beginning tothink that the enemy's afoot coming down to surprise us, and, if so, wewith the chariots shall have our turn."
"What makes you think that?" cried Marcus, shaking off his drowsiness atthese words.
"I don't know, boy, only I do. In with you. Now we are off."
The driver was already in his place as Marcus sprang into the chariot,and seized one of the throwing spears, to be followed directly by Serge;for an order rang out, there was a peculiar sound as the horses startedat the first shaking of their reins and the guttural cries of theirdrivers, and then, in a fairly well-kept line, some twenty of thewar-like cars, drawn by their snorting horses, advanced in line over themoderately smooth plain in the direction already taken by the foot andhorse. But as they nearly came within touch, the mounted figure of thecaptain was seen facing them in front, where he sat ready to give afresh order, when the line of chariots broke, as it were, in two, halfpassing him to left, the other half to right, to take up position on theflanks of the infantry, which was about a couple of hundred yards inadvance.
The next minute from out of the darkness ahead there came faintly thesound of shouts, accompanied by the beating of hoofs, and a horsemantore up to the captain, to make some communication which caused him toset spurs to his horse and gallop forward, while Marcus, as his chariotrolled on, rested his hand on the front and peered forward over hishorses' heads into the bank of gloom which now grew more and more alivewith sound.
There was the heavy tramp, tramp of armed men, followed by the suddenrush and thunder of hoofs, while where he stood there was the rattle ofthe chariot wheels and the cries of the drivers as they urged theirhorses on.
"How are you, boy?" said Serge, hoarsely, with his lips close to hisyoung master's ear.
"Oh, I'm well enough," was the reply, "but I can't see. I want to knowwhat we are going to do."
"Don't you want to lie down and have a sleep?" said Serge, grimly.
"Sleep? No! I want to understand what's going on."
"What for?" growled Serge. "What's it got to do with you?"
"What has it got to do with me?" cried Marcus, without turning his head.
"Yes; what's it got to do with you? That's the captain's business. Weare advancing slowly, and by and by when the enemy has passed throughour cavalry, and delivered its attack upon our foot, and they are comingon--I can hear them hurrah, boy! This isn't a false alarm. Hear thatshouting?"
"Hear it, yes!"
"That's the enemy, and they are very strong too."
"How do you know?"
"I can hear them, boy."
"Oh, then why don't we gallop forward and attack?" cried Marcus,excitedly.
"Because it arn't our time. There! Hear that?"
"Yes; what does it mean?" cried Marcus, as a dull, low, clattering soundwas heard.
"Why, you ought to know by now. That's our foot-men joining shieldstogether to receive the enemy's horse, which must have scattered ours.They are driven back, and they will come round behind us if I am notmistaken."
"What, have they run away?" cried Marcus.
"Oh no, boy. Bent back to right and left. They were taken by surprise,I should say, and gave way. That's the art of war. And now! Hark atthem! The enemy's coming down with a rush upon our infantry to cut themup and sweep us all away."
"What!" cried Marcus, wildly. "And we in the chariots are ambling onlike this! Oh, if I could only see something besides that line infront!"
"See with your ears, boy, as I do," growled Serge. "This is the firstbit of real work I have been in for many a year, but it's all goingright. We have got a captain over us who knows what he is about.There! What did I say? Hear that?"
It was plain enough to hear: a confused rush of galloping hoofs away infront beyond the line of infantry, another thunder of galloping horsespanting and snorting as they rushed by in the darkness close at hand,and another body away to Marcus' left, beyond the second half of theline of chariots. This ceased directly afterwards, and, as the boyglanced back, he could see a mass of horsemen forming up behind thecars, while, at the same moment from away in front, there was a terrificburst of savage yells, answered by shouts of defiance and the clatter ofspears and shields, mingled with a confused clash as the enemy'shorsemen charged home upon the infantry.
Marcus' ears rang with the confusion of sounds which followed--cries ofagony, shouts of triumph, and the trampling of horses, and then a roar,above which rang out somewhere near at hand the shrill note of aclarion, whose effect was to make the chariot horses burst into agallop.
"Now we are off," shouted Serge into the boy's ear. "Your spear, lad.Throw when you get a chance; I have another ready for you. But don'twaste your stroke."
Marcus heard, but he did not heed, for his heart was beating violently,his head swimming with excitement, and he felt half stunned, halfmaddened, as he was borne onward, his chariot about the middle of thelittle line so close together that, moment by moment, it seemed as ifthe wheels of the cars on either side must come into collision.
But the collision was not to be there, for as, excited by the yells oftheir drivers, the little pairs tore on, there suddenly seemed to springup out of the darkness ahead a confused crowd of mounted men; and thenthere was a shock, and Marcus felt his car leap forward on its wheels,rising on one side as if to overturn, but coming down level directly andbounding oh again at the heels of his excited steeds.
He could not see to right or left, but he was conscious that there wereother chariots tearing on beside him, and there was another shock, andanother, mingled with yells and cries, and then they were racing onagain apparently being hunted by a body of horse, and it seemed to theboy as if his and his fellow chariots were in full flight.
But just then there were the faint notes of a trumpet, and, as they toreon, the line of chariots swung round as upon a pivot and began to tearback.
And now it seemed to Marcus that the horsemen who had been pursuing themwere taking flight in turn, and, as he realised this, the boy shouted tohis driver to drive more swiftly.
"No, no!" yelled Serge, furiously. "Steady! Steady! And keep inline."
"But they will get away!" cried the boy, mad now with excitement.
"Bah! You don't understand," cried Serge. "Those are our horsemen."
Another trumpet brayed out and the cavalry in front of the chariotsswung round to right and left, making an opening through which theypassed, slackening their speed, but careering on till Marcus made out asolid body of infantry on his right front.
A minute later the chariots had wheeled round again in the infantry'srear, and in the distance there was, dying away, the sound of hoofs.
"Well, boy, what do you think of that?" said a voice in Marcus' ear.
"I--I don't know," panted Marcus, as short of breath as if he had beenrunning hard. "I don't think I understand."
"Ha, ha!" laughed Serge, hoarsely. "I don't suppose you do. I don'tquite myself, but I should think that was a big body of the Gallic horsewho came down thinking to surprise us and to snuff us out. But theyfound out their mistake."
"And where are they now?" panted Marcus.
"Oh, far away. You can just hear them in the distance. They have goneoff beaten, with their tails between their legs. Couldn't you feel howwe cut them up?"
"Cut them up!" said Marcus.
"Yes. Don't you remember how we tore through them, crash into theirmidst, after they were broken from their charge u
pon our infantry, whichstood together like a rock? It was splendid, boy, though it was almosttoo dark to see."
"Oh yes, I recollect something of it; but it was all wild and confusedand strange. I couldn't see anything clearly."
"No more could anyone else, boy. We, who do the fighting, never see."
"Because it was so dark to-night."
"It would be just the same by day. But, hallo! Where's your spear?"
"I don't know," said Marcus, staring. "Oh, I think I remember, I threwit at a horseman, just before we went crash upon him and the chariot wasnearly overturned. But there, don't ask me. It seemed to be all onewild struggle and noise, and my head's all whirling now."
"Well, what did you expect it to be?"
"Oh, I don't know," said Marcus. "But tell me, Serge, have we won?"
"Won? Of course! We Romans always do. This was through our leader'sskill, training against an undisciplined horde of horsemen, twice ournumber I should think. They are in full retreat, and I expect we shallfind they have left half their number upon the field."
"Hark!" cried Marcus, excitedly. "Here they come again!"
"No, boy; not at a gentle trot like that. Those you hear are the bestportion of our horsemen who have been pursuing and scattering the enemyfar and wide. Rather exciting all this, my lad, eh?"
"Exciting? Yes! Only I couldn't understand."
"But your captain could, my boy, and won the fight. Here, catch hold ofthis; and next time you throw your spear, pick up another, sharp."
"But oughtn't you to have given me one directly? You taught mesomething of the kind."
"So I did, boy; but you see I have been out of practice for many years,and forgot my duty in the hurry of the fight; but I won't do so again."