CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
ON THE BRINK.
Evening was coming on on the following day, when, growing tired but inhigher spirits, Marcus and Serge were cautiously following the traceswell marked along the side of a forest which gave unmistakable evidenceof the passing of a large body of men.
There had been rain some hours before, which had left the earth softenedand refreshed, ready, too, for yielding to the pressure of horses' hoofsand the clearly-indicated lines formed by chariot wheels. These formeda splendid guide for the adventurers, who added their own traces as theypressed eagerly on.
"They are our people, Marcus, boy, and they are not far ahead."
"Think so, Serge?"
"Sure of it, boy. It has rained since morning, and whoever passed alonghere has made these marks since the rain."
"And it's certainly not a retreat, Serge, for there's no sign offighting."
"Not a bit, my boy. It's our army on the march, and all those signsshow that our men were in full fettle, ready for anything, and arepushing forward into the middle of the enemy's country. See yonmountains?"
"Mountains!" said Marcus. "You might call them hills."
"Well, hills, then; and it strikes me that we shall find these trackslead straight to one of those green nicely-rounded tops with a pleasantslope all round. Now, there's that one there," continued Serge,pointing to a hill standing by itself; "that's just the sort of place myold officer would have picked out for his next halting camp, lead hismen right to the top, mark out their places, and have them all at workbefore sundown, busy as bees digging out a ditch and throwing up a wallof earth in front for our men to fight behind, in case they wereattacked."
Serge had hardly ceased speaking as he walked with Marcus on one side oftheir horses, the driver on the other, to rest the brave little animalsas much as possible, when, passing round a clump of trees, following thebend of the track made by the marching army, they came more fully inview of the hills whose tops only they had seen before.
Nearest of all was the one to which Serge had drawn attention, and asthis opened out more and more in the evening sunshine Marcus uttered anejaculation and caught at his companion's arm.
"Ah!" cried Serge, starting, and he raised his hand to sign to theirdriver to stop, before catching at one of the ponies' reins. "What isit? Enemy?"
"I don't know," cried Marcus, excitedly. "Look!"
The old soldier shaded his eyes, and uttered a cry of joy.
"Enemy? No?" he cried. "It's just as I said. Look, boy! Our people!Our army! Far off as it is, I know them by the standards, and the waythey have gone to work. Look at them! Why they look no bigger thanbees from here, and it is as I said. They are forming camp as if theymeant to stop for days."
"Oh, don't, Serge," cried the boy, huskily. "Don't talk like this ifyou are not sure. It seems too good to believe, after all that we havegone through."
"Not it, boy!" cried Serge, excitedly. "Not a bit too good. Look atall the bad we have had. Everything has another side, and there it isfor us."
"Are you sure?"
"As that I am here, boy. That's the Roman army, or part of it, for Ican't be certain that Julius and Cracis are there. But if it's only apart it will do for us, for the general who commands can receive ourmessage and go to yon poor fellows' help. Now, then, forward at once,for though that camp looks so near we have miles to travel before we canmarch up and be stopped by their sentries ready to challenge us in thegood old Latin tongue. Why, boy, you said yesterday that all was badand everything had failed. What do you say now?"
"Forward!" cried Marcus, "and at once!"
The ponies had done little work that day, for the advance had been madecautiously on account of the many bands of the enemy's warriors whichswarmed throughout the country, and the empty chariot had formed theload; but now without further conversation Marcus sprang in.
"If we walk, Serge," he said, "we shall not get there till after dark."
"And then have a lot of trouble about going up to the camp," saidSerge--"perhaps get a spear in one's ribs; but I wouldn't hurry.Besides, we don't know whether the country's clear between us and them."
It was a glorious evening, and for the first time the land with itsforest and verdant hills looked beautiful to Marcus by comparison withthe rugged barren mountains they had traversed, and whose peaks loweredup stern and forbidding in the distance, as they glanced back from timeto time.
A sharp look-out was kept, as whenever the trees were not too close theadventurers made cautious observations of the surrounding country, butnothing suggestive of the enemy was seen, the broad track made by theadvancing Roman army marked their way, descending gradually from theedge of the forest into one of the valleys beyond which extended therange of verdant hills. Upon the special one that they had marked downthey had a clear view of the busy soldiery passing to and fro andlooking diminutive in the extreme, before the track led farther into thewoody valley and the hills were completely shut out.
The distance proved greater than they had expected, but there was theirguide wandering here and there up ascents or down into the depths of thevalley along which meandered a lovely little river whose moistmeadow-like sides were sadly trampled and cut up. Still there was nosign of danger, and the river bank was followed for some distance.
"But those hills are on the other side, Serge," said Marcus after atime.
"Yes, and before long we shall come upon a shallow place that has beenforded. They'll have picked out a spot where the chariots could easilypass, and what would do for them will do nicely for us, boy. So keepon, and hold your eyes open, for where the Roman soldiers are, theenemy's men will be pretty near at hand."
Soon after, the track followed a bend of the river, going nearer andnearer, and then all at once struck straight for the bright flowingwater, ending at the trampled down bank, and reappearing plainly enoughon the farther side.
"Not above a foot deep," grunted Serge; and he proved to be right, thewater never once coming up to the chariot's axle trees, while theponies' hoofs just splashed in the barely covered gravel as they passedout on to the springy grass on the farther side, where the track wasmore plain than ever.
"Shall we get there before dark, Serge?" said Marcus, after a time.
"Hope so, boy, or we shall find it a bit hard. It's easy enough now,but when the sun's down it will be rather hard to follow the marks withall these trees overhead."
"But the path must soon begin to ascend the hill," said Marcus.
"I expect they'll have found it easier to walk round it and slope upfrom the other side. I dare say they've got a good deal of baggage--impedimenta, as we call it--else I should have thought that they mighthave struck up the valley slope at once. It will be dark before long;sooner than I expected."
"But they had the broad daylight, and of course taking a long sweep itwould be much easier for the chariots."
"Yes," grunted Serge, "I don't like having it dark. We mustn't strikeup at once, must we? It would be nearest."
"No," said Marcus, decisively; "we might not strike the track again, andperhaps find that we had chosen the wrong hill, and have to come back."
"Yes, that's right," said the old soldier. "Slow but sure;" and theponies went steadily on, their hoofs rustling through the thick, moistgrass where it was not trampled down.
"What's the matter, Lupe? Thirsty?" asked Marcus, as the dog raisedhimself up, looked over the front of the chariot, and then turned togaze wistfully in his master's eyes. "Want water, old fellow?"
The dog gave the speaker an intelligent look and then sprang out of thechariot, and after trotting alongside for a time, bounded silentlyforward and disappeared.
They saw no more of him for the next quarter of an hour, and then cameupon him sitting waiting at a spot where the beaten track swept awayfrom the river.
"At last!" said Marcus, eagerly, as the ponies' heads were turned; andbefore they had gone many hundred yards they had the satisfac
tion ofseeing the trees open out and the sky look lighter.
Lupe sprang on in front and disappeared, but at the end of a few minutesthey came upon him again, standing gazing straight before him,motionless, while as the ponies reached him, they too stopped short.
"What does that mean?" whispered the old soldier. "Has he seen anythingto scare him?"
Serge had hardly spoken when from somewhere in front there came thedistant whinnying of a horse.
"From the army!" cried Marcus, excitedly. But Serge clapped his handupon the boy's lips.
"Our army is not there," he said, in a hoarse whisper, and the drivergave a quick snatch at the reins, just as one of the ponies stretchedout its neck to answer the challenge.
"Good!" said Serge, sharply. "Now then, back."
"Turn back," said Marcus, "now we are so near?"
"Yes, boy, and try to get round to the camp another way."
"You think the enemy are near?" whispered Marcus.
"And enough to make me, boy, seeing how our people have been surroundedand followed. I thought we were getting on too fast."
"But look here," said Marcus, excitedly, "I don't like to turn backwithout making sure. Let me go on alone and see if you are right."
"Well," said Serge, slowly, "it would be best, for then--No, I can't letyou do that, boy. We'll stay here for a while till it grows darker, andthen, go on together, creeping amongst the bushes to see what we canmake out, and then come back to the chariot."
"Why not make a brave dash forward?" said Marcus.
Serge shook his head.
"It would be too rash," he said. "We'll take the horses into yon clumpof trees, where they can stand well hidden and it will be easy to findwhen we come back."
"Serge, we shall never find it again in the darkness. Better keep withit," whispered Marcus, excitedly.
"Well, maybe you are right, boy. Lead on, then, my man, as silently asyou can. This way."
Serge stepped in front, and with the darkness closing in fast the ponieswere led forward some twenty yards and then out of the clear open spacein amongst the dark patch of young growth, and the chariot was hardlyhidden from the sight of anyone who might be passing along the trackthey were following, before Lupe uttered a low warning growl.
Marcus bent over the dog and seized him by the muzzle to keep his jawsclosed, and the dog crouched down, while directly after there came theheavy tramp of advancing men, following their path exactly, and verydimly-seen from where the adventurers lay _perdu_ a body of men, who,from the time they took in passing, must have numbered two or threethousand, came by, the dull sound of their footsteps dying out suddenlywhen they were some little distance away.
"Gone?" whispered Marcus, as soon as he thought it safe to speak.
"No, boy," was whispered back directly. "They've halted a little wayfarther on."
"What does it mean?" said Marcus.
"I believe," replied Serge, with his lips close to his young companion'sear, "that there is quite an army of the enemy in front, and that thesewe heard are going to join them."
"Then we ought to go on and give our people warning that they are goingto be attacked."
"No need, boy," whispered Serge; "they won't catch our men lying aboutwith their eyes shut. Careful watch has been set by now, and scoutswill be well advanced. Cracis and Julius will not be caught asleep inthe enemy's country. Now, then, as soon as we can feel sure that nomore are coming we will try and get up to the camp."
"But you will not be able to find it in the darkness."
"I think I shall, boy," said the old fellow, confidently.
"Pst!" whispered the driver, and Lupe uttered another growl, and thenhad to suffer the indignity of being muzzled with Marcus' hand, till thefresh tramping sound had approached them and then passed away.
"Now, then," said Marcus, "we must risk it now."
"I'm ready," said Serge. "But what are you going to do?"
"Go back nearly to the river, and then strike for the hill which must beto our right. It will be too dark to see, but we ought to be near itbefore long, and we are pretty sure to be challenged."
"I can't propose anything better," said Serge. "So on at once."
The ponies were led out, and in the gloom Lupe was just seen as hestepped out in front of the chariot and started off as if to lead theway, while directly after the low, dull trampling of the ponies and thesoft, crushing sound of the chariot wheels rose in the moist eveningair, the ponies following the dog and the latter acting as if heperfectly well knew where his master meant to go. For some little timeafter the rippling of the river had reached their ears the dog struckoff to the right up a very gradual slope apparently quite free fromtrees, keeping on for nearly an hour, before he stopped short, utteringa low, deep growl, while as it rose in the silence the driver checkedthe ponies, just as a sharp, low whispering of voices came from theirfront, and then there was silence again, while Marcus and Serge stoodtogether in the chariot, hand clasped in hand.