"Well, go; gather them together and lead them--to death," he added in a low voice to Basiliskos. "There are at most fifteen hundred men. I do not grudge him the pleasure of falling at the head of his countrymen. Nor them the pleasure of falling behind him!--Farewell, Cethegus." Silently greeting Narses with his uplifted spear, Cethegus left the tent. "H'm!" said Narses to Alboin, "you may well look after him, Longobardian. There goes a remarkable piece of universal history. Do you know who that is marching away?" "A great enemy to his enemies," said Alboin gravely. "Yes, wolf, look at him again; there goes to his death--the last Roman!" When all the leaders, except Basiliskos and Alboin, had left Narses, there hurried into the tent from behind a curtain, Anicius, Scævola, and Albinus, still in the disguise of Longobardians, and with faces full of alarm. "What!" cried Scævola, "will you save that man from his judges?" "And his body from the executioner; and his fortune from his accusers?" added Albinus. Anicius was silent; he only clenched his hand upon the hilt of his sword. "General," said Alboin, "let these two brawlers put off the dress of my people. I am disgusted with them." "You are not wrong there, wolf!" said Narses; and turning to the others he said, "you need no further disguise. You are useless to me as accusers. Cethegus is judged; and the sentence will be carried out--by King Teja. But you, you ravens, shall not hack at the hero after he is dead." "And the order of the Emperor?" asked Scævola stubbornly. "Even Justinian cannot blind and crucify a dead man. When Cethegus Cæsarius has fallen, I cannot wake him up again to please the Emperor's cruelty. And of his money, you, Albinus, shall not receive a single solidus, nor you, Scævola, one drop of his blood. His gold is for the Emperor, his blood for the Goths, and his name for immortality." "Do you wish the death of a hero for that wretch?" now asked Anicius angrily. "Yes, son of Boëthius; for he has deserved it! But you have a veritable right to revenge yourself on him--you shall behead the fallen man, and take his head to the Emperor at Byzantium. Do you not hear the tuba? The fight has commenced!" CHAPTER XIV. When King Teja saw the whole of Narses' forces advancing towards the mouth of the pass, he said to his heroes: "It seems that instead of the stars, the mid-day sun is to shine upon the last battle of the Goths! That is the only change in our plan."