Egypt -- History -- 332-30 B.C. -- Fiction; German fiction -- Translations into English
On their account, in the dense darkness which prevailed, caution was
necessary, and this the guide certainly did not lack. He rode at a slow
walk in front of the artist, and had just pointed out to him the light
at the landing place of the boat which went to Tennis, when Hermon was
suddenly startled by a loud cry, followed by clattering and splashing.
With swift presence of mind he sprang from his horse and found his
conjecture verified. The bridge had broken down, and horse and rider
had fallen into the broad canal.
“The Galatians!” reached Hermon from the dark depths, and the
exclamation relieved him concerning the fate of the Midianite.
The latter soon struggled up to the road uninjured. The bridge must
have given way under the feet of the savage horde, unless the Gallic
monsters, with brutal malice, had intentionally shattered it.
The first supposition, however, seemed to be the correct one, for as
Hermon approached the canal he heard moans of pain. One of the Gauls
had apparently met with an accident in the fall of the bridge and been
deserted by his comrades. With the skill acquired in the wrestling
school, Hermon descended into the canal to look for the wounded man,
while his guide undertook to get the horses ashore.
The deep darkness considerably increased the difficulty of carrying out
his purpose, but the young Greek went up to his neck in the water he
could not become wetter than he was already. So he remained in the
ditch until he found the injured man whose groans of suffering pierced
his compassionate heart.
He was obliged to release the luckless Gaul from the broken timbers of
the bridge, and, when Hermon had dragged him out on the opposite bank
of the canal, he made no answer to any question. A falling beam had
probably struck him senseless.
His hair, which Hermon’s groping fingers informed him was thick and
rough, seemed to denote a Gaul, but a full, long beard was very rarely
seen in this nation, and the wounded man wore one. Nor could anything
be discovered from the ornaments or weapons of this fierce barbarian.
But to whatever people he might belong, he certainly was not a Greek.
The thoroughly un-Hellenic wrapping up of the legs proved that.
No matter! Hermon at any rate was dealing with some one who was
severely injured, and the self-sacrificing pity with which even
suffering animals inspired him, and which in his boyhood had drawn upon
him the jeers of the companions of his own age, did not abandon him
now.
Reluctantly obeying his command, the Midianite helped him bandage the
sufferer’s head, in which a wound could be felt, as well as it could be
done in the darkness, and lift him on the artist’s horse. During this
time fresh groans issued from the bearded lips of the injured warrior,
and Hermon walked by his side, guarding the senseless man from the
danger of falling from the back of the horse as it slowly followed the
Midianite’s.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account