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Severus had unswerving confidence in his legionaries The sun gilded their helhters and battle-hardened men who knew vict

ory without ever enduring defeat

Most of the livestock, including his horse, had died on the grueling voyage fro every few steps so as to keep a constant, wary eye on the enemy

With a roar that rose and broke like crashing surf, the barbarians rushed down the sun-baked incline and fell on the Ro throwing spears of the soldiers and the arrows from the Syrian archers The second wave burst forward, crashed into the thin ranks, and were cut down like wheat before a scythe The glea swords dulled and turned red with barbarian blood

Driven by a strea lash of Latinius Macer, the slaves gave a good account of themselves and stood firm

The formation moved forward at a crawl as the barbarians pressed from all sides, fed by continuous reserves Great red stains fanned on the dirt of the and slope More and more naked bodies dropped and cruht on their comrades'

corpses, slicing bare feet on shattered weapons, throwing flesh against the terrible shafts of iron that thrust into breasts and sto on the death heap At close quarters they were no match for Roman discipline

The battle now took a different Turn Realizing they could ners, the barbarians pulled back and regrouped Then they began shooting flights of arrows and throwing their crude spears while their women hurled rocks

The Roe tortoise shells and stoutly maintained their march for the river and the safety of their ships Only the Syrian archers were able to cause casualties ao around for the slaves, and they fought open and unprotected fro, tiring voyage and the exhausting excavation of the cavern Many fell and were left behind, their bodies immediately stripped and horribly mutilated

Severus was an old hand at this style of fighting; he had experienced it against the Britons Noting that his enemy was reckless and untrained, he called a halt and ordered all weapons be dropped on the ground The barbarians, taking it as a gesture of surrender, were deceived into e Then, at Sevenis's order, the swords were snatched up and the Romans counterattacked

Straddling two rocks, the centurion swung his sword in almost measured, metronomic strokes Four barbarians dropped at his feet He knocked another one sprawling with the flat of his sword and slashed the throat of one who lunged against his side Then the frenzied tide receded and the naked horde retreated out of hand-to-hand range

Severus took advantage of the breathing spell to count his casualties

Out of sixty of his soldiers, twelve lay dead or were dying Fourteen more sustained various wounds The slaves had suffered the worst More than half were killed or

He approached Venator, as binding up a gash on one arm with a torn piece of his tunic The Greek wise man still carried his precious tally sheet securely under his sash

"Still with us, old man?"