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Authors: Peter Darman
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it.’
The legionaries looked up and two leapt off the raft into the water to catch hold of the log before the current took it.
‘You were saying,’ I prompted him.
‘Mm?’
‘About the Carthaginians.’
‘Ah, yes. Well they had a general named Hannibal who was a bit of a genius by all accounts. Won just about every battle. Anyway he marched an army from Africa, through Spain and into Gaul so he could invade Italy. He had elephants in his army, dozens of them. But when he got to a river called the Rhone he had great difficulty in getting them across. They don’t like water, you see. So Hannibal had big rafts constructed.’
He pointed his cane at the long line of half-built rafts disappearing into the distance.
‘Like these ones. And he covered their decks with soil and bushes to fool the elephants into thinking that they were stepping on to earth.’
‘Did it work?’ I asked.
‘Mostly. A few panicked and fell into the water and drowned or swam across.’
‘Can elephants swim?’ I asked.
He shrugged. ‘Apparently. They stick their trunks out of the water.’
I thought it unlikely that such a large beast could swim.
‘What happened to this Hannibal?’ I asked.
‘He won every battle except the most important one,’ replied Domitus.
‘Which was?’
He gave me a wicked smile. ‘The last one.’
He slapped me on the arm. ‘When I was a centurion, all those years ago, it was methodically drilled into me that the reason that Rome always emerges victorious is that it always wins the last battle in a war. You know that.’
‘Do I?’
He gave me a wry look. ‘How many victories did Spartacus win? How many eagles did he take? How many Romans did you and your horsemen kill? But it all ended in the Silarus Valley and Rome was victorious. Won the last battle, you see. Just like you intend to win the last battle with Narses and Mithridates. You are very Roman in that.’
‘I am not at all like the Romans,’ I protested loudly, causing the men on the nearest raft to turn their heads towards us.
Domitus emitted a gruff laugh. ‘Not in the way you look, perhaps, with your long hair, but your determination to exact vengeance on your enemies, no matter how long it takes, is very much the Roman way of doing things. After all, what does Dura’s army exist for if not to be the instrument of its king’s will?’
I held up a finger to him. ‘The army exists to safeguard the city and kingdom of Dura Europos, Domitus.’
‘If that is true,’ he said. ‘Then why are all these rafts being built?’
I ordered earth to be spread on top of the rafts that would transport horse archers. Marcus also suggested building wooden rails around their edges so the beasts would feel more secure on the rafts, akin to being corralled in a small field. I also decided that a thousand men would be drawn from the Durans and a thousand from the Exiles to prevent the accusation of favouritism. Though both legions were part of the army a fierce competition had grown up between them, which Domitus encouraged but also controlled. A healthy rivalry was good for morale and fighting spirit, but if unrestrained could lead to feuds and animosity. That is why I decided to take an equal number of men from each legion.
‘Sensible,’ remarked Domitus.
At the end of the week, as promised by Marcus, the rafts were ready to travel, each one being equipped with rudders fore and aft to manoeuvre them on the water. I had convened the meeting of the council on the palace terrace and ordered the doors to be shut to preserve secrecy. Rsan had brought two clerks who sat and recorded all proceedings, having been warned beforehand that they were not to reveal to anyone what had been discussed, on pain of death. To make the meeting as comfortable as possible it was held in the late afternoon when the sun was dropping in the west and the heat had abated somewhat. Dobbai sat in her chair with her eyes closed, ignoring us all.
‘You are still
The legionaries looked up and two leapt off the raft into the water to catch hold of the log before the current took it.
‘You were saying,’ I prompted him.
‘Mm?’
‘About the Carthaginians.’
‘Ah, yes. Well they had a general named Hannibal who was a bit of a genius by all accounts. Won just about every battle. Anyway he marched an army from Africa, through Spain and into Gaul so he could invade Italy. He had elephants in his army, dozens of them. But when he got to a river called the Rhone he had great difficulty in getting them across. They don’t like water, you see. So Hannibal had big rafts constructed.’
He pointed his cane at the long line of half-built rafts disappearing into the distance.
‘Like these ones. And he covered their decks with soil and bushes to fool the elephants into thinking that they were stepping on to earth.’
‘Did it work?’ I asked.
‘Mostly. A few panicked and fell into the water and drowned or swam across.’
‘Can elephants swim?’ I asked.
He shrugged. ‘Apparently. They stick their trunks out of the water.’
I thought it unlikely that such a large beast could swim.
‘What happened to this Hannibal?’ I asked.
‘He won every battle except the most important one,’ replied Domitus.
‘Which was?’
He gave me a wicked smile. ‘The last one.’
He slapped me on the arm. ‘When I was a centurion, all those years ago, it was methodically drilled into me that the reason that Rome always emerges victorious is that it always wins the last battle in a war. You know that.’
‘Do I?’
He gave me a wry look. ‘How many victories did Spartacus win? How many eagles did he take? How many Romans did you and your horsemen kill? But it all ended in the Silarus Valley and Rome was victorious. Won the last battle, you see. Just like you intend to win the last battle with Narses and Mithridates. You are very Roman in that.’
‘I am not at all like the Romans,’ I protested loudly, causing the men on the nearest raft to turn their heads towards us.
Domitus emitted a gruff laugh. ‘Not in the way you look, perhaps, with your long hair, but your determination to exact vengeance on your enemies, no matter how long it takes, is very much the Roman way of doing things. After all, what does Dura’s army exist for if not to be the instrument of its king’s will?’
I held up a finger to him. ‘The army exists to safeguard the city and kingdom of Dura Europos, Domitus.’
‘If that is true,’ he said. ‘Then why are all these rafts being built?’
I ordered earth to be spread on top of the rafts that would transport horse archers. Marcus also suggested building wooden rails around their edges so the beasts would feel more secure on the rafts, akin to being corralled in a small field. I also decided that a thousand men would be drawn from the Durans and a thousand from the Exiles to prevent the accusation of favouritism. Though both legions were part of the army a fierce competition had grown up between them, which Domitus encouraged but also controlled. A healthy rivalry was good for morale and fighting spirit, but if unrestrained could lead to feuds and animosity. That is why I decided to take an equal number of men from each legion.
‘Sensible,’ remarked Domitus.
At the end of the week, as promised by Marcus, the rafts were ready to travel, each one being equipped with rudders fore and aft to manoeuvre them on the water. I had convened the meeting of the council on the palace terrace and ordered the doors to be shut to preserve secrecy. Rsan had brought two clerks who sat and recorded all proceedings, having been warned beforehand that they were not to reveal to anyone what had been discussed, on pain of death. To make the meeting as comfortable as possible it was held in the late afternoon when the sun was dropping in the west and the heat had abated somewhat. Dobbai sat in her chair with her eyes closed, ignoring us all.
‘You are still
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