The Scarlet Banner Page 13

  CHAPTER XII

  ON the southern shore of this tree-girdled water, opposite to thelittle harbor, walled with marble, into which it ran at the northernend, were high board platforms hung with gay costly stuffs, erected forspecially distinguished guests, who were numbered by hundreds; abalcony draped with purple silk, extending far out into the sea, wasreserved for the most aristocratic spectators.

  Now the soft moonlight resting on the mirrorlike surface of the lakewas suddenly outshone by a broad red glare, which lasted for severalminutes. As it died away, a blue, then a green light blazed up,brilliantly illuminating the groups of spectators on the shore, thewhite marble buildings in the distance, the statues among theshrubbery, and especially the surface of the lake itself and themagnificent spectacle it presented.

  From the harbor, behind whose walls it had hitherto remained concealed,glided a whole flotilla of boats, skiffs, vessels of every description:ten, twenty, forty vessels, fantastically shaped, sometimes asdolphins, sometimes as sharks, gigantic water birds, often as dragons,the "banner-beast" of the Vandals. Masts, yards, sails, the loftypointed prow, as well as the broad stern, nay, even the upper part ofthe oar handles, were wreathed, garlanded, twined with flowers, gay,broad ribbons, even gold and silver fringes; magnificent rugs coveredthe whole deck, which had been finished with costly woodwork; some ofthem hung in the water at the stern and floated far, far behind theships.

  On the deck of every vessel, at the mast or at the stern, picturesquelyposed on several steps Vandal men and youths. They were dressed instriking costumes, often copied from various nations, and beside themreclined young girls or beautiful boys. The fair or red locks of theVandals fell on the neck of many a brown-skinned maid, and mingled withmany black tresses.

  Music echoed from every ship; busy slaves--white, yellow Moors,negroes--poured out unmixed wine from beautifully formed jars withhandles. No matter how the vessels rocked, they bore the jars on theirheads without spilling the contents, and apparently with no greatexertion, often holding them with only one hand. So the dark fleetglided over the redly illumined lake.

  But suddenly the centre opened and out shot, apparently moving withoutoars,--the slaves were concealed under the deck,--the great weddingship, far outshining all the others in fantastic, lavish splendor. Itwas drawn seemingly only by eight powerful swans, fastened in pairswith small gold chains attached to collars. These chains passed underthe wings of each pair, uniting them to the next. The magnificentbirds, which had been carefully trained for this purpose, heeded notthe uproar and light around them, but moved in calm majesty straighttoward the balcony at the southern end.

  On the deck, piled a foot high with crimson roses, an open arbor ofnatural vines had been arranged around the mast. In it lay thebridegroom, a giant nearly seven feet tall, his shining mane of redlocks garlanded with vine leaves and--in violation of good taste--redroses. A panther-skin was around the upper portion of his body, apurple apron about his loins, a thyrsus staff in his huge but looselyhanging right hand. Nestling to his broad, powerful breast reclined anextremely delicate, fragile girl, scarcely beyond childhood, almost toodainty of form. Her face could not be seen; the Roman bridal veil hadbeen fastened on the deserted Ariadne--very unsuitably. Besides, thechild seemed frightened by all the uproar, timidly hiding her faceunder the panther-skin and on the giant's breast; true, she often witha swift, upward glance tried to meet his eyes; but he did not see it.

  A nude boy about twelve years old, with golden wings on his shoulders,a bow and quiver fastened by a gold band across his back, wasconstantly filling an enormous goblet for the bridegroom, who seemed tothink that his costume required him to drain it at once,--whichdiverted his attention more than was desirable from his bride. On acouch, somewhat above the bridal pair, a very beautiful girl abouteighteen lay in a picturesque attitude. Her noble head, with its goldenhair simply arranged in a Grecian knot, rested on the palm of her lefthand. Her Hellenic outlines and Hellenic statuesque repose rendered herinfinitely more noble and aristocratic than the Carthaginian Astarte.Two tame doves perched on her right shoulder; she wore a robe of whiteCoan gauze, which fell below the knee, but seemed intended to adornrather than to conceal her charms. The thin silken web was held aroundthe hips by an exquisitely wrought golden girdle half a foot wide, fromwhich hung a purple Ph[oe]nician apron weighted with gold tassels; onher gold sandals were fastened "sea waves" made of stiff gray and whitesilk, which extended to the delicate ankles of the "Foam-born," and atthe right and left of each one, the gleam of two large pearls wasvisible at a great distance.

  As the ship, drawn by the swans, now came into full view of all themany thousands, the dazzling sight was greeted with deafening shouts.As soon as the vessel emerged from the dim light into the radiantglare, the Aphrodite hastily, desperately, tried to conceal herself;finding a large piece of coarse sail-cloth lying near, she wrapped itaround her figure.

  "How barbaric the whole thing is!" whispered, but very cautiously, oneRoman to another in the harsh throat tones of the African vulgar Latin,as they stood together under the staging on the opposite side of theharbor.

  "I suppose that is intended to represent Bacchus, neighbor Laurus?"

  "And Ariadne."

  "I like the Aphrodite."

  "Yes, I believe you, friend Victor. It is the beautiful Ionian, Glauke.She was stolen from Miletus a short time ago by pirates. She is said tobe the child of prosperous parents. She was sold in the harbor forum toThrasabad, the bridegroom's brother. They say she cost as much as twocountry estates!"

  "She is gazing very mournfully, under her drooping lashes, into thelake."

  "Yet her buyer and master is said to treat her with the utmostconsideration, and fairly worships her."

  "I can easily believe it. She is wonderfully beautiful,--solemnlybeautiful, I might say."

  "But imagine this bear from Thule, this buffalo from the land ofScythia, a Dionysus!"

  "With those elephant bones!"

  "With that fiery-red beard, two spans wide!"

  "He probably wouldn't have that and the shaggy fleece on his head cutoff, if thereby he could become a god in reality."

  "Yes, a Vandal noble! They think themselves greater than gods orsaints."

  "Yet they were only cattle-thieves and land and sea robbers."

  "Just look, he has buckled his broad German sword-belt over the vinedrapery about his loins."

  "Perhaps for the sake of propriety," cried the other, laughing; "andactually, Dionysus is wearing a Vandal short-sword."

  "The Barbarian seems to be ashamed of being a naked god."

  "Then he has not yet lost _all_ shame!" exclaimed a man who had alsounderstood the cautious whisper, striding rapidly on. "Come,Theudigisel!"

  "Did you understand that? It was the man with the spear. It did notsound like the Vandal tongue."

  "Yes, exactly like it. That's the way they speak in Spain! I heard itin Hispalis."

  "Hark, what a roaring on the ships!"

  "That must be a hymenaeus, Victor! The bridegroom's brother composed it.The Barbarians now write Latin and Greek verses. But they are of theirstamp."

  "Yes, listen, Lauras," cried the other, laughing; "you are prejudiced,as a rival! Since you failed in your leather business, you have livedby writing, O friend! Weddings, baptisms, funerals, it was all the sameto you. You have even sung the praises of the Vandal victories over theMoors, and--the Lord have mercy on us!--'the brave sword of KingHilderic.' Yes, you wrote for the Barbarians even more willingly andfrequently than for us Romans."

  "Of course. The Barbarians know less, require less, and pay better. Forthe same reason, friend Victor, you too must wish, for the sake of yourwine-shop, that the Vandals may remain rulers of Carthage."

  "How so?"

  "Why, the Barbarians know as little about good wine as they do aboutgood verses."

  "Only half hit. They probably have a tolerably fair judgment of it. Butthey are always so thirsty that they wil
l enjoy and pay for sour winetoo--like your sour verses. Woe betide us when we no longer have thestupid Barbarians for customers! We should be obliged, in our old age,to furnish better wine and better poetry."

  "The ships will soon be here! We can see everything distinctly now.Look at the bridegroom's enormous goblet; the little Cupid can scarcelyhold it; it seems familiar to me."

  "Why, of course. That's surely the immense shell from the Fountain ofNeptune in the Forum,--larger than a child's head!"

  "Yes, it has been missing for several days. Oh, the Germans would drainthe ocean if it were full of wine."

  "And just see the hundred weight of gold which they have hung on poorAphrodite."

  "All stolen, plundered Roman property. She can hardly move under theweight of her jewels."

  "Modesty, Victor, modesty! She has not much clothing except herjewels."

  "It's not the poor girl's fault apparently. That insolent Cupid justsnatched off the sailcloth and flung it into the sea. See how confusedshe is, how she tries to find some drapery. She is beseeching thebride, pointing to the large white silk coverlet at her feet."

  "Little Ariadne is nodding; she has picked it up; now she is throwingit over Aphrodite's shoulders. How grateful she looks!"

  "They are landing. I pity the poor bride. Disgrace and shame! She isthe child of a freeborn Roman citizen, though of Greek origin. And thefather--"

  "Where is Eugenes? I do not see him on the bridal ship."

  "He is probably ashamed to show himself at the sacrifice of his child.He went to Utica with his Sicilian guest on business long before themarriage, and after his return he will go with the Syracusan to Sicily.It is really like the ancient sacrifice of the maidens which theAthenians were obliged to offer to the Minotaur. He gives up Eugenia,the daintiest jewel of Carthage."

  "But they say she wanted to marry him; she loved the red giant. And heis not ugly; he is really handsome."

  "He is a Barbarian. Curses on the Bar--oh, pardon me, my most graciouslord! May Saint Cyprian grant you a long life!"

  He had hastily thrown himself on his knees before a half-drunkenVandal, who had nearly fallen over him, and without heeding the Roman'sexistence had already forced his way far to the front.

  "Why, Laurus! The Barbarian surely ran against you, not you againsthim?" said Victor, helping his countryman to his feet again.

  "No matter! Our masters are quick to lay their hands on theshort-sword! May Orcus swallow the whole brood!"