siege, did their best to
occupy their leisure time by inroads into the neighbouring country.

The camp in the centre, exactly on the east of the city, was occupied
by the main army; Belisarius's large tent of blue Sidonian silk,
with its purple standard, towered in the middle. Here strutted the
body-guard which Belisarius himself had armed and paid, and which only
those who had distinguished themselves by valiant deeds were allowed to
join, gay in richly-gilded breast-plates and greaves, bronze shields,
broad-swords, and halberd-like lances. These men were frequently
promoted to the highest rank.

The kernel of the foot-soldiers was formed by eight thousand Illyrians,
the only worthy troop sent by Greece itself; and here, too, were
encamped, under the command of their native chiefs, the Avari,
Bulgarians, Sarmatians, and even Germans, as well as Herulians and
Gepidae, whom Belisarius was obliged to enlist at a heavy price, in
order to cover the want of native soldiery. Here, too, were the Italian
emigrants and many deserters.

Finally, the south-western camp, which stretched along the coast, was
commanded by Martinus, who superintended the service of the implements
of siege. Here stood, stored up, the catapults and balistae, the rams
and slings; here mingled Isaurian allies and the contingents sent by
newly-recovered Africa; Moorish and Numidian horsemen and Libyan
slingers. And almost all the barbaric races of three-quarters of the
globe had here their representatives; Bajuvars from the Donau, Alemanni
from the Rhine, Franks from the Maas, Burgundians from the Rhone, Antae
from the Dniester, Lazians from the Phasis, and the Abasgi, Siberians,
Lebanthians and Lycaonians from Asia and Africa, all well skilled in
archery.

Out of such heterogeneous materials was the army composed, with which
Justinian hoped to drive away the Gothic barbarians and liberate Italy.

The command of the outposts, always and everywhere, was entrusted to
the body-guard; and the chain of stations extended round the city from
the Porta Capuana almost to the waves of the sea.

Neapolis was badly fortified and weakly garrisoned. Less than a
thousand Goths were there to defend the extensive ramparts against an
army of forty thousand Byzantines and Italians.

Earl Uliaris, the commander of the city, was a brave man, and had sworn
by his beard not to deliver up the fortress. But even he would not have
been long able to withstand the far superio