m! Gundomar! Follow him! Save the boy!' cried
Thrasaric, rushing past me.

"I followed; our men--a slender little band--did the same. 'Too soon!
Much too soon!' I exclaimed, as I overtook Thrasaric.

"'The King commanded me to protect the lad!'

"It was impossible to stop him; I followed. We had already reached the
narrow southern entrance of Decimum. On the right was Astarte's villa,
on the left the high stone wall of a granary. Ammata, without helmet,
breastplate, or shield, with only the spear in his hand, was facing a
whole troop of mounted lancers, who stared in amazement at the mad boy.

"'Back, Ammata! Fly, I will cover the entrance here,' shouted
Thrasaric.

"'I will not fly! I am a grandson of Genseric,' was the lad's answer.

"'Then we will die here together. Here is my shield.'

"It was high time. Already the lances of the Byzantines were hurtling
at us. Our three horses fell. We all sprang up unhurt. A spear struck
the shield which Thrasaric had forced upon the boy, penetrating the
hammer on it. A dozen of our men had now reached us. Six sprang from
their horses, levelling their lances. We were enough to block the
narrow entrance. The Byzantines dashed upon us; only three horses could
come abreast. We three killed two horses and one man. Our foes were
obliged to remove the dead animals, our three and the fourth, to gain
space. While doing this Ammata sprang forward and struck down another
Byzantine. As he leaped back an arrow grazed his neck; the blood burst
forth; the boy laughed. Again the foes dashed forward. Again two fell.
But Ammata was obliged to drop the hammer shield, there were now so
many spears sticking in it, and Thrasaric received a lance-thrust in
his shieldless left arm. Behind the Byzantines we now heard German
horns; the sound was like the blast announcing the approach of our
Vandal horsemen. 'Gibamund, or the King!' our men shouted. 'We are
saved.'

"But we were lost. They were Herulians in the Emperor's pay. Their
leader, a tall figure with eagle wings on his helmet, instantly assumed
command of all the forces. He ordered several men to dismount and climb
the wall of the granary at his right; others trotted toward the left,
to ride around the villa, and at the same time they overwhelmed us with
a shower of spears. The boar's helm flew from my head, two lances had
struck it at the same moment; a third now hit my skull and stretched me
on the ground. At that moment, when our eyes w