beards in silence till they rose to
go.

'Said Amal, stretching himself (for they were barbarians): "We be a
goodly company; I wonder what the ravens and the dogfish will make of
some of us before this snow melts."

'"Think rather what Theodosius may send," I answered; and though they
laughed, I saw that my chance shot troubled them.

'Only old Allo lingered behind a little.

'"You see," he said, winking and blinking, "I am no more than their dog.
When I have shown their men the secret short ways across our bogs, they
will kick me like one."

'"Then I should not be in haste to show them those ways," said Pertinax,
"till I was sure that Rome could not save the Wall."

'"You think so? Woe is me!" said the old man. "I only wanted peace for
my people," and he went out stumbling through the snow behind the tall
Winged Hats.

'In this fashion then, slowly, a day at a time, which is very bad for
doubting troops, the War came upon us. At first the Winged Hats swept in
from the sea as they had done before, and there we met them as
before--with the catapults; and they sickened of it. Yet for a long time
they would not trust their duck-legs on land, and I think, when it came
to revealing the secrets of the tribe, the little Picts were afraid or
ashamed to show them all the roads across the heather. I had this from a
Pict prisoner. They were as much our spies as our enemies, for the
Winged Hats oppressed them, and took their winter stores. Ah, foolish
Little People!

'Then the Winged Hats began to roll us up from each end of the Wall. I
sent runners Southward to see what the news might be in Britain, but the
wolves were very bold that winter, among the deserted stations where the
troops had once been, and none came back. We had trouble, too, with the
forage for the ponies along the Wall. I kept ten, and so did Pertinax.
We lived and slept in the saddle, riding east or west, and we ate our
worn-out ponies. The people of the town also made us some trouble till I
gathered them all in one quarter behind Hunno. We broke down the Wall on
either side of it to make as it were a citadel. Our men fought better in
close order.

'By the end of the second month we were deep in the War as a man is deep
in a snowdrift, or in a dream. I think we fought in our sleep. At least
I know I have gone on the Wall and come off again, remembering nothing
between, though my throat was harsh with giving orders, and my sword, I
could see, had been