heard over the tumult.

"Victory to Gaul!--Liberty! Liberty! Another blow with the axe! Another
effort! Strike, strike, ye Gauls.--And the Roman is vanquished.--And
Gaul delivered. Liberty! Liberty! Strike the Roman hard! Strike
harder!--Strike, ye Gauls!"

The song of the bards, the hope of victory with which they inspired
their countrymen, caused us to redouble our efforts. The remains of the
Iron Legion, almost annihilated, recrossed the river in disorder. At
that moment we saw running in our direction a Roman cohort,
panic-stricken and in full rout. Our men had driven them back from the
top of the hill, at the foot of which was the tribe of Karnak. The
cohort, thus taken between two enemies, was destroyed. Slaughter was
beginning to tire Mikael's arm and my own when I noticed a Roman warrior
of medium height, whose magnificent armor announced his lofty rank. He
was on foot, and had lost his helmet in the fight. His large bald
forehead, his pale face and his terrible look gave him a terrifying
appearance. Armed with a sword, he was furiously beating his own
soldiers, all unable to arrest their flight. I called my brother's
attention to him.

"Guilhern," said he, "if they have fought everywhere as we have here, we
are victorious. That soldier, by his gold and steel armor, must be a
Roman general. Let us take him prisoner; he will be a good hostage. Help
me and we'll have him."

Mikael immediately hurled himself on the warrior of the golden armor,
while the latter was still trying to halt the fugitives. With a few
bounds of my horse, I rejoined my brother. After a brief struggle,
Mikael threw the Roman. Wishing not to kill, but to take him prisoner,
Mikael held him under his knees, with his axe uplifted, to signify to
the Roman that he would have to give himself up. The Roman understood;
no longer struggled to free himself; and raised to heaven the one hand
he had free that the gods might witness he yielded himself a prisoner.

"Off with him," said Mikael to me.

Mikael, who like myself, was stalwart and stout, while our prisoner was
slim and not above middle height, took the Roman in his arms and lifted
him from the ground. I grasped him by the collar of buffalo-hide which
he had on over his breastplate, drew him towards me, pulled him up, and
threw him across my horse, in front of the saddle. Then, taking the
reins in my teeth so as to have one hand to hold the prisoner, and the
other to threaten him with my