ty, old man-eater, old Deber-Trud!"
added the brenn, stroking the enormous head of the war-dog, who in spite
of his chain, was standing up with his paws on the horse's shoulder.
"Soon will come the hour of the quarry, fine bloody quarry, Deber-Trud!
Her! Her! To the Romans!"

The mastiff and the rest of the war pack responded to these words with
furious bayings. The brenn, my brother and myself cast one last look
upon our families. My father turned his spirited stallion's head towards
the ranks of the army, and speedily came up with them. I followed my
father, while Mikael, robust and agile, holding tightly with his left
hand to the long mane of my galloping horse, ran along beside me.
Sometimes falling in with the sway of the horse, Mikael leaped with it,
and was thus raised off the ground for several steps. We two, like many
others of our tribe, had in time of peace familiarized ourselves with
the manly military exercise of the _Mahrek-Ha-Droad_. Thus the brenn, my
brother and myself rejoined our tribe and took our stand in the ranks of
battle.

The Gallic army occupied the summit of a hill about one league's
distance from Vannes. To the east their line of battle was covered by
the forest of Merek, which was filled with their best archers. To the
west they were defended by the lofty cliffs which rose from the bay of
Morbihan. At the lower end of the bay was the fleet, already weighing
anchor to proceed to the attack of the Roman galleys, which, motionless
as a flock of sea-swans, lay at rest on the waves. No longer piloted by
Albinik, the fleet of Caesar, although floated by the rising tide, still
held its position of the previous evening, for fear of running upon the
invisible rocks.

Before the army flowed the River Roswallan. The Romans would have to
ford it in order to attack us. Skillfully had the Chief of the Hundred
Valleys chosen his position. He had before him a river; behind him the
town of Vannes; on the west the sea; on the east the forest of Merek:
its border chopped down, offered insurmountable obstacles to the Roman
cavalry; and with an eye to the Roman infantry, the best of Gaul's
archers were scattered among the mighty trees.

The ground before us, on the opposite side of the river, rose in a
gentle slope. Its crest hid from us the road by which the Roman army
would arrive. Suddenly, on the summit of the slope there dashed into
view several Ares mountaineers, who had been sent out as scouts to
si