a girl--this one--became my prisoner: my slave."

BOOK TWO

THE SLAVE

CHAPTER XVI.

During those days the vicinity of the Holy Mountain, where a large
number of fugitives had taken refuge, was full of busy life, and from
the north, the quarter not threatened by the Romans, reinforcements
were constantly arriving from other provinces.

The Tribune's efforts to discover the retreat of the fugitives had been
baffled hitherto; neither those in the marshes nor on Odin's Mountain
had been overtaken by the spies and reconnoitring parties of the Roman
General. Marshes and impenetrable primeval forests surrounded the Roman
camp on the Idisenhang on every side except southward toward the lake.

In the last few days, after a tremendous thunder storm, a southwest
wind had sprung up, bringing on its dripping wings pouring torrents of
rain; then the forests became absolutely impassable for the heavy tread
of the legions: the few fords were buried in marshes or overflowed; the
tiniest rivulet became a raging river. Sulky and shivering, the
intruders, principally natives of the south, remained in the camp under
plank roofs and leather tents, fanning day and night the flames of huge
fires which, however, as all the wood was wet, diffused more smoke than
warmth.

For long distances from the foot of the mountain the few and narrow
openings which led to the interior of the immense forests were blocked
and barricaded by felled trees. Huge oaks, ashes, and pine-trees had
been felled and piled one above another more than the height of a man,
strengthened by earth and turf, and held together at regular distances
by enormous posts driven into the ground or by trees which had been
left standing. Thus an almost insurmountable breastwork was formed, on
whose summit, and in the tops of the trees towering above it, the best
archers were stationed. Similar lines of defence were repeated, one
behind another, wherever the locality permitted. The legions would have
needed many more days than the brief time still remaining before the
end of August--they always finished their short summer campaigns in
Germany before the commencement of the autumn rains--to storm all these
fortifications; they could scarcely find it possible to make a circuit
of them, on account of the marshes. But even if they succeeded in
penetrating all the barricades to the fo