inus. "Keep your ranks closed
if you want to save your lives. March in close order to the lake, and
we shall save ourselves and our friends."

This was a ray of encouragement, and the whole body followed their
brave leader, who was the first man to climb up the southern side of
the ditch. As soon as he reached the top his own name, shouted loudly
from the ranks of the Barbarians, fell upon his ear.

"Where is Saturninus, the General of the Romans?" called a voice in
Latin.

Brightly illumined by the flames of the burning camp, a leader of the
Germans, in the richest armor, pressed forward before his men. A
boar-helmet covered his head; a gray-bearded attendant held before him
a long shield on which he caught two well-aimed Roman spears at once.

"Where is Saturninus? I must find him!" repeated the German, springing
forward again and felling the nearest Thracian with his battle axe.

"Here," answered the Tribune. "But this is no time to negotiate."

"No, but to die!" shouted Ebarbold, his battle axe crashing upon the
huge curved shield of the Roman. It entered it without injury to the
bearer.

The King vainly struggled to draw out the weapon, it remained
motionless, and already the Roman's short, murderous broad sword was
quivering for the fatal stroke, when the gray-haired shield-bearer
sprang between them and threw the shield before his master.

But the Norian iron penetrated the boar hide and the wooden frame of
the shield to the old man's left breast. He fell on his back, borne
down by the weight of the blow.

Meanwhile Ebarbold had dropped the handle of the battle axe, drawn the
long unwieldy sword at his side, and swung it above the proud crest of
the Roman General's helmet; but before it fell, the short Roman sword,
red with the blood of the shield-bearer, pierced his throat and he sank
dying by the old man's side. "You--with me--for me!" he could say no
more.

"Did you think I would desert you? The King of the Ebergau must not
enter Odin's hall unattended. You shall not enter the door of Valhalla
unattended like some man of low degree. We--have--both--kept our
word--and together--with the honor of heroes we will go to Valhalla."

Ebarvin's head sank on the shoulder of his King. Both were silent in
death.

The Illyrian had sprung forward over the bodies of the two
Germans--first hewing off with his sword the handle of the battle axe
still sticking in his shield--amid the wild, exulting shouts of his