it followed directly upon her track, and she now heard, in
the language of the foe, all sorts of cries urging the animal on. A
frightful thought darted through her brain. At any cost, she must turn
to see whether--

Yes, her fears were verified. Herculanus had caught one of the horses
that crossed his path, thrown himself upon it, and was now pursuing the
girl, who was using the last remnant of her strength to fly. She
distinctly heard the heavy feet splash through the marshy pools of the
meadow land; heard, alas! louder and louder, therefore nearer and
nearer, the fierce shouts of the rider and the trampling of hoofs
winged by his excitement. The space which separated them grew shorter
and shorter very rapidly. Mortal terror overwhelmed Bissula; she
remembered how the cruel Roman had tried to kill her in the forest hut
like an animal slain for sacrifice.

In this approach of death one name, one only sprang to her lips.
"Adalo!" she shrieked, "Adalo! Help, save me, save Bissula!"

Vain appeal! No human being was visible far or near. No answer came.

There was no fighting on the strip of shore toward which she was
running, only far out on the lake blazing Roman galleys were floating,
pursued by the little boats of the Alemanni.

The terrible horse was already very near. She could hear the snorting
of the animal as it was urged forward with blows of the heels, shaking
of the bridle, and shouts, to more and more frantic speed. Then--oh,
rescue!--she saw in the gray light of morning, close to the shore,
hidden among the rushes, two boats of the Alemanni side by side. Those
were certainly no Roman vessels: there was neither triangular sail nor
lofty prow. Bissula even fancied that she distinguished on one the
sixteen-branched antlers, Adalo's house-mark. Yes, yes, there it was;
it was his fishing boat, and several men were bending to the oars. She
called loudly several times: "Help, Alemanni, help for Bissula!"

Oh, joy! They had heard her voice. The men were rowing with all their
might; both boats were flying toward the shore to meet her. And then,
more joy: she heard behind her a loud cry and a dull, heavy fall with a
splashing noise. She could not help looking back.

Yes, the horse, urged beyond its strength by the pitiless rider, had
fallen; it lay on its side, lashing out savagely with its hoofs. But
alas! Bissula had rejoiced too soon. The rider had sprung up unhurt and
was now running toward her--only a few st