now," said the man behind me.
"Why is there silence?" called Callimachus from the stem castle. "Can we give no response?"
Men looked at one another.
Then, from the scarred, half-shattered, smoke-blackened stern castle of the Tina, first from one trumpet, lifted by a fellow who was little more than a boy, and then from another, and from another, there resounded notes of defiance. The trumpeters on the stern castle of the Olivia, too, seized up their instruments, and then, too, from the Tais, and from the Talender and Hermione, came the clear, unmistakable, brave sounds of men determined to stand together.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I was proud. I gripped the oar.
"Ready!" called the oar master. "Stroke!"
And the five ships of our small line sallied forth to meet the stately advance of the Voskjard's fleet.
"The Hermlone is down," said a man.
"The Talender has been taken as a prize," said another.
We rested on our oars.
"I had not thought we could survive that attack," said a fellow.
On our starboard side was the Olivia, and on her starboard side was the valiant Tais.
"They are coming again," said a man.
"It will be the end," said another.
"There is shouting on the stern deck of the Olivia," said a man, rising at the bench.
I, too, stood up.
"There is commotion there," said another, standing now on his bench.
"What is it?" asked a fellow, his head down, leaning over his oar.
"There was then, too, a cry from our stern castle. "Ships! Ships astern!" cried an officer from the stern castle.
"It is Callisthenes!" cried a man.
I stood up on the rowing bench, clinging to the top of the rowing frame.
"Callisthenes!" cried a. man.
"Keep your benches!" cried the oar master.
"Callisthenes!" cried other men.
On the horizon, astern, like tiny dots, sped toward us a flotilla, of ships.
"Callisthenes! Callisthenes!" we cried. Hats were flung into the sir. Rejoicing, we embraced one another. Tears of joy streamed down grizzled faces. Even soldiers of Ar, at our benches, crying out, seized up shields and bucklers, and smote them with the blades of spears and the flats of swords.
"The tide turns!" cried an officer. "The tide turns!"
Callisthenes commanded twenty ships.
"Keep your benches!" called the oar master. "The fleet of the Voskjard approachesl"
"Callisthenes!" we cried, joyfully. "Callisthenes!" Joy, too, reigned on the decks of the Olivia. We could hear cheering even from the Tais, alongside of the Olivia.
"We are savedl" cried a man.
Callimachus, alone on the deck of the stem castle, with a glass of the Builders, surveyed the fleet, flung out across the horizon, advancing astern.
I climbed, joyfully, to the top of the rowing frame. The galleys. I could see, stretched from horizon to horizon. Suddenly I felt sick. "It cannot be Callisthenes," I said. "There are too many ships."
A man looked at me, startled, disbelievingly.
"It can only be ships of the Voskjard," I said.
This insight was not unique to me. Almost simultaneously the cheering on the Olivia and on the Tais, too, ceased. Our
three ships, sent, rocked on the water. We could hear battle horns, now, from not only the forces of the Voskjard moving towards us, off our bows, but we could hear, too, the notes of battle horns drifting across the water towards us from astern.
"It is the attack," said a man, reading the notes.
"We are trapped," said another man.
"To your stations, Lads!" called Callimachus.
I took my place at the oar. I was in consternation, and stunned. These ships, advancing from the south, were clearly ships of the Voskjard. But they could not approach from the south in such force, for the south was,guarded by the fleet of Callisthenes. To bring a fleet in such force through the cut chain would seem impossible. Presumably it would have been brought, beached and on rollers, about the south guard station. This was the major danger we had anticipated in defending the river. It was for such a purpose that we had
"Why is there silence?" called Callimachus from the stem castle. "Can we give no response?"
Men looked at one another.
Then, from the scarred, half-shattered, smoke-blackened stern castle of the Tina, first from one trumpet, lifted by a fellow who was little more than a boy, and then from another, and from another, there resounded notes of defiance. The trumpeters on the stern castle of the Olivia, too, seized up their instruments, and then, too, from the Tais, and from the Talender and Hermione, came the clear, unmistakable, brave sounds of men determined to stand together.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I was proud. I gripped the oar.
"Ready!" called the oar master. "Stroke!"
And the five ships of our small line sallied forth to meet the stately advance of the Voskjard's fleet.
"The Hermlone is down," said a man.
"The Talender has been taken as a prize," said another.
We rested on our oars.
"I had not thought we could survive that attack," said a fellow.
On our starboard side was the Olivia, and on her starboard side was the valiant Tais.
"They are coming again," said a man.
"It will be the end," said another.
"There is shouting on the stern deck of the Olivia," said a man, rising at the bench.
I, too, stood up.
"There is commotion there," said another, standing now on his bench.
"What is it?" asked a fellow, his head down, leaning over his oar.
"There was then, too, a cry from our stern castle. "Ships! Ships astern!" cried an officer from the stern castle.
"It is Callisthenes!" cried a man.
I stood up on the rowing bench, clinging to the top of the rowing frame.
"Callisthenes!" cried a. man.
"Keep your benches!" cried the oar master.
"Callisthenes!" cried other men.
On the horizon, astern, like tiny dots, sped toward us a flotilla, of ships.
"Callisthenes! Callisthenes!" we cried. Hats were flung into the sir. Rejoicing, we embraced one another. Tears of joy streamed down grizzled faces. Even soldiers of Ar, at our benches, crying out, seized up shields and bucklers, and smote them with the blades of spears and the flats of swords.
"The tide turns!" cried an officer. "The tide turns!"
Callisthenes commanded twenty ships.
"Keep your benches!" called the oar master. "The fleet of the Voskjard approachesl"
"Callisthenes!" we cried, joyfully. "Callisthenes!" Joy, too, reigned on the decks of the Olivia. We could hear cheering even from the Tais, alongside of the Olivia.
"We are savedl" cried a man.
Callimachus, alone on the deck of the stem castle, with a glass of the Builders, surveyed the fleet, flung out across the horizon, advancing astern.
I climbed, joyfully, to the top of the rowing frame. The galleys. I could see, stretched from horizon to horizon. Suddenly I felt sick. "It cannot be Callisthenes," I said. "There are too many ships."
A man looked at me, startled, disbelievingly.
"It can only be ships of the Voskjard," I said.
This insight was not unique to me. Almost simultaneously the cheering on the Olivia and on the Tais, too, ceased. Our
three ships, sent, rocked on the water. We could hear battle horns, now, from not only the forces of the Voskjard moving towards us, off our bows, but we could hear, too, the notes of battle horns drifting across the water towards us from astern.
"It is the attack," said a man, reading the notes.
"We are trapped," said another man.
"To your stations, Lads!" called Callimachus.
I took my place at the oar. I was in consternation, and stunned. These ships, advancing from the south, were clearly ships of the Voskjard. But they could not approach from the south in such force, for the south was,guarded by the fleet of Callisthenes. To bring a fleet in such force through the cut chain would seem impossible. Presumably it would have been brought, beached and on rollers, about the south guard station. This was the major danger we had anticipated in defending the river. It was for such a purpose that we had
Similar Books
