Saviour of Rome [Gaius Valerius Verrens 7] by Douglas Jackson Page B

must have inspected one of the southern mines and was speaking from experience. ‘The mining process also creates a fine dust that can turn a man’s lungs to stone if breathed for long enough. There are frequent collapses which can bury dozens, sometimes hundreds of men. They chip at the face of the rock with picks, or power massive crushing machines before the ore is carried to the surface on the backs of the miners, encouraged, shall we say, by overseers armed with whips. So you see, Valerius, any benefits provided by Roman rule only accrue to a few rich men and those who support them, not those who actually create the wealth.’
    Valerius hesitated before he replied, considering the impact of the mining operations on the people and the land. He wondered what hewould have done if it had been his people and his land. ‘I am surprised they bear it,’ he said eventually.
    ‘They do so only with reluctance, I can assure you,’ Pliny acknowledged. ‘And because they have little choice. We have deprived them of their traditional livelihoods of hunting and farming. Their hills have been stripped of timber to supply charcoal for the smelters. For generations they have known no other life. The populace is composed of large confederations, such as the Cantabri, the Astures, the Vaccaei and the like. These in turn are divided into individual tribes. I have charted them all, but those that interest us are the Cigurri, the Lancienses and the Zoelae. If indeed raiders are disrupting the gold trains they are the most likely tribes to supply them, but …’ he raised a hand to suppress the question he knew was coming, ‘they are also divided into smaller clans, any of which could be responsible. Security for the goldfields is provided by a few cohorts of the Sixth legion at Legio. The commander there has sent a request to take his troops into the hills and carry out a sweep intended to wipe out any bandits in the area. I understand his frustration, but I have ordered him to hold his hand. Such a move would be like thrusting a stick in a hornets’ nest and I cannot act without proof. Before the late wars the proconsul of Hispania Tarraconensis could call on the power of three full legions, but now …’
    ‘The present proconsul has the leavings of two …’
    ‘And those scattered across the entire province,’ Pliny confirmed.
    ‘You don’t paint a very pretty picture, Pliny,’ Valerius said drily.
    ‘Best you should know exactly what you are getting into, Valerius. The Emperor has promised to give me more soldiers – either the First Adiutrix, or more likely the Seventh –’ he smiled at Valerius’s reaction ‘– you have fought with both, I know. But the situation on the Rhenus is such that he can’t afford to move them quite yet. He is also committed to improving the lot of the ordinary people of Hispania. I have drawn up plans to widen the allocation of Roman citizenship and grant new powers to local communities. But to make these changes requires gold. Somehow, we must provide it and end the corruption which is endemicto these people.’ He let out a soft belch and laid aside his cup. ‘I always find a bath eases the digestion. Will you join me and we can continue our discussion?’
    ‘Of course.’

VI
    ‘The hand is so much part of you it seems wrong when you remove it like that,’ Pliny said. Undressing in the
apodyterium
, Valerius had pulled off the stock and laid the wooden fist of his right hand aside. ‘Does it affect you at all?’
    From anyone else such an enquiry would have been bad manners, but Valerius was perfectly accustomed to Pliny’s habit of questioning everything. Any experience that could broaden his knowledge would be of interest.
    ‘It was odd when I first had it fitted,’ Valerius admitted. ‘Each time I removed it I experienced the pain of the day it was taken from me. But use makes master. These days I take it off every night and replace it each morning almost without