The Count said nothing, but his silence was significant.
“But there is no garrison. There are not more than fifty men in the place who have ever carried arms.”
“But surely the people will defend themselves. You, as an old soldier, know very well that civilians, who would be quite useless in the field, may do good service behind walls.”
“True, sir, if they have two things—a spirit and a leader; and these people, as far as I can tell, have neither.”
“That is a bad look out. But tell me—how soon do you think the enemy will be here?”
“Not to-night, certainly; perhaps not to-morrow. And indeed it is just possible that they may not come at all. You see that they get a great quantity of plunder in the country without much trouble or danger, and they may leave the towns alone. Barbarians mostly don’t care to knock their heads against stone walls, and of course they think us a great deal stronger than we are.”
After making an appointment with his new acquaintance for a meeting on the following day, the Count rejoined his party.
The next day the Princeps called a meeting of the principal burgesses of the town, at which the Count, in consideration of his rank as a Roman official, was invited to attend. The tone of the meeting was better than he had expected. There were one or two resolute men among the local magistrates, and these contrived to communicate something of their spirit to the rest. A general levy of the inhabitants [pg 193]between the ages of sixteen and sixty was to be made. The town was divided into districts, and recruiting officers were appointed for each. By an unanimous vote of the meeting the Count was requested to take the chief command. The delay of the invaders gave some time for carrying out these preparations for defence. A force was speedily raised, sufficient, as far at least as numbers were concerned, to garrison the walls. This was divided into companies, each having two watches, which were to be on duty alternately. The whole extent of work was divided among them, and the town was stored with such missiles as could be collected or manufactured, while Carna busied herself among the women, organizing the supply of food and drink for the guards of the wall, and preparations for the care of the wounded.