’"I was mistaken,” said Amal.  “The servants of such a man will sell nothing except over the sword.  I am glad of it.”  He held out his hand to me.

’"But Maximus has given you your dismissal,” said an elder.  “You are certainly free to serve—­or to rule—­whom you please.  Join—­do not follow—­join us!”

’"We thank you,” said Pertinax.  “But Maximus tells us to give you such messages as—­pardon me, but I use his words—­your thick heads can understand.”  He pointed through the door to the foot of a catapult wound up.

’"We understand,” said an elder.  “The Wall must be won at a price?”

’"It grieves me,” said Pertinax, laughing, “but so it must be won,” and he gave them of our best Southern wine.

’They drank, and wiped their yellow beards in silence till they rose to go.

’Said Amal, stretching himself (for they were barbarians):  “We be a goodly company; I wonder what the ravens and the dogfish will make of some of us before this snow melts.”

’"Think rather what Theodosius may send,” I answered; and though they laughed, I saw that my chance shot troubled them.

’Only old Allo lingered behind a little.

’"You see,” he said, winking and blinking, “I am no more than their dog.  When I have shown their men the secret short ways across our bogs, they will kick me like one.”

’"Then I should not be in haste to show them those ways,” said Pertinax, “till I was sure that Rome could not save the Wall.”

’"You think so?  Woe is me!” said the old man.  “I only wanted peace for my people,” and he went out stumbling through the snow behind the tall Winged Hats.

’In this fashion then, slowly, a day at a time, which is very bad for doubting troops, the War came upon us.  At first the Winged Hats swept in from the sea as they had done before, and there we met them as before—­with the catapults; and they sickened of it.  Yet for a long time they would not trust their duck-legs on land, and I think, when it came to revealing the secrets of the tribe, the little Picts were afraid or ashamed to show them all the roads across the heather.  I had this from a Pict prisoner.  They were as much our spies as our enemies, for the Winged Hats oppressed them, and took their winter stores.  Ah, foolish Little People!

’Then the Winged Hats began to roll us up from each end of the Wall.  I sent runners Southward to see what the news might be in Britain, but the wolves were very bold that winter, among the deserted stations where the troops had once been, and none came back.  We had trouble, too, with the forage for the ponies along the Wall.  I kept ten, and so did Pertinax.  We lived and slept in the saddle, riding east or west, and we ate our worn-out ponies.  The people of the town also made us some trouble till I gathered them all in one quarter behind Hunno.  We broke down the Wall on either side of it to make as it were a citadel.  Our men fought better in close order.