Envoy Extraordinary

"It is an arming vane. After the keg has gone some way the butterfly shoots off, otherwise the keg would explode by setback when you fired the tormentum."

"Would this make a smoking hole where there was a city wall?"

"Yes, Caesar."

"Where there was an army?"

"If I make the keg big enough."

Posthumus considered Phanocles closely.

"And this is the only one you have made?"

"Yes, lord. "

"I am not sure whether to have you executed straight away or use you for other purposes."

"Execute me?"

Suddenly the roar from the harbour rose till it could no longer be ignored..

They turned together.

It was Amphitrite; they understood that immediately. She had revolved endlessly round her anchor. till her flaunted eccentricity had become more than any man could bear who had red blood in his veins. There were naked men plunging from ships and jetties till a hundred arms flashed in the water.

Phanocles cried out.

"What--?"

Posthumus spoke rapidly to the Colonel.

"All troops will disembark on this quay. Meanwhile neither the Emperor nor his suite will wish to leave. See that his wishes are respected. You understand?"

"Sir."

'Posthumus ran to the barge but the Emperor called to him.

"While I am waiting I will inspect these splendid fellows already assembled."

The colonel glanced at Posthumus, who laughed softly.

"Do as the Father Of His Country tells you."

The arc of swimmers converged on Amphitrite and the second warship was coming in to the sound of drums. Phanocles clasped his hands.

"Stop them, Caesar!"

Men were swarming now over Amphitrite, tearing at her paddle, striking with any heavy gear they could find at the brass monster in the deck. The guard that Posthumus had put aboard her went down in a whirl of limbs. Smoke rose suddenly from her hold and uncoiled. Naked figures were hurling themselves from her bulwarks while a thin flame, hooded and flickering like a ghost, shot up amidships. The second warship saw the danger and backed water. Oars smashed against the quay but her way was checked. A third ship, emerging from the heat haze crashed into the second with her ram. More oars smashed; then both ships were locked and drifting helplessly down on Amphitrite. Posthumus, screaming curses, leapt into the imperial barge.

"Bear off there! Give way!"

"Detachment ready for inspection, Caesar."

"Those men between me and the tunnel, Colonel. Let them join the others."

"My orders, Caesar---"

"Do you not think, Colonel, that you could catch half a dozen women and one old man if they tried to escape?"

The Colonel swallowed.

"This may be the last time the Father Of His Country will inspect his troops. Will you not obey, Colonel? I am a soldier too."

The Colonel's Adam's apple went up and down twice. He swelled with understanding and emotion. He flashed the Emperor an enormous salute.

"Detail to join parade at the double!"

"And the band," added the Emperor. "I think I see the band there. The band, Colonel?"

A fourth warship was gliding into the harbour. Amphitrite lay, her brass boiler nested in smoke and flame. Her paddle wheels began to lumber round faster. She strained at her cable. They heard a wild scream from Posthumus.

"Back water, curse you!"

Flutes, buccinas, tubas. The brass tube of each lituus was wound round the waist and projected in an elephantine bell over the shoulder. Drums, kettle and bass. Scarlet and gold.

The parade filled the end of the jetty and faced the trireme. The band formed up between the parade and the tormentum. The women wrung their hands. Amphitrite was revolving, and flailing up flames and smoke. The fourth warship was trying to circle round her and the other two. But a fifth was about to enter the harbour.

"Band!"

Amphitrite was moving faster. A fathom or two of her cable eased out and she fetched a wider circle, brushed the locked warships so that their rigging flamed. Posthumus was jumping up and down.

"Use your crabs!"

Amphitrite veered another fathom or two of cable. Her circle included the imperial barge which got under way with extraordinary lack of ceremony. Round she went, round and round, with Posthumus screaming and Amphitrite breathing fire down her neck.

The band struck up.

"Open order, Colonel?"

The Colonel quivered.

"There is no room, Caesar. They would step straight down between the quay and the trireme."

"In that case," said the Emperor, "they will have to carry their impedimenta and loot or I shall not be able to walk between the ranks."

The band began to countermarch between the main detachment and the tormentum, ten paces forward, ten paces back. They were splendid. The men were splendid. The seamen were splendid aboard their utterly splendid ships. The women felt the men were splendid and that if they themselves were in danger from General Posthumus it was worth it. Chests swelled, bosoms heaved, and calves quivered. Mamillius put his helmet on.

The Emperor paused by the left-hand man of the first rank.