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ambassadors, who were mighty men of valor, and allowed them to fight, there would be no doubt of his
coming off conqueror in the war. The Eastern emperor gladly followed this advice, and soon set out with
Rother and all his companions. The two armies met one evening and encamped opposite each other, intending
to begin the fight at sunrise on the morrow. During the night, however, Rother and his companions stole into
the enemy's camp, slew Imelot's guards, and having bound and gagged him, Asprian carried him bodily out of
his tent and camp, while his companions routed all the mighty Babylonian host.
A few hours later they returned to the camp of Constantine, where they lay down to rest. The emperor,
entering their tent on the morrow to chide them for their laziness, saw the captive Imelot, and heard the story
of the night's work. He was so delighted with the prowess of his allies that he gladly consented to their return
to Constantinople to announce the victory, while he and his army remained to take possession of Desert
Babylonia and of all of Imelot's vast treasures.
Rother and his companions returned in haste to Constantinople and rushed into the palace; but instead of
announcing a victory they told the empress and Oda that Constantine had been defeated, that Imelot was on
the way to seize the city, and that the emperor had sent them on ahead to convey his wife and daughter to a
place of safety, with their most valuable treasures.
[Sidenote: Kidnaping of Oda.] The empress and Oda, crediting every word of this tale, made immediate
preparations for departure, and soon joined Rother on the pier, where his fast sailing vessel was ready to start.
All the Langobardians had already embarked, and Rother escorted the princess on board, bidding the empress
wait on the quay until he returned for her. But as soon as he and his fair charge set foot upon deck, the vessel
was pushed off, and Rother called out to the distressed empress that he had deceived her in order to carry
away her daughter, who was now to become the Langobardian queen.
CHAPTER V. 45
Constantine, on his return, was of course very angry at having been so cleverly duped, and vainly tried to
devise some plan for recovering the daughter whom he loved so well. When a magician came, therefore, and
promised to execute his wishes, he gladly provided him with vessel and crew to sail to Bari. The magician,
disguised as a peaceful merchant, spread out his wares as soon as he was anchored in port, and by a series of
artful questions soon ascertained that Rother was absent, and that Oda was at home, carefully guarded by the
principal nobles of the realm. When he also learned that one of these noblemen had a crippled child, the
magician informed the people who visited his vessel to inspect his wares, that the most precious treasure in his
possession was a magic stone, which, in a queen's hands, had the power of restoring cripples.
The rumor of this miraculous stone reached the court, and the nobleman persuaded the kind-hearted queen to
go down to the vessel to try the efficacy of the stone. As soon as Oda was on board, the vessel set sail, bearing
her away from her husband and back to her father's home, where she was welcomed with great
demonstrations of joy.
Rother, coming back from the war shortly after her disappearance, immediately prepared a vessel to go in
pursuit of her, selecting his giants and bravest noblemen to accompany him. Once more they landed at a short
distance from Constantinople, and Rother bade his men hide in a thicket, while he went into the city,
disguised as a pilgrim, and carrying under his robe a hunting horn, which he promised to sound should he at
any time find himself in danger.
He no sooner entered the city than he noticed with surprise that all the inhabitants seemed greatly depressed.
He questioned them concerning their evident sadness, and learned that Imelot, having effected his escape from
captivity, had invaded the kingdom, and vowed that he would not retreat unless Oda married his ugly and
hunchbacked son that very day.
[Sidenote: Imelot again defeated.] These tidings made Rother press on to the palace, where, thanks to his
disguise, he effected an easy entrance. Slipping unnoticed to his wife's side, he dropped into the cup beside
her a ring upon which his name was engraved. Quick as a flash Oda recognized and tried to hide it; but her
hunchbacked suitor, sitting beside her, also caught sight of it. He pointed out the intruder, cried that he was
Rother in disguise, and bade his guards seize him and hang him. Rother, seeing that he was discovered, boldly
stepped forward, declared that he had come to claim his wife, and challenged the cowardly hunchback, who,
however, merely repeated his orders, and accompanied his guards to a grove outside the city to see his captive
executed. Just as they were about to fasten the fatal noose around his neck, Rother blew a resounding blast
upon his horn, in answer to which call his followers sprang out of their ambush, slew guards, Imelot, and
hunchback, routed the imperial forces, recovered possession of Oda, and sailed home in triumph to Lombardy.
Here Oda bore her husband a lovely little daughter called Helche (Herka), who eventually married Etzel
(Attila), King of the Huns.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: Ortnit.] Another renowned Lombardian king is Ortnit (Otnit), whose realm included not only all
Italy, from the Alps to the sea, but also the island of Sicily. He had won this province by his fabulous strength,
which, we are told, was equivalent to that of twelve vigorous men.
In spite of all outward prosperity, Ortnit was lonely and unhappy. One day, while he was strolling along the
seashore at sunset, he saw a misty castle rise slowly out of the waves. On its topmost tower he beheld a fair
maiden, with whom he fell deeply in love at first sight. As he was gazing spellbound at the lady's beauty,
castle and maiden suddenly vanished; and when Ortnit asked his uncle, Ylyas (Elias), Prince of the Reussen,
what this fantastic vision might mean, he learned that the castle was the exact reproduction of the stronghold
of Muntabure, and the maiden a phantom of Princess Sidrat, daughter of the ruler of Syria, which the Fata
Morgana, or Morgana the fay, had permitted him to behold.
CHAPTER V. 46
"As the weary traveler sees, In desert or prairie vast, Blue lakes, overhung with trees, That a pleasant shadow
cast;
"Fair towns with turrets high, And shining roofs of gold, That vanish as he draws nigh, Like mists together
rolled." LONGFELLOW, Fata Morgana.
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