Legio XVII: Battle of Zama (26 page)

The women of the fort took a decidedly different approach.  They met in small informal groups to discuss the coming threat.  The conversations focused mainly on what would become of them and their children if the fort was attacked and overrun.  They speculated that many of them would probably be killed along with the men and many others taken as prisoners and sold as slaves.  They also concluded that the children would be killed outright or simply abandoned.  Thoughts of their children left to die or having a sword pierce their tiny bodies was more than they could bear.

The women began leaving the fort in twos and threes, but not to flee to Munich or hide in the surrounding woods.  They began searching the fields and along the streams for one particular plant that was well known, hemlock.  The plants grew abundantly throughout the area and were easily found and gathered.  Its seeds, leaves, and roots were extremely toxic to humans. Once ingested, the toxin numbs the feet and legs, and then works its way to the heart and lungs.  The women agreed that crushing the plant into a powder and then mixing it with water and honey would serve their purpose.

*******

When Nasua’s two cavalry Detachments departed Innsbruck on the first of June to observe the roads leading from Graz and Vindunia, Magimarus’ elite Boii/Eravisci troops were already five days into their 12 day march to Salzburg.  The Taurisci from Ptuj had arrived at Salzburg on May 31.

Merbal and Hiempsal spotted the Taurisci while they were on the east side of the Mur River at Graz.  Their Commander, Aze, intended to march his men north to Vindunia where he planned to link up with the Boii/Eravisci.  Merbal had a hard sell to get Aze to cross the Mur and approach Salzburg from the south.  Aze wasted no time in telling Merbal, “You are a guide to get us to Genoa.  Nothing else!  I am their Commander, and I will make the decisions.  I will listen to your advice, but I will do what is in our best interests and not what is in the best interests of Carthage.”

“I understand that,” said Merbal tolerantly, “and completely respect your prerogatives.”  He then went on to explain the advantages of going northwest and staying away from the Boii/Eravisci.  “Once we’re clear of Boii territory, the Suevi land is open to looting, food, and women.  Your men will have this all for themselves and will not have to share with the other tribes.  It’s a shorter distance and will put you into Salzburg before the Boii/Eravisci. You will have your pick of the spoils of Salzburg.”

“You make a good point,” conceded Aze thoughtfully.  “We will do it.”

The Taurisci crossed the Mur at Graz and marched northwest.  Once the Taurisci were outside the Boii Tribal area and crossed into Suevi territory, the rampaging and looting began.  The road from Liezen to Salzburg was littered with burnt out homes and dead bodies.  Young women were taken as sex slaves and the older women for slave labor.  The men were killed outright.

The Taurisci cavalry consisted of about 200 horsemen.  They would ride off the flanks of the marching column up to three or four miles on each side. If they spotted a likely settlement of five to ten huts, they would return to the column and advise the Commander who would dispatch a team of 50 to 100 men and a few wagons.  These men would advance on the settlement, rush into it, and kill the men.  They would then scour the huts for valuables, food, grain bins, women, and livestock.  They would fill their wagons, and any wagons they could find, and take the women, livestock, and loot back to the column where it was equally shared.

These settlements had experienced raids in the past.  If they had enough time, they would run into the woods and hide until the raiders left.  If not, they would hide their children in underground rooms and compliantly hand over whatever the raiders asked for.  Usually, there was little violence, but this time it was different.  The foragers were killing, kidnapping, and burning.

*******

When Armen’s cavalry Detachment arrived at Liezen on June 7th, they could tell immediately that the Taurisci had already passed by.  The road was freshly rutted from numerous wagon wheels and the surrounding grassland was trampled.  They decided to split up into teams of two each to explore the condition of the settlements in the area.

An hour later, they reassembled and all told the same story.  Huts had been looted, the men killed, and the women and farm animals were missing.  Some of the huts had been put to the torch.  One team gave their account.  “As we entered each settlement, we rode around looking for survivors.  We began to call out that we were Suevi and were here to help.  In several settlements, small children began to appear.  They looked pathetic and hadn’t eaten in several days.  We shared our rations with them and told them to stay put assuring them we would come back for them.  I think there are probably others hidden in underground rooms and are too afraid to come out.  We need to do a more thorough search.”

The Commander’s job suddenly got more complicated.  His orders were to follow the Taurisci until he was sure that they were headed to Salzburg and then return to Innsbruck, but he couldn’t ignore the plight of the children.  “Listen to me, quiet down,” he demanded.  “I will take five men and follow the Taurisci.  They appear to be headed to Salzburg.  Osi, I want you to take command of the remaining 14 men.  Scour the settlements for survivors.  Look for trap doors inside the houses and barns.  If there are no wagons close by, ride farther out to acquire some.  Put the survivors in the wagons and take them to Bischofshofen.  Ask the people there to care for them.  Do not take the survivors farther west than Bischofshofen, or you will be too close to the Rosenheim-Innsbruck road, which is the route I believe the mercenaries will take once they leave Rosenheim.  After you drop off the survivors, try to make your way back to Innsbruck, but be careful.

Armen led his five men along the road for a few hours and then said, “From here on, we will stay in the tree line and off the road.  I don’t want their rear guard to spot us.”  They followed the trail of destruction for three hours.  When they reached Spital Am Pyhrn, Armen reined in his horse.  “I’m convinced that the Taurisci are headed to Salzburg.  From this point on, there are no more roads heading west until you get around these mountains.  The next available road turns west and goes to Salzburg.   Does anyone disagree?”  They all nodded their agreement.  The horses were turned around, and Armen and his men headed back towards Innsbruck.  They arrived on June 15th and confirmed that the Taurisci were headed to Salzburg.

Osi split up his men to search the settlements of Lassing, Selzthal, Rottenmann, Admont, Trieben, and Weissenbach bei Liezen.  They had all been attacked.  Their search lasted for two days and yielded 12 children.  Some had still been hiding and only responded to the offer of food.  The children were helped into the wagons and taken to the only settlements that were spared:  Oppenberg and Hohentauern.  These people were too far off the main road and not even aware that the Taurisci were on the move.  They accepted two of the twelve children and provided food and clothing for the others.

Osi planned to take the remaining children to Bischofshofen where he hoped to find homes for the 10 orphans.  One night while sitting around the campfire, he questioned the children to find out what had happened.  Many were either too young to express themselves or still in a state of shock.

After a bit of coaxing, one little six-year old girl named Imma told Osi how she survived and what became of her family.  “I heard horses enter our settlement, and everyone started shouting.  My mother picked me up and put me in a storage bin in the house.  She shut the door, but I could see through the cracks.  I saw my father grab his spear and run outside; then I heard him scream.  Next, two men came into our hut.  My mother was holding my eight year old sister tightly by her side, and my oldest sister was hiding behind the bed.”

“One of the men pulled my sister away from my mother.  He raised his sword, and my mother fell on her knees in front of my sister.  She begged the soldier not to kill her.  She said ‘she can cook, start cooking fires, sew; she can help me prepare your food.  Don’t kill her, please.  She’s very helpful and can fetch things for you; she’s a very bright little girl.’  The soldier lowered his sword and told them to go outside.  As they went out, I heard my mother yell to Odila, ‘I love you, just survive!’  They found my older sister and did things to her.  I could hear her crying.  Then they took her outside too.  One of the men came back inside looking for things and opened the door where I was hiding.  He stuck his sword into the pile of bedding, but it missed me.  I heard everyone leave, and I stayed in the closet until you came and took me out.”

“You must have been very scared,” said Osi nearly overcome with emotion.

“Yes, I was.  I want my mother,” she whimpered as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Can you tell me the names of your mother and sisters?” asked Osi gently.  It was extremely unlikely, but he hoped that maybe someday he could reunite this family.  He thought of his own wife and children.  While only one of probably hundreds of similar stories, this one tugged hard at his heart.

“My mother’s name is Agna; my sister, Kirsa is eight, and my oldest sister is Odila.  She’s 15.”

When they reached Bischofshofen, Osi explained to the villagers what had happened to the people near Liezen.  They were sympathetic and took in all the children, save one.  Osi kept Imma with him.  He then led his men to the Rosenheim-Innsbruck road.  There was no evidence that the mercenaries had passed, so he rode on to Innsbruck.  When he arrived, he gave his report and requested permission to find his family to drop off little Imma.  It was granted.

*******

Outside their hut, Agna and Kirsa, Imma’s mother and sister, were put into a horse-drawn cart and led to the main road.  Odila was put into another cart with other young girls.  During the march to Salzburg, Agna, Kirsa, and other women prepared and cooked food for the soldiers.  Each woman was assigned 10 soldiers to feed and care for.  Several wagons were full of various cooking implements: mortar and pestle, pots, spoons, cups and bowls.  Other wagons carried sacks of grain and water containers.  The captive women took what they needed.  They fetched water, kept the fires fed, cleaned the cookware, and tried to stay out of the way.  A routine of sorts developed, and the soldiers left them alone.

The routine continued at Salzburg where everyone lived in huts.  As the days dragged on, the soldiers grew bored and drank constantly.  Agna was frequently groped and pushed around, but never raped.  She feared for Kirsa as soldiers were pinching and patting her.  Agna never let her out of her sight and would call her to do something whenever a soldier got too aggressive.  It was a time of constant stress and danger.

Odila’s life was a stark contrast.  During the march, she walked like everyone else and was left alone.  Unlike the older women, she was not assigned to cook or do camp chores, and she was fed along with the soldiers.  At night her ordeal began.  She was forced into a wagon with two other young women and raped repeatedly.  Throughout this nightmare, she would repeat the last words of her mother, “Just survive.”  Once in Salzburg, it only became worse.  Some of the girls decided to kill themselves to escape, but Odila was determined to stay alive.  At times, she wondered how she would ever survive.

*******

After separating at Sankt Johann, the other Suevi Detachment Commander, Warin, led his men into the valley leading to Salzburg.  They were surrounded by towering mountains as they passed through Erpfendorf, Lofer, and Unken.  They stayed on the road until they got to Bad Reichenhall, about six miles from Salzburg.  Warin then led the men into the hills.  They walked their horses east through the forest with its many gullies, streams, fallen trees, and hills for a day and a half and stopped at the only flat ground around, which was next to a small stream.  After securing the horses and leaving a guard, Warin led his men 100 yards to an elevated position that overlooked the settlement of Glanegg.  Salzburg was about two miles farther on.  It was June 7th.

Warin could see that Salzburg lay in a broad valley, mostly cleared of vegetation, and hosted hundreds of huts.  The north flowing Salzach River ran along the west side of the village.  Even at this distance, Warin and the others could clearly see the Taurisci.  Warin had each man do a count.  They concluded that there were between 8,000 to 12,000 Taurisci and probably close to 1,000 women and girls in the camp.  Nasua’s orders were for him to continue to observe the Taurisci until he was sure they were moving west to Rosenheim.

He left two men on the hill to continue watching and returned with the rest to the horses.  “It looks like we could be here for a while.  Let’s set up a camp and post guards.  I think if we keep our fires small, the smoke won’t be visible. I want to keep two men watching Salzburg and another two watching the way we got here.  We will rotate the guards every two hours.  We don’t have to watch Salzburg at night as long as we’re back up there at first light.  I do want to have guards watch down the valley all night.  I’ll find the best observation post and then work up a watch roster.”