Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube

Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube

Published by Thomas A. Timmes at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Thomas A. Timmes

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Also by Thomas A. Timmes

Book I - Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War

Book III - Legio XVII: Battle of Zama

Customer reviews for Books I, II, and III

I'm 62. I've been reading about Roman Military history since I was 8. This book trumps them all! Fantastic read!

Excellent book that is rich in detailed strategy, weapons development and battlefield maneuvers. One of the best I’ve read of the dozens concerning the Roman Legions and their role in Rome’s expansion. A must read!

I am an avid reader of Roman history - both fact and fiction and consider this title one of the very best I have found. The narrative, the characters have been treated in a manner that are totally engrossing. The battle scenes are graphic and I would certainly enjoy a similar offering from this author.

I am an avid reader of historical fiction, especially of Roman and British military expeditions. This is one of the most interesting books that I have read in the past thirty years. As a former Captain of Marines, I was especially impressed by the detailed description of the preparations of both operations and logistics. Too many writers focus on just the battles and totally miss the critical issues of preparation that leads to success.

Thomas Timmes is up to the likes of (Averil) Cameron, (Simon) Scarrow and (Anthony) Riches.

...brilliant storytelling cannot wait for third book in series

Thomas A. Timmes has written a fascinating insight into the Roman Legions....I was afraid that this book would read like a bland history book. It was instead a very interesting, educational read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the early BC Roman Empire.

Thomas A. Timmes knows how to write history fiction books. Thoroughly enjoyed reading Legio XVII - Legio at War. The author displays superior characterization skills in this book. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and how it concluded. The Introduction was a priceless gateway to the story and the Epilogue was a treasure chest of ah-ha moments. I would wake up in the middle of the night just to read a couple more paragraphs. I honestly could not put the book down. Thank you for turning me into an addict of your work.

...Few military persons bother with the logistics side of a campaign and must assume that food and spares just arrive when required. Having been a regular myself and also a police officer with overall command of specialist teams, logistics played a major part of my working day. I have read all books in this series and have fully enjoyed all of them. Well Done.

I have been recently reading several novels about Scipio Africanus and this is the best so far. Hope there's another in the series heading our way.

This book is unique in that it is written as a cross between a genuine history book and the story telling genre of the historical fiction novel. I found it a fascinating and an extremely entertaining read.

"I found this a thoroughly enjoyable read, the detail and storytelling was very interesting and gives a good insight into the way Rome went about expanding their ever growing ambition.

My son who is 12 has really enjoyed reading the whole series, has been very engaging and for him he has not been able to put it down.

Good, enjoyable reading by a sound author

Best book of its kind

Excellent series with good historical and accurate assessment of the Roman Legions and battle strategy

Rates as one of my top authentic Roman factual books, excellent keep them coming

I found it a fascinating and an extremely entertaining read

Rates as one of my top authentic Roman factual books. Excellent. Keep them coming

Absorbing in detail, gripping in action and had the feel of real history

Well written book on the operations of a legion and how it works

Keeps you reading all way to the end; very enjoyable good read

....new and refreshing style... very interesting and exciting read

Good, exciting book with plenty of action

Well worth a read, couldn't put it down. Well researched, didn't want it to end. Look forward to more books

This was one of those books that enthrall from start to finish. The descriptive writing is superb. The detail leading up to the battles make you feel as if you are there. I like this period in history, and I thank the author for making it the best I have read.

As to be expected the attention to detail and the presentation of transferring the reader to another place and time that felt surreal...I wait with much anticipated zeal so I once again can be taken to that amazing place ....

I read it in one day! I've read many many series of Roman novels. This rates with R.W. Peake, S.J.A Turney and Mace! On to the next one.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter I: Teuton/Cimbri Migration

Chapter II: Defeat of the Suevi

Chapter III: Bethica Appeals to Rome

Chapter IV: Rome Intervenes

Chapter V: Roman Planning

Chapter VI: Deployment to Bad Tolz

Chapter VII: Final Preparations

Chapter VIII: Battles of Augsburg and Landshut

Chapter IX: Battle of Regensburg

Epilogue

About the Author

Connect with Tom

Prologue

In large measure, the history of Western Civilization reflects the history of population migrations. As revealed by thousands of archeological findings, fossils, written records, and most recently by DNA comparisons, human beings have constantly been on the go. The causes are as diverse as the variations among individual cultures. Hunting societies moved to find more abundant game. Settled populations shifted to find more fertile land. Drought and pestilence forced huge numbers to move to find food and water. Natural disasters, such as active volcanoes, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tidal waves, took their toll and forced relocation. The consequences of these migrations vary with the people and regions, but most were unpleasant affairs filled with human misery, an overall slowdown in the development of their civilizations, and widespread death and destruction.

One example of how migration and natural disasters utterly destroyed several thriving civilizations occurred at the end of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) (1500–1200 BC). The region encompassing modern-day Egypt, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece and several islands in the Mediterranean maintained a stable, thriving, sophisticated, and interconnected system of commerce and diplomacy. Yet archeological discoveries over the past one hundred years reveal that circa 1177 BC these once powerful empires simply ceased to function and then vanished. Gone were the Hittites, the Mitanni, and the Greek Minoan-Mycenaean Empire.

The LBA Collapse, as it’s called, was devastating for the region and its inhabitants. The effects of the Collapse reverberated for centuries, ushering in the world’s first Dark Ages. In his book 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, Eric H. Cline describes the effects of the Collapse: ...civilization in this part of the world was set back, in some places for centuries, and altered irrevocably...it was a loss such as the world would not see again until the Roman Empire collapsed....

On the other hand, the Collapse did facilitate the development of new civilizations. The Israelites may were able to migrate out of a weakened Egypt because of their warring with the Sea People and eventually displaced the inhabitants of Canaan. The Collapse also allowed the nascent region of Greece to develop their civilization without interference; Rome followed Greece.

Much of European history, even preceding the Bronze Age (3200-600 BC), is the story of large-scale migration. This book is set in the Third Century BC (300-201 BC) and addresses the Teutons and Cimbri Tribes who are believed to have originated in Scandinavia. They subsequently migrated to Jutland, then south through modern-day Germany, and eventually butted up against the Danube River. Throughout their migration, they were engaged in warfare with the people who already occupied the land. These clashes between migrating people and local inhabitants set up a chain reaction of continuous migrations, endless warfare, and an incalculable toll of human misery.

Ancient Rome was constantly engaged in containing migration, first along the Rhine River and later along the Danube. As long as they were successful in this effort, the Empire stood. When they could no longer control their borders, the Empire fell.

This historical fiction novel tells the story of one such migration and Rome’s response. In Chapter I, readers experience the six-year, seven hundred miles (1,126 km) migration of the Cimbri/Teuton Tribes from Scandinavia to the Danube River. The story follows Chief Timur and his Army Commander, Donar, as they plan the migration, rebuild their Army, and undertake the difficult and dangerous trek. Readers are immersed in the day-to-day struggles posed by muddy roads, river crossings, living out of a wagon, and battling hostile Tribes. Timur’s leadership is put to the test when he encounters an unexpected mutiny among the people. Eventually, Timur faces the challenge of crossing the Danube and battling the Suevi garrisons posted along the river. The Suevi Chief, Bethica, appeals to Rome for help and the stage is set for three epic battles between Rome’s vaunted Legions and Timur’s Teuton/Cimbri warriors.

The Roman Senate tasked Proconsul Manius Tullus with repelling the invaders and securing the border. Manius is the logical choice to command the operation since he just completed a thirty-month expedition with Legio XVII to the Cisalpine Gaul and Austria. Now he faces the daunting task of engaging an enemy who outnumbers him two to one.

Included in the narrative are snippets of authentic Roman history of the Second Punic War. My first book, Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War gives a more detailed history of the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage.

Joseph Ben Levi, the young Roman Legionary who recorded the history of Legio XVII from its inception to final battle in Innsbruck, is also the narrator of this story. His account of the migration is as compelling as it is informative. Once again, he accompanies Legiones XVII, XX, V Etrusci, and I Raetorum from Rome to the Danube. Having lost his left arm at the Battle of Innsbruck, Joseph now focuses exclusively on documenting the exploits of the Legions and their Commander, Proconsul Manius Tullus, at the battles of Augsburg, Landshut, and Regensburg.

This book replaces some of the Latin names of towns and countries with their modern counterparts as well as converts Roman weights, distances, and measurements with common English terms. Additionally, this book includes modern maps and dating conventions such as 206 BC.

In my first book, I cited all measurements in feet, yards, and miles. That’s how I think and have a mental map that can easily estimate those distances. I now realize that I inadvertently made it difficult for readers who think in metrics. I say that because I just read a book that used only millimeters, meters, and kilometers. I was lost! This book, therefore, uses both conventions.

I owe a sincere debt of gratitude to my wife for reading and re-reading my many drafts and my grown children, especially Bethany and Andrew, for their invaluable assistance in helping me to write and edit this book.

Chapter I: Teuton/Cimbri Migration 219-209 BC

July 209 BC

Crossing the Danube

It took twenty-four, eight-hour nights to raft 20,000 Teuton and Cimbri warriors across the Danube at Ulm and another 20,000 men at Passau [Germany]. Ten rafts with ten men per raft were pulled back and forth across the river every hour. By the end of the twenty-fourth night, 40,000 trained, equipped, and motivated warriors were hidden in deep woods at two widely separated points waiting for the attack order.

These two Assault Group were separated by one hundred sixty miles (257 km), but tasked with the same mission: annihilate the Suevi garrisons that opposed them, and clear the surrounding countryside of Suevi farmers. This land was now claimed by the combined Cimbri and Teuton Tribes who had just completed a seven hundred miles (1,126 km) migration from Jutland in the far north. They had endured six years of hardship and deprivation and would not be denied this fertile, well-watered land with its mild climate and abundant game.

At 1:00 A.M., 10,000 men equipped with ladders, unlit torches, and their battle gear began the five mile (8 km) walk to the Suevi forts at Ulm and Passau. They had rehearsed the route so often they could have walked it blindfolded. They arrived at the forts at 2:30 A.M. as planned. With the exception of a few sleepy guards in watch towers, the garrisons slept. Multiple archers sighted on each guard to ensure a hit and fired simultaneously while the army silently approached the walls with their ladders and were over the top within minutes. The torches were lit and the slaughter began. The 2,000-man Suevi garrisons at Ulm and at Passau would no longer patrol the Danube to ward off migrating tribes such as these Cimbri and Teutons warriors.

Meanwhile, one hundred miles (160.9 km) to the north of Ulm at Regensburg, a similar scenario was unfolding. Another group of 40,000 Cimbri/Teuton warriors rafted undetected across the river and slaughtered the Suevi garrison posted there. As instructed by Timur, the Teuton Chief, each Assault Group at the three Suevi garrisons spared two Suevi men to send back to Innsbruck to announce the Cimbri/Teuton invasion and their claim to the land.

*******

216 BC ─ Seven Years Earlier

The two tribal Chiefs announced it was time to begin the migration south. The Teuton Chief, Timur, and the Cimbri Chief, Boiorix, had just concluded a lengthy discussion with their Military, Tribal and Clan Leaders, and Elders. The collective opinion of both tribes was a forceful demand to move out of the Jutland Peninsula and go south as soon as possible. The intended endpoint of their trek was an area across the Danube River in a large, fertile countryside currently occupied by the Suevi, a far weaker tribe. The combined Cimbri and Teutons Tribes could field 70,000 warriors, including 5,000 archers, out of a total population of over 300,000. Their number of warriors would eventually grow to 90,000.

According to oral tradition, when the two tribes migrated out of Gothenburg, Denmark some two hundred years before, they had never intended to remain in Jutland. It was only meant to be a stopover to rest the population after the difficult forty-five-miles (72 km) sea crossing and to provide time to grow and gather sufficient food, and acquire wagons and other necessities before continuing on. However, after the sea crossing, the mood changed as the people settled in to the new land, grew their crops, raised their animals, and reared their children. It felt like home and became home.

*******

During the last ten years, this peaceful, domestic scene changed when Sea People from Scandinavia began raiding along the coastal area of the two tribes. Food, tools, animals, and anything else of value were carried away. But it soon turned worse as villages were burnt to the ground, women raped, and young men kidnapped. It was an intolerable situation that was increasing at an alarming rate. The raiders struck without notice anywhere along the lengthy coast and rapidly disappeared before the Army could be mustered to fight them. The people were powerless to stop the abject horror that had befallen them. Gradually, more and more of them began talking of moving to a safer location and a warmer climate. The idea to migrate grew in popularity and soon became the chief topic of conversation. What started as wishful thinking and mere talk, hardened into an accepted truth and foregone conclusion. The tribes would migrate, but they lacked the leadership to make it happen.

The two Tribal Chiefs grappling with this issue presented a contrast in extremes. Chief Teuobod, who went by his childhood nickname, Timur (Iron Man), was a young, athletic, charismatic, and handsome man with significant leadership abilities. He was at that stage of his life where he felt he could do anything. He was by nature a creative person and always needed to improve or change something. He designed a new, personal headband to wear, a new type wagon, and introduced belt loops for men’s trousers. Nothing escaped his attention and desire to make it better. His mind was exploding with ideas.

Timur had become Chief ten years ago at age fourteen when his father, the former Teuton Chief, died suddenly. Three years ago, Timur married Jennike, a young Cimbri woman, to further cement the bond between the two tribes. In time, this intelligent and capable woman became his closest advisor and confidant. She was known for her graceful mannerisms and pleasant personality. Timur and Jennike made an attractive pair and were very popular with the people. Boiorix, the Cimbri leader, on the other hand, was well past his prime, forgetful, and easily confused. His current wife was a plump teenage Teuton girl who, in reality, was nothing more than a bed warmer for the old Chief during the cold northern winters.

By mutual agreement, the overall leadership of the two tribes fell to Teuton Chief Timur. He was well suited for the challenge and immediately began to transform both society and the Army. He introduced new laws, local Councils, improved security, and dramatically revamped the Army.

Most importantly, Timur provided the drive and intelligence to plan for the migration. He’d heard of other tribes whose migrations had ended in disaster because of a lack of planning and preparation, and he was determined not to duplicate their mistakes. His current favorable attitude regarding the migration was the exact opposite of his initial opposition to the idea. He was comfortable where he was and hadn’t completed his vision to improve society and the lives of the people. His outlook changed though after visiting the site of the most recent attack by the Sea People. He was outraged. He also knew he couldn’t solve this problem despite his best efforts. In his mind, the only way to fix it was to get away from it–migrate.

According to tradition, while living in Scandinavia the combined Cimbri-Teuton Army had grown strong, developed an aggressive, warlike spirit, and was renowned for its bravery. In Jutland, however, they had lost their fighting edge and grown increasingly complacent. Unlike the Sea People they failed to adopt the more powerful composite bow, their personal body armor was nonexistent, and their leaders were largely incompetent.

Timur recognized the seriousness of this deficiency and proposed fundamental changes to the Army before beginning the migration. He replaced most of the Army’s leadership, personally designed a strenuous training program, and directed that all eighteen-year-old men must join the Army for the duration of the migration. He reorganized the Army to enable it to fight in a more professional manner and less like an untrained mob. He appointed Donar, a man intensely loyal to himself and a Teuton of proven quality and bravery, as his top General.

We don’t have a fighting Army, Timur told Donar. "We have willing men who periodically gather on a field and charge an imaginary enemy. There’s no organization or discipline to anything they do. We have an untrained mob yelling and waving their swords who will not win battles. I want you to find able men, and appoint them commanders of 100, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000-man units. After you do this, I want to meet with these commanders. I want them to recruit men to their organizations and to build a unique unit identity. I want to see banners or flags. And the units should have names so that the men take pride in their organization."

Despite serious reservations from many within the combined tribes, he managed to push through his reforms, and once again, the Army began to resemble a real fighting force. The Army was equipped with long swords, small round wicker shields, and four-foot (1.2 m) stabbing spears that could also be thrown. The spear had a short, five-inch (12.7c) sharpened metal point without a barb. A hilt was molded where metal joined wood to prevent the point from penetrating too far to facilitate easy removal. Some of the stronger men carried no shield favoring instead to fill their hands with a sword and axe. The typical axe had a blade on one side and a short metal spike on the other whose purpose was to penetrate an opponent’s shield and enable the warrior to pull it down and then slash with his sword. Timur’s reforms included the adoption of the composite bow and metal helmet. The shields were still nothing more than wicker woven around a wooden frame, but they now boasted added leather coverings.

Each composite bow took a week to make and months to properly dry. It was made with multiple pieces of wood glued together with animal-based glue. A finely shaped animal horn was fitted onto the belly of the bow (the side facing the archer), and animal sinews were glued onto the back of the bow. Finally, thin leather strips were glued over the entire bow to render it waterproof. The advantage of the composite bow was that it was smaller than the traditional wooden bow and delivered its arrows with greater velocity.

*******

Timur had been thinking about the migration for the past several years. The attacks by the Sea People were part of it, but there were other reasons. The land was wearing out and could no longer support the growing population. It was time to find a new, more fertile and larger area for the two Tribes. He had already thought his way through many of the preparations that would require years for the people to accomplish. Working with the Clan Leaders who knew the people and their capabilities, he ordered that a percentage of the cattle be converted to oxen and trained to pull wagons. This also meant the people had to build more yoke bows. He further ordered the construction of waterproof wagons that were to be fifteen feet (4.5 m) long by ten feet (3 m) high and four feet (1.2 m) wide, as well as handcarts for every twenty individuals in the population. He directed that all wooden wheel rims be wrapped with metal, and he designed leather tarps that could be strapped to the top of the wagon and rolled down at night to provide a covering for those sleeping inside.

All these things required years to make by hand. Most people saw the wisdom in Timur’s orders and willingly went to work, but some did not. Timur told the Clan Leaders that they must enforce these rules if the migration was to have any chance of success.

As the work at home progressed, Timur knew he needed more information about the route south and what they would face during the journey. In 219 BC, he dispatched three teams of Teuton and Cimbri scouts, comprised of five men, each to walk along the intended migration route. Before the scouts departed on their reconnaissance, Timur explained their mission to them and the type of information he wanted them to gather.

We have over 300,000 people to move safely over difficult terrain, multiple water crossings, and through other Tribal areas. I need to know of all possible routes we can use, condition of the roads if any, the location of Tribal borders, the size and military strength of the tribes, the best places to cross streams and rivers, and protected locations to spend the winters. I want you to dress as ordinary farmers, not as warriors. If asked, tell people that you are simply moving south to look for new opportunities. Work for your food and shelter. Plow their fields, build their barns. Do what you must to survive and do not steal from the local people you meet. And above all, stay away from their women. That will get you killed quicker than anything else!

I estimate that your mission will last from three to five years. In your absence, we will offer animal sacrifices to Odin to protect you. I will also ask Odin to send his two ravens Huginn and Muninn, to report your progress to him. If you feel threatened, ask his wife Freya for peace and protection. Go now and do your best. We’re counting on you.

*******

After the scouts departed, Timur gathered his key leaders and presented them with the following facts to drive home the importance of continued planning, preparation, and most importantly, constant supervision. Each group of twenty people will have one wagon and four oxen to pull it. That’s fifteen more people per wagon than usual, but we have to reduce the length of our columns, which I’ll explain in a moment. The wagons will be filled with food, farm tools, barter items, children, old and sick people, and they’ll provide a limited place to sleep.

Farm animals, as well as spare oxen, will be tied to the back of the wagon or driven alongside the wagons as dictated by the terrain. The wagons will require extra wheels, axles, and yokes for the animals. The sides of the wagons will need constant caulking to prevent leaks and extra leather covers for the curved tops to keep out the rain. Most people will walk alongside their wagons, sleep under and alongside it at night, and carry heavy packs on their backs to spare the oxen.

We’ll need 15,000 wagons to move our people and their belongings. Each wagon will measure fifty-two feet (15.8 m) from front to rear including the four oxen pulling the wagon, the spare oxen tied to the back of the wagon, and the families’ handcarts. If each wagon is separated by ten feet (3 m), this single column would stretch out for one hundred forty-seven miles (236 km), and it would take approximately ten days for a man to walk from the front to the rear of the column. A single column that long will be vulnerable to attack and be impossible to control.

Therefore, he continued, once we cross the Elbe River near Hamburg, instead of a single column, I propose we separate into four columns traveling on near parallel routes. That would mean 75,000 people and 3,700 wagons for each of the four columns. Each column would extend forty-four miles (70.8 km) in length. Our Army would be equally divided among the columns to provide protection and assist at river crossings, and so forth. When we approach a Tribal area, I will negotiate with their Chief for safe passage of the four columns.

After receiving that bit of shocking information, the leaders returned to their Clans to tell them the news, solicit suggestions, and supervise the hard work that lay ahead. The migration was a bigger ordeal then anyone had previously envisioned, and the serious work had just begun!

Admiration for Timur grew each day. He was respected for his detailed planning skills and ability to see problems before they happened. He and Jennike mingled freely with the people and were beloved by all. Timur always wore the symbol of his authority, a metal band around his forehead with Odin’s two ravens etched on the raised front. He wanted Odin to be fully aware of what he was doing and to know when he needed help.

In wintertime, Timur wore a one-piece undyed linen undergarment, while his outer clothing consisted of a one-piece dyed, knee-length woolen tunic with sleeves that extended past his wrists. Under the lower part of the outer tunic, he wore woolen trousers without pockets or a fly. Around his waist was a leather belt to hold up his trousers as well as to suspend his pouch and dagger. He carried his sword on a separate strap slung over his shoulder, and he donned a large brightly colored cloak over everything. His hair was shaved on the sides and the long hair in the center was pulled straight back. He eschewed the long beards common to most men, but was not clean shaven. His face reflected gravitas, authority, and compassion.

Jennike’s clothing was similar to Timur’s except that the hem on her ankle-length outer garment was braided and brightly dyed. Shoulder straps secured the back of her outer garment to the front and was decorated with two brooches made of iron, bronze, wood, or antlers. Like all Cimbri women, she suspended glass beads in graceful loops between the two shoulder brooches. She also used a cloth belt to carry her pouch and dagger. On her forehead, rested a leather band with a depiction of Freya, Odin’s wife and goddess of beauty and love, to denote her high status. Her blond hair was often done in a series of complicated braids or left to fall straight over her shoulders.

Figure 1: Traditional Scandinavian Dress

Women were eager to talk to Jennike and receive her wise counsel and encouragement. Her reputation as a dispenser of wisdom soon became legendary and assumed mystical proportions. Some began to believe that Freya granted her a special ability to understand human problems. Her deep insight and ability to offer helpful options was uncanny.

As the daughter of a respected and well-to-do family, she had lived humbly but enjoyed many comforts not found among the common people. From a young age, Jennike enjoyed hunting the abundant deer and fierce boar with her father in the surrounding woods. In time, she grew skilled with the spear and bow and brought down her share of game.

On one particular boar-hunting trip with her father when she was fifteen years old, a large boar suddenly emerged from the scrub a mere ten feet from her father. It instantly charged him. He threw his spear, but missed, and the boar hit his right leg lifting him off the ground. He landed hard on his back, and before Jennike could notch her arrow, the boar hit him again with its two-and-a-half-inch (6.3 c) tusks ripping open his calf and flipping him about like a child’s doll. Jennike fired her first arrow and hit a rib with no effect on the boar, which continued to gore her father’s leg and buttocks. When her second arrow hit the boar behind its front leg and penetrated the heart, the boar rose up, its tusks gleaming in the sun, and fell dead on top of her father.

She rushed to him and knew her first priority was to stanch the flow of blood. She pushed the boar off of him and cringed upon seeing her father lying there bleeding to death and groaning in pain. The game drivers were just arriving and ran to help. They tied strips of cloth around the wounds and carried him the three miles (4.8 km) back to his hut. Her father was alive, but weak. His wife cleaned the wound, but infection was inevitable. It was now a waiting game and in the hands of Odin.

That same day, Jennike asked one of the drivers to go back to the boar and remove the two tusks. She also said to give the meat away.

Within a few days, infection set in and her father’s leg began to redden and swell. Along with the swelling, he developed a fever, which rose and fell during the day. The nights were the hardest. He moaned, sweated, and tossed and turned on his bed. His wife gave him as much water as he could drink, and Jennike cooled his fevered body with wet cloths.

After two weeks of constant care, everyone was worn out, but Jennike’s father was beginning to show signs of improvement. The swelling had gone down, and his fever only spiked at night. He started to eat and talked of better days to come. By the end of the third week, he was feeling much better. The crisis had passed.

On the first day that he actually stood by himself, Jennike presented him with a necklace to wear around his neck. Hanging from the leather strip was a huge boar tusk that matched the one she wore. It was from the boar that almost took his life. Her father put his hands to his face and wept. He hugged Jennike tightly and whispered, Thank you for saving my life.

*******

For the last three years, the three scouting teams had crisscrossed the terrain, gathered information, mingled with the tribes along the way, kept detailed drawings of the land and rivers, and eventually arrived at the Danube River. They crossed the river and wandered throughout the area as far south as Innsbruck on the Inn River. They knew they would be immediately recognized as foreigners and kept well out of sight. Unfortunately, on a desperate foray to steal food from a Suevi farmer, two of the scouts were captured by alert guards.

The Scouting teams had been given a most difficult assignment, and they suffered extreme hardships along the way. The fifteen scouts lost five members during the trip: one through sickness, two murdered by local bandits, and the last