A raging torrent echoed between dark cliffs, drowning out the steady beat of a drum. On one side, a line of frightened people struggled up the narrow path that clung to the sheer rock. They carried their meagre possessions with them. The women had small children on their backs. The bigger children carried baskets and the men had swords.
They were the mountain people. In way of life and appearance they were totally different from the lowland tribes. The men wore rawhide breeches and cloaks. Their faces were plucked clean and heavily tattooed. The little hair that remained on their heads was layered with lime and stuck up like a horse's main. The women's hair was greased and tied in long plaits. Their garments were of coarsely spun wool. Images of the mother goddess hung about their necks.
At a point where the gorge narrowed, a tree had been felled to form a bridge. They reached it and began to cross. Women and children struggled along the trunk. Others climbed into the gorge and tried to jump from boulder to boulder. Many fell and were swept away.
Back down the track, three wild-eyed women stood on a jutting rock, screaming curses. Below them a group of men had stripped naked. They were chewing dried toadstools and rubbing themselves with the juice of mistletoe.
The tattoos, which covered their faces, extended over their entire bodies: swirls of line and colour which mingled with their body parts. They looked like creatures from another world. As the drumbeat quickened they left their station and took up a blocking position on the track below.
A shining metal object advanced towards them. The naked men saw it through the trees and began to chant. A deep resonant hum flowed from their lips: more like the wind than words.
The shining object took shape. A golden disc on a black pole. It had a smiling face and the man carrying it was on horseback. Heavily armed soldiers marched in front and behind, dressed in grey and carrying shields.
One of the naked men pranced forward screaming defiance. The soldiers in grey remained stony faced. Only the standard bearer's expression changed. He stared down contemptuously from his mount and leered at the advancing savage.
The man hurled himself forward, slashing the air with his sword. A shield shot out and he struck it. The blade buckled and a short sword stabbed his naked belly. He collapsed and the advancing column marched over him.
Two more naked men met the same fate. Their companions retreated to the fallen tree and tried to push it into the gorge. A hail of arrows cut them down.