[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

 Yes, said Hunter.  It is farther than it looks. We must begin.
 Okay. Steve hoisted the cloth bag over his shoulder.  Lead the way.
Hunter led them across the open grassland toward a narrow dirt
track that wound toward the tor. As they walked, Steve looked up at
the tor again. Some people rode horseback, drove wagons, or plodded
out of the main gate. He supposed they were on their way home to
other villages or huts in the countryside. Others walked or rode into
the tor from outside, including two men in steel caps holding spears
as they rode.
 Is that what a Roman fortress here looked like? Steve asked.  It
resembles the temporary camps we saw the Roman legions build in
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Germany, but this one looks permanent. I thought the Romans would
build something more impressive than this.
 This is a post-Roman construction, said Harriet.  The village on the
plateau is fortified in part by unmortared stone, including Roman
masonry brought from elsewhere. The gatehouse has touches of
Roman architecture, too. But the overall design is Celtic.
 You mean now that the Romans don t rule here anymore, the Britons
are doing everything their way again?
 In practical matters, Britons never forgot their own traditions, said
Harriet.  Further, funding was an issue. Roman administrators at
the height of their power could pay many men to quarry, move, and
cut stone, and hire others to build with it. Post-Roman Briton rulers
had to make do with ramparts of rammed earth.
Steve nodded. She pointed to a similar hill much farther in the
distance to the north.  That s Glastonbury Tor. It still exists in our
own time, as well.
 So with the Romans gone, the Britons are back where they started in
fighting the Saxons? Steve asked.  Except for what you said about
Roman cavalry tactics?
 Not completely. The Britons still have some advantages from their
Roman cultural experience, including roads, cities, and towns.
However, hordes of Saxons have already settled along the eastern
coast.
 You said this Artorius, who uses Roman cavalry tactics, is the
historical basis for King Arthur. Back in Room F-12, we agreed to
pretend we wanted to sell horses to him. So he rules here? Or what?
 Artorius is a charismatic cavalry captain with some Roman-style
training. He has become Riothamus, or High King, of the Britons by
leading the Celtic fight for their homeland against the Saxons.
 If the Saxons landed on the eastern coast, along the English Channel,
why is he here? Steve asked.  If we re in what s central southern
England in our own time, then we re a long way from the Channel.
 That s right, said Harriet.  You see, the Saxons have been coming
for many decades. They have conquered and settled considerable
territory on the eastern side of Britain.
 All right, I get it. Now the Britons are fighting the Saxons along some
boundary that runs through the middle of the country.
 Yes. Of course, the boundary is jagged and uneven, usually
represented by rivers or ridges. And because of constant fighting, it is
in flux throughout these years. Artorius had to establish his base far
enough behind the border to have a wide buffer zone.
Steve nodded.  Since the Saxons are on foot, it would take them a lot
longer to march all the way here than it would take his cavalry to ride
out to meet them.
 Correct.
 Hunter, I have to ask you the question that comes up in every
mission, said Steve.  We know that MC 6 will return to full size
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
around here somewhere, but exactly what s he going to do? Where
should we look for him?
 That is usually Jane s area of expertise, of course, said Hunter.
 Without a roboticist to call upon, I will have to make a judgment.
Based on my experience in how Jane has made her earlier appraisals,
I expect that MC 6 will want to stop the war between the Britons and
the Saxons that causes so much suffering.
 Yeah, that sounds like what she d say, said Steve.  We found MC 3
and MC 4 trying to stop wars, too. Of course, we prevented that.
 We must prevent MC 6 from doing it, as well, said Hunter.
 According to the history I took from the city library, Artorius held
the Saxons at bay during his lifetime but they eventually overwhelmed
his successors. If MC 6 succeeds in working out a long-term
settlement, however, the England of medieval, Renaissance, and
ultimately modern times will never develop, deeply changing the
course of history.
 Oh, piddle. Harriet laughed lightly.  That possibility is
preposterous.
 It is? Steve looked at her in surprise. Her bluntness startled him.
 Why?
 You see, the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes invaded Britain because of
tremendous population pressure on the Continent north of the
Roman Empire and their displacement by the movement of more
powerful tribes, such as the Franks and the Goths. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]