An Island Story | Page 5

together against their great enemy and chose a
brave man, called Cassivellaunus, to be their leader.
Cassivellaunus led the Britons so well, and C¾sar found it such a
difficult task to conquer them, that at last he was glad to make peace
again and sail back to his own country.
He did not like to go away as if he had been defeated, so he sent
messengers to the British chief, saying, "If you let me take some of
your warriors back to Rome as a sign that you are now Roman subjects
and will not rebel against me, I will go away."
The Britons were only too glad to be rid of C¾sar and his soldiers at
any price. They gave him some British soldiers to take back to Rome,
and even promised to pay him a certain sum of money every year.
But it almost seemed as if Neptune had been doing battle for his
beloved Albion with his winds and waves. For while C¾sar had been
fighting the Britons, such fierce storms arose that his ships were thrown
upon the rocky shore and many of them dashed to pieces. Indeed so
few of his ships remained fit to put to sea again that C¾sar could not
take all his soldiers away at one time. As many went as could, and the
ships came back again for the others.
C¾sar did not leave any soldiers in Britain at all, so it does not seem as
if he had really conquered the land. These things happened in the year
54 B.C., that is, fifty-four years before Christ was born. All Christian
lands count time from the year in which Christ was born, because His
coming is the most wonderful thing which has ever happened.
Anything that took place before Christ was born is said to be in such
and such a year B.C. Everything which has taken place since then is
said to be A.D. or Anno Domini, which means, "in the year of our
Lord."

CHAPTER 4
HOW CALIGULA CONQUERED BRITAIN, AND HOW
CARACTACUS REFUSED TO BE CONQUERED
AFTER the second coming of C¾sar, years passed during which the
Romans left the Britons in peace. But they had by no means forgotten
about the little green island in the blue sea.
Julius C¾sar had been dead many years when a Roman emperor called
Caligula said he would go to Britain and thoroughly conquer the island.
He did not mean to land and fight in one small part of it as Julius
C¾sar had done. He meant to march over the island, north, south, east,
and west, and bring it all under the power of Rome. That is what he
said he was going to do. What he really did was something quite
different.
He gathered a great army and marched from Italy right through France
till he reached the coast. There news came to him that Guilderius, the
king of Britain, had heard of his coming and had also gathered his
soldiers together.
Caligula must have been afraid when he heard that the brave Britons
were ready to fight him, for this is how he conquered Britain.
He drew his soldiers up in battle array upon the shore. Then he himself
went into his galley and told his sailors to row him out to sea. After
they had rowed him a short way he told them to return. When he had
landed again he climbed into a high seat like a pulpit, which he had
built on the sands. Then he sounded a trumpet and ordered his soldiers
to advance as if to battle.
But there was no enemy there. In front of the soldiers there was nothing
but the blue sea and the sandy shore covered with shells. They could
not fight against the waves and the sand, and the brave Britons, whom
they had come to fight, were far away on the other side of the water and
quite out of reach.

So the soldiers stood and wondered what to do. Then Caligula ordered
them to kneel down upon the sand and gather as many shells as they
could.
The first thing a Roman was taught, was to obey. So now the soldiers
did as their general commanded and gathered the cockle shells which
lay around in hundreds.
It must have been a curious sight to see all these strong soldiers, armed
with sword, shield, and helmet, picking up shells upon the sea-shore.
When they had gathered a great quantity, Caligula made a speech. He
thanked the soldiers as if they had done him some great service. He told
them that now he had conquered the ocean and the islands in it, and
that these shells were the spoils of war. He praised the soldiers for their
bravery,