The foot are cut down flying. The knights ride for their lives.
Totila and five horsemen are caught up by Asbad the Gepid chief.
Asbad puts his lance in rest, not knowing who was before him. 'Dog,'
cries Totila's page, 'wilt thou strike thy lord?' But it is too
late. Asbad's lance goes through his back, and he drops on his
horse's neck. Scipwar (Shipward) the Goth wounds Asbad, and falls
wounded himself. The rest carry off Totila. He dies that night,
after reigning eleven stormy years.

The Goths flee across the Po. There is one more struggle for life,
and one more hero left. Teia by name, 'the slow one,' slow, but
strong. He shall be king now. They lift him on the shield, and
gather round him desperate, but determined to die hard. He finds the
treasure of Totila, hid in Pisa. He sends to Theudebald and his
Franks. Will they help him against the Roman, and they shall have
the treasure; the last remnant of the Nibelungen hoard. No. The
Luegenfelden will not come. They will stand by and see the butchery,
on the chance of getting all Italy for themselves. Narses storms
Rome--or rather a little part of it round Hadrian's Mole, which the
Goths had fortified; and the Goths escape down into Campania, mad
with rage.

That victory of Narses, says Procopius, brought only a more dreadful
destruction on the Roman senate and people. The Goths, as they go
down, murder every Roman they meet. The day of grace which Totila
had given them is over. The Teutons in Narses' army do much the
same. What matter to Burgunds and Herules who was who, provided they
had any thing to be plundered of? Totila has allowed many Roman
senators to live in Campania. They hear that Narses has taken Rome,