02-25-2010, 09:18 AM
Somewhere in northern Italy, December 218 BC...
Seeing the Roman patrol approach, Hanno reached for his falcatum. Sapho, his brother, had already drawn his falcata, and was shouting at their companions, a dozen scutarii, to pull out their falcati.
"Wait," said Hanno as he took in Sapho's words. "Did you say falcati?"
Sapho frowned. "Yes. Why?"
"Any fool knows that the word is neuter," Hanno snapped.
"No, it's not, it's feminine," Sapho replied with a confused look.
"What? Then why did you use the masculine plural just then?"
Sapho thought for a moment. "Damn it, you're right. I'm not sure." He turned to the scutarii. "Come here!"
Casting wary glances at the eight Romans, who were forming a small shield wall, the soldiers trotted over, their scuta and falcati raised.
"Are your swords masculine, feminine or neuter?"
"Eh?" demanded the leader, a tall man with a broken nose. "We need to kill those Romans before they get back to their camp. Who gives a sh*t what gender the word is?"
Leaving Hanno and his brother to squabble, the scutarii charged to the attack.
To be continued... :lol:
:roll:
Great debate - thanks guys, but I think I'm going with the kopis/kopides, or the machaira/machairai!
Seeing the Roman patrol approach, Hanno reached for his falcatum. Sapho, his brother, had already drawn his falcata, and was shouting at their companions, a dozen scutarii, to pull out their falcati.
"Wait," said Hanno as he took in Sapho's words. "Did you say falcati?"
Sapho frowned. "Yes. Why?"
"Any fool knows that the word is neuter," Hanno snapped.
"No, it's not, it's feminine," Sapho replied with a confused look.
"What? Then why did you use the masculine plural just then?"
Sapho thought for a moment. "Damn it, you're right. I'm not sure." He turned to the scutarii. "Come here!"
Casting wary glances at the eight Romans, who were forming a small shield wall, the soldiers trotted over, their scuta and falcati raised.
"Are your swords masculine, feminine or neuter?"
"Eh?" demanded the leader, a tall man with a broken nose. "We need to kill those Romans before they get back to their camp. Who gives a sh*t what gender the word is?"
Leaving Hanno and his brother to squabble, the scutarii charged to the attack.
To be continued... :lol:
:roll: Great debate - thanks guys, but I think I'm going with the kopis/kopides, or the machaira/machairai!
Ben Kane, bestselling author of the Eagles of Rome, Spartacus and Hannibal novels.
Eagles in the Storm released in UK on March 23, 2017.
Aguilas en la tormenta saldra en 2017.
www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/benkanebooks
Eagles in the Storm released in UK on March 23, 2017.
Aguilas en la tormenta saldra en 2017.
www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/benkanebooks
