should hold the keys of Ravenna; yea, of the kingdom. Thou badest me
resist manfully until thou camest thyself with thy whole army to my
assistance. We have manfully resisted not only Belisarius, but famine.
Where is thy relief? Woe to us if thy words are true, and with this
fortress the keys of our kingdom fall into the enemy's hands! Come
therefore, and help us; more for the kingdom's sake than for our own!"

This messenger was soon followed by a second: Burcentius, a soldier
belonging to the besieging army, who had been bribed with much gold.
His message ran--the short letter was written in blood:

"We have now only the weeds that grow between the stones to eat. We
cannot hold out longer than four days more."

As this last messenger was returning with the King's reply, he fell
into the hands of the besiegers, who burnt him alive in sight of the
Goths before the walls of Auximum.

And the King could give no help.

The small party of Goths in Auximum still resisted, although Belisarius
cut off the supply of water by destroying the aqueducts and poisoning
the remaining wells with the corpses of men and animals, thrown in with
lime.

Wisand still fiercely repelled every attack. On one of these occasions
Belisarius only escaped death at the sacrifice of one of his
body-guard.

Finally, Caesena, the last of the Gothic towns on the AEmilia, was the
first to fall; and then Faesulae, which was besieged by Cyprianus and
Justinus.

"My poor Faesulae!" exclaimed the King, when he learned this last
disaster, for he had been the Count of that town, and close to it lay
the house where he had lived so happily with Rauthgundis;--"My poor
Faesulae! the Huns will run riot in my deserted home!"

When, later, the garrison taken prisoner at Faesulae were led in chains
before the eyes of the defenders of Auximum, and reported to the latter
the hopelessness of any relief from Ravenna, the famished troops of
Wisand compelled him to surrender.

He stipulated for himself a free escort to Ravenna. His men were led
prisoners out of Italy.

And, so deeply sunk was the courage and patriotism of the conquered
troops, that, led by Earl Sisifrid of Sarsina, they accepted service
against their own countrymen under the flag of Belisarius.

The victor had strongly garrisoned Auximum and then led the army back
to the camp before Ravenna, where he now again took the command, which
had been entrusted to Cethegus during his absence.

It w