lls," said Helmbert, an aged leader of the
Bajuvaren. "They are now the guides to the richest booty."

"Take the corpse away! On the stone steps is the best place to sit and
drink," said Helmdag, his son.

"Dare to do it, thou blasphemer! That is the table of the most exalted
Lord of Heaven," threatened Rando.

"It is not true," cried Helmdag. "Thou art a Catholic. This is a
heretic church, more harmful than any abominations of heathenism. So my
Gothic godfather, the Bishop of Novi, teaches me."

"Thou stinking Arian!" answered Rando. "Thou denier of Christ! I will
teach thee to give to the Lord Christ equal honour with the Father. I
will fill thy mouth with my fist, and with thine own teeth as well!"

"With us the son always stands behind the father," growled Helmdag.

"Peace! both of you," commanded Vestralp, "fill your mouths with Roman
wine. Bring the skin, Crispus, thou Roman hero! Do not untie it! A
stroke with the sword. So! It spouts like red blood out of wounds! Now
the helmets and hollow shields, until the noble Roman in the buck's
skin is exhausted. And as concerns the strife about the two stone
steps, I think that a good man honours everything that is sacred to
another. Therefore, brothers, we will all draw back from those steps."

"But the gold and silver on the walls, on the pillars and stone
coffers?" said Helmdag, the Arian.

"Perhaps that is to stay for the plundering slaves?" said Rando the
Catholic.

"No!" cried the enlightened pagan, who had spoken for peace--it was
Vestralp, the vanquisher of the helmeted Crispus--"that would be a
pity. We will divide it amongst us all: for the God Ziu, for the Romish
Bishops, and for the followers of Arius."

And they immediately set to work with the bronze helmet, or deer-skin
cap, full of red wine in the left hand, the battle-axe in the right.
Drinking heartily during their work, they broke away from the
sarcophagi, holy shrines, and even from the columns, all that was
valuable of the metal ornaments and jewels, and also the stones that
pleased the eye by their variegated colours.

Garizo, a young, slim, tall Bajuvaren, lifted from the neck of a Saint
Anne her necklace of heavy gold and sapphires, giving at the same time
a deep bow, and saying:

"With thy permission, holy goddess, or whatever else thou mayest be;
but thou art horribly ugly, and of dead stone. What one sees of thy
bosom is yellow; but my bride Albrun is alive and young, and
wonderfu