lly beautiful; and very pretty will these stones look on her
white neck."

"Yes, but where are they then, your women and children, and unarmed
folk?" asked Vestralp of the busy bridegroom.

"They will come to-morrow down the eastern mountains," answered Garizo.
"For this we have at last found out, 'slow-moving' as we are, as thy
hasty-tongued comrade just now said--this we have now learnt: to send
the men forwards into the battle, and let the unarmed come afterwards
when the victory and land is won."

"There must be something in it," laughed Vestralp, "in this name
'slow-moving,' because it vexes you so. If one called you a coward, you
would only laugh and strike him down. You are a strange people! No
other race so calm, and at the same time so terrible in anger."

"I will tell thee," spoke thoughtfully Helmbert, the white-bearded. "We
are like the mountains; they stand quiet, whatever goes on round about
them. But if the tumult within gets too vexatious, they overturn in
rocks and fire."

"You have shown this time that you also can be cunning and crafty,"
cried Suomar. "With what artful care did you prevent the enemy getting
scent of your approach! So sharply did you watch all the roads, and
even the mule-tracks and the paths of the chamois-hunters, that no
intelligence from the east could reach Juvavum."

"And not to make the Romans suspicious at the absence of all news,"
added Helmbert, "we sent our own Roman settlers disguised like peasants
and workmen, as if they were the people from Ovilava and Laureacum,
into the town, there to buy and sell."

"And if these had revealed all?" asked Suomar.

"Their relatives left behind would have been put to death. That was
said plainly enough to them. But besides this, the poor people would
rather support us than their Roman tormentors."

"The burghers of the town soon gave up the contest; they find
themselves under a new rule; as they see, we do not eat them," said
Helmdag, laughing.

"Yes; _only_ the cavalry and foot-soldiers of the Tribune fought
bravely, and with exasperation," said Rando.

"Tell us about it," urged Vestralp. "We, who fought on the other side
of the river, do not know yet exactly what happened within the walls,
or how the citadel fell so quickly."

"By the sword of Ziu, it was wonderful!" began Rando. "There, on the
great square, where the Christian saint stands with lion's skin and
club"----

"_That_ a saint! That is a heathen god!"

"No;