, and
Mauritania was annexed to Rome. For hundreds of years after this the
country was a scene of frequent and bloody warfare, in which many great
historical names figured, and many great armies were swept away to
gratify human pride, ambition, and cupidity on the one hand, and to
defend hearth and home on the other, until the Roman power extended far
and wide, from the Libyan desert to the Atlantic, and from the
Mediterranean to the Zahara. Near the time of our Saviour, (B.C. 46),
Sallust was established by Julius Caesar as governor of Numidia, where
he collected materials for his history of the Jugurthine wars, and at
the same time enriched himself by the plunder of the now highly
civilised and prosperous country."

"Trust 'em, they're all sure to do that, the haythens!" said Ted, whose
pipe, by its varying cloudlets, became a pretty fair index to his
feelings.

"Roman remains are now to be found," continued Lucien, "all over the
land, even in the wildest regions of the Atlas Mountains, although the
Romans utterly failed to subdue the hardy prehistoric natives of these
mountains, who rose against them at frequent intervals, despite
temporary defeats, and successfully defied all the various races who
assailed them. During this Roman period the country was so well
cultivated that it became, and was styled, `the granary of the Roman
Empire.' Christianity was also introduced, and became so wide-spread
that at one time there were no fewer than a hundred and sixty bishoprics
in northern Africa. Unquestionably there were then, as there always
were and will be, some who were imbued with the peace-loving spirit of
Christianity, including among them such men as Augustine, Tertullian,
and Cyprian--whom, I dare say, Signor Flaggan, you never before heard
of,--but it cannot be doubted that a vast majority possessed nothing of
our religion but the name, for they constantly resorted to the most
bitter warfare and violence to maintain their views.

"Towards the decline of the Roman Empire, Boniface, the proconsul,
revolted against the Emperor Valentinian. The latter asked the aid of
Genseric, king of the Vandals. Genseric most willingly agreed, went to
Africa with 90,000 of his stalwart light-haired `barbarians' of the
north, was joined by the natives, and conquered the whole of Barbary,
not for the Romans, but for himself! This was in the year 428, and the
Vandals held the land for a hundred years.

"The Romans, in the