Moors, no,--the Romans, the Catholics. Hear and
help, O Saint Cyprian! He is drawing them from us to his side. He
maintains strict discipline; but the only time our Huns do not rob,
plunder, and steal is when they are standing in rank and file before
Belisarius--or when they are asleep; but then they at least dream of
pillaging. So the peasants whom we have liberated flee in throngs from
their deliverers to the camp of the Barbarian King. They prefer the
Vandals to the Huns. They collect together, fall upon our plundering
heroes (true, they are largely camp-followers), cut off their pagan,
nay, even their Christian heads, and receive in exchange from the
"Tyrant" a heretical gold-piece. That alone would not be so bad, but
the peasants serve the Vandal as spies, and tell him everything he
desires to know, so far as they know it themselves. This kindness of
heart is undoubtedly hypocrisy, but it helps,--perhaps more than if it
were genuine.

* * * * *

I am really almost sorry for the Sphinx. She was so wonderfully
beautiful! Only it is a pity that she did not become an animal instead
of a woman. Fara discovered that she also allowed Althias the Thracian
and Aigan the Hun to divine the mystery of her nature. At first the
three heroes intended to fight to the death for the marvel. But this
time the Hun was wiser than either the German or the Thracian. By his
suggestion, they fraternally divided the woman into equal portions by
strapping her on a board, and, with two blows of an axe, separating her
into three parts. Fara received the head, as was fair; he had the best
right to it. For when she noticed his distrust, she tried to soothe him
by the offer of some fruit which she broke fresh from the tree. But she
made a mistake there; Fara, the Herulian and pagan, likes horse-flesh
far better than he does peaches. He gave it to her ape. The animal bit
it, shook itself, and lay dead. This disturbed the German, and he did
not rest until he had solved all the riddles of the many-sided Sphinx,
even her natural faithlessness. Then, as I said, they divided the
beautiful body into three parts. I advised them to bury the corpse very
deep, or at night scorching red flames would burst from her grave.

* * * * *

A little defeat.

Belisarius was complaining he knew too little of the enemy. So he sent
one of the best men of his body-guard, Diogenes, towards the sout