blood-stained weapon.

"Oh, my love!" she cried. "Oh, my husband, my life! Why did I never
tell you how I loved you? Alas! because I did not know myself--until
now! Hear it, oh, hear it, Gibamund, I loved you very dearly. I thank
you. Friend Teja! Oh, my all, I follow you."

And now she drew from her girdle the keen black dagger. Severing with
one cut the long floating banner from its staff, she spread it over the
corpse like a pall. It was so wide that it covered the whole space
beside the body. Then, with the blazing torch, she lighted the lowest
wood, bent over the dead Prince, again kissed the pale lips fervently,
and seizing the dark weapon, which flashed brightly in the light of the
flames, buried it in her brave, proud heart.

She fell forward on her face over her beloved husband, and the fire,
crackling and burning, seized first the scarlet banner which enfolded
the young pair.

The morning breeze blew strongly through the half-open door and the
chinks between the logs--and the bright flames soon blazed high above
the roof.

CHAPTER XXI

PROCOPIUS TO CETHEGUS:

It is over! Thank God, or whoever else may be entitled to our
gratitude. Three months, full of utter weariness, we remained encamped
before the mountain of defiance. It is March; the nights are still
cool, but at noonday the sun already burns with scorching heat. An
attempted flight was baffled by treachery; Verus, Gelimer's chancellor
and closest friend, deserves the credit of this base deed. Obeying the
priest's directions we sought the Soloes concealed on the southern
slope who were to accompany the fugitives to the sea, but found only
the prints of numerous hoofs. We blocked the outlet. Then the King
voluntarily, without any farther trouble, offered to surrender. Fara
was greatly delighted; he would have granted any condition that enabled
him to deliver the King a captive to Belisarius, who was even more
impatient for the end of the war than we. At the entrance of the
ravine, which we had never been able to penetrate, I received the
little band of Vandals--about twenty were left. The Moors, too, came
down; at Gelimer's earnest entreaty, Fara immediately set them at
liberty. These Vandals--what images of misery, famine, privation,
sickness, suffering! I do not understand how they could still hold out,
still offer resistance. They could scarcely carry their arms, and
willingly allowed us to take them.

But wh