skull!" said Harry, leisurely buttoning up his boots again.

"Well, come and look," said Philip.

"Not I," said Harry; "you're up to some tricks."

"I'm not, I tell you," said Philip; "it's a skull, and there's another
bit of one, and some bones; and here's an old farthing, such a thick
one, and so badly made; and, ugh! why, that's a bit of jawbone, with all
the teeth fallen out."

Just then Harry came up to them and saw that, indeed, they had hit upon
something more curious--if less attractive--than anything they had
before been that day.

"Why, this isn't a farthing," said Fred, who had been examining the
coin; "I know what it is, it's a Roman coin. My Papa has got one,
something like it."

Just then they heard Mr Inglis calling close at hand, and Philip
bounded off to fetch him and tell of their discovery. This hastened the
Squire's steps, and very soon he was carefully inspecting what the boys
had laid bare. He immediately confirmed Fred's opinion that the coin
was Roman, and also said that it was of silver, and appeared to bear the
name of Constantine. Fred's piece of old iron was unmistakably the
blade of a sword, but almost completely eaten away, and the bones and
two skulls were directly pronounced to be human; but they crumbled away
to dust almost immediately.

"Bravo, boys," said Mr Inglis at last; "you have indeed made a
discovery. I have long been under the impression that this old trench
must contain some curious antiquities, but never thought to see them
laid bare in so singular a manner. We must have spades and pickaxes up
here to-morrow, if we can get permission: but let's turn over the gravel
with our sticks; we may, perhaps, find something more to-day."

"But won't the skulls and bones be nasty, and poisonous, uncle?" said
Fred.

Mr Inglis smiled, and then said, "No, my boy. You have read how that
God made Adam of the dust of the earth, and how that it is said, `To
dust thou shalt return,' and here you see how that it is so. Touch that
bone ever so lightly, and you sea it has crumbled away to `dust of the
earth!' God has so arranged, by His great wisdom, that the earth shall
deprive everything of its ill odour and poisonous nature when buried
therein, so that even in some great pit upon a battle-field where,
perhaps, scores--of the slain had been covered-in, in the course of time
nothing would be found there but rich soil, for our bodies are
chemically composed of nothing but salts