The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-02-08
NUMBER L.

and, having hrst helped his mother to alighBss
| took his sister in his arms and placed hers
sitting under the green shade. A Thraoiass
woman, q slave, descended meantime from the
box, and the driver drew his vehicle to the side
Of the highway.
While they thus repssed, with no SQUAD
| about them, rs they thought, save the rustic Of
the leaves, the distant ripple of the waters,
and the vehement shrill call of the cicala,
hidden in the grass somewhere near, their
destinies were coming. The freedman sud-
denly held up his hand, and drew their
attention to that peculiar sound through the
teeth, (st,) which in all nations signifies
tsten
And, indeed, o distant, dull, vague noise
was now heard southwark, and seemed to in
crease and approach along the Appian road.
Every eye in our little group of travellers was
turned in the direction mentioned, aud they
could see white cloud of dust coming swiftly
northward. Soon they distinguished the tramp
of many horses ct the trot. Then, over the
top of q hill which had intercepted the view,
came the CLEAN of arms, filling tho whole
width of the way, and advancing like torrent
of light. The ground trembled; and, headed
by troop or two of Numdiau riders, and then
ry, q thousand horse, at least, of the PratorG
Guards, arrayed, as usual, magnifcently, syeeps
along in o column two hundred deep, with q
rattle and ring of metal rising treble upon tho
ear over the continuous bass Of the beatinA
hoofs, as the foam floats above she roll of tho
waves.
The young girl was at once startled from the
sense of sickness and grief, and gazed with
big eyes at the pageant. Six hundred yards
further on trumpet-note, clear and long,
gave some sudden signal, and the whole body
instantly halted. From detached group in
the rear an officer now rode toward the front;
q loud word or two of command was heard,
slight movement followed, and then, as If tho
column were some monstrous yellow. scaled.
serpent with an elastic neck and black head,
the swarthy troops which had LED. the advance
wheeled slowly backward, two instead of Eve
abreast, while the main column simultaneously
stretched itself forward on o narrower face,
aud with deeper file, occupying thus less
than half the width of the road, which they
had before nearly filed, and extending much
further onward. Meantime the squadronS
which had led 1t continued to defle to the
rear; and whom their last rank had passS =
the last of those fronting in the opposite direc.
tion, they suddenly faced to their own right,
and, standing like statues lined tho way ON
the side opposite to that where our travellers
were reposing, but some forty or fifty yards
higher up the road, or more north.
In front Of the line of hoIsemep, who, after
wheeling back, had been thus faced to their
own right or The proper left of the line Of
the line Of march, was now collected small
group Of mounted officers. One of them wore
. steel oorslet, o casque of the Same metal,
with few short black feathers in its crest,
and the chlamys, or better sort of sagum, the
scarlet mantle of military tribune, over o
black tunic. upon which two broad red stripes
or ribbons were diagonally sewn. This cos
tune denoted him one of the Lasiclarif, or
broad-ribboned tribunes; In other wordsA~>
although, to judge by the massive gold ring
which glittered on the foreGnger of his bride
hand, he might have been originally aud per-
sonally only knight-he had received either
from the emperor, or from one of the two
CSsars thou governing with and under Augus-
tus, the senatorial rank.
The chlsmys was fastened across the top of
his chest with silver clasp, and the tunic .
little lower down with another, both being
open below rs far az the waist, and disclosnga
tight6ttlng chan-mail corselet or shirt of steel
rings. The chlamys otherwise thrown
loosely over his shoulders but the tunie was
belted round the corselet his waist by . buzz
girdle, wherein hung the intricately figured
brass scabbard of a straight, fat, not very long
cutand-tbrust sword, which he now held
drawn in his right hand. In bis belt were
stuck a pair of gloves which seemed to be
mado of the same material a. the girdIe; buf-
falO-skin greaves on his legs aud halEboot.
completed his dress. He was q handsome man
about ive-Snd-thirty years old, brown hair, an
COntnusd on eighth Pago.I