The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-24

sacred al the senators and burned their
house
Yet about the smouIfering ruins. high
10 on the Cap.tOline mount. the citadel
proudly defied the assaults Of the Gauls.
But their stern leader. Brennus, swore
that he would yet accomplish his object,
and that the naughty Romans should be
made 20 feel his wrath He accordingly
engiFt the Capitoline hill with Gordon Of
his Wild soldiery. so that none could go
out, nor could any come IN 10 their aid
In time he thought hunger might &C
complish what the sword had failed 10 do.
Day after day the beSieEing Gauls kept
their unbroken line around the citadel
and hunger began 10 p-ncn the brave de-
tenders. No help could reach them but
from one source, and u that they were
not sure. One OF their generals, Camillus.
by name was away from Rome at this
time, and around him gathered those Ro-
mans who had escaped from the battle
and who had fed from the city at the
Gauls' approach. Even the neighboring
cities were glad 10 help Rome against
these fierce invaders. An army was mus
tered at last, but before they marched
against the enemy il was considered of
prime Importance that the little garrison
in the citadel should know of the under
taking.
A brave youth named Pontius Cominius
was chosen for this mission. He swan one
night on corks down the Tiber, and elud-
ing the vigilance Of the Gauls, clambered
up the steep ascent of the capitol. Having
given the requisite information to the gar
rison, he returned TIE way he came.
Now IL CHANGED that on the morning
after the perilious ascent of POntius, the
Gauls. idly stroIling around the base Of
the Capitoline, CHANGED to espy a bush on
the side cT the precipice that had given
way as Cominius had grasped IL in climb
ing. They also observed that the ten
drills of the wild vines were lossened from
the rock, and in many places little clus-
tiers Of moss were torn and pressed to-
gether, as II clutched by the hand. All
these marks showed that some person had
scaled the supposed Inaccessible rock to
the Roman citadel.
What a Roman can do that can a Gaul
do, thought Brennus, and he instantly re-
solved to put the attempt in execution
He selected a score of his bravest and
most agile warriors, men who had been
reared among the mountains, and who
were as active as the chamois of the hills,
and to these he committed the enterprise.
In the dark midnight, the Gauls, fol-
lowing the path traced by Pontius, began
the ascent. One after the other, slowly,
silently and cautiously, they crawled up
the steep. No noise was made, not even a
whisper broke the night stiffness. Up,
higher and higher, they mounted, the adj
vancing line resembling a huge anaconda
that was struggling upward over the
rocks; and still no alarm was given. Be
low stood Brennus, elate and triumphant
his heart beating with the thought that
he would soon be complete master Of
Rome.
All this time profound silence reignod
throughout the limits Of the capitol. The
approach of the enemy was unsuspected.
There was no sentinel guarding ele pass
at the point where these grim warriors
were about to leap upon the parapets.
Not even the dogs were aroused, 50 stealth
lily was the advance of the foe
Happily, however. a warning was given,
though neither by man nor by baying
watch dog. The approach of the Gauls,
stealthy as It was, aroused the geese of
Juno, and a furious cacknng ensued. THESE
geese were kept in the courts of the tenn
pie dedicated to the goddess. and were con-
sidered sacred.
The startled birds flew up and down the
court, Tapping their wings and kissing and
cackling, until their startling cries
awoke Marcus Manlius, whose house stood
near the spot Giving the alarm. he rush
ed to the battlements, sword in hand just
in time to strike down several of the Gauls,
who had already mounted the parapet In
their deadly fall they crashed headlong
down upon the advance carrying many
with them in that fearful plunge.
The Romans were now aroused and came
forward to repel the assailants Scarcely
one of the ascending party escaped alive
from the storm of javelins, arrows and
stones that were poured down upon them.
Not many days afterwards Camillus ar
rived at the gates Of Rome, and the bar
'barians, after a hard battle, were forced
to depart from the city that they could
not destroy.
But the Roman geese were not forgotten
the birds OF Juno had been, they were now
looked upon inspired by that goddess
with wonderful sagacity. 1t was believed
by every Roman that Juno had made her
geese break the silence of the night with
| their clamorOus din, and thereby give the
capitol.