Читать книгу The Unpublished Legends of Virgil онлайн

20 страница из 60

Then a brother of the King who was thus slain gathered an army and besieged Romo, who found himself in great danger. One evening he said:

“There is danger within the walls,

The sound of enemies without,

The sun set in blood,

To-morrow it may rise to death.

Would that I had more warriors to fight!

Two hundred fierce and bold;

Two hundred would save us all,

Three hundred would give us full victory.”

The Queen said nothing, but that night she stole secretly out of the castle with her sons, and when alone they began to howl, and soon all the were-wolves in the country assembled. So the Queen returned with three hundred men, so fierce and wild that they looked like devils.

They were strange in every way, and talked or howled among themselves in a horrible language, which, however, the Queen and her sons seemed to understand. And in the first battle Romo gained a great victory. And it was observed that the three hundred men ate the dead. However, the King was well pleased to conquer.

When Romolo and Remolo were grown up to be men they learned that in a land not far away were two Princesses named Sabina and Sabinella, who were the two most beautiful, and also the strongest, maidens in the world. And it was also made known that he who would win either must come and conquer her in fight and carry her away by main strength.