and stab with their spears. The confusion
spread wider and wider. Each man smote
down his brother, and was himself smitten down
before he had time tu exult in his victory. The
trumpeters, all the while, blew their blasts shriller
and shriller; each soldier shouted a battle cry
and often fell with it on his lips. It was the
strangest spectacle of causeless wrath, and oi
mischief for no good end, that had ever beer
witnessed; but, after all, it was neither mor
foolish nor more wicked than a thousand battles
that have since been fought, in which men have
slain their brothers with just as little reason as
these children of the dragon's teeth. It ought to
be considered, too, that the dragon people were
made for nothing else; whereas other mortals
were born to love and help one another.

"Well, this memorable battle continued to
rasre until the cround was strewn with helmeted
heads that had been cut off. Of all the thou-
sands that began the fight, there were only five
left standing. These now rushed from different
parts of the field, and, meeting in the middle
of it, clashed their swords, and struck at each
other's hearts as fiercely as ever.

[[153]]

p152 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p153w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p154

v?