Part 17 (1/2)

For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And thou hast given them blood to drink, For they are worthy.

Even so, Lord G.o.d Almighty, True and righteous are thy judgments!”

But now murmurs and cries and shouts pa.s.sed around. Soon the cause of the disturbance became known.

”It is an accursed Christian”--”It is the fanatic Cinna”--”He has been confined four days without, food”--”Bring him out”--”Throw him to the tiger!”

Shouts and execrations arose on high and mingled in one vast roar. The tiger leaped in frenzy around. The keepers within heard the words of the mult.i.tude and hurried to obey.

Soon the gratings opened. The victim was thrust in.

Fearfully emaciated and ghastly pale, he tottered forward with tremulous steps. His eyes had an unearthly l.u.s.ter, his cheeks a burning flush, and his neglected hair and long beard were matted in a tangled ma.s.s.

The tiger saw him, and came leaping toward him. Then at a little distance away the furious beast crouched. The boy arose from his knees and looked. But Cinna saw no tiger. He fixed his eyes on the mult.i.tude, and waving his withered arm on high he shouted in the same tone of menace:

”Woe! woe! woe to the inhabitants of the earth--”

His voice was hushed in blood. There was a leap, a fall, and all was over.

And now the tiger turned toward the boy. His thirst for blood was fully aroused; with bristling hair, flaming eyes, and sweeping tail he stood facing his prey.

The boy saw that the end was coming, and again fell upon his knees. The crowd was hushed to stillness, and awaited in deep excitement the new scene of slaughter. The man who had been gazing so intently now rose upward and stood erect, still watching the scene below. Loud cries arose from behind him which increased still louder, ”Down,” ”down,” ”sit down,” ”you obstruct the view!”

But the man either did not hear or else purposely disregarded it. At length the crowd grew so noisy that the officers below turned to see the cause.

Lucullus was one of them. Turning round he saw the whole scene. He started and grew pale as death.

”Marcellus!” he cried. For a moment he staggered back, but soon recovering he hurried away to the scene of the disturbance.

But now a deep murmur broke forth from the mult.i.tude. The tiger, who had been walking round and round the boy, las.h.i.+ng himself to greater fury, now crouched for a spring.

The boy arose. A seraphic expression was upon his face. His eyes beamed with a lofty enthusiasm. He saw no longer the arena, the high surrounding walls, the far-extending seats with innumerable faces; he saw no more the relentless eyes of the cruel spectators, or the gigantic form of his savage enemy. [See Frontispiece.]

Already his soaring spirit seemed to enter into the golden gates of the New Jerusalem, and the ineffable glory of the noonday of heaven gleamed upon his sight.

”Mother, I come to thee! Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

His words sounded clearly and sweetly upon the ears of the mult.i.tude.

They ceased, and the tiger sprang. The next moment these was nothing but a struggling ma.s.s half hidden in clouds of dust.

The struggle ended. The tiger started back, the sand was red with blood, and upon it lay the mangled form of the true-hearted, the n.o.ble Pollio.

Then amid the silence that followed there came forth a shout that sounded like a trumpet peal and startled every one in the a.s.sembly:

”O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? . . .

Thanks be to G.o.d who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A thousand men rose with a simultaneous burst of rage and indignation.

Ten thousand hands were outstretched toward the bold intruder.