THE GEESE THAT KEPT GUARD OVER ROME.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 279, 24 November 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE GEESE THAT KEPT GUARD OVER ROME.

Home was besieged. A new and terrible enemy had swooped down upon her. These people came from the north, lhey were tall and fierce, with piercing blue eyes and flowing locks of glistening gold. The}' were called Gauls. ° Pierce battles were fought in the city, and the legions of Rome found themselves driven back again and again. The Gauls were not only strong, they were fearless. They rushed on the Romans with terrible shouts, and tore their ranks in sunder.

At last the poor Romans were forced to retire to their last fortress, called the Capitol. They were safe here, for who would dream of climbing up the steep rock to force the mighty walls of the Capitol? But sad and dreadful was it for the Roman soldiers, though they were safe, to look over the walls of their fortress and watch the savage Gauls burning their homes aud carrying off all their precious things. The Romans began to be dreadfully hungry. Many a time they must have looked at the sacred geese which lived in the Temple of Juno and thought it would be no crime to kill and cat theiu. But the "ccsc were sacred birds to the Romans. To kill them would be sacrilege. Now, it chanced one night, as a brave young Roman named Manlius lay sleeping beside his sword near the Temple of Juno, that a strange sound striking across his troubled dreams woke Mm sullenly, and made him grasp his sword and get upon his feet. .He recognised the noise at once. It was the hissing of the sacred _ geese. What could have roused those birds? The noise increased; it became a tumult of alarm and panic; the whole flock was filling the night with its frightened cry. Manlius ran to Hie walls of the fortress and looked down. He came face to face with a Gaul! The leader of the Gauls had led his men up the cliff in a night attack, and ho was just about to pull himself over the wall when Manlius appeared. In an instant Manlius seized the' straining wrists of the Gaul, and, wrenching the lingers free of the parapet, hurled the enemy down the hill. Louder and louder grew the night clamour of the geese. Romans started from their sleep, and, picking up their arms, hurried to see what it could be. They found Manlius defending the wall's. With a shout of victory they rushed to his rescue, and in a few minutes all the garrison was roused and the Gauls were beaten back and utterly routed.