e to ask----" and
he stealthily went up another step.

But Isaac heard the rattle of arms.

"Who is with thee!" he asked, advancing and holding out his torch. He
now saw the armed men crouching behind Jochem.

"Treachery! treachery!" he screamed; "die, thou blot upon the Hebrews!"
and he furiously struck his broad partisan into Jochem's heart, who
could not retreat.

Jochem fell dead among the soldiers.

"Treachery!" again cried Isaac.

But the next moment Johannes struck him down, sprang over his corpse,
hurried to the ramparts, and unfolded the flag of Byzantium.

Below the axes were busy; the sally-port fell, beaten down from within,
and with shrill cries--it was already quite dark--the Huns rushed by
thousands into the city.

All was over.

A portion filled the streets with carnage; one troop broke open the
nearest gates, letting in their comrades from outside.

Old Uliaris, with his little troop, hurried from the castle; he hoped
to drive the intruders out; in vain; a spear was hurled which felled
him to the ground.

And round his corpse fell, fighting bravely, the two hundred faithful
Goths who yet surrounded him.

Then, when they saw the imperial banner waving on the walls, the
citizens of Neapolis arose. Led by old friends to the Romans, such as
Stephanus and Antiochus the Syrian--Castor, a zealous friend of the
Goths, had lost his life in attempting to hold them back--they disarmed
the single Goths in the streets, and sent an embassy with thanks,
congratulations, and petitions for mercy on the city to Belisarius,
who, surrounded by his brilliant staff, now rode into the Porta
Capuana.

But he bent his majestic brow gloomily, and, without checking his
charger, answered:

"Neapolis has checked my progress for fifteen days, else I had already
been before Rome, even before Ravenna. How much do you think this delay
has robbed the Emperor of his right, and me of fame? For fifteen days
your cowardice and ill-will has caused you to be governed by a handful
of barbarians. The punishment for these fifteen days shall be only
fifteen hours of--pillage. Without murder; the inhabitants are the
Emperor's prisoners of war; without fire, for the city is a fortress of
Byzantium. Where is the leader of the Goths? Dead?"

"Yes," answered Johannes, "here is his sword. Earl Ularis fell."

"I do not mean him!" said Belisarius; "I mean the young one; Totila.
What has become of him? I must have him."

"Sir," sai