ER XX

"I know those tones," said Gelimer, anxiously, turning toward the
entrance.

"Yes; it is our boy," cried Gibamund. "He seems very angry."

Even as he spoke young Ammata rushed in, dragging with him by his short
hair and the open neck of his robe a lad considerably larger, clad in a
richly ornamented tunic, who struggled vainly as the other jerked him
with both hands through the entrance, which was closed only by a
curtain. The dark eyes, clear-cut features, and round, short head of
Ammata's foe indicated his Roman lineage.

"What is it, Ammata?"

"What has happened, Publius Pudentius?"

"No, no! I won't let you go," shouted the Vandal prince. "You shall
repeat it in the presence of the King! And the King shall give you the
lie! Listen, brother! We were playing in the vestibule; we were
wrestling together. I threw him. He rose angrily, and, grinding his
teeth, said, 'That doesn't count. The devil, the demon of your race,
helped you.'

"'Who?' I asked.

"'Why, that Genseric, the son of Orcus. You Asdings boast of your
descent from pagan gods; but these, so the priest taught us, were
demons. That is the reason of his luck, his victories.'

"I laughed, but he went on: 'He said so himself. Once, when Genseric
left the harbor of Carthage on his corsair ship and the helmsman asked
where he should turn the prow, the wicked tyrant answered: "Let us
drift with the wind and waves toward whomsoever God's anger is directed
against."' Is that true, brother?"

"Yes, it is true!" retorted the young Roman. "And it is also true that
Genseric was as cruel as a demon to the defenceless and the prisoners.
From rage because he was defeated in an attack upon Taenarus he landed
at Zacynthus, dragged away as captives five hundred noble men and
women, and, when out at sea, ordered them the whole five hundred--to be
hacked into pieces from the feet upward, and flung into the waves."

"Brother, surely this is not true?" cried Ammata, pushing back his
waving locks from his flushed face. "What? You are silent? You turn
away? You cannot--"

"No, he cannot deny it," cried Pudentius, defiantly. "Do you see how
pale he turns? Genseric was a demon. You have all sprung from hell. He
and his successors have committed horrible deeds of cruelty upon us
Romans, us Catholics! But wait! It will not remain unpunished. As
surely as there is a God in Heaven! This curse of sin rests upon you.
What do the Scriptures say? 'I will visit the sins