s bow and arrows in
his hand. As he was thus passing along a copse of wood, near a brook,
the dogs came suddenly upon Sylvia's stag. The confiding animal,
unconscious of any danger, had strayed away from the herdsman's
grounds to this grove, and had gone down to the brook to drink. The
dogs immediately sprang upon him, in full cry. Ascanius followed,
drawing at the same time an arrow from his quiver and fitting it to
the bow. As soon as he came in sight of the stag, he let fly his
arrow. The arrow pierced the poor fugitive in the side, and inflicted
a dreadful wound. It did not, however, bring him down. The stag
bounded on down the valley toward his home, as if to seek protection
from Sylvia. He came rushing into the house, marking his way with
blood, ran to the covert which Sylvia had provided for his
resting-place at night, and crouching down there he filled the whole
dwelling with piteous bleatings and cries.

As soon as Tyrrheus, the father of Sylvia, and the two young men, her
brothers, knew who it was that had thus wantonly wounded their
favorite, they were filled with indignation and rage. They went out
and aroused the neighboring peasantry, who very easily caught the
spirit of resentment and revenge which burned in the bosoms of
Tyrrheus and his sons. They armed themselves with clubs, firebrands,
scythes, and such other rustic weapons as came to hand, and rushed
forth, resolved to punish the overbearing insolence of their foreign
visitors, in the most summary manner.

In the mean time the Trojan youth, having heard the tidings of this
disturbance, began to gather hastily, but in great numbers, to defend
Ascanius. The parties on both sides were headstrong, and highly
excited; and before any of the older and more considerate chieftains
could interfere, a very serious conflict ensued. One of the sons of
Tyrrheus was killed. He was pierced in the throat by an arrow, and
fell and died immediately. His name was Almon. He was but a boy, or at
all events had not yet arrived at years of maturity, and his premature
and sudden death added greatly to the prevailing excitement. Another
man too was killed. At length the conflict was brought to an end for
the time but the excitement and the exasperation of the peasantry were
extreme. They carried the two dead bodies in procession to the
capital, to exhibit them to Latinus; and they demanded, in the most
earnest and determined manner, that he should immediately make war
upon