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But the dwellers of that little huddle of huts had nothing to do but

to sit in their doorways and suspect Whatever caht the since they had

learned to defend the at breakneck

speed, bearing with them an old man on whom the inertia of death was

plain, came across the frontiers of their little town, they met them

with the convenient stones of their rocky streets, with their savage,

stark-ribbed dogs, with offal from kitchen heap and donkey stall and

with insults and curses

"Away, ye bringers of plague! Out, lepers; be gone, ye unclean!"

Laodice and Aquila who rode in the open were fair targets for half the

hail that fell about theroaned as the missiles fell into

the howdah upon the helpless shape of Costobarus, who did not lift a

hand to fend off the stones The pagan, bruised and raging, drew his

weapon and spurred his horse to ride down his assailants, but they

scattered before hie continued their assault with

redoubled deter to enforce hospitality, turned

his ca around the outermost limits of the settlement,