CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 119 



dying gaze of a wounded Amazon, half raising her recumbent 

 form and trying to scan the face of the field through the mist 

 of her glazing eye. She saw them not ; but too plainly to be 

 seen were the vanquished Fuscans in full retreat towards the 

 city which their efforts had proved ineffectual to defend. The 

 remnant of their army, still numerous, though more than half 

 destroyed, having reached the dome-like roof which covered in 

 their subterranean capital, were seen to overspread its surface, 

 then suddenly to disappear, defiling downwards through the 

 descending streets. But the enemy was close at hand, and the 

 dome just occupied by the scattered citizens, swarmed presently 

 with the invading legions. The latter were soon in possession 

 of the principal entrances ; but even while these were being 

 won, their sappers and miners opened breaches in the earthen 

 masonry of the dome, so that the entire force of the invaders 

 was speedily pouring from all quarters into the unhappy city. 

 Who can paint the scene that followed ? Who can number 

 the innocents that day made captive ? There was " Rachel 

 weeping for her children ; " but, strange anomaly ! the Rachels 

 who wept for them, who had bled for them, and died for them, 

 were not their mothers. These, the queens of Fusca, shut up 

 within their palaces, surrounded by their faithful body-guard, 

 heard the din without, the strife, the lamentations, and moved 

 not, perhaps were not permitted to move, their august persons 

 to inquire the cause. It was not the mothers, but the loving 

 foster-mothers, at once the tender nurses and the brave de- 



