it!"

One of the officers now came forward: "General," he said, "we neither fear

the courage, nor arms, the open attack, nor secret ambush of the Moslems.

We are ready to expose our breasts, exposed ten thousand times before, to

the balls and scymetars of the infidels, and to fall gloriously for Greece.

But we will not die in heaps, like dogs poisoned in summer-time, by the

pestilential air of that city--we dare not go against the Plague!"

A multitude of men are feeble and inert, without a voice, a leader; give

them that, and they regain the strength belonging to their numbers. Shouts

from a thousand voices now rent the air--the cry of applause became

universal. Raymond saw the danger; he was willing to save his troops from

the crime of disobedience; for he knew, that contention once begun between

the commander and his army, each act and word added to the weakness of the

former, and bestowed power on the latter. He gave orders for the retreat to

be sounded, and the regiments repaired in good order to the camp.

I hastened to carry the intelligence of these strange proceedings to

Perdita; and we were soon joined by Raymond. He looked gloomy and

perturbed. My sister was struck by my narrative: "How beyond the

imagination of man," she exclaimed, "are the decrees of heaven, wondrous

and inexplicable!"

Foolish girl," cried Raymond angrily, "are you like my valiant soldiers,

panic-struck? What is there inexplicable, pray, tell me, in so very natural

The Last Man