possession of its object. Egle, he believed, was safe on board his vessel, and no longer urged by the one exclusive desire to gain this prize, his mind was more open to the impressions which the tranquil shades of night were calculated to produce, and to review the steps of the extraordinary change that had taken place in his own position and views. From the time when

he had parted with Philokalos and his sister on the heads, his whole mind had been absorbed and engrossed by the pursuit of a single object, to the pursuit of which his whole faculties had been devoted. Now that object was obtained, the tension of his mind was relaxed, and calm thought began again to resume its power. What was his position? To what depth of dishonor and shame was he sinking? He had perfidiously abandoned and renounced a lady of noble lineage and of rare accomplishments, who had lavished upon him the rich treasures of her love, in firm reliance on his honour and manhood. He had abandoned his character as a warrior of reputation, and, like a licentious adventurer, he had carried off by force and in bonds the woman for whom he had deserted his honorable love. Lastly, his friend, the brother of his betrothed, whose hospitality he had enjoyed, was now lying bleeding, and perhaps dying, on a bed of grass, without the necessary attendance and remedies, and this too was the work of his hand. Stung by these thoughts, Iphitus turned sharply away, and as he did so, he thought he heard voices.

After listening attentively for a short time, they seemed to come nearer, and convinced that some of the attendants of Philokalos had come forth in search of him, Iphitus at once advanced to meet them and to direct them to the spot. Proceeding a little distance along the beach in the direction of the sounds, he fell in with two men, who said they had come in quest of Philokalos; that a larger party was a short distance behind them; and that they had been sent out by Iothales, who feared that her brother might meet with some danger.

"His danger you are too late to avert," said Iphitus, moodily, “but you may yet be of service. I will conduct you to him." He turned and led the way, and the attendants followed him in silence. On arriving at the spot, Iphitus said

"Here lies your chief. The sooner you can convey him to his home and procure the help of one who has any skill in healing, the more chance he has of his life. Nay," he continued, "look not on me; it was my hand that struck him. I would that my blade had been less successful, and that I were even now as he is."

Then stooping down over the prostrate form of Philokalos, he gazed intently through the dim light upon his pallid face, he listened to the gasping respiration, and he placed his fingers upon the tremulous and flickering pulse. Then he arose, and said angrily to the servants

"Can ye not find some poles of which to make a stretcher? Do ye think your master will be cured by a couple of lazy knaves standing and gaping at him?"

The men moved off in a confused manner, muttering to each other as they went. Iphitus remained for a few moments, leaning upon his spear, and again plunged in a gloomy reverie. But he was suddenly recalled to himself by the sound of voices, and then he recollected that larger party of whom the two men had spoken. In his present frame of mind Iphitus would gladly have gone away unperceived. He was in no mood for quarrel or controversy, and now that Philokalos was safe in the hands of his own servants, he had every disposition to effect a quiet retreat. But he had

delayed too long. He was already surrounded by the retainers of Phi lokalos, who were crowding around with eager curiosity to obtain a sig of their young chief. But they were recalled by the voice of a man wh seemed to speak with authority

"What! shall we waste the time in idle curiosity, while our chief lies stretched on the ground, and his murderer stands here in our midst? L a proper number attend to their master, and let the rest, if they have any manhood, join me in revenging him."

At once they thronged around him with low murmurs, while the finger of each with ominous grip began to clutch his spear, his knife, or his staf But Iphitus, roused by the emergency, advanced a step and waved h spear, while he thus addressed them

"Hold! and think before ye do anything rash. Your lord fell, it is true, by my hand, but it was in fair fight, and was of his own seeking. I would give my own life if his might be so saved, but I am not one to be meddled with with impunity. Stand aside, and let me pass."

His tone and manner had so much dignity and self-confidence, that the band of vassals felt overawed, and as they remarked his large and strongly-proportioned frame, and his gestures of decision and of command they began instinctively to fall back on either side as he advanced. But the man who had before spoken came forward boldly to meet him, and crying out to his comrades "Cowards, will ye be frightened by a few big words?" will ye let the murderer escape?" he aimed a furious blow with his spear at the breast of Iphitus. the breast of Iphitus. It struck upon his breast-plate, and shivered to atoms, as though it had been dashed upon the face of the neighbouring cliff. Iphitus raised his arm, and in an instant his rash assailant sank to the earth, with the point of the weapon, which had been driven between his eyes, projecting at the back of his head. Wrenching his spear from his prostrate victim, Iphitus again advanced, and this time the crowd gave way, and allowed him to pass. As he stalked through their midst, with his shield slung over his broad shoulders, and his terrible spear in his hand, not an arm was raised, not a voice was heard, but the moment that he had passed, and his form began to grow dim in the darkness, a low murmur ran through the crowd,-it deepened, and then, as if by a common impulse, they rushed forward and threw themselves, a living mass, upon the retreating figure of their enemy. At once a crowd of weapons rang upon the broad disk of the shield of Iphitus, and the impetus of the attack was such that he was compelled to turn upon his assailants, and to threaten them with his spear, while at the same instant he unslung his shield and presented it in front for his defence. Then the combat commenced in earnest. Step by step Iphitus retreated, keeping his antagonists at bay with his spear, whilst his shield caught all the missiles which they incessantly hurled at him. At length he reached an upright wall of cliff, and here he stopped and stood on his defence.

Fearful of the strength and skill which they had already so signally experienced, his assailants hung together out of reach of the stroke of his formidable spear, and adopted such means of harassing him as their ingenuity was able to devise, with the greatest amount of safety to themselves. A portion of them continued to assail him with whatever missiles they could find. Stones and sticks rattled upon his shield and his armour in a heavy shower, whilst those who were armed with spears, reserved them for a favourable opportunity when, either wearied by the desultory attacks made upon him, or thrown momentarily off his guard, an opening might be

made for a simultaneous and irresistible attack. So the contest continued for some time, without any definite result or advantage to either side.

Iphitus, aroused and warmed by the affray, and inspirited by the success of his first stroke, felt his old and familiar love of battle return, and he brandished his spear with the eager desire again to prove its force upon some more daring enemy. But for some time he was constrained to receive quietly the storm of missiles, which for the most part fell harmlessly upon his armour. At length, finding that this method of attack promised little fruit, his assailants resolved upon a bolder step. Five of the best armed, signalling to their companions to cease their useless efforts for a moment, placed themselves abreast, and holding their spears protruded in a line, rushed with one accord upon Iphitus. He received the shock as the cliff receives the waves. Covering himself with the orb of his shield, he marked for destruction the central assailant, who, as soon as he approached near enough, felt the fatal force of his arm. Such was the impetus of the stroke, that the victim was not only transfixed, but the head and a great portion of the shaft of the spear appeared behind his back. Of the other four spears, two struck harmlessly upon the shield, one glanced from the helmet, and the fourth, missing its stroke, shivered to a thousand atoms on the rock. Relinquishing his own spear, which was broken by the violence of the thrust, Iphitus snatched the weapon from the hands of one of his antagonists, and holding it by the middle, whirled it round his head. The handle fell upon the arm of one of his assailants, who had just drawn his knife, and was on the point of striking at some unguarded part, and the shattered limb dropped powerless to the side. The point of the spear was with the quickness of lightning, and almost by the same stroke, buried in the throat of another. The remaining two fled precipitately.

Dismayed by this result of their assault, his enemies seemed in no haste to renew it, and Iphitus began to contemplate the project of forcing his passage through their midst, and making good his retreat. But he considered that if he once gave up his advantage which he derived from the rock behind him, he might, with all his superior strength and skill, be overwhelmed by numbers. He reflected further, that if he left his present position, he would still be at a loss where to go--that it would be necessary for him under any circumstances to remain upon his defence all night, and that he might defend himself in the situation he had taken up until his boat should arrive in the morning, as well as anywhere else. So he resolved to remain where he was with such patience as he might, repelling the attacks made upon him, and taking any opportunity that might offer of inflicting loss upon his adversaries. Finding that they were not apparently disposed to come again to close quarters, Iphitus began to seek for some means of himself assuming the offensive, and his eye fell upon a block of stone which had fallen from the rock above, and lay upon the sand at his feet. No ordinary man would have given this heavy mass a second thought, but the strength of Iphitus was beyond that of ordinary men. Laying down his spear and shield, he stooped and seized the stone with both hands. Slowly he lifted it, and raised it high above his head, and then, poising it for an instant, he discharged it with the force of a warlike engine. It whistled through the air, and fell amongst the crowd, who were unable to avoid it in the darkness. A man received it full upon his head, which it crushed like a nutshell, and then it struck the leg of another, who fell to the earth writhing in agony, his limb crushed and fastened to the ground by the huge fragment which lay upon it. Iphitus was unable to see

the full effect of his stroke, but from the groans and sounds of disma which came to his ears, he was able to form some idea of the mischief tha had been inflicted. He smiled grimly, and muttered to himself, "I thin that throw was almost worthy of the Telamonian Ajax. Will these knave attempt another assault, or have they had already enough?" And so say ing he again seized his spear and shield, and awaited the further movement of his enemies. But experience had taught them wisdom. They n longer hoped to overcome him in open fight, and two or three of them. gathering together, deliberated what further steps they should adopt.

The result of their counsels threatened Iphitus with greater danger than any to which he had yet been exposed. It was agreed that two of them should, under cover of the darkness, inspect the rock, with a view to as certain if there were any ledge or foothold upon the face of the cliff above where Iphitus was standing, and from which he might be annoyed. The others were in the meantime to keep his attention engaged by means of missiles, or such other mode of offence as they had at their command.

After a careful search, one of the explorers succeeded in finding a par: of the cliff where with much labour and difficulty he contrived to climb a few steps upwards. He now found himself upon a narrow ledge, along which he moved with much care and caution, groping his way, and proceeding inch by inch. The ledge had a somewhat upward course, and the adventurer saw every reason to believe that it would lead him directly over the head of Iphitus. Stealthily and quietly he moved along, but it was not possible to ensure absolute silence. The effort of surmounting a rougher part of the path than ordinary, or the occasional fall of a small stone, caused him to hold his breath and tremble, lest his design should be defeated. At length he approached nearly to the point under which Iphitus was standing. The quick ear of the latter caught at that moment a faint scraping sound above him. With the quickness of lightning, he apprehended the plan which had been formed against him, and began to exert his ready powers in its frustration. But an accident accomplished that which the united efforts of his enemies had been unable to effect. The man above him had stopped to consider how best to carry out his object. Doubtful if he were yet exactly over his intended victim, he cautiously moved a step; he placed his foot upon a loose fragment of rock; it rolled over, and with a loud cry he followed it headlong. Iphitus had just turned his head to listen, the stone struck, fell upon a second ledge; it re-bounded -it struck him on the head, and the strong man sank stunned and senseless to the earth.

Gradually the senses of Iphitus began to return to him. He awoke to a sensation of pain in the head, while his brain swam round, and his ears were filled and deafened with the noise as of ten thousand mill-wheels in ceaseless operation. For a time he was too much confused to think or speculate upon his situation, but at last his mind began to form images for itself out of the disordered impressions which it received from his sensations. He imagined himself to be in the battle-field, the roar and tumult of which were raging around him. He made au effort to move, and again all perception left him. The next time he recovered there was still the same pain in the head, the same deafening roar in the ears. Presently the latter began to abate, and to assume a sound similar to that of the sea. A light breeze passed over his face, and assisted still more to recall his scattered faculties. Surely the sea was surging around him, and the plash of oars came regularly to his ears. He again attempted to move, but hand

and foot, as though under a nightmare spell, refused to do his bidding. At length the disorderly images which had crowded upon his mind began to give place to more correct impressions, and he was not long in discovering his true situation. He found himself stretched upon his back in a boat, which was propelled by the steady strokes of oars. His hands were bound firmly together behind his back, and his feet were also confined by cords. Unable to move hand or foot, he lay perfectly helpless at the mercy of his enemies. And whither, and with what object were they carrying him?