The King's Talisman — page 174: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 4 6B fore heard greet his royal presence; but keeping his thoughts within his own bosom, he seated himself within the tapes- tried inclosure, and then called the superintendent to him, | | ‘Ts all in readiness? asked the king. ‘‘Tt is, sire.” ‘Then proclaim the occasion and its cause.” “ Citizens of Petra,” cried the superintendent, ‘his royal majesty has ordered the entertainment to proceed, but ere that be done he would have you know the cause. ‘T'welve of his own EKgyptian slaves are condemned to the arena, in punishment for having engaged in a conspiracy against himself and the city.” | «They dared to save a poor girl’s life!” cried some one in the distant crowd. Modad sprang to his feet and gazed madly around, and his officers started toward the spot from whence the sound | seemed to proceed; but nothing could be found of the dar- ing offender, and they went back to their posts. That sim- ple exclamation, however, found a thousand sympathizing hearts, and ere long the whispering murmurs threatened to break forth into open trouble. Modad saw it, and he knew its import, and springing again to his feet, he cried: “‘ Let the Egyptians come forth! Hasten with the sport, for already are the people anxious to behold it.” As the king spoke, anervous excitement prevailed through the dense mass of humanity that crowded the amphitheater; but when at length the ill-fated Egyptians were led forth, every heart was hushed to a painful suspense. More dead than alive the poor slaves crept into the arena, and with hot, scalding tears rolling down their dark cheeks, they looked imploringly around upon the thousands of their fel- low-creatures who sat there and gazed upon them. LEHach. carried a short club of wood in‘his. hand, but the paltry, miserable weapons hung listlessly by their sides, hor ' seemed Lf SS €O Ghboo