King Gelimer's Death Lay.

KING GELIMER'S DEATH LAY .

BT BED . KENNETH R . H . MACKENZIE , IX . ° BRI GHT were the African skies . The sun stood in the heavens watching the earth like a careful guardian . The streamlets rattled clown from the mountains , and . moistened the hot dry earth with their life-giving waters . The palm trees bowed their crowns in adoration before the great God . The

breath of God came softly sighing amid the branches and stealing over the tall grass , playfully casting into the air the fine sand of the plains . It was a lovely morning , that morning in Africa ; a morning on which bird , beast , and tree alike worshipped the great Creator of all . All worshipped save the enemy of the proud Vandal , conqueror of the land of Numidia . The animals of the wilds lay in their caves ancl thi . ckets , rejoicing in the clay of rest appointed them , but the Numiclians watched for their prey , encircled their victim like the gliding serpent , and awaited a fitting time for his destruction .

The Numidian host lay watchful about the fortified camp in the mountains , ancl within the camp was the victim , the devoted Gelimer , King of the Vandals , with the remainder of his men , the victorious in the battle . The Numiclians shouted ancl laughed ; they were winning . Their work was nearl y ended , the enemy nearly extirpated , their beautiful country almost their own again . Yes , indeed , the Numidians might rejoice , for they were the winners .

Why have the Vandals left their own land ? They were roving about the world , sowing the seeds of future progress ; they came as religious teachers , telling of the One and the Universal ; they came as political teachers , to do as best they might and make known everywhere that virtue and courage , consistency and honest y of heart , should alone indicate the ruler of a tribe . They came , these Vandals , to testify of the truth

after their way , and to mete out with no sparing hand the best things they could . What had the Numiclians clone at any time ? Brute force had prevailed among them from the beginning ; children of the desert , wild and sorrowful , what scope was there for intellectual improvement ? And no wonder that wild ancl unconquerable nomads combined against the

opponents of lawlessness ! And so there lay the Numiclians , and there the Vandal camp in the midst , ancl there was consultation both within ancl without . Then the council met in the Numidian tents , and crafty words were spoken as to the proper method to pursue with these strangers from the East . And it was resolved to attack and vanquish them at onceand put their

, young men aud maidens , their grey-pates and their priests to the sword that the land might be ridden of their race for ever . So an attack was made that same clay , while the sun was shining , the birds singing ancl praising the Creator of all , and the wild beasts making holiday in their lairs . Then the Vandal , Gelimer , fought desperately .

But the Numidians drew off at nightfall , weary and dispirited , for they had made but little impression upon the stranger tribe , and many of their own brethren had bitten the dust and slept their last sleep on the sands of the African mountains . When the sun rose again , the sight was grievous to see , for Death had entered those glorious confine and sullied tho . c fair regions .