"Unhappy man, what have you done?" cried Kallistratos, full of grief, and staring at the ruin.
"What was necessary!" cried Cethegus, and hurled the trunk of the Jupiter-statue over the wall. "Did you see it strike? two barbarians at one blow." And he looked down with great content.
At that moment he heard the Corinthian cry:
"No, no; not this one. Not the Apollo!"
Cethegus turned and saw a gigantic Isaurian raising his axe over the head of the statue.
"Fool, shall the Goths come up?" asked the mercenary, and raised his arm again.
"Not my Apollo!" repeated the Greek, and embraced the statue with both arms, protecting it with his body.
Earl Markja saw this movement from his stand upon the nearest ladder, and believing that Kallistratos was about to hurl the statue at him, he cast his spear and hit the Greek in the breast.
"Ah--Cethegus!" gasped Kallistratos--and fell dead.
The Prefect saw him fall, and contracted his brows.