Page:The Children's Plutarch, Romans.djvu/27

 Remus—as captains. But Remus was captured, and taken to the house of Numitor.

The herdsman went to Romulus and said:

“Your brother is in danger of death. He will perhaps be killed by his grandfather Numitor.”

“I never knew Numitor was our grandfather,” replied Romulus.

“Yet it is so. Your mother was his daughter. But Amulius took the power, and wanted to get rid of you two boys, and bade me leave you in the cradle on the river Tiber, where you would soon have been drowned. But it happened otherwise, and I brought you up after a wolf and a woodpecker had fed you.”

“I can hardly believe you.”

“Well, here is the box you and Remus sailed in. Take it at once to Numitor. Tell him who you are. Perhaps he will spare Remus's life.”

Romulus ran straightway to the house of the chief, burst into the room where he was questioning poor Remus, showed the cradle, and told all the strange story. And Numitor, looking at the faces of the young men, saw a likeness to his daughter, and felt sure the tale was true. The two brothers went off with a band of armed men to punish their great-uncle Amulius. Before the little army walked several standard-bearers, carrying poles, on the tops of which were fastened bunches of grass and shrubs. An attack was