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Show Cackling of Geese Saved Rome FEW events of history have hung upon a stranger twist of fate thau the recovery of Home by the arms of Furius Oamillus in the early days of the city's glory. The cackling of geese saved Rome. ' riutarch relates that Camlllus was a wise and valorous leader, who lost his popularity with the people of Rome because of his stern sense of justice. Facing conviction on a trumped-up charge, Camillus went Into voluntary banishment. On leaving Rome, he called upon the gods to avenge the injustice done him. Soon thereafter the Romans , were defeated in the battle of Alllensis by the Gauls of Brenniis. The wayward Romans would not yield obedience to leaders, preferring to fight In straggling strag-gling disorder. Survivors fled ten miles to Rome and prepared to stand seige in the capltol, leaving the city U the mercy of the conquerors, who burned it, slaying all those who had not found sanctuary within the capltol cap-ltol situated upon a high hill. One ' night a messenger from Roman refugees refu-gees in Ardea slipped into the city and scaled the steep hill to the enp-itol. enp-itol. Next day the Gauls found traces of his visit and determined to follow the same path in a surprise attack upon the belengured Romans. Nimble mountaineers escnladed the steep cliff and were about to fall upou the sleeping garrison when the sacred geese in the "capltol rendered more than usually watchful by hunger, set up a cackling which roused the Romans. The Gauls were repulsed and the capltol held. In the meantime, Camlllus, greatest of living military leaders, had volunteered volun-teered to lend the Ardeatians against marauding Gauls and had scored a great victory. Fugitive Romans gathered gath-ered about his standard and persuaded per-suaded him to march against the victorious vic-torious Gauls in Rome. He defeated Brennus and relieved the capltol about the Ides of February, seven months after the barbarians had entered the city. |