Exerting his full strength, the hero wrenched this rock from its
fastenings, and hurled it into the water. In the interior of the den,
thus laid open, Hercules soon caught sight of the robber, and
commenced to assail him with arrows and stones. Then the monster
belched forth volumes of smoke and flame, concealing himself in a
cloud of pitchy vapor. But Hercules now thoroughly enraged, rushed
furiously into the den, and seizing Cacus by the throat, choked him to
death. Great was the joy of the people when they heard of the
destruction of the monster, and anniversary festivals had been held
there ever since in honor of the deliverer.

After King Evander had told this story, choirs of young and old men,
the priests called Sa'li-i, sang songs about the great deeds of
Hercules; how when a child in his cradle he had strangled the two
serpents sent by Juno to destroy him, how he had slain the furious
lion of Nemea, dragged from Pluto's realms the three-headed dog
Cerberus, and performed numerous other difficult and dangerous feats.

Evander and his people now returned to the city, accompanied by their
Trojan guests. The king walked by the side of AEneas, and told him
many things about the traditions of the place, and its early history.
At one time, he said, the country had been ruled by Saturn, who,
driven from the throne of the heavens by his son Jupiter, had come to
Italy, and finding on the banks of the river a race of uncivilized
men, had formed them into a settled society. He taught them how to
till the ground, and introduced laws amongst them, and so peaceful and
happy were they under his reign, that it was called the Golden Age.
One of the kings long after Saturn's reign was Tiberinus, whose name
was given to the river, and who became its guardian god.