"Why come you here, woman?" the chief priest asked, addressing the
queen.

"I come as a supplicant to the gods," she said; "as an outraged
queen, a dishonoured woman, and a broken hearted mother, and in each
of these capacities I call upon my country's gods for vengeance."
Then in passionate words she poured out the story of the indignities
that she and her daughters had suffered, and suddenly loosening
her garment, and suffering it to drop to her waist, she turned
and showed the marks of the Roman rods across her back, the sight
eliciting a shout of fury from the chiefs around her.

"Let all retire to the woods," the Druids said, "and see that no
eye profanes our mysteries. When the gods have answered we will
summon you."

The queen, followed by all the chiefs, retired at once to the
forest, while the Druids proceeded to carry out the sacred mysteries.
Although all knew well what the decision would be, they waited with
suppressed excitement the summons to return and hear the decision
that was to embark them in a desperate struggle with Rome. Some threw
themselves down under the trees, some walked up and down together
discussing in low tones the prospects of a struggle, and the question
what tribes would join it. The queen and her daughters sat apart,
none venturing to approach them. Parta and three other female chiefs
sat a short distance away talking together, while two or three of
the younger chiefs, their attitude towards Beric entirely altered
by the report of the Druids' predictions concerning him, gathered
round him and asked questions concerning the Romans' methods of
fighting, their arms and power. An hour after they had retired a