Termination of the siege of Troy.--Appearances observed by the besieged.--The wooden horse.--Its probable size.--Various opinions in respect to the disposal of it.--Sudden appearance of a captive.--His wretched condition.--Sinon's account of the departure of the Greeks.--His story of the proposed sacrifice.--His escape.--Priam's address to him.--Sinon's account of the horse.--Effect produced by Sinon's story.--The serpents and Laocoon.--Ancient statue of Laocoon.--Its history.--The statue now deposited in the Vatican.--Description of it.--Effect produced upon the Trojans by Laocoon's fate.--The Trojans draw the horse into the city.--The Greeks admitted to the city.--Æneas awakened by the din.--His meeting with Pantheus.--His surprise and terror.--Adventures of Æneas and Pantheus.--The tortoise.--The position of Æneas.--The tower.--The sacking of the palace.--Priam.--Priam and Hecuba at the altar.--The death of Priam.--The despair of the Trojans. After the final conquest and destruction of Troy, Æneas, in the course of his wanderings, stopped, it was said, at Carthage, on his way to Italy, and there, according to ancient story, he gave the following account of the circumstances attending the capture and the sacking of the city, and his own escape from the scene. One day, after the war had been continued with various success for a long period of time, the sentinels on the walls and towers of the city began to observe extraordinary movements in the camp of the besiegers, which seemed to indicate preparations for breaking up the camp and going away. Tents were struck. Men were busy passing to and fro, arranging arms and military stores, as if for transportation. A fleet of ships was drawn up along the shore, which was not far distant, and a great scene of activity manifested itself upon the bank, indicating an approaching embarkation. In a word, the tidings soon spread throughout the city, that the Greeks had at length become weary of the protracted contest, and were making preparations to withdraw from the field. These proceedings were watched, of course, with great interest from the walls of the city, and at length the inhabitants, to their inexpressible joy, found their anticipations and hopes, as they thought, fully realized. The camp of the Greeks was gradually broken up, and at last entirely abandoned. The various bodies of troops were drawn off one by one to the shore, where they were embarked on board the ships, and then sailed away. As soon as this result was made sure, the Trojans threw open the gates of the city, and came out in throngs,--soldiers and citizens, men, women and children together,--to explore the abandoned encampment, and to rejoice over the departure of their terrible enemies.