But she, heedless of all save the ornaments that would soon be hers, hastened back to the fortress. Then, when it grew dark, she stealthily opened the gate, outside of which stood the waiting foe. As the Sabines marched into the fortress, Tarpeia cried to them to remember their promise and give her her reward. Then Tatius bade his men not to refuse ‘the least part of what they wore on their left arms,’ and himself taking off his bracelet, threw it to her, together with his shield, which he also bore on his left arm. His men did as their king had done, so that Tarpeia soon fell to the ground and was killed by the weight of the shields that covered her. The traitress was buried on the hill which she had betrayed. From that day traitors were punished by being thrown over the steepest rock on the Capitoline hill, which was named after the maiden who betrayed her city, ‘The Tarpeian Rock.’ CHAPTER IX THE MYSTERIOUS GATE The fortress on the Capitoline hill was now in the hands of the Sabines, but they had still to fight with the Romans who dwelt on the Palatine hill. Romulus was, indeed, already to be seen leading his men into the valley that lay between the two mountains. The battle was long and fierce, and disaster well-nigh overtook the Sabines. In the valley was a swamp, and in this swamp the whole of the enemy’s army would have been engulfed, had not Curtius, one of their most gallant soldiers, warned them of danger. He himself had been carried by his horse into the mire. Nobly he tried to free his steed, but his efforts were all in vain. The more the animal struggled, the deeper it sank into the swamp, until at length Curtius was forced to leave his horse that he might save himself. This swamp was ever after known as the Curtian Lake. Hour after hour the battle raged, until at last Romulus and his followers were driven backward. In their dismay the Roman army rushed through one of the gates into their city, hastily shutting it behind them, that the foe might not also enter. But lo! so says the legend, the gate would not remain shut, but opened, as it seemed, of its own accord. Twice again the terrified Romans tried to close it, and twice it opened as mysteriously as before. The Sabines reached the gate as it opened for the last time. In through the open gate pushed the triumphant enemy, when suddenly a great flood of water gushed forth from the temple of the god Janus, which stood near to the gate. Overwhelmed by the force of the water, the Sabines were swept, not only out of the gate, but far away from the city, and Rome was saved. But although the Sabines had been forced to flee, they had not been conquered. Again and again they marched against Romulus, for they could not forgive him for the loss of their daughters. In one of these battles Romulus was wounded by a stone and fell to the ground. His followers, seeing that their king was wounded, lost courage and began to retreat.