"
Then turning to those whose painful duty it was to lead him to the den,
he said:
"Now I am ready."
The executioners, with trembling hands, laid hold of the aged prisoner,
and led him to the door of the den. Again there was an awful roaring of
lions. As he passed the king on his way to the den, the monarch cried
out:
"Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will surely deliver thee!"
The prisoner was seized with strong hands and elevated over the inner
walls, and by means of strong cords was lowered to the bottom of the den,
where the ravenous lions held their nightly revels. The executioners, as
if afraid to hear the prisoner's dying shrieks, hastened away. The throng
soon dispersed in sorrowful silence. The king, in deep agony of mind,
entered his chariot, and was driven to the palace.
How sad was that night for royalty! Filled with remorse for having signed
the fatal decree, and knowing not how to retrace his steps or to retrieve
the effects of his rash act, the king passed the hours in agony.
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