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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Young Carthaginian, by G.A. Henty
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Young Carthaginian
+       A Story of The Times of Hannibal
+
+Author: G.A. Henty
+
+Release Date: February, 2004  [EBook #5128]
+Posting Date: June 14, 2009
+Last Updated: March 11, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Martin Robb
+
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN
+
+A STORY OF THE TIMES OF HANNIBAL,
+
+By G. A. Henty
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+MY DEAR LADS,
+
+When I was a boy at school, if I remember rightly, our sympathies were
+generally with the Carthaginians as against the Romans. Why they were
+so, except that one generally sympathizes with the unfortunate, I do
+not quite know; certainly we had but a hazy idea as to the merits of
+the struggle and knew but little of its events, for the Latin and Greek
+authors, which serve as the ordinary textbooks in schools, do not treat
+of the Punic wars. That it was a struggle for empire at first, and
+latterly one for existence on the part of Carthage, that Hannibal was a
+great and skilful general, that he defeated the Romans at Trebia, Lake
+Trasimenus, and Cannae, and all but took Rome, and that the Romans
+behaved with bad faith and great cruelty at the capture of Carthage,
+represents, I think, pretty nearly the sum total of our knowledge.
+
+I am sure I should have liked to know a great deal more about this
+struggle for the empire of the world, and as I think that most of you
+would also like to do so, I have chosen this subject for my story.
+Fortunately there is no lack of authentic material from which to glean
+the incidents of the struggle. Polybius visited all the passes of the
+Alps some forty years after the event, and conversed with tribesmen who
+had witnessed the passage of Hannibal, and there can be no doubt that
+his descriptions are far more accurate than those of Livy, who wrote
+somewhat later and had no personal knowledge of the affair. Numbers of
+books have been written as to the identity of the passes traversed by
+Hannibal. The whole of these have been discussed and summarized by
+Mr. W. J. Law, and as it appears to me that his arguments are quite
+conclusive I have adopted the line which he lays down as that followed
+by Hannibal.
+
+In regard to the general history of the expedition, and of the manners,
+customs, religion, and politics of Carthage, I have followed M.
+Hennebert in his most exhaustive and important work on the subject. I
+think that when you have read to the end you will perceive that although
+our sympathies may remain with Hannibal and the Carthaginians, it was
+nevertheless for the good of the world that Rome was the conqueror in
+the great struggle for empire. At the time the war began Carthage was
+already corrupt to the core, and although she might have enslaved many
+nations she would never have civilized them. Rome gave free institutions
+to the people she conquered, she subdued but she never enslaved them,
+but rather strove to plant her civilization among them and to raise them
+to her own level. Carthage, on the contrary, was from the first a cruel
+mistress to the people she conquered. Consequently while all the peoples
+of Italy rallied round Rome in the days of her distress, the tribes
+subject to Carthage rose in insurrection against her as soon as the
+presence of a Roman army gave them a hope of escape from their bondage.
+
+Had Carthage conquered Rome in the struggle she could never have
+extended her power over the known world as Rome afterwards did, but
+would have fallen to pieces again from the weakness of her institutions
+and the corruption of her people. Thus then, although we may feel
+sympathy for the failure and fate of the noble and chivalrous Hannibal
+himself, we cannot regret that Rome came out conqueror in the strife,
+and was left free to carry out her great work of civilization.
+
+Yours sincerely,
+
+G. A. Henty
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I: THE CAMP IN THE DESERT
+
+
+It is afternoon, but the sun's rays still pour down with great power
+upon rock and sand. How great the heat has been at midday may be seen
+by the quivering of the air as it rises from the ground and blurs all
+distant objects. It is seen, too, in the attitudes and appearance of a
+large body of soldiers encamped in a grove. Their arms are thrown aside,
+the greater portion of their clothing has been dispensed with. Some
+lie stretched on the ground in slumber, their faces protected from any
+chance rays which may find their way through the foliage above by little
+shelters composed of their clothing hung on two bows or javelins. Some,
+lately awakened, are sitting up or leaning against the trunks of the
+trees, but scarce one has energy to move.
+
+The day has indeed been a hot one even for the southern edge of the
+Libyan desert. The cream coloured oxen stand with their heads down,
+lazily whisking away with their tails the flies that torment them. The
+horses standing near suffer more; the lather stands on their sides,
+their flanks heave, and from time to time they stretch out their
+extended nostrils in the direction from which, when the sun sinks a
+little lower, the breeze will begin to blow.
+
+The occupants of the grove are men of varied races, and, although there
+is no attempt at military order, it is clear at once that they are
+divided into three parties. One is composed of men more swarthy than
+the others. They are lithe and active in figure, inured to hardship,
+accustomed to the burning sun. Light shields hang against the trees with
+bows and gaily painted quivers full of arrows, and near each man are
+three or four light short javelins. They wear round caps of metal, with
+a band of the skin of the lion or other wild animal, in which are stuck
+feathers dyed with some bright colour. They are naked to the waist, save
+for a light breastplate of brass. A cloth of bright colours is wound
+round their waist and drops to the knees, and they wear belts of leather
+embossed with brass plates; on their feet are sandals. They are the
+light armed Numidian horse.
+
+Near them are a party of men lighter in hue, taller and stouter in
+stature. Their garb is more irregular, their arms are bare, but they
+wear a sort of shirt, open at the neck and reaching to the knees, and
+confined at the waist by a leather strap, from which hangs a pouch of
+the same material. Their shirts, which are of roughly made flannel, are
+dyed a colour which was originally a deep purple, but which has faded,
+under the heat of the sun, to lilac. They are a company of Iberian
+slingers, enlisted among the tribes conquered in Spain by the
+Carthaginians. By them lie the heavy swords which they use in close
+quarters.
+
+The third body of men are more heavily armed. On the ground near the
+sleepers lie helmets and massive shields. They have tightly fitting
+jerkins of well-tanned leather, their arms are spears and battleaxes.
+They are the heavy infantry of Carthage. Very various is their
+nationality; fair skinned Greeks lie side by side with swarthy negroes
+from Nubia. Sardinia, the islands of the Aegean, Crete and Egypt, Libya
+and Phoenicia are all represented there.
+
+They are recruited alike from the lower orders of the great city and
+from the tribes and people who own her sway.
+
+Near the large grove in which the troops are encamped is a smaller one.
+A space in the centre has been cleared of trees, and in this a large
+tent has been erected. Around this numerous slaves are moving to and
+fro.
+
+A Roman cook, captured in a sea fight in which his master, a wealthy
+tribune, was killed, is watching three Greeks, who are under his
+superintendence, preparing a repast. Some Libyan grooms are rubbing down
+the coats of four horses of the purest breed of the desert, while
+two Nubians are feeding, with large flat cakes, three elephants, who,
+chained by the leg to trees, stand rocking themselves from side to side.
+
+The exterior of the tent is made of coarse white canvas; this is thickly
+lined by fold after fold of a thin material, dyed a dark blue, to keep
+out the heat of the sun, while the interior is hung with silk, purple
+and white. The curtains at each end are looped back with gold cord to
+allow a free passage of the air.
+
+A carpet from the looms of Syria covers the ground, and on it are spread
+four couches, on which, in a position half sitting half reclining,
+repose the principal personages of the party. The elder of these is a
+man some fifty years of age, of commanding figure, and features which
+express energy and resolution. His body is bare to the waist, save for
+a light short sleeved tunic of the finest muslin embroidered round the
+neck and sleeves with gold.
+
+A gold belt encircles his waist, below it hangs a garment resembling the
+modern kilt, but reaching halfway between the knee and the ankle. It
+is dyed a rich purple, and three bands of gold embroidery run round
+the lower edge. On his feet he wears sandals with broad leather lacings
+covered with gold. His toga, also of purple heavily embroidered with
+gold, lies on the couch beside him; from one of the poles of the tent
+hang his arms, a short heavy sword, with a handle of solid gold in a
+scabbard incrusted with the same metal, and a baldrick, covered with
+plates of gold beautifully worked and lined with the softest leather, by
+which it is suspended over his shoulder.
+
+Two of his companions are young men of three or four and twenty, both
+fair like himself, with features of almost Greek regularity of outline.
+Their dress is similar to his in fashion, but the colours are gayer.
+The fourth member of the party is a lad of some fifteen years old. His
+figure, which is naked to the waist, is of a pure Grecian model, the
+muscles, showing up clearly beneath the skin, testify to hard exercise
+and a life of activity.
+
+Powerful as Carthage was, the events of the last few years had shown
+that a life and death struggle with her great rival in Italy was
+approaching. For many years she had been a conquering nation. Her
+aristocracy were soldiers as well as traders, ready at once to embark on
+the most distant and adventurous voyages, to lead the troops of Carthage
+on toilsome expeditions against insurgent tribes of Numidia and Libya,
+or to launch their triremes to engage the fleets of Rome.
+
+The severe checks which they had lately suffered at the hands of the
+newly formed Roman navy, and the certainty that ere long a tremendous
+struggle between the two powers must take place, had redoubled the
+military ardour of the nobles. Their training to arms began from their
+very childhood, and the sons of the noblest houses were taught, at the
+earliest age, the use of arms and the endurance of fatigue and hardship.
+
+Malchus, the son of Hamilcar, the leader of the expedition in the
+desert, had been, from his early childhood, trained by his father in the
+use of arms. When he was ten years old Hamilcar had taken him with him
+on a campaign in Spain; there, by a rigourous training, he had learned
+to endure cold and hardships.
+
+In the depth of winter his father had made him pass the nights uncovered
+and almost without clothing in the cold. He had bathed in the icy water
+of the torrents from the snow clad hills, and had been forced to keep
+up with the rapid march of the light armed troops in pursuit of the
+Iberians. He was taught to endure long abstinence from food and to bear
+pain without flinching, to be cheerful under the greatest hardships,
+to wear a smiling face when even veteran soldiers were worn out and
+disheartened.
+
+“It is incumbent upon us, the rulers and aristocracy of this great
+city, my son, to show ourselves superior to the common herd. They must
+recognize that we are not only richer and of better blood, but that we
+are stronger, wiser, and more courageous than they. So, only, can we
+expect them to obey us, and to make the sacrifices which war entails
+upon them. It is not enough that we are of pure Phoenician blood, that
+we come of the most enterprising race the world has ever seen, while
+they are but a mixed breed of many people who have either submitted to
+our rule or have been enslaved by us.
+
+“This was well enough in the early days of the colony when it was
+Phoenician arms alone that won our battles and subdued our rivals. In
+our days we are few and the populace are many. Our armies are composed
+not of Phoenicians, but of the races conquered by us. Libya and Numidia,
+Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain, all in turn conquered by us, now furnish us
+with troops.
+
+“Carthage is a mighty city, but it is no longer a city of Phoenicians.
+We form but a small proportion of the population. It is true that all
+power rests in our hands, that from our ranks the senate is chosen, the
+army officered, and the laws administered, but the expenses of the state
+are vast. The conquered people fret under the heavy tributes which they
+have to pay, and the vile populace murmur at the taxes.
+
+“In Italy, Rome looms greater and more powerful year by year. Her people
+are hardy and trained to arms, and some day the struggle between us
+and her will have to be fought out to the death. Therefore, my son,
+it behooves us to use every effort to make ourselves worthy of our
+position. Set before yourself the example of your cousin Hannibal,
+who, young as he is, is already viewed as the greatest man in Carthage.
+Grudge no hardship or suffering to harden your frame and strengthen your
+arms.
+
+“Some day you too may lead armies in the field, and, believe me, they
+will follow you all the better and more cheerfully if they know that in
+strength and endurance, as well as in position, their commander is the
+foremost man in his army.”
+
+Malchus had been an apt pupil, and had done justice to the pains which
+his father had bestowed upon him and to the training he had undergone.
+He could wield the arms of a man, could swim the coldest river, endure
+hardship and want of food, traverse long distances at the top of his
+speed, could throw a javelin with unerring aim, and send an arrow to the
+mark as truly as the best of the Libyan archers.
+
+“The sun is going down fast, father,” the lad said, “the shadows are
+lengthening and the heat is declining.”
+
+“We have only your word for the decline of the heat, Malchus,” one of
+the younger men laughed; “I feel hotter than ever. This is the fifteenth
+time that you have been to the door of the tent during the last half
+hour. Your restlessness is enough to give one the fever.”
+
+“I believe that you are just as eager as I am, Adherbal,” the boy
+replied laughing. “It's your first lion hunt as well as mine, and I am
+sure you are longing to see whether the assault of the king of beasts is
+more trying to the nerves than that of the Iberian tribesmen.”
+
+“I am looking forward to it, Malchus, certainly,” the young man replied;
+“but as I know the lions will not quit their coverts until after
+nightfall, and as no efforts on my part will hasten the approach of that
+hour, I am well content to lie quiet and to keep myself as cool as may
+be.”
+
+“Your cousin is right,” the general said, “and impatience is a fault,
+Malchus. We must make allowances for your impatience on the present
+occasion, for the lion is a foe not to be despised, and he is truly
+as formidable an antagonist when brought to bay as the Iberians on the
+banks of the Ebro--far more so than the revolted tribesmen we have been
+hunting for the past three weeks.”
+
+“Giscon says nothing,” Adherbal remarked; “he has a soul above even
+the hunting of lions. I warrant that during the five hours we have been
+reclining here his thoughts have never once turned towards the hunt we
+are going to have tonight.”
+
+“That is true enough,” Giscon said, speaking for the first time. “I
+own that my thoughts have been of Carthage, and of the troubles that
+threaten her owing to the corruption and misgovernment which are sapping
+her strength.”
+
+“It were best not to think too much on the subject, Giscon,” the general
+said; “still better not to speak of it. You know that I lament, as you
+do, the misgovernment of Carthage, and mourn for the disasters which
+have been brought upon her by it. But the subject is a dangerous one;
+the council have spies everywhere, and to be denounced as one hostile to
+the established state of things is to be lost.”
+
+“I know the danger,” the young man said passionately. “I know that
+hitherto all who have ventured to raise their voices against the
+authority of these tyrants have died by torture--that murmuring has been
+stamped out in blood. Yet were the danger ten times as great,” and the
+speaker had risen now from his couch and was walking up and down the
+tent, “I could not keep silent. What have our tyrants brought us to?
+Their extravagance, their corruption, have wasted the public funds and
+have paralyzed our arms. Sicily and Sardinia have been lost; our allies
+in Africa have been goaded by their exactions again and again into
+rebellion, and Carthage has more than once lately been obliged to fight
+hard for her very existence. The lower classes in the city are utterly
+disaffected; their earnings are wrung from them by the tax gatherers.
+Justice is denied them by the judges, who are the mere creatures of the
+committee of five. The suffetes are mere puppets in their hands. Our
+vessels lie unmanned in our harbours, because the funds which should pay
+the sailors are appropriated by our tyrants to their own purposes. How
+can a Carthaginian who loves his country remain silent?”
+
+“All you say is true, Giscon,” the general said gravely, “though I
+should be pressed to death were it whispered in Carthage that I said so;
+but at present we can do nothing. Had the great Hamilcar Barca lived I
+believe that he would have set himself to work to clear out this Augean
+stable, a task greater than that accomplished by our great hero, the
+demigod Hercules; but no less a hand can accomplish it. You know how
+every attempt at revolt has failed; how terrible a vengeance fell on
+Matho and the mercenaries; how the down trodden tribes have again and
+again, when victory seemed in their hands, been crushed into the dust.
+
+“No, Giscon, we must suffer the terrible ills which you speak of until
+some hero arises--some hero whose victories will bind not only the army
+to him, but will cause all the common people of Carthage--all her allies
+and tributaries--to look upon him as their leader and deliverer.
+
+“I have hopes, great hopes, that such a hero may be found in my nephew,
+Hannibal, who seems to possess all the genius, the wisdom, and the
+talent of his father. Should the dream which he cherished, and of which
+I was but now speaking to you, that of leading a Carthaginian army
+across the Ebro, over the Apennines, through the plains of lower Gaul,
+and over the Alps into Italy, there to give battle to the cohorts of
+Rome on their own ground,--should this dream be verified I say, should
+success attend him, and Rome be humbled to the dust, then Hannibal would
+be in a position to become the dictator of Carthage, to overthrow the
+corrupt council, to destroy this tyranny--misnamed a republic--and to
+establish a monarchy, of which he should be the first sovereign, and
+under which Carthage, again the queen of the world, should be worthy
+of herself and her people. And now let us speak of it no more. The very
+walls have ears, and I doubt not but even among my attendants there are
+men who are spies in the pay of the council. I see and lament as much
+as any man the ruin of my country; but, until I see a fair hope of
+deliverance, I am content to do the best I can against her enemies, to
+fight her battles as a simple soldier.”
+
+There was silence in the tent. Malchus had thrown himself down on his
+couch, and for a time forgot even the approaching lion hunt in the
+conversation to which he had listened.
+
+The government of Carthage was indeed detestable, and was the chief
+cause both of the misfortunes which had befallen her in the past, and
+of the disasters which were in the future to be hers. The scheme of
+government was not in itself bad, and in earlier and simpler times had
+acted well. Originally it had consisted of three estates, which answered
+to the king, lords, and commons. At the head of affairs were two
+suffetes chosen for life. Below them was the senate, a very numerous
+body, comprising all the aristocracy of Carthage. Below this was the
+democracy, the great mass of the people, whose vote was necessary to
+ratify any law passed by the senate.
+
+In time, however, all authority passed from the suffetes, the general
+body of the senate and the democracy, into the hands of a committee of
+the senate, one hundred in number, who were called the council, the real
+power being invested in the hands of an inner council, consisting of
+from twenty to thirty of the members. The deliberations of this body
+were secret, their power absolute. They were masters of the life and
+property of every man in Carthage, as afterwards were the council of ten
+in the republic of Venice. For a man to be denounced by his secret
+enemy to them as being hostile to their authority was to ensure his
+destruction and the confiscation of his property.
+
+The council of a hundred was divided into twenty subcommittees, each
+containing five members. Each of these committees was charged with the
+control of a department--the army, the navy, the finances, the roads
+and communications, agriculture, religion, and the relations with the
+various subject tribes, the more important departments being entirely in
+the hands of the members of the inner council of thirty.
+
+The judges were a hundred in number. These were appointed by the
+council, and were ever ready to carry out their behest, consequently
+justice in Carthage was a mockery. Interest and intrigue were paramount
+in the law courts, as in every department of state. Every prominent
+citizen, every successful general, every man who seemed likely, by his
+ability or his wealth, to become a popular personage with the masses,
+fell under the ban of the council, and sooner or later was certain to be
+disgraced. The resources of the state were devoted not to the needs of
+the country but to aggrandizement and enriching of the members of the
+committee.
+
+Heavy as were the imposts which were laid upon the tributary peoples of
+Africa for the purposes of the state, enormous burdens were added by the
+tax gatherers to satisfy the cupidity of their patrons in the council.
+Under such circumstances it was not to be wondered at that Carthage,
+decaying, corrupt, ill governed, had suffered terrible reverses at the
+hands of her young and energetic rival Rome, who was herself some day,
+when she attained the apex of her power, to suffer from abuses no
+less flagrant and general than those which had sapped the strength of
+Carthage.
+
+With the impetuosity of youth Malchus naturally inclined rather to the
+aspirations of his kinsman Giscon than to the more sober counsels of his
+father. He had burned with shame and anger as he heard the tale of the
+disasters which had befallen his country, because she had made money
+her god, had suffered her army and her navy to be regarded as secondary
+objects, and had permitted the command of the sea to be wrested from her
+by her wiser and more far seeing rival.
+
+As evening closed in the stir in the neighbouring camp aroused Malchus
+from his thoughts, and the anticipation of the lion hunt, in which he
+was about to take part, again became foremost.
+
+The camp was situated twenty days' march from Carthage at the foot of
+some hills in which lions and other beasts of prey were known to abound,
+and there was no doubt that they would be found that evening.
+
+The expedition had been despatched under the command of Hamilcar to
+chastise a small tribe which had attacked and plundered some of
+the Carthaginian caravans on their way to Ethiopia, then a rich and
+prosperous country, wherein were many flourishing colonies, which had
+been sent out by Carthage.
+
+The object of the expedition had been but partly successful. The lightly
+clad tribesmen had taken refuge far among the hills, and, although by
+dint of long and fatiguing marches several parties had been surprised
+and slain, the main body had evaded all the efforts of the Carthaginian
+general.
+
+The expedition had arrived at its present camping place on the previous
+evening. During the night the deep roaring of lions had been heard
+continuously among the hills, and so bold and numerous were they that
+they had come down in such proximity to the camp that the troops had
+been obliged to rise and light great fires to scare them from making an
+attack upon the horses.
+
+The general had therefore consented, upon the entreaties of his nephew
+Adherbal, and his son, to organize a hunt upon the following night. As
+soon as the sun set the troops, who had already received their orders,
+fell into their ranks. The full moon rose as soon as the sun dipped
+below the horizon, and her light was ample for the object they had in
+view.
+
+The Numidian horse were to take their station on the plain; the infantry
+in two columns, a mile apart, were to enter the mountains, and having
+marched some distance, leaving detachments behind them, they were to
+move along the crest of the hills until they met; then, forming a great
+semicircle, they were to light torches, which they had prepared during
+the day, and to advance towards the plain shouting and dashing their
+arms, so as to drive all the wild animals inclosed in the arc down into
+the plain.
+
+The general with the two young officers and his son, and a party of
+fifty spearmen, were to be divided between the two groves in which the
+camps were pitched, which were opposite the centre of the space facing
+the line inclosed by the beaters. Behind the groves the Numidian horse
+were stationed, to give chase to such animals as might try to make their
+escape across the open plain. The general inspected the two bodies
+of infantry before they started, and repeated his instructions to the
+officers who commanded them, and enjoined them to march as noiselessly
+as possible until the semicircle was completed and the beat began in
+earnest.
+
+The troops were to be divided into groups of eight, in order to be able
+to repel the attacks of any beasts which might try to break through the
+line. When the two columns had marched away right and left towards the
+hills, the attendants of the elephants and baggage animals were ordered
+to remove them into the centre of the groves. The footmen who remained
+were divided into two parties of equal strength. The general with
+Malchus remained in the grove in which his tent was fixed with one of
+these parties, while Adherbal and Giscon with the others took up their
+station in the larger grove.
+
+“Do you think the lions are sure to make for these groves?” Malchus
+asked his father as, with a bundle of javelins lying by his side, his
+bow in his hand, and a quiver of arrows hung from his belt in readiness,
+he took his place at the edge of the trees.
+
+“There can be no certainty of it, Malchus; but it seems likely that the
+lions, when driven out of their refuges among the hills, will make
+for these groves, which will seem to offer them a shelter from their
+pursuers. The fires here will have informed them of our presence last
+night; but as all is still and dark now they may suppose that the groves
+are deserted. In any case our horses are in readiness among the trees
+close at hand, and if the lions take to the plains we must mount and
+join the Numidians in the chase.”
+
+“I would rather meet them here on foot, father.”
+
+“Yes, there is more excitement, because there is more danger in it,
+Malchus; but I can tell you the attack of a wounded lion is no joke,
+even for a party of twenty-five well armed men. Their force and fury are
+prodigious, and they will throw themselves fearlessly upon a clump of
+spears in order to reach their enemies. One blow from their paws is
+certain death. Be careful, therefore, Malchus. Stir not from my side,
+and remember that there is a vast difference between rashness and
+bravery.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II: A NIGHT ATTACK
+
+
+The time seemed to Malchus to pass slowly indeed as he sat waiting the
+commencement of the hunt. Deep roars, sounding like distant thunder,
+were heard from time to time among the hills. Once or twice Malchus
+fancied that he could hear other sounds such as would be made by a heavy
+stone dislodged from its site leaping down the mountain side; but he was
+not sure that this was not fancy, or that the sound might not be caused
+by the roaring of lions far away among the hills.
+
+His father had said that three hours would probably elapse before the
+circuit would be completed. The distance was not great, but the troops
+would have to make their way with the greatest care along the rocky
+hills through brushwood and forest, and their advance would be all the
+more slow that they had to take such pains to move noiselessly.
+
+It was indeed more than three hours after the column had left the camp
+when the sound of a distant horn was heard far up the hillside. Almost
+instantaneously lights burst out in a great semicircle along the
+hillside, and a faint confused sound, as of the shouting of a large body
+of men, was heard on the still night air.
+
+“That is very well done,” the general said in a tone of satisfaction. “I
+had hardly expected it to be so well managed; for the operation on such
+broken and difficult ground was not easy to carry out, even with the
+moon to help them.”
+
+“But see, father!” Malchus said, “there are many patches of darkness in
+the line, and the lions might surely escape through these.”
+
+“It would not be possible, Malchus, to place the parties at equal
+distances over such broken ground. Nor are the lions likely to discover
+the gaps in the line; they will be far too much terrified by the uproar
+and sudden blaze of light to approach the troops. Hark, how they are
+roaring! Truly it is a majestic and terrible sound, and I do not
+wonder that the wild natives of these mountains regard the animals with
+something of the respect which we pay to the gods. And now do you keep
+a sharp eye along the foot of the hills. There is no saying how soon the
+beasts may break cover.”
+
+Slowly the semicircle of light was seen to contract as the soldiers
+who formed it moved forward towards the foot of the hill; but although
+Malchus kept his eyes strained upon the fringe of trees at its foot, he
+could see no signs of movement.
+
+The roaring still continued at intervals, and it was evident that the
+beasts inclosed in the arc had descended to the lower slopes of the
+hill.
+
+“They may be upon us sooner than you expect, Malchus. Their colour well
+nigh matches with that of the sand, and you may not see them until they
+are close upon us.”
+
+Presently a Numidian soldier standing behind Malchus touched him on the
+shoulder and said in a whisper: “There they are!” pointing at the same
+time across the plain.
+
+Malchus could for a time see nothing; then he made out some indistinct
+forms.
+
+“There are six of them,” the general said, “and they are making for this
+grove. Get your bows ready.”
+
+Malchus could now clearly see the lions approaching. They were advancing
+slowly, turning occasionally to look back as if reluctant to quit
+the shelter of the hills; and Malchus could hardly resist a start of
+uneasiness as one of them suddenly gave vent to a deep, threatening
+roar, so menacing and terrible that the very leaves of the trees seemed
+to quiver in the light of the moon under its vibrations. The lions
+seemed of huge dimensions, especially the leader of the troop, who
+stalked with a steady and majestic step at their head. When within fifty
+yards of the grove the lions suddenly paused; their leader apparently
+scented danger. Again the deep terrible roar rose in the air, answered
+by an angry snarling noise on the part of the females.
+
+“Aim at the leader,” the general whispered, “and have your brands in
+readiness.”
+
+Immediately behind the party a fire was burning; it had been suffered
+to die down until it was a mere pile of glowing embers, and in this the
+ends of a dozen stakes of dried wood were laid. The glow of the fire was
+carefully hidden by a circle of sticks on which thick cloths had been
+hung. The fire had been prepared in readiness in case the lions should
+appear in numbers too formidable to be coped with. The leading lion was
+within twenty-five paces of the spot where the party was standing when
+Hamilcar gave the word, and a volley of arrows shot forth from their
+hiding place.
+
+The lion gave a roar of rage and pain, then, crouching for a moment,
+with a few tremendous bounds he reached the edge of the wood. He could
+see his enemies now, and with a fierce spring threw himself upon them.
+But as soon as they had discharged their arrows the soldiers had caught
+up their weapons and formed in a close body, and the lion was received
+upon the points of a dozen spears.
+
+There was a crashing of wood and a snarling growl as one of the soldiers
+was struck dead with a blow of the mighty paw of the lion, who, ere he
+could recover himself, received half a dozen javelins thrust deep into
+his flanks, and fell dead.
+
+The rest of the troop had followed him as he sprang forward, but some of
+the soldiers, who had been told off for the purpose, seized the lighted
+brands and threw them over the head of the leader among his followers.
+As the glowing brands, after describing fiery circles in the air, fell
+and scattered at their feet, the lions paused, and turning abruptly off
+dashed away with long bounds across the front of the grove.
+
+“Now, Malchus, to horse!” Hamilcar exclaimed. And the general and his
+son, leaping upon their steeds, dashed out from the grove in pursuit of
+the troop of lions. These, passing between the two clumps of trees, were
+making for the plain beyond, when from behind the other grove a dark
+band of horsemen rode out.
+
+“Let them pass,” Hamilcar shouted; “do not head them back.”
+
+The cavalry reined up until the troop of lions had passed. Hamilcar rode
+up to the officer in command.
+
+“Bring twenty of your men,” he said; “let the rest remain here. There
+will doubtless be more of them yet.”
+
+Then with the twenty horsemen he rode on in pursuit of the lions.
+
+The chase was an exciting one. For a time the lions, with their long
+bounds, kept ahead of the horsemen; but the latter, splendidly mounted
+on their well bred steeds, soon began to gain. When they were within
+a hundred yards of them one of the lions suddenly faced round. The
+Numidians, well accustomed to the sport, needed no orders from their
+chief. They scattered at once and broke off on each flank so as to
+encircle the lion, who had taken his post on a hummock of sand and lay
+couched on his haunches, with his tail lashing his sides angrily, like a
+great cat about to make his spring.
+
+The horsemen circled round him, dashing up to within five-and-twenty
+yards, discharging their arrows, and then wheeling away. Each time the
+lion was struck he uttered a sharp, angry growl, and made a spring in
+the direction of the horsemen, and then fell back to his post.
+
+One of the soldiers, thinking that the lion was now nearly crippled,
+ventured to ride somewhat closer; he discharged his arrow, but before he
+could wheel his horse the lion with two tremendous springs was upon him.
+
+A single blow of his paw brought the horse to the ground. Then the lion
+seized the soldier by the shoulder, shook him as a cat would a mouse,
+and throwing him on the sand lay with his paw across him. At this moment
+Malchus galloped past at full speed, his bow drawn to the arrow head and
+fixed. The arrow struck the lion just behind its shoulder. The fierce
+beast, which was in the act of rising, sank down quietly again; its
+majestic head drooped between its forepaws on to the body of the Numidian,
+and there it lay as if overtaken with a sudden sleep. Two more arrows
+were fired into it, but there was no movement.
+
+“The brave beast is dead,” Malchus said. “Here is the arrow with which I
+slew it.”
+
+“It was well done, Malchus, and the hide is yours. Let us set off after
+the others.”
+
+But the stand which the lion had made had been sufficiently long to
+enable the rest of the troop to escape. Leaving two or three of their
+comrades to remove the body of the soldier, the horsemen scattered in
+various directions; but although they rode far over the plain, they
+could see no signs of the troop they had pursued.
+
+After a time they gave up the pursuit and rode back towards the camp.
+When they reached it they found that another troop of lions, eight in
+number, had approached the other grove, where two had been killed by the
+party commanded by Adherbal and Giscon, and the rest of the cavalry were
+still in pursuit of the others. They presently returned, bringing in
+four more skins; so that eight lions in all had fallen in the night's
+work.
+
+“Well, Malchus, what do you think of lion hunting?” Adherbal asked as
+they gathered again in the general's tent.
+
+“They are terrible beasts,” Malchus said. “I had not thought that any
+beast could make so tremendous a roar. Of course I have heard those
+in captivity in Carthage, but it did not seem nearly so terrible as it
+sounded here in the stillness of the desert.”
+
+“I own that it made my blood run cold,” Adherbal said; “and their charge
+is tremendous--they broke through the hedge of spears as if they had
+been reeds. Three of our men were killed.”
+
+“Yes,” Malchus agreed; “it seemed almost like a dream for a minute when
+the great beast was among us. I felt very glad when he rolled over on to
+his side.”
+
+“It is a dangerous way of hunting,” Hamilcar said. “The chase on
+horseback in the plains has its dangers, as we saw when that Numidian
+was killed; but with proper care and skill it is a grand sport. But this
+work on foot is too dangerous, and has cost the republic the loss of
+five soldiers. Had I had nets with me I would have adopted the usual
+plan of stretching one across the trees ten paces in front of us. This
+breaks the lion's spring, he becomes entangled in its meshes, and can be
+destroyed with but little danger. But no skill or address avails against
+the charge of a wounded lion. But you are wounded, Giscon.”
+
+“It is a mere nothing,” Giscon said.
+
+“Nay,” Hamilcar replied, “it is an ugly scratch, Giscon; he has laid
+open your arm from the shoulder to the elbow as if it were by the cut of
+a knife.”
+
+“It served me right for being too rash,” Giscon said. “I thought he
+was nearly dead, and approached with my sword to give him a finishing
+thrust. When he struck viciously at me I sprang back, but one of his
+claws caught my shoulder. A few inches nearer and he would have stripped
+the flesh from my arm, and perhaps broken the limb and shoulder bone.”
+
+While he was speaking a slave was washing the wound, which he then
+carefully bandaged up. A few minutes later the whole party lay down to
+sleep. Malchus found it difficult to close his eyes. His pulse was still
+throbbing with excitement, and his mind was busy with the brief but
+stirring scene of the conflict.
+
+Two or three hours passed, and he felt drowsiness creeping over him,
+when he heard a sudden challenge, followed instantly by a loud and
+piercing yell from hundreds of throats. He sprang in an instant to his
+feet, as did the other occupants of the tent.
+
+“To arms!” Hamilcar cried; “the enemy are upon us.”
+
+Malchus caught up his shield and sword, threw his helmet on his head,
+and rushed out of the tent with his father.
+
+A tremendous din had succeeded the silence which had just before reigned
+in the desert, and the yells of the barbarians rose high in the air,
+answered by shouts and loud words of command from the soldiers in the
+other grove. The elephants in their excitement were trumpeting loudly;
+the horses stamped the ground; the draught cattle, terrified by the din,
+strove to break away.
+
+Large numbers of dark figures occupied the space some two hundred yards
+wide between the groves. The general's guards, twenty in number,
+had already sprung to their feet and stood to arms; the slaves and
+attendants, panic stricken at the sudden attack, were giving vent to
+screams and cries and were running about in confusion.
+
+Hamilcar sternly ordered silence.
+
+“Let each man,” he said, “take a weapon of some kind and stand steady.
+We are cut off from the main body and shall have to fight for our lives.
+Do you,” he said to the soldiers, “lay aside your spears and shoot
+quickly among them. Fire fast. The great object is to conceal from them
+the smallness of our number.”
+
+Moving round the little grove Hamilcar posted the slaves at short
+distances apart, to give warning should the enemy be attempting an
+attack upon the other sides, and then returned to the side facing the
+other grove, where the soldiers were keeping up a steady fire at the
+enemy.
+
+The latter were at present concentrating their attention upon their
+attack upon the main body. Their scouts on the hills during the previous
+day had no doubt ascertained that the Carthaginian force was encamped
+here, and the occupants of the smaller grove would fall easy victims
+after they had dealt with the main body. The fight was raging furiously
+here. The natives had crept up close before they were discovered by the
+sentries, and with a fierce rush they had fallen upon the troops before
+they had time to seize their arms and gather in order.
+
+The fight raged hand to hand, bows twanged and arrows flew, the light
+javelins were hurled at close quarters with deadly effect, the shrill
+cries of the Numidians mingled with the deeper shouts of the Iberians
+and the yells of the natives. Hamilcar stood for a minute irresolute.
+
+“They are neglecting us,” he said to Adherbal, “until they have finished
+with the main body; we must go to their assistance. At present our men
+are fighting without order or regularity. Unless their leaders are with
+them they are lost, our presence will encourage and reanimate them.
+Bring up the elephants quickly.”
+
+The three elephants were at once brought forward, their drivers mounted
+on their necks. Four soldiers with their bows and arrows took their
+places on the back of each, the general with the rest of the fighting
+men followed closely behind.
+
+At the orders of their drivers the well trained animals broke into a
+trot, and the party advanced from the shadow of the grove. The natives
+scattered between it and the wood fired a volley of arrows and then
+broke as the elephants charged down upon them. Trained to warfare
+the elephants dashed among them, catching some up in their trunks and
+dashing them lifeless to the ground, knocking down and trampling upon
+others, scattering terror wherever they went, while the archers on their
+backs kept up a deadly fire. As soon as the way was open Hamilcar led
+the little party on foot at full speed towards the wood.
+
+As he entered it he ordered his trumpeter to blow his horn. The well
+known signal revived the hopes and courage of the sorely pressed troops,
+who, surprised and discouraged, had been losing ground, great numbers
+falling before the arrows and javelins of their swarming and active
+foes. The natives, surprised at the trumpet sound in the rear, paused
+a moment, and before they could turn round to face their unexpected
+adversaries, Hamilcar with his little band burst his way through them
+and joined his soldiers, who, gathered now in a close body in the centre
+of the grove, received their leader with a shout of welcome.
+
+Hamilcar's measures were promptly taken. He saw that if stationary his
+band must melt away under the shower of missiles which was being poured
+upon them. He gave the command and the troops rapidly formed into three
+groups, the men of each corps gathering together. Adherbal, who was in
+command of the Numidians, placed himself at their head, Giscon led the
+Iberians, and Hamilcar headed the heavily armed troops, Malchus taking
+his place at his side. Hamilcar had already given his orders to the
+young officers. No response was to be made to the fire of the arrows and
+javelins, but with spear, sword, and battleaxe the troops were to fall
+upon the natives.
+
+“Charge!” he shouted in a voice that was heard above the yells of the
+barbarians. “Clear the wood of these lurking enemies, they dare not face
+you. Sweep them before your path.”
+
+With an answering shout the three bodies of men sprang forward, each in
+a different direction. In vain the natives poured in volleys of arrows
+and javelins; many fell, more were wounded, but all who could keep their
+feet rushed forward with fury upon their assailants.
+
+The charge was irresistible. The natives, fighting each for himself,
+were unable for a moment to withstand the torrent, and, vastly superior
+in numbers as they were, were driven headlong before it. When they
+reached the edge of the wood each of the bodies broke into two. The
+Numidians had directed their course towards their horses, which a party
+of their own men were still defending desperately against the attacks of
+a large body of natives. Through these they cut their way, and springing
+upon their steeds dashed out into the plain, and sweeping round the
+grove fell upon the natives there, and cut down the parties of men who
+emerged in confusion from its shelter, unable to withstand the assaults
+of Hamilcar and his infantry within.
+
+The heavy infantry and the Iberians, when they gained the edge of the
+wood, had swept to the right and left, cleared the edge of the grove of
+their enemies until they met, then joining they again plunged into the
+centre. Thus they traversed the wood in every direction until they had
+completely cleared it of foes.
+
+When the work was done the breathless and exhausted troops gathered
+outside, in the light of the moon. More than half their number had
+fallen; scarce one but was bleeding from wounds of arrow or javelin. The
+plain beyond was thickly dotted to the foot of the hills with the bodies
+of the natives who had been cut up by the Numidian horse or trampled
+by the elephants, while the grove within was thickly strewn with their
+bodies.
+
+As there was no fear of a renewal of the attack, Hamilcar ordered the
+men to fall out of ranks, and the hours until daybreak were passed in
+extracting arrows and binding up wounds, and in assisting their comrades
+who were found to be still living in the grove. Any natives still
+breathing were instantly slain.
+
+Hamilcar found that a party of the enemy had made their way into his own
+camp. His tent had been hastily plundered, but most of the effects were
+found in the morning scattered over the ground between the groves and
+the hills, having been thrown away in their flight by the natives
+when the horsemen burst out of the wood in pursuit. Of the slaves and
+attendants several had been killed, but the greater portion had, when
+Hamilcar left the grove with the troops, climbed up into trees, and
+remained there concealed until the rout of the assailants.
+
+It was found in the morning that over one hundred and fifty of the three
+hundred Carthaginian troops had fallen, and that four hundred of the
+natives had been slain either in the grove or in the pursuit by cavalry.
+
+The following day two envoys arrived from the hostile tribe offering the
+submission of their chief.
+
+As pursuit in the hills would be useless Hamilcar offered them
+comparatively easy terms. A heavy fine in horses and cattle was to be
+paid to the republic, and ten of the principal members of the tribe were
+to be delivered up as hostages for their future good behaviour. The
+next day the hostages were brought into the camp with a portion of the
+ransom; and Hamilcar, having thus accomplished the mission he had been
+charged to perform, marched away with his troops to Carthage.
+
+As they approached the coast the whole character of the scenery changed.
+The desert had been left behind them, and they entered a fertile tract
+of country which had been literally turned into a garden by the skill
+and industry of the Carthaginian cultivators, at that time celebrated
+throughout the world for their knowledge of the science of agriculture.
+The rougher and more sterile ground was covered with groves of olive
+trees, while rich vineyards and orchards of fig and other fruit trees
+occupied the better soil. Wherever it was possible little canals leading
+water from reservoirs and dammed up streams crossed the plains, and
+every foot of the irrigated ground was covered with a luxuriant crop.
+
+The villages were scattered thickly, and when the troops arrived within
+a day's march of Carthage they came upon the country villas and mansions
+of the wealthy inhabitants. These in the richness of their architecture,
+the perfection and order of their gardens, and the beauty and taste of
+the orchards and grounds which surrounded them, testified alike to the
+wealth and taste of their occupants.
+
+Fountains threw their water into the air, numerous waterfalls splashed
+with a cool, soothing sound over artificial rocks. Statues wrought
+by Greek sculptors stood on the terraces, shady walks offered a cool
+retreat during the heat of the day, the vine, the pomegranate, and the
+fig afforded refreshment to the palate as well as pleasure to the eye.
+Palm trees with their graceful foliage waved gently in the passing
+breezes. All the countries with which the Carthaginians traded had
+supplied their contingent of vegetation to add to the beauty and
+production of these gardens, which were the admiration and envy of the
+civilized world.
+
+Crossing the brow of a low range of hills the detachment came in sight
+of Carthage. The general and his three companions, who were riding
+in the rear of the column, drew in their horses and sat for a while
+surveying the scene. It was one which, familiar as it might be, it was
+impossible to survey without the deepest feeling of admiration.
+
+In the centre stood the great rock of Byrsa, a flat topped eminence
+with almost perpendicular sides rising about two hundred feet above the
+surrounding plain. This plateau formed the seat of the ancient Carthage,
+the Phoenician colony which Dido had founded. It was now the acropolis
+of Carthage. Here stood the temples of the chief deities of the town;
+here were immense magazines and storehouses capable of containing
+provisions for a prolonged siege for the fifty thousand men whom the
+place could contain. The craggy sides of the rock were visible but in
+few places. Massive fortifications rising from its foot to its summit
+defended every point where the rock was not absolutely perpendicular.
+These walls were of enormous thickness, and in casemates or recesses in
+their thickness were the stables for the elephants, horses, and cattle
+of the garrison.
+
+Round the upper edge of the rock extended another massive wall, above
+which in picturesque outline rose the temple and other public edifices.
+At the foot of this natural citadel stretched the lower town, with its
+crowded population, its dense mass of houses, its temples and forum.
+The style of architecture was peculiar to the city. The Carthaginians
+abhorred straight lines, and all their buildings presented curves. The
+rooms were for the most part circular, semicircular, or oval, and all
+exterior as well as interior angles were rounded off. The material used
+in their construction was an artificial stone composed of pieces of
+rock cemented together with fine sand and lime, and as hard as natural
+conglomerate. The houses were surmounted by domes or cupolas. Their
+towers were always round, and throughout the city scarce an angle
+offended the eye of the populace.
+
+Extending into the bay lay the isthmus, known as the Tana, some three
+miles in length, communicating with the mainland by a tongue of land a
+hundred yards wide.
+
+This was the maritime quarter of Carthage; here were the extensive docks
+in which the vessels which bore the commerce of the city to and from the
+uttermost parts of the known world loaded and unloaded. Here were the
+state dockyards where the great ships of war, which had so long made
+Carthage the mistress of the sea, were constructed and fitted out. The
+whole line of the coast was deeply indented with bays, where rode at
+anchor the ships of the mercantile navy. Broad inland lakes dotted
+the plain; while to the north of Byrsa, stretching down to the sea and
+extending as far as Cape Quamart, lay Megara, the aristocratic suburb of
+Carthage.
+
+Here, standing in gardens and parks, were the mansions of the wealthy
+merchants and traders, the suburb presenting to the eye a mass of green
+foliage dotted thickly with white houses. Megara was divided from the
+lower town by a strong and lofty wall, but lay within the outer wall
+which inclosed Byrsa and the whole of Carthage and stretched from sea to
+sea.
+
+The circumference of the inclosed space was fully twenty miles; the
+population contained within it amounted to over eight hundred
+thousand. On the north side near the sea, within the line of the outer
+fortifications, rose a low hill, and here on the face which sloped
+gently down to the sea was the great necropolis--the cemetery of
+Carthage, shaded by broad spreading trees, dotted with the gorgeous
+mausoleums of the wealthy and the innumerable tombs of the poorer
+families, and undermined by thousands of great sepulchral chambers,
+which still remain to testify to the vastness of the necropolis of
+Carthage, and to the pains which her people bestowed upon the burying
+places of their dead.
+
+Beyond all, from the point at which the travellers viewed it, stretched
+the deep blue background of the Mediterranean, its line broken only in
+the foreground by the lofty citadel of Byrsa, and far out at sea by the
+faint outline of the Isle of Zinbre.
+
+For some minutes the party sat immovable on their horses, then Hamilcar
+broke the silence:
+
+“'Tis a glorious view,” he said; “the world does not contain a site
+better fitted for the seat of a mighty city. Nature seems to have marked
+it out. With the great rock fortress, the splendid bays and harbours,
+the facilities for commerce, the fertile country stretching away on
+either hand; give her but a government strong, capable, and honest, a
+people patriotic, brave, and devoted, and Carthage would long remain the
+mistress of the world.”
+
+“Surely she may yet remain so,” Adherbal exclaimed.
+
+“I fear not,” Hamilcar said gravely, shaking his head. “It seems to be
+the fate of all nations, that as they grow in wealth so they lose their
+manly virtues. With wealth comes corruption, indolence, a reluctance
+to make sacrifices, and a weakening of the feeling of patriotism. Power
+falls into the hands of the ignorant many. Instead of the destinies of
+the country being swayed by the wisest and best, a fickle multitude,
+swayed by interested demagogues, assumes the direction of affairs, and
+the result is inevitable--wasted powers, gross mismanagement, final
+ruin.”
+
+So saying Hamilcar set his horse in motion and, followed silently by
+his companions, rode with a gloomy countenance after his little columns
+towards the capital.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III: CARTHAGE
+
+
+Carthage was at that time divided between two factions, the one led by
+the relatives and friends of the great Hamilcar Barca and known as the
+Barcine party. The other was led by Hanno, surnamed the Rich. This man
+had been the rival of Hamilcar, and the victories and successes of the
+latter had been neutralized by the losses and defeats entailed upon
+the republic by the incapacity of the former. Hanno, however, had the
+support of the greater part of the senate, of the judges, and of the
+lower class, which he attached to himself by a lavish distribution of
+his vast wealth, or by the common tie of wholesale corruption.
+
+The Barcine party were very inferior in numbers, but they comprised
+among them the energy, the military genius, and the patriotism of the
+community. They advocated sweeping reforms, the purification of the
+public service, the suppression of the corruption which was rampant in
+every department, the fair administration of justice, the suppression of
+the tyranny of the committee, the vigourous prosecution of the struggle
+with Rome. They would have attached to Carthage the but half subdued
+nations round her who now groaned under her yoke, ground down to the
+dust by the enormous tribute necessitated by the extravagance of the
+administration of the state, the corruption and wholesale peculation of
+its officials.
+
+Hamilcar Barca had been the founder of the party; in his absence at the
+seat of war it had been led at Carthage by his son-in-law Hasdrubal,
+whose fiery energy and stirring eloquence had rendered him a popular
+idol in Carthage. But even the genius of Hamilcar and the eloquence of
+Hasdrubal would not have sufficed to enable the Barcine party to make
+head against the enormous power of the council and the judges, backed by
+the wealth of Hanno and his associates, had it not been for the military
+successes which flattered the patriotic feelings of the populace.
+
+The loss of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily had been atoned for by the
+conquest of the greater portion of Spain by Hamilcar, and that general
+might eventually have carried out his plans for the purification of the
+government of Carthage had he not fallen in a battle with the Iberians.
+This loss was a terrible blow to the Barcine faction, but the deep
+feeling of regret among the population at the death of their great
+general enabled them to carry the election of Hasdrubal to be one of the
+suffetes in his place, and to obtain for him the command of the army in
+Spain.
+
+There was the less difficulty in the latter appointment, since Hanno's
+party were well content that the popular leader should be far removed
+from the capital. Hasdrubal proved himself a worthy successor of his
+father-in-law. He carried out the policy inaugurated by the latter,
+won many brilliant victories over the Iberians, fortified and firmly
+established Carthagena as a port and city which seemed destined to rival
+the greatness of its mother city, and Carthage saw with delight a great
+western settlement growing in power which promised to counterbalance the
+influence of the ever spreading territory of her great rival in Italy.
+
+After seeing his detachment safely lodged in the barracks Hamilcar and
+his companions rode along the streets to the Barcine Syssite, or club,
+one of the grandest buildings in Carthage. Throwing the reins of their
+horses to some slaves who stood in readiness at the foot of the steps,
+they entered the building. As they rode through the streets they had
+noticed that the population appeared singularly quiet and dejected,
+and the agitation which reigned in the club showed them that something
+unusual had happened. Groups of men were standing talking excitedly
+in the great hall. Others with dejected mien were pacing the marble
+pavement. As Hamilcar entered, several persons hurried up to him.
+
+“Welcome back again!” they exclaimed; “your presence is most opportune
+at this sad moment.”
+
+“What has happened?” Hamilcar asked; “I have but this moment arrived,
+and rode straight here to hear the news of what has taken place in my
+absence.”
+
+“What! have you not heard?” they exclaimed; “for the last four days
+nothing else has been talked of, nothing else thought of--Hasdrubal has
+been assassinated!”
+
+Hamilcar recoiled a step as if struck.
+
+“Ye gods!” he exclaimed, “can this be so? Hasdrubal the handsome, as
+he was well called, the true patriot, the great general, the eloquent
+orator, the soul of generosity and patriotism, our leader and hope,
+dead! Surely it cannot be.”
+
+“It is too true, Hamilcar. Hasdrubal is dead--slain by the knife of an
+Iberian, who, it seems, has for months been in his service, awaiting
+the chance for revenge for some injuries which his family or people have
+suffered from our arms.
+
+“It is a terrible blow. This morning a swift sailing ship has arrived
+with the news that the army of Spain have with one voice acclaimed the
+young Hannibal as their general, and that they demand the ratification
+of their choice by the senate and people. Need I tell you how important
+it is that this ratification should be gained? Hanno and his satellites
+are furious, they are scattering money broadcast, and moving heaven and
+earth to prevent the choice falling upon Hannibal, and to secure the
+appointment for Hanno himself or one of his clique. They say that to
+appoint a youth like this to such a position would be a thing unheard
+of, that it would bring countless dangers upon the head of the
+republic. We know, of course, that what they fear is not the youth and
+inexperience, but the talent and genius of Hannibal.
+
+“Young though he is, his wonderful abilities are recognized by us all.
+His father, Hamilcar, had the very highest hopes of him, Hasdrubal has
+written again and again saying that in his young kinsman he recognized
+his superior, and that in loftiness of aim, in unselfish patriotism, in
+clearness of judgment, in the marvellous ascendency he has gained over
+the troops, in his talent in administration, and in the greatness of his
+military conceptions, he saw in him a genius of the highest order. If
+it be in man to overthrow the rising greatness of Rome, to reform our
+disordered administration, to raise Carthage again to the climax of her
+glory and power, that man is Hannibal.
+
+“Thus, then, on him our hopes rest. If we can secure for him the command
+of the army in Spain, he may do all and more than all that Hamilcar
+and Hasdrubal have done for us. If we fail, we are lost; Hanno will
+be supreme, the official party will triumph, man by man we shall be
+denounced and, destroyed by the judges, and, worse than all, our hopes
+of saving Carthage from the corruption and tyranny which have so long
+been pressing her into the dust are at an end. It is a good omen of
+success that you have returned from your expedition at such a critical
+moment. All has gone well with you, I hope. You know the fate that
+awaits an unsuccessful general here.”
+
+“Ay, I know,” Hamilcar said bitterly; “to be judged by a secret tribunal
+of civilians, ignorant of even the rudimentary laws of war, and bent
+not upon arriving at the truth, but of gratifying their patrons and
+accomplices; the end, disgrace and execution.
+
+“No, my success has been complete, although not brilliant. I have
+obtained the complete submission of the Atarantes, and have brought with
+me ten of their principal chiefs as hostages; but my success narrowly
+escaped being not only a failure but a disaster. I had in vain striven
+to come to blows with them, when suddenly they fell upon me at night,
+and in the desperate combat which followed, well nigh half my force
+fell; but in the end we inflicted a terrible chastisement upon them and
+completely humbled their pride.”
+
+“So long as you succeeded in humbling them and bringing home hostages
+for their good behaviour, all is well; the lives of a few score of
+soldiers, more or less, matters little to Carthage. We have but to send
+out an order to the tribes and we can replace them a hundred fold in a
+week; 'tis only a failure which would be fatal. Carthage has suffered
+such terrible disasters at the hands of her tributaries that she
+trembles at the slightest rising, for its success might be the signal
+for another general insurrection. If you have humbled the Atarantes, all
+is well.
+
+“I know the council have been anxiously expecting news of your
+expedition. Our opinion here has been from the first that, from the
+small force they placed at your command, they purposely sent you to
+disaster, risking the chance of extended trouble in order to obtain
+a ground of complaint by which they could inflame the minds of the
+populace against our party. But now, I recommend you to take some
+refreshment at once after your journey. The inner council of the club
+will meet in an hour, and their deliberations are likely to be long as
+well as important, for the whole future of our party, and of Carthage
+itself, depends upon the issue.”
+
+“Malchus,” Hamilcar said, “do you mount your horse and ride out at
+once and tell your mother that all has gone well with us, but that I
+am detained here on important business, and may not return until
+nightfall.”
+
+“May I come back here, father, after I see my mother? I would fain be of
+some use, if I may. I am known to many of the sailors down at the
+port; I might go about among them trying to stir them up in favour of
+Hannibal.”
+
+“You may come back if you like, Malchus; your sailors may aid us with
+their voices, or, should it come to anything like a popular disturbance,
+by their arms. But, as you know, in the voting the common people
+count for nothing, it is the citizens only who elect, the traders,
+shopkeepers, and employers of labour. Common people count for no more
+than the slaves, save when it comes to a popular tumult, and they
+frighten the shopkeeping class into voting in accordance with their
+views. However, we will leave no stone unturned that may conduce to
+our success. Do not hurry away from home, my boy, for your mother would
+think it unkind after three months' absence. Our council is likely to
+last for some hours; when it is at an end I will look for you here and
+tell you what has been determined upon.”
+
+Malchus mounted his horse and rode out through the narrow streets of the
+lower city, through the gateway leading into the suburb, then he loosed
+the rein and the horse started at a gallop along the broad road, lined
+with stately mansions, and in a quarter of an hour stopped in front of
+the villa of Hamilcar.
+
+Throwing his bridle to a slave he ran up the broad steps of the portico
+and entered the hall. His mother, a stately woman, clad in a long
+flowing garment of rich material embroidered in gold, arms and neck
+bare, her hair bound up in a knot at the back of her head, which was
+encircled by a golden fillet, with pendants of the same metal encrusted
+with gems falling on her forehead, rose eagerly to meet him, and his two
+sisters, girls older than himself, clad in white robes, confined at the
+waist with golden belts, leaped to their feet with a cry of gladness.
+
+“Welcome back, my own son,” his mother said; “all is well, I hope, with
+your father; It is so, I am sure, for I should read evil news in your
+face.”
+
+“He is well, mother, well and victorious, though we had a rare fight
+for it, I can tell you. But he is kept at the Barcine Syssite on matters
+connected with this terrible business of the death of Hasdrubal. He bade
+me give you his love, and say he would be back here as soon as he could
+get away.”
+
+“It is terrible news indeed, Malchus. The loss is a grievous blow to
+Carthage, but especially to us who are his near kinsfolk; but for the
+moment let us set it aside and talk of your doings. How the sun has
+bronzed your face, child! You seem to have grown taller and stouter
+since you have been away.
+
+“Yes,” one of the sisters laughed, “the child is growing up, mother; you
+will have to choose another name for him.”
+
+“I think it is about time,” Malchus said, joining in the laugh,
+“considering that I have killed a lion and have taken part in a
+desperate hand-to-hand fight with the wild Atarantes. I think even my
+mother must own that I am attaining the dignity of youth.”
+
+“I wonder your father let you take part in such strife,” the mother said
+anxiously; “he promised me that he would, as far as possible, keep you
+out of danger.”
+
+“Why, mother,” Malchus said indignantly, “you don't suppose that my
+father was going to coddle me as he might do one of the girls here. You
+know he has promised that I shall soon enter the Carthaginian guard, and
+fight in the next campaign. I think it has been very hard on me not to
+have had a chance of distinguishing myself as my cousin Hannibal did
+when he was no older than I am.”
+
+“Poor boy,” his sister laughed, “he has indeed been unfortunate. Who
+can say but that if he had only had opportunities he would have been
+a general by this time, and that Rome would have been trembling at the
+clash of his armour.”
+
+Malchus joined heartily in the laugh about himself.
+
+“I shall never grow to be a general,” he said, “unless you get me some
+food; it is past midday, and I have not broken my fast this morning. I
+warn you that I shall not tell you a word of our adventures until I have
+eaten, therefore the sooner you order a meal to be served the better.”
+
+The meal was speedily served, and then for an hour Malchus sat with his
+mother and sisters, giving them a history of the expedition. There was
+a little playful grumbling on the part of his sisters when he told
+them that he was going to return to the Syssite to hear what had been
+determined by the conclave.
+
+“Surely you can wait until our father returns here, Malchus,” Thyra, the
+elder, said.
+
+“Yes; but I may be useful,” Malchus replied. “There will be lots to be
+done, and we shall all do our utmost.”
+
+“Listen to him, mother,” Anna, the younger sister, said, clapping her
+hands; “this comes of slaying lions and combating with the Atarantes; do
+not let us hinder him; beg the slaves to bring round a horse instantly.
+Carthage totters, let Malchus fly to its support. What part are you
+thinking of taking, my brother, do you mean to harangue the people, or
+to urge the galley slaves to revolt, or to lead the troops against the
+council?”
+
+The two girls burst into a peal of merry laughter, in which Malchus,
+although colouring a little, joined heartily.
+
+“You are too bad, Anna; what I want is, of course, to hear what has been
+done, and to join in the excitement, and really I am not such a boy as
+you girls think me, just because you happen to be two or three years
+older than I am. You persist in regarding me as a child; father doesn't
+do so, and I can tell you I may be more good than you think.”
+
+“Well, go along, Malchus, do not let us keep you, and don't get into
+mischief and remember, my boy,” his mother added, “that Carthage is a
+place where it is well that no one should make more enemies than he can
+help. A secret foe in the council or among the judges is enough to ruin
+the strongest. You know how many have been crucified or pressed to death
+without a shadow of pretext, save that they had foes. I would not see
+you other than your father's son; you will belong, of course, to the
+Barcine party, but there is no occasion to draw enmity and hate upon
+yourself before you are in a position to do real service to the cause.
+And now ride off with you; I know all our words are falling on deaf
+ears, and that willful lads will go their own way.”
+
+A few minutes later and Malchus was on his way back to the club. On his
+arrival there he found that the sitting of the inner council was not
+yet finished. The building was thronged with the adherents of the party
+waiting to ascertain what course was determined upon. He presently
+came across Adherbal and Giscon. The former, as usual, was gay, light
+hearted, and disposed to view matters in a humorous light; Giscon was
+stern and moody.
+
+“So, here you are again, Malchus,” Adherbal said. “I thought you would
+soon be back. I am glad you have come, for Giscon here grows monotonous
+as a companion. Nature in making him forgot to give him that spice of
+humour which is to existence what seasoning is to meat. I am ready to
+fight if it comes to fighting, to orate if talking is necessary, and
+to do anything else which may be within the limits of my powers, but I
+can't for the life of me take matters as if the existence of the state
+depended on me alone. I have already heard that all is well with you at
+home. I shall ride out there and see your mother when this business is
+over. What they can find to talk about so long I can't make out.
+
+“The question is a simple one, surely. Will it be better for Carthage at
+large, and our party in particular, for Hannibal to stay at the head
+of the army in Spain, or to come home and bring the influence of his
+popularity and reputation to bear upon the populace? There is the
+question put in a nutshell, and if they can't decide upon it let them
+toss up. There is virtue, I am ready to maintain, in an appeal to dame
+Fortune.
+
+“Look round now, Malchus, is it not amusing to study men's characters.
+Look at little Philene going about among the groups, standing on tiptoe
+to whisper into the ear first of one and then of another. He prides
+himself on his knowledge of affairs, and in his heart believes that
+he is shamefully wronged inasmuch as he is not already on the secret
+committee.
+
+“Look at Bomilca leaning against that pillar and lazily pulling his
+mustache, an easygoing giant, who looks upon the whole thing as a
+nuisance, but who, if he received orders from the conclave, would put
+himself at the head of the Libyans, and would march to storm Hanno's
+house, and to slaughter his Numidian guard without a question.
+
+“Look at Magon's face of importance as he walks about without speaking
+to anyone. He is trying to convey to all the impression that he knows
+perfectly well what is going on inside, and could if he chose tell
+you what the decision will be. There is Carthalon, who is thinking at
+present, I warrant, more of the match which he has made of his Arab
+steed against that of his comrade Phano, than of the matter in hand.
+But see, there is a stir, the curtains are drawing aside at last, the
+meeting is over.”
+
+As he spoke the heavy curtains which shut off an inner room from the
+hall were drawn aside, and the council of the Syssite came out. Each
+was speedily surrounded by a group of the members of his own family, or
+those who specially looked up to him as a leader. Malchus and the two
+young officers were among those who gathered round Hamilcar.
+
+“It has been decided,” the general said, “that Hannibal shall be
+retained in his command. Therefore, now let all set to work, each in his
+own sphere. The populace must be stirred up. We have a small majority
+in the council, but the middle class, the men who will vote, are with
+Hanno. Some have been bought with his gold, some of the weak fools dream
+that Carthage can be great simply as a trading power without army
+or navy, and think only of the present advantage they would gain by
+remission of taxation. It is these we have to fear, and we must operate
+upon them by means of the populace.
+
+“If the people gather in the streets and shout for Hannibal, these
+cowards will hesitate. They are accessible only in their moneybags, and
+rather than risk a riot they would vote for the destruction of Moloch's
+temple. Giscon and Adherbal, do you go to the barracks, get as many
+of your comrades together as are of our way of thinking, talk to the
+soldiers of the glories of Hamilcar Barca, of the rich booty they won
+under him, of the glory of their arms when he led them, tell them that
+in Hannibal they have their old commander revived, and that Hanno and
+his companions seek only to have him removed, because they fear that the
+luster of his deeds will overshadow them.
+
+“Urge that he is the elect of the army of Spain, that the voice of the
+soldiers has acclaimed him, and that the troops here should join their
+voices to those of their comrades in Spain. They too may ere long have
+to take share in the war, and would it not be far better for them to be
+led by a soldier like Hannibal than by Hanno, whose incapacity has been
+proved a score of times, and who is solely chosen because he is rich,
+and because he has pandered to the fat traders and lazy shopkeepers?
+
+“Do you, Stryphex, go to the weavers' quarter; you have influence there.
+Work upon the men, point out to them how, since Hamilcar and Hasdrubal
+have conquered Spain, and the gold and silver from the mines have poured
+into Carthage, their trade has flourished. Before that gold was scarce
+known in the city, none could purchase their choice productions, their
+wages would scarce keep the wolf from the door. Show them that under
+Hanno disaster will be sure to befall our arms, that the Iberians will
+reconquer their soil, that the mines will be lost, and we shall have to
+return to the leather money of twenty years back.”
+
+So one by one Hamilcar despatched the groups round him on various
+missions, until Malchus alone remained.
+
+“You, Malchus, can, as you suggested, go down to the port; ask the
+sailors and fishermen what will become of their trade were the Roman
+galleys cruising in our bay. Point out that our conquests in Spain have
+already caused the greatest alarm in Rome, and that under Hannibal our
+arms will so flourish that Rome will be glad to come to terms with us,
+and to leave us free to trade with the world.
+
+“Point out how great is the trade and commerce which Carthagena has
+already produced. Ask them if they are willing that all this shall be
+hazarded, in order that Hanno may gratify his personal ambition, and
+his creatures may wring the last penny from the over taxed people of
+Carthage. Don't try too much, my boy. Get together a knot of men whom
+you know; prime them with argument, and send them among their fellows.
+Tell them to work day and night, and that you will see that their time
+is well paid. Find out if there are any men who have special influence
+with their fellows, and secure them on our side. Promise them what they
+will; the Syssite will spend money like water to carry its object. Be
+discreet, Malchus; when you have lit the fire, and see that it is well
+on its way, withdraw quietly.”
+
+Malchus hurried off, and in half an hour was down by the port. Through
+the densely packed district which lay behind the lofty warehouses
+crammed with goods brought by sea from all parts of the world, he made
+his way until he reached the abode of a fisherman, in whose boat he
+often put to sea.
+
+The old man, with three or four grownup sons, was reclining on a pile of
+rushes.
+
+“Welcome back, my lord Malchus,” he said; “glad am I to see you safely
+returned. We have often talked of you, me and my sons, and wondered when
+you would again go out for a night's fishing with us. You have come back
+at the right time. The tunny are just entering the bay, and in another
+week we shall have rare sport.”
+
+“I shall be glad, indeed, of another sail with you,” Malchus said; “but
+at present I have other matters in hand. Hanno and his friends have
+determined to oppose the appointment of Hannibal to the army in Spain.”
+ The fisherman gave a grunt, which signified that the matter was one of
+which he knew nothing, and which affected him not in the slightest.
+
+“Don't you see the importance of this?” Malchus said. “If Hannibal
+doesn't get the command our troops will be beaten, and we shall lose all
+our trade with Spain.” The fisherman still appeared apathetic.
+
+“My sons have all taken to fishing,” he said indifferently, “and it
+matters nothing to them whether we lose the trade of Spain or not.”
+
+“But it would make a difference,” Malchus said, “if no more gold and
+silver came from Spain, because then, you know, people wouldn't be
+able to pay a good price for fish, and there would be bad times for you
+fishermen. But that is not the worst of it. The Romans are so alarmed by
+our progress in Spain that they are glad to keep friends with us, but if
+we were driven out from there they would soon be at war again. You and
+your sons would be pressed for the ships of war, and like enough you
+might see the Roman fleets hovering on our coasts and picking up our
+fishing boats.”
+
+“By Astarte,” the fisherman exclaimed, “but that would be serious,
+indeed; and you say all this will happen unless Hannibal remains as
+general in Spain?”
+
+“That is so,” Malchus nodded.
+
+“Then I tell you what, my boys,” the fisherman said, rising and rubbing
+his hands, “we must put our oars into this business. You hear what my
+lord Malchus tells us. Get up, there is work to be done. Now, sir, what
+is the best way to stop this affair you tell us of? If it's got to be
+done we will do it, and I think I can answer for three or four thousand
+fishing hands here who ain't going to stand by any more than I am and
+see the bread taken out of their mouths. They know old Calcon, and will
+listen to what he says. I will set about it at once.”
+
+“That is just what I want,” Malchus said. “I want you and your sons to
+go about among the fishermen and tell them what is proposed to be done,
+and how ruinous it will be for them. You know how fond of fishermen I
+am, and how sorry I should be to see them injured. You stir them up for
+the next three or four days, and get them to boiling point. I will let
+you know when the time comes. There are other trades who will be injured
+by this business, and when the time comes you fishermen with your oars
+in your hands must join the others and go through the streets shouting
+'Hannibal for general! Down with Hanno and the tax gatherers!'”
+
+“Down with the tax gatherers is a good cry,” the old fisherman said.
+“They take one fish of every four I bring in, and always choose the
+finest. Don't you be afraid, sir; we will be there, oars and all, when
+you give the word.”
+
+“And now I want you to tell me the names of a few men who have influence
+among the sailors of the mercantile ships, and among those who load and
+discharge the cargoes; their interest is threatened as well as yours. I
+am commissioned to pay handsomely all who do their best for the cause,
+and I promise you that you and your sons shall earn as much in four
+days' work as in a month's toiling on the sea. The Barcine Club is known
+to be the true friend of Carthage, the opponent of those who grind down
+the people, and it will spare no money to see that this matter is well
+carried out.”
+
+The fisherman at once went round with Malchus to the abodes of several
+men regarded as authorities by the sailors and stevedores. With these,
+partly by argument, but much more by the promises of handsome pay for
+their exertions, Malchus established an understanding, and paved the way
+for a popular agitation among the working classes of the waterside in
+favour of Hannibal.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV: A POPULAR RISING
+
+
+Day after day Malchus went down to the port. His father was well pleased
+with his report of what he had done and provided him with ample funds
+for paying earnest money to his various agents, as a proof that their
+exertions would be well rewarded. He soon had the satisfaction of seeing
+that the agitation was growing.
+
+Work was neglected, the sailors and labourers collected on the quays and
+talked among themselves, or listened to orators of their own class, who
+told them of the dangers which threatened their trade from the hatred of
+Hanno and his friends the tax collectors for Hannibal, whose father and
+brother-in-law had done such great things for Carthage by conquering
+Spain and adding to her commerce by the establishment of Carthagena and
+other ports. Were they going to stand tamely by and see trade ruined,
+and their families starving, that the tyrants who wrung from them the
+taxes should fatten at ease?
+
+Such was the tenor of the orations delivered by scores of men to their
+comrades on the quays. A calm observer might have noticed a certain
+sameness about the speeches, and might have come to the conclusion that
+the orators had received their instructions from the same person, but
+this passed unnoticed by the sailors and workmen, who were soon roused
+into fury by the exhortations of the speakers. They knew nothing either
+of Hannibal or of Hanno, but they did know that they were ground down
+to the earth with taxation, and that the conquest of Spain and the trade
+that had arisen had been of enormous benefit to them. It was, then,
+enough to tell them that this trade was threatened, and that it was
+threatened in the interest of the tyrants of Carthage, for them to enter
+heart and soul into the cause.
+
+During these four days the Barcine Club was like the headquarters of
+an army. Night and day the doors stood open, messengers came and went
+continually, consultations of the leading men of the city were held
+almost without a break. Every man belonging to it had his appointed
+task. The landed proprietors stirred up the cultivators of the soil, the
+manufacturers were charged with the enlightenment of their hands as to
+the dangers of the situation, the soldiers were busy among the
+troops; but theirs was a comparatively easy task, for these naturally
+sympathized with their comrades in Spain, and the name of the great
+Hamilcar was an object of veneration among them.
+
+Hanno's faction was not idle. The Syssite which was composed of his
+adherents was as large as its rival. Its orators harangued the people in
+the streets on the dangers caused to the republic by the ambition of
+the family of Barca, of the expense entailed by the military and naval
+establishments required to keep up the forces necessary to carry out
+their aggressive policy, of the folly of confiding the principal army of
+the state to the command of a mere youth. They dilated on the wealth and
+generosity of Hanno, of his lavish distribution of gifts among the poor,
+of his sympathy with the trading community. Each day the excitement
+rose, business was neglected, the whole population was in a fever of
+excitement.
+
+On the evening of the fourth day the agents of the Barcine Club
+discovered that Hanno's party were preparing for a public demonstration
+on the following evening. They had a certainty of a majority in the
+public vote, which, although nominally that of the people, was, as has
+been said, confined solely to what would now be called the middle class.
+
+Hitherto the Barcine party had avoided fixing any period for their own
+demonstration, preferring to wait until they knew the intention of their
+opponents. The council now settled that it should take place on the
+following day at eleven o'clock, just when the working classes would
+have finished their morning meal.
+
+The secret council, however, determined that no words should be
+whispered outside their own body until two hours before the time, in
+order that it should not be known to Hanno and his friends until too
+late to gather their adherents to oppose it. Private messengers were,
+however, sent out late to all the members to assemble early at the club.
+
+At nine o'clock next morning the Syssite was crowded, the doors were
+closed, and the determination of the council was announced to the
+members, each of whom was ordered to hurry off to set the train in
+motion for a popular outbreak for eleven o'clock. It was not until an
+hour later that the news that the Barcine party intended to forestall
+them reached Hanno's headquarters. Then the most vigourous efforts
+were made to get together their forces, but it was too late. At eleven
+o'clock crowds of men from all the working portions of the town
+were seen making their way towards the forum, shouting as they went,
+“Hannibal for general!” “Down with Hanno and the tax gatherers!”
+
+Conspicuous among them were the sailors and fishermen from the port,
+armed with oars, and the gang of stevedores with heavy clubs. Hanno and
+a large number of his party hurried down to the spot and tried to pacify
+the crowd, but the yells of execration were so loud and continuous that
+they were forced to leave the forum. The leaders of the Barcine party
+now appeared on the scene, and their most popular orator ascended the
+rostrum. When the news spread among the crowd that he was a friend of
+Hannibal and an opponent of Hanno, the tumult was stayed in order that
+all might hear his words.
+
+“My friends,” he said, “I am glad to see that Carthage is still true to
+herself, and that you resent the attempt made by a faction to remove the
+general of the army's choice, the son of the great Hamilcar Barca. To
+him and to Hasdrubal, his son-in-law, you owe the conquest of Spain, you
+owe the wealth which has of late years poured into Carthage, you owe the
+trade which is already doing so much to mitigate your condition. What
+have Hanno and his friends done that you should listen to him? It is
+their incapacity which has lost Carthage so many of its possessions. It
+is their greed and corruption which place such burdens on your backs.
+They claim that they are generous. It is easy to be generous with the
+money of which they have plundered you; but let them know your will, and
+they must bend before it. Tell them that you will have Hannibal and none
+other as the general of your armies, and Spain is secure, and year by
+year your commerce with that country will increase and flourish.”
+
+A roar of assent arose from the crowd. At the same instant a tumult was
+heard at the lower entrance to the forum, and the head of a dense body
+of men was seen issuing from the street, with shouts of “Hanno forever!”
+ They were headed by the butchers and tanners, an important and powerful
+body, for Carthage did a vast trade in leather.
+
+For a time they bore all before them, but the resistance increased every
+foot they advanced. The shouts on both sides became louder and more
+angry. Blows were soon exchanged, and ere long a pitched battle was
+raging. The fishermen and sailors threw themselves into the thick of
+it, and for ten minutes a desperate fight raged in the forum. Soon
+the battle extended, as bodies of men belonging to either faction
+encountered each other as they hurried towards the forum.
+
+Street frays were by no means unusual in Carthage, but this was a
+veritable battle. Hanno had at its commencement, accompanied by a strong
+body of his friends, ridden to Byrsa, and had called upon the soldiers
+to come out and quell the tumult. They, however, listened in sullen
+silence, their sympathies were entirely with the supporters of Hannibal,
+and they had already received orders from their officers on no account
+to move, whosoever might command them to do so, until Hamilcar placed
+himself at their head.
+
+The general delayed doing this until the last moment. Hannibal's friends
+had hoped to carry their object without the intervention of the troops,
+as it was desirable in every way that the election should appear to be a
+popular one, and that Hannibal should seem to have the suffrages of the
+people as well as of the army. That the large majority of the people
+were with them they knew, but the money which Hanno's friends had
+lavishly spent among the butchers, skinners, tanners, and smiths had
+raised up a more formidable opposition than they had counted upon.
+
+Seeing that their side was gaining but little advantage, that already
+much blood had been shed, and that the tumult threatened to involve all
+Carthage, Hamilcar and a number of officers rode to the barracks. The
+troops at once got under arms, and, headed by the elephants, moved out
+from Byrsa. Being desirous to avoid bloodshed, Hamilcar bade his men
+leave their weapons behind them, and armed them with headless spear
+shafts, of which, with all other things needed for war, there was a
+large store in the citadel. As the column sallied out it broke up into
+sections. The principal body marched toward the forum, while others,
+each led by officers, took their way down the principal streets.
+
+The appearance of the elephants and troops, and the loud shouts of the
+latter for Hannibal, quickly put an end to the tumult. Hanno's hired
+mob, seeing that they could do nothing against such adversaries, at once
+broke up and fled to their own quarters of the city, and Hanno and his
+adherents sought their own houses. The quiet citizens, seeing that the
+fight was over, issued from their houses, and the forum was soon again
+crowded.
+
+The proceedings were now unanimous, and the shouts raised that the
+senate should assemble and confirm the vote of the army were loud and
+strenuous. Parties of men went out in all directions to the houses of
+the senators to tell them the people demanded their presence at the
+forum. Seeing the uselessness of further opposition, and fearing the
+consequences if they resisted, Hanno and his friends no longer offered
+any opposition.
+
+The senate assembled, and, by a unanimous vote the election of Hannibal
+as one of the suffetes in place of Hasdrubal, and as commander-in-chief
+of the army in Spain, was carried, and was ratified by that of the
+popular assembly, the traders and manufacturers of Hanno's party not
+venturing to oppose the will of the mass of mechanics and seafaring
+population.
+
+“It has been a victory,” Hamilcar said, when, accompanied by a number of
+his friends, he returned to his home that evening, “but Hanno will not
+forget or forgive the events of this day. As long as all goes well in
+Spain we may hope for the support of the people, but should any disaster
+befall our arms it will go hard with all who have taken a prominent part
+in this day's proceedings. Hanno's friends have so much at stake that
+they will not give up the struggle. They have at their back all the
+moneys which they wring from the people and the tributaries of Carthage,
+and they will work night and day to strengthen their party and to buy
+over the lower classes. We are the stronger at present; but to carry
+the popular vote on a question which would put a stop to the frightful
+corruption of our administration, to suppress the tyranny of the
+council, to sweep away the abuses which prevail in every class in the
+state--for that we must wait till Hannibal returns victorious. Let him
+but humble the pride of Rome, and Carthage will be at his feet.”
+
+The party were in high spirits at the result of the day's proceedings.
+Not only had they succeeded in their principal object of electing
+Hannibal, but they had escaped from a great personal danger; for,
+assuredly, had Hanno and his party triumphed, a stern vengeance would
+have been taken upon all the leading members of the Barcine faction.
+
+After the banquet, while Hamilcar and his companions reclined on their
+couches at tables, a Greek slave, a captive in war, sang songs of his
+native land to the accompaniment of the lyre. A party of dancing girls
+from Ethiopia performed their rhythmical movements to the sound of the
+tinkling of a little guitar with three strings, the beating of a small
+drum, the clashing of cymbals, and the jingling of the ornaments and
+little metal bells on their arms and ankles. Perfumes were burned in
+censers, and from time to time soft strains of music, played by a party
+of slaves among the trees without, floated in through the casements.
+
+Malchus was in wild spirits, for his father had told him that it was
+settled that he was to have the command of a body of troops which were
+very shortly to proceed to Spain to reinforce the army under Hannibal,
+and that he should allow Malchus to enter the band of Carthaginian horse
+which was to form part of the body under his command.
+
+The regular Carthaginian horse and foot formed but a very small portion
+of the armies of the republic. They were a corps d'elite, composed
+entirely of young men of the aristocratic families of Carthage, on whom
+it was considered as almost a matter of obligation to enter this
+force. They had the post of honour in battle, and it was upon them the
+Carthaginian generals relied principally to break the ranks of the enemy
+in close battle. All who aspired to distinguish themselves in the eyes
+of their fellow citizens, to rise to power and position in the state, to
+officer the vast bodies of men raised from the tributary nations, and to
+command the armies of the country, entered one or other of these bodies.
+The cavalry was the arm chosen by the richer classes. It was seldom that
+it numbered more than a thousand strong. The splendour of their armour
+and appointments, the beauty of their horses, the richness of the
+garments of the cavaliers, and the trappings of their steeds, caused
+this body to be the admiration and envy of Carthage. Every man in it was
+a member of one of the upper ranks of the aristocracy; all were nearly
+related to members of the senate, and it was considered the highest
+honour that a young Carthaginian could receive to be admitted into it.
+
+Each man wore on his wrist a gold band for each campaign which he had
+undertaken. There was no attempt at uniformity as to their appointments.
+Their helmets and shields were of gold or silver, surmounted with plumes
+or feathers, or with tufts of white horsehair. Their breastplates were
+adorned with arabesques or repousse work of the highest art. Their belts
+were covered with gold and studded with gems. Their short kilted skirts
+were of rich Tyrian purple embroidered with gold.
+
+The infantry were composed of men of good but less exalted families.
+They wore a red tunic without a belt. They carried a great circular
+buckler of more than a yard in diameter, formed of the tough hide of the
+river horse, brought down from the upper Nile, with a central boss of
+metal with a point projecting nearly a foot in front of the shield,
+enabling it to be used as an offensive weapon in a close fight. They
+carried short heavy swords similar to those of the Romans, and went
+barefooted. Their total strength seldom exceeded two thousand.
+
+These two bodies constituted the Carthaginian legion, and formed but
+a small proportion indeed of her armies, the rest of her forces being
+entirely drawn from the tributary states. The fact that Carthage, with
+her seven hundred thousand inhabitants, furnished so small a contingent
+of the fighting force of the republic, was in itself a proof of the
+weakness of the state. A country which relies entirely for its defence
+upon mercenaries is rapidly approaching decay.
+
+She may for a time repress one tributary with the soldiers of the
+others; but when disaster befalls her she is without cohesion and falls
+to pieces at once. As the Roman orator well said of Carthage: “She was
+a figure of brass with feet of clay”--a noble and imposing object to
+the eye, but whom a vigourous push would level in the dust. Rome, on the
+contrary, young and vigourous, was a people of warriors. Every one of
+her citizens who was capable of bearing arms was a soldier. The manly
+virtues were held in the highest esteem, and the sordid love of wealth
+had not as yet enfeebled her strength or sapped her powers. Her citizens
+were men, indeed, ready to make any sacrifice for their country; and
+such being the case, her final victory over Carthage was a matter of
+certainty.
+
+The news which afforded Malchus such delight was not viewed with the
+same unmixed satisfaction by the members of his family. Thyra had for
+the last year been betrothed to Adherbal, and he, too, was to accompany
+Hamilcar to Spain, and none could say how long it might be before they
+would return.
+
+While the others were sitting round the festive board, Adherbal and
+Thyra strolled away among the groves in the garden.
+
+“I do not think you care for me, Adherbal,” she said reproachfully as he
+was speaking of the probabilities of the campaign. “You know well
+that this war may continue in Spain for years, and you seem perfectly
+indifferent to the fact that we must be separated for that time.”
+
+“I should not be indifferent to it, Thyra, if I thought for a moment
+that this was to be the case. I may remain, it is true, for years in
+Spain; but I have not the most remote idea of remaining there alone. At
+the end of the first campaign, when our army goes into winter quarters,
+I shall return here and fetch you.”
+
+“That's all very well,” the girl said, pouting; “but how do you know
+that I shall be willing to give up all the delights of Carthage to go
+among the savage Iberians, where they say the ground is all white in
+winter and even the rivers stop in their courses?”
+
+Adherbal laughed lightly. “Then it is not for you to talk about
+indifference, Thyra; but it won't be so bad as you fear. At Carthagena
+you will have all the luxuries of Carthage. I do not say that your villa
+shall be equal to this; but as you will have me it should be a thousand
+times dearer to you.”
+
+“Your conceit is superb, Adherbal,” Thyra laughed. “You get worse
+and worse. Had I ever dreamed of it I should never have consented
+so submissively when my father ordered me to regard you as my future
+husband.”
+
+“You ought to think yourself a fortunate girl, Thyra,” Adherbal said,
+smiling; “for your father might have taken it into his head to have
+done as Hamilcar Barca did, and married his daughters to Massilian and
+Numidian princes, to become queens of bands of nomad savages.”
+
+“Well, they were queens, that was something, even if only of nomads.”
+
+“I don't think that it would have suited you, Thyra--a seat on horseback
+for a throne, and a rough tent for a palace, would not be in your way at
+all. I think a snug villa on the slopes of the bay of Carthagena, will
+suit you better, not to mention the fact that I shall make an infinitely
+more pleasant and agreeable master than a Numidian chief would do.”
+
+“You are intolerable, Adherbal, with your conceit and your mastership.
+However, I suppose when the time comes I shall have to obey my father.
+What a pity it is we girls cannot choose our husbands for ourselves!
+Perhaps the time may come when we shall do so.”
+
+“Well, in your case, Thyra,” Adherbal said, “it would make no
+difference, because you know you would have chosen me anyhow; but most
+girls would make a nice business of it. How are they to know what men
+really are? They might be gamesters, drunkards, brutal and cruel
+by nature, idle and spendthrift. What can maidens know of a man's
+disposition? Of course they only see him at his best. Wise parents
+can make careful inquiries, and have means of knowing what a man's
+disposition and habits really are.”
+
+“You don't think, Adherbal,” Thyra said earnestly, “that girls are such
+fools that they cannot read faces; that we cannot tell the difference
+between a good man and a bad one.”
+
+“Yes, a girl may know something about every man save the one she loves,
+Thyra. She may see other's faults clearly enough; but she is blind to
+those of the man she loves. Do you not know that the Greeks depict Cupid
+with a bandage over his eyes?”
+
+“I am not blind to your faults,” Thyra said indignantly. “I know that
+you are a great deal more lazy than becomes you; that you are not
+sufficiently earnest in the affairs of life; that you will never rise to
+be a great general like my cousin Hannibal.”
+
+“That is all quite true,” Adherbal laughed; “and yet you see you love
+me. You perceive my faults only in theory and not in fact, and you do
+not in your heart wish to see me different from what I am. Is it not
+so?”
+
+“Yes,” the girl said shyly, “I suppose it is. Anyhow, I don't like the
+thought of your going away from me to that horrid Iberia.”
+
+Although defeated for the moment by the popular vote, the party of Hanno
+were not discouraged. They had suffered a similar check when they had
+attempted to prevent Hannibal joining Hasdrubal in Spain.
+
+Not a moment was lost in setting to work to recover their lost ground.
+Their agents among the lower classes spread calumnies against the
+Barcine leaders. Money was lavishly distributed, and the judges, who
+were devoted to Hanno's party, set their machinery to work to strike
+terror among their opponents. Their modes of procedure were similar to
+those which afterwards made Venice execrable in the height of her power.
+Arrests were made secretly in the dead of night. Men were missing from
+their families, and none knew what had become of them.
+
+Dead bodies bearing signs of strangulation were found floating in the
+shallow lakes around Carthage; and yet, so great was the dread inspired
+by the terrible power of the judges, that the friends and relations of
+those who were missing dared make neither complaint nor inquiry. It was
+not against the leaders of the Barcine party that such measures were
+taken. Had one of these been missing the whole would have flown to arms.
+The dungeons would have been broken open, and not only the captives
+liberated, but their arrest might have been made the pretext for an
+attack upon the whole system under which such a state of things could
+exist.
+
+It was chiefly among the lower classes that the agents of Hanno's
+vengeance operated. Among these the disappearance of so many men who
+were regarded as leaders among the rest spread a deep and mysterious
+fear. Although none dared to complain openly, the news of these
+mysterious disappearances was not long in reaching the leaders of the
+Barcine party.
+
+These, however, were for the time powerless to act. Certain as they
+might be of the source whence these unseen blows descended, they had no
+evidence on which to assail so formidable a body as the judges. It
+would be a rash act indeed to accuse such important functionaries of the
+state, belonging, with scarcely an exception, to powerful families, of
+arbitrary and cruel measures against insignificant persons.
+
+The halo of tradition still surrounded the judges, and added to the fear
+inspired by their terrible and unlimited power. In such an attack the
+Barcine party could not rely upon the population to side with them; for,
+while comparatively few were personally affected by the arrests which
+had taken place, the fear of future consequences would operate upon all.
+
+Among the younger members of the party, however, the indignation aroused
+by these secret blows was deep. Giscon, who was continually brooding
+over the tyranny and corruption which were ruining his country, was one
+of the leaders of this section of the party; with him were other spirits
+as ardent as himself. They met in a house in a quiet street in the lower
+town, and there discussed all sorts of desperate projects for freeing
+the city of its tyrants.
+
+One day as Giscon was making his way to this rendezvous he met Malchus
+riding at full speed from the port.
+
+“What is it, Malchus, whither away in such haste?”
+
+“It is shameful, Giscon, it is outrageous. I have just been down to the
+port to tell the old fisherman with whom I often go out that I would
+sail with him tomorrow, and find that four days ago he was missing, and
+his body was yesterday found by his sons floating in the lagoon. He
+had been strangled. His sons are as much overpowered with terror as by
+grief, they believe that he has suffered for the part he took in rousing
+the fishermen to declare for Hannibal a fortnight since, and they fear
+lest the terrible vengeance of Hanno should next fall upon them.
+
+“How it happened they know not. A man arrived late in the evening and
+said that one of their father's best customers wanted a supply of fish
+for a banquet he was to give next day, and that he wanted to speak
+to him at once to arrange about the quantity and quality of fish he
+required. Suspecting nothing the old man left at once, and was never
+heard of afterwards. Next morning, seeing that he had not returned, one
+of his sons went to the house to which he had been fetched, but found
+that its owner knew nothing of the affair, and denied that he had sent
+any message whatever to him. Fearing that something was wrong they
+searched everywhere, but it was not until last night that his body was,
+as I have told you, found.
+
+“They are convinced that their father died in no private feud. He had
+not, as far as they know, an enemy in the world. You may imagine how l
+feel this; not only did I regard him as a friend, but I feel that it was
+owing to his acting as I led him that he has come to his death.”
+
+“The tyrants!” Giscon exclaimed in a low voice. “But what can you do,
+Malchus?”
+
+“I am going to my father,” Malchus replied, “to ask him to take the
+matter up.”
+
+“What can he do?” Giscon said with a bitter laugh. “What can he prove?
+Can he accuse our most noble body of judges, without a shadow of proof,
+of making away with this unknown old fisherman. No, Malchus, if you are
+in earnest to revenge your friend come with me, I will introduce you to
+my friends, who are banded together against this tyranny, and who are
+sworn to save Carthage. You are young, but you are brave and full of
+ardour; you are a son of General Hamilcar, and my friends will gladly
+receive you as one of us.”
+
+Malchus did not hesitate. That there would be danger in joining such
+a body as Giscon spoke of he knew, but the young officer's talk during
+their expedition had aroused in him a deep sense of the tyranny and
+corruption which were sapping the power or his country, and this blow
+which had struck him personally rendered him in a mood to adopt any
+dangerous move.
+
+“I will join you, Giscon,” he said, “if you will accept me. I am young,
+but I am ready to go all lengths, and to give my life if needs be to
+free Carthage.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V: THE CONSPIRACY
+
+
+Giscon led his companion along the narrow lanes until he reached the
+back entrance of the house where the meetings were held. Knocking in
+a particular way it was opened at once and closed behind them. As they
+entered a slave took Malchus' horse without a word and fastened it to a
+ring in the wall, where four or five other horses were standing.
+
+“I rather wonder you are not afraid of drawing attention by riding on
+horseback to a house in such a quarter,” Malchus said.
+
+“We dare not meet secretly, you know. The city is full of spies, and
+doubtless the movements of all known to be hostile to Hanno and his
+party are watched, therefore we thought it best to meet here. We have
+caused it to be whispered as a secret in the neighbourhood, that the
+house has been taken as a place where we can gamble free from the
+presence of our elders. Therefore the only comments we excite is, 'There
+go those young fools who are ruining themselves.' It is only because you
+are on horseback that I have come round to this gate; had you come on
+foot we should have entered by the front. Fortunately there are among us
+many who are deemed to be mere pleasure seekers--men who wager fortunes
+on their horses, who are given to banquets, or whose lives seem to be
+passed in luxury and indolence, but who at heart are as earnest in the
+cause of Carthage as I am. The presence of such men among us gives a
+probability to the tale that this is a gambling house. Were we all of my
+stamp, men known to be utterly hostile to Hanno and his party, suspicion
+would fall upon our meetings at once. But here we are.”
+
+As he spoke he drew aside some heavy curtains and entered a large room.
+Some ten or twelve young men were assembled there. They looked up in
+surprise as Giscon entered followed by his companion.
+
+“I have brought a recruit,” Giscon said, “one whom all of you know by
+repute if not personally; it is Malchus, the son of General Hamilcar. He
+is young to be engaged in a business like ours, but I have been with him
+in a campaign and can answer for him. He is brave, ready, thoughtful and
+trustworthy. He loves his country and hates her tyrants. I can guarantee
+that he will do nothing imprudent, but can be trusted as one of
+ourselves. Being young he will have the advantage of being less likely
+to be watched, and may be doubly useful. He is ready to take the oath of
+our society.”
+
+As Giscon was the leading spirit of the band his recommendation was
+taken as amply sufficient. The young men rose and formed in a circle
+round Malchus. All drew their daggers, and one, whom Malchus recognized
+with a momentary feeling of surprise as Carthalon, whom Adherbal had
+pointed out at the Barcine Club as one who thought only of horse racing,
+said:
+
+“Do you swear by Moloch and Astarte to be true to this society, to
+devote yourself to the destruction of the oppressors of Carthage, to
+carry out all measures which may be determined upon, even at the certain
+risk of your life, and to suffer yourself to be torn to pieces by the
+torture rather than reveal aught that passes within these walls?”
+
+“That I swear solemnly,” Malchus said.
+
+“I need not say,” Carthalon said carelessly, “that the punishment of the
+violation of the oath is death. It is so put in our rules. But we are
+all nobles of Carthage, and nobles do not break their oaths, so we
+can let that pass. When a man's word is good enough to make him beggar
+himself in order to discharge a wager, he can be trusted to keep his
+word in a matter which concerns the lives of a score of his fellows. And
+now that this business is arranged we can go on with our talk; but first
+let us have some wine, for all this talking is thirsty work at best.”
+
+The young men threw themselves upon the couches around the room and,
+while slaves brought round wine, chatted lightly with each other about
+horses, the play presented the day before, the respective merits of the
+reigning beauties of Carthage, and other similar topics, and Malchus,
+who was impressed with the serious nature of the secret conspiracy which
+he had just sworn to aid, could not help being surprised at the careless
+gaiety of the young men, although engaged in a conspiracy in which they
+risked their lives.
+
+It was not until some minutes after the slaves had left the apartment
+that the light talk and banter ceased, as Giscon rose and said:
+
+“Now to business. Malchus has told me that an old fisherman, who took
+a lead in stirring up his fellows to declare for Hannibal, has been
+decoyed away from his home and murdered; his body has been found
+floating in the lake, strangled. This is the nineteenth in the course of
+a week. These acts are spreading terror among the working classes, and
+unless they are put a stop to we can no longer expect assistance from
+them.
+
+“That these deeds are the work of the officials of the tribunals we have
+no doubt. The sooner we strike the better. Matters are getting ripe. I
+have eight men sworn into my section among the weavers, and need but
+two more to complete it. We will instruct our latest recruit to raise
+a section among the fishermen. The sons of the man just murdered should
+form a nucleus. We agreed from the first that three hundred resolute
+men besides ourselves were required, and that each of us should raise
+a section of ten. Malchus brings up our number here to thirty, and when
+all the sections are filled up we shall be ready for action.
+
+“Failure ought to be impossible. The houses of Hanno and thirty of his
+party will be attacked, and the tyrants slain before any alarm can be
+given. Another thirty at least should be slain before the town is fairly
+aroused. Maybe each section can undertake three if our plans are well
+laid, and each chooses for attack three living near each other. We have
+not yet settled whether it will be better to separate when this is
+done, content with the first blow against our tyrants, or to prepare
+beforehand for a popular rising, to place ourselves at the head of the
+populace, and to make a clean sweep of the judges and the leaders of
+Hanno's party.”
+
+Giscon spoke in an ordinary matter-of-fact tone, as if he were
+discussing the arrangements of a party of pleasure; but Malchus could
+scarcely repress a movement of anxiety as he heard this proposal for the
+wholesale destruction of the leading men of Carthage. The council thus
+opened was continued for three hours. Most of those present spoke, but,
+to the surprise of Malchus, there was an entire absence of that gloom
+and mystery with which the idea of a state conspiracy was associated in
+his mind.
+
+The young men discussed it earnestly, indeed, but in the same spirit
+in which they would have agreed over a disputed question as to the
+respective merits of two horses. They laughed, joked, offered and
+accepted wagers and took the whole matter with a lightness of heart
+which Malchus imitated to the best of his power, but which he was very
+far from feeling; and yet he felt that beneath all this levity his
+companions were perfectly in earnest in their plans, but they joked now
+as they would have joked before the commencement of a battle in which
+the odds against them were overwhelming and great.
+
+Even Giscon, generally grave and gloomy, was as light hearted as the
+rest. The aristocracy of Carthage were, like the aristocracy of all
+other countries, from tradition, training, and habit, brave to excess.
+Just as centuries later the noblesse of France chatted gaily on the
+tumbril on their way to execution, and offered each other their snuff
+boxes on the scaffold, so these young aristocrats of Carthage smiled and
+jested, though well aware that they were risking their lives.
+
+No decision was arrived at, for this could only be decided upon at
+a special meeting, at which all the members of the society would
+be present. Among those now in council opinions were nearly equally
+divided. The one party urged that, did they take steps to prepare the
+populace for a rising, a rumour would be sure to meet the ears of their
+opponents and they would be on their guard; whereas, if they scattered
+quickly after each section had slain two of their tyrants, the operation
+might be repeated until all the influential men of Hanno's faction had
+been removed.
+
+In reply to these arguments the other party urged that delays were
+always dangerous, that huge rewards would be offered after the first
+attempts, that some of the men of the sections might turn traitors, that
+Hanno's party would be on their guard in future, and that the judges
+would effect wholesale arrests and executions; whereas, were the
+populace appealed to in the midst of the excitement which would be
+caused by the death of Hanno and his principal adherents, the people
+would rise and finish with their tyrants.
+
+After all who wished to speak on the subject had given their opinions,
+they proceeded to details; each gave a statement of the number of men
+enrolled in his section, with a few words as to the disposition of each.
+Almost without an exception each of these men was animated with a
+sense of private wrong. Some had lost near relatives, executed for some
+trifling offence by the tribunals, some had been ruined by the extortion
+of the tax gatherers. All were stated to be ready to give their lives
+for vengeance.
+
+“These agents of ours, you see, Malchus, are not for the most part
+animated by any feeling of pure patriotism, it is their own wrongs and
+not the injuries of Carthage which they would avenge. But we must take
+them as we find them; one cannot expect any deep feeling of patriotism
+on the part of the masses, who, it must be owned, have no very great
+reason to feel any lively interest in the glories of the republic. So
+that they eat and drink sufficiently, and can earn their living, it
+matters not very greatly to them whether Carthage is great and glorious,
+or humbled and defeated. But this will not always be so. When we have
+succeeded in ridding Carthage of her tyrants we must next do all we can
+so to raise the condition of the common people that they may feel that
+they too have a common interest in the fate of our country. I should
+not, of course, propose giving to them a vote; to bestow the suffrage
+upon the ignorant, who would simply follow the demagogues who would use
+them as tools, would be the height of madness. The affairs of state, the
+government of the country, the making of the laws, must be solely in
+the hands of those fitted for the task--of the men who, by education,
+by birth, by position, by study and by leisure have prepared their minds
+for such a charge. But the people should share in the advantages of
+a good government; they should not be taxed more than they could
+reasonably pay, and any tax gatherers who should extort a penny beyond
+the legal amount should be disgraced and punished.
+
+“The courts should be open to all, the judges should be impartial and
+incorruptible; every man should have his rights and his privileges, then
+each man, feeling an interest in the stability of the state, would
+be ready to bear arms in its defence, and Carthage, instead of being
+dependent entirely upon her tributaries and mercenaries, would be able
+to place a great army in the field by her own unaided exertions.
+
+“The barbarian tribes would cease to revolt, knowing that success would
+be hopeless. And as we should be strong at home we should be respected
+abroad, and might view without apprehension the rising power of Rome.
+There is plenty of room for both of us. For us, Africa and Spain; for
+her all the rest of Europe and as much of Asia as she cares to take. We
+could look without jealousy at each other's greatness, each secure in
+his own strength and power. Yes, there may be a grand future before
+Carthage yet.”
+
+The meeting now broke up.
+
+“Where are you going, Malchus?” Giscon asked the lad as they went out
+into the courtyard; “to see the sacrifices? You know there is a grand
+function today to propitiate Moloch and to pray for victory for our
+arms.”
+
+“No,” Malchus said with a shudder. “I don't think I am a coward, Giscon,
+but these terrible rites frighten me. I was taken once by my father, and
+I then swore that never again, unless it be absolutely necessary for me
+in the performance of public office, will I be present at such a scene.
+For weeks afterwards I scarcely slept; day and night there was before
+me that terrible brazen image of Moloch. If I fell off to sleep, I woke
+bathed in perspiration as I heard the screams of the infants as they
+were dropped into those huge hands, heated to redness, stretched out to
+receive them. I cannot believe, Giscon, that the gods are so cruel.
+
+“Then there was the slaughter of a score of captives taken in war. I
+see them now, standing pale and stern, with their eyes directed to the
+brazen image which was soon to be sprinkled with their blood, while the
+priests in their scarlet robes, with the sacrificial knives in hand,
+approached them. I saw no more, for I shut my eyes till all was over.
+I tell you again, Giscon, I do not believe the gods are so cruel. Why
+should the gods of Phoenicia and Carthage alone demand blood? Those
+of Greece and Rome are not so bloodthirsty, and yet Mars gives as many
+victories to the Roman arms as Moloch does to ours.”
+
+“Blaspheme not the gods, Malchus,” Giscon said gloomily; “you may be
+sure that the wreath of a conquering general will never be placed around
+your brow if you honour them not.”
+
+“If honouring them means approval of shedding the blood of infants and
+captives, I will renounce all hopes of obtaining victory by their aid.”
+
+“I would you had spoken so before, Malchus; had I known that you were
+a scorner of the gods I would not have asked you to join in our
+enterprise. No good fortune can be expected to attend our efforts unless
+we have the help of the gods.”
+
+“The matter is easily mended, Giscon,” Malchus said calmly. “So far
+I have taken no step towards carrying out your plans, and have but
+listened to what you said, therefore, no harm can yet have been done.
+Strike my name off the list, and forget that I have been with you. You
+have my oath that I will say nought of anything that I have heard. You
+can well make some excuse to your comrades. Tell them, for example, that
+though I fear not for myself, I thought that, being the son of Hamilcar,
+I had no right to involve his name and family in such an enterprise,
+unless by his orders.”
+
+“Yes, it were better so,” Giscon said after a pause; “I dare not
+continue the enterprise with one who condemns the gods among us; it
+would be to court failure. I did not dream of this; who could have
+thought that a lad of your age would have been a spurner of the gods?”
+
+“I am neither a condemner nor a spurner,” Malchus said indignantly; “I
+say only that I believe you worship them wrongfully, that you do them
+injustice. I say it is impossible that the gods who rule the world
+can have pleasure in the screams of dying infants or the groans of
+slaughtered men.”
+
+Giscon placed his hand to his ears as if to shut out such blasphemy,
+and hurried away, while Malchus, mounting his horse, rode out slowly and
+thoughtfully to his father's villa. He was not at heart sorry that he
+was freed from this association into which, without knowing the measures
+by which it intended to carry out its aims, he had rashly entered. He
+was ready for armed insurrection against the tyrants of Carthage, but he
+revolted from the thought of this plan for a midnight massacre--it was
+not by such means that he would have achieved the regeneration of his
+country. He felt, too, that the reason which he had given Giscon was a
+valid one. He had no right, at his age, to involve his family in such a
+conspiracy. Did it fail, and were he found to be among the conspirators,
+Hanno and his associates would be sure to seize the fact as a pretext
+for assailing Hamilcar. They would say that Malchus would never have
+joined in such a plot had he not known that it had the approval of his
+father, and that he was in fact but the representative of his family in
+the design for overthrowing the constitution of the republic.
+
+Fortunately for Malchus, a few days later orders were given for the
+instant embarkation of a portion of the reinforcements destined for
+Hannibal. Hamilcar was to proceed in command of them, and, busied
+with his preparation for the start, Malchus thought little more of the
+conspiracy which was brewing. Thirty large merchant ships were hired
+to convey the troops, who numbered six thousand. These were principally
+Libyan footmen. The main body, with the Numidian horse, were to follow
+shortly. At last the day for embarkation arrived, and the troops defiled
+through the temple of Moloch, where sacrifices were offered up for the
+success of the enterprise.
+
+Malchus, under the pretense that something was not ready, at the last
+moment lingered at home, and only joined his comrades, a hundred young
+men of the Carthaginian horse, on the quays. This body, all composed
+of young men of the best families of Carthage, were to sail in the same
+ship which carried Hamilcar. The scene was a busy one--the docks
+of Carthage were extensive, and the ships which were to convey the
+expedition lay in deep water by the quays, so that the troops could
+march on board. A great crowd of the populace had assembled to view the
+embarkation. These were with difficulty kept from crowding the troops
+and impeding their movement by a cordon of soldiers.
+
+As the troops marched on to the quay they were formed up in parties by
+the side of the ships which were to convey them. Very different was the
+demeanour of the men of the different nationalities. The Libyans were
+stern and silent, they were part of the contingent which their state
+was bound to furnish to Carthage, and went unwillingly, cursing in their
+hearts the power which tore them from their homes to fight in a war in
+which they had neither concern nor interest.
+
+Near them were a body of Garamantes, wrapped in the long bernous which
+then as now was the garb of the children of the desert. Tall, swarthy
+figures these, lissome and agile, with every muscle standing out clear
+through the brown skin. Strange as must have been the scene to them,
+there was no wonder expressed in the keen glances which they shot around
+them from underneath their dark eyebrows. Silent and taciturn, scarce
+a word was to be heard among them as they stood awaiting the orders to
+embark; they were there unwillingly, and their hearts were far away in
+the distant desert, but none the less would they be willing to fight
+when the time came. Terrible foes these would be in a night attack,
+with their stealthy tiger-like tread, their gleaming, vengeful eyes, and
+their cruel mouths.
+
+Very different were the band of Ethiopians from the distant Soudan, with
+their cloaks of lion skin, and the gaudy feathers fastened in a fillet
+round their heads. Their black faces were alive with merriment and
+wonder--everything was new and extraordinary to them. The sea,
+the ships, the mighty city, the gathered crowd, all excited their
+astonishment, and their white teeth glistened as they chatted
+incessantly with a very babel of laughter and noise.
+
+Not less light hearted were the chosen band of young nobles grouped by
+the general's ship. Their horses were held in ranks behind them for the
+last time by their slaves, for in future they would have to attend to
+them themselves, and as they gathered in groups they laughed and jested
+over the last scandal in Carthage, the play which had been produced the
+night before at the theatre, or the horse race which was to be run on
+the following day. As to the desperate work on which they were to be
+engaged--for it was whispered that Hannibal had in preparation some
+mighty enterprise--it troubled them not at all, nor the thought that
+many of them might never look on Carthage again. In their hearts perhaps
+some of them, like Malchus, were thinking sadly of the partings they had
+just gone through with those they loved, but no signs of such thoughts
+were apparent in their faces or conversation.
+
+Presently a blast of trumpets sounded, and the babel of voices was
+hushed as if by magic. The soldiers fell into military order, and stood
+motionless. Then Hamilcar walked along the quays inspecting carefully
+each group, asking questions of the captains of the ships as to their
+store of provisions and water, receiving from the officers charged with
+that duty the lists of the war machines and stores which were stored
+away in the hulls; and, having assured himself that everything was in
+order, he gave the signal to his trumpeter, who again blew a long and
+piercing blast.
+
+The work of embarkation at once commenced. The infantry were soon on
+board, but the operation of shipping the horses of the cavalry took
+longer. Half of these were stored away in the hold of the general's
+ship, the rest in another vessel. When the troops were all on board
+the soldiers who had kept back the crowd were withdrawn, and the
+Carthaginians thronged down on to the quay. A small space was still kept
+clear on the wharf by whose side the admiral's ship was lying, and here
+was gathered a throng of the aristocracy of the city to see the last of
+their sons and relatives of the guard.
+
+Having seen their horses safely stowed below the young men crowded to
+the side of the ship to exchange adieus with their friends. The parting
+was a brief one, for the wind was fair, and the general anxious to be
+well out of the bay before nightfall. Therefore the signal was hoisted.
+Numbers of slaves seized the hawsers of the ships and towed them along
+through the narrow passage which connected the docks with the sea. A
+shout of adieu rose from the crowd, the sails were hoisted, and the
+fleet proceeded on its way.
+
+The arrangements for the comfort of the troops at sea were simple and
+primitive. Each man shifted for himself. The whole space below was
+occupied by cargo or horses. The troops lived and slept on deck. Here,
+on wide flat stones, they cooked their meals, whiled away the day by
+games of chance, and slept at night on skins or thick rugs. Fortunately
+the weather was fair. It was early in March, but the nights were not
+cold.
+
+The fleet hugged the coast, anchoring at night, until the northern
+shores stood out clear and well defined as Spain stretched down towards
+Africa. Then they crossed and cruised along until they arrived at
+Carthagena. Short as was the time which had elapsed since the foundation
+of that city, its aspect was already imposing and extensive. It lay at
+the head of a gulf facing south, about a mile in depth and nearly double
+that width. Across the mouth of this bay was an island, with but a
+narrow passage on each side, protecting it from the southern winds, and
+forming with it a magnificent harbour.
+
+On a bold hill at the head of the harbour stood the town. This hill rose
+from a wide lagoon, which communicated on one side with the sea, and
+was on the other separated from it only by a strip of land, four hundred
+yards wide. Through this a wide channel had been dug. Thus the hill,
+which was of considerable extent, rugged and precipitous, was isolated,
+and could only be attacked by sea.
+
+The town was built in a sort of amphitheatre facing the sea, and
+was surrounded by a strong fortification two miles and a half in
+circumference, so that even should an assailant cross the lagoon, which
+in summer was nearly dry, he would have before him an almost impregnable
+defence to carry. Here, in buildings whose magnitude surprised the
+newcomers, acquainted as they were with the buildings of Carthage,
+were stored the treasures, the baggage, the ammunition of war, and the
+provisions of the army.
+
+It had been the aim of the great Hamilcar, and of Hasdrubal after him,
+to render the army of Spain as far as possible independent of the mother
+country. They well knew how often the treasury of Carthage was empty
+owing to the extravagance and dishonesty of her rulers, and how
+impossible it would be to obtain thence the supplies required for
+the army. Therefore they established immense workshops, where arms,
+munitions of war, machines for sieges, and everything required for the
+use of the army were fabricated.
+
+Vast as were the expenses of these establishments, the revenues
+of Iberia were amply sufficient not only to defray all the cost of
+occupation, but to transmit large sums to Carthage. These revenues were
+derived partly from the tribute paid by conquered tribes, partly from
+the spoils taken in captured cities, but most of all from the mines of
+gold and silver, which were at that time immensely rich, and were worked
+by the labour of slaves taken in war or of whole tribes subdued.
+
+Some idea of the richness of these mines may be formed by the fact that
+one mine, which Hannibal had inherited from his father, brought in to
+him a revenue of nearly a thousand pounds a day; and this was but one
+of his various sources of wealth. This was the reason that Hamilcar,
+Hasdrubal, and Hannibal were able to maintain themselves in spite of the
+intrigues of their enemies in the capital. Their armies were their own
+rather than those of the country.
+
+It was to them that the soldiers looked for their pay, as well as for
+promotion and rewards for valour, and they were able, therefore, to
+carry out the plans which their genius suggested untrammelled by orders
+from Carthage. They occupied, indeed, a position very similar to that of
+Wallenstein, when, with an army raised and paid from his private means,
+he defended the cause of the empire against Gustavus Adolphus and the
+princes of the Protestant league. It is true that the Carthaginian
+generals had always by their side two commissioners of the senate.
+The republic of Carthage, like the first republic of France, was ever
+jealous of her generals, and appointed commissioners to accompany them
+on their campaigns, to advise and control their movements and to report
+on their conduct; and many of the defeats of the Carthaginians were due
+in no small degree to their generals being hampered by the interference
+of the commissioners. They were present, as a matter of course, with the
+army of Hannibal, but his power was so great that their influence over
+his proceedings was but nominal.
+
+The war which was about to break out with Rome is called the second
+Punic war, but it should rather be named the war of Hannibal with
+Rome. He conceived and carried it out from his own resources, without
+interference and almost without any assistance from Carthage. Throughout
+the war her ships lay idle in her harbour. Even in his greatest need
+Carthage never armed a galley for his assistance. The pay of the army
+came solely from his coffers, the material for the war from the arsenals
+constructed by his father, his brother-in-law, and himself. It was a war
+waged by a single man against a mighty power, and as such there is, with
+the exception of the case of Wallenstein, nothing to resemble it in the
+history of the world.
+
+Passing through the narrow passage into the harbour the fleet sailed up
+to the end of the bay, and were soon alongside the spacious quays which
+had been erected. A large quantity of shipping already lay there, for
+the trade of Carthagena with the mother city and with the ports of
+Spain, Africa, and the East already rivaled that of Carthage. A group of
+officers were gathered on the quay as Hamilcar's ship, which was
+leading the fleet, neared it, and Hamilcar exclaimed, “There is Hannibal
+himself!”
+
+As the ship moored alongside the quay Hannibal came on board and warmly
+embraced his cousin, and then bestowed a cordial greeting upon Malchus.
+
+“Why, cousin Malchus,” he said, “though it is but a year since I was in
+Carthage, I should scarce have known you, so much have you grown. I see
+you have entered the cavalry. That is well. You cannot begin too early
+to accustom yourself to war.”
+
+Then turning, he went among the young men of the guard, to all of whom
+he was personally known, greeting them with a cordiality and kindness
+which greatly gratified them. Malchus gazed at him with admiration.
+Fortunately an accurate description of Hannibal has come down to us. He
+was one who, even at first sight, won all hearts by his lofty and noble
+expression, by the kindness and sincerity which his face expressed. The
+Carthaginians, as a race, were short, but Hannibal was very tall, and
+his great width of shoulders testified to his immense strength.
+
+The beauty of the Carthaginian race was proverbial, but even among
+them he was remarkable. His head was well placed on his shoulders; his
+carriage was upright and commanding; his forehead lofty; his eye, though
+soft and gentle at ordinary times, was said to be terrible in time of
+battle. His head was bare. His hair, of a golden brown, was worn long,
+and encircled by a golden band. His nose was long and straight, forming,
+with the forehead, a perfect profile. The expression of the mouth was
+kind but firm. His beard was short. The whole contour of the face was
+noble in the extreme.
+
+In battle he wore a helmet of bronze closely fitting the head, behind
+which projected a curved metal plate covering his neck. A band of gold
+surrounded the helmet; in front were five laurel leaves in steel; at the
+temples two leaves of the lotus of the same metal. On the crest, rising
+from an ornament enriched with pearls, was a large plume of feathers,
+sometimes red and sometimes white. A tuft of white horsehair fell from
+the plate behind. A coat of mail, made of a triple tissue of chains of
+gold, covered his body. Above this he wore a shirt of the finest white
+linen, covered to the waist by a jerkin of leather overlaid with gold
+plates. A large mantle of purple embroidered with gold hung from his
+shoulders. He wore sandals and leggings of red morocco leather.
+
+But it was only on special occasions that Hannibal was thus
+magnificently clad. On the march he dressed generally in a simple blouse
+like that worn by his soldiers. His arms were borne behind him by an
+esquire. These consisted of his shield, of Galatian manufacture. Its
+material was bronze, its shape circular. In the centre was a conical,
+sharply pointed boss. The face of the shield was ornamented with
+subjects taken from the history of Carthage in relief. The offensive
+arms were a sword, a lance, and a bow with arrows. But it was not to the
+splendour of his appearance that Hannibal owed the enthusiasm by which
+he was regarded by his troops. His strength and skill were far superior
+to those of any man in his army. His food was as simple as that of his
+soldiers, he was capable of going for days without eating, and it was
+seldom that he broke his fast until the day's work was over. When he ate
+it would be sitting on horseback, or as he walked about seeing to the
+needs of the soldiers.
+
+At night he slept among them, lying on a lion skin without covering. He
+was indifferent to heat and cold, and in the heaviest tempest of wind
+and rain would ride bareheaded among his troops, apparently unconscious
+of the tempest against which he was struggling. So far as was known
+he was without a vice. He seldom touched wine. His morals were
+irreproachable. He never gave way to anger. His patience under trials
+and difficulties of all sorts was illimitable.
+
+In the midst of the greatest trials and dangers he preserved his
+cheerfulness, and had ever an encouraging word for his soldiers. Various
+as were the nationalities of the troops who followed him, constrained
+as most of them had been to enter the service of Carthage, so great was
+their love and admiration for their commander that they were ready
+to suffer all hardships, to dare all dangers for his sake. It was his
+personal influence, and that alone, which welded this army, composed of
+men of various nationalities and tribes, into one whole, and enabled it
+to perform the greatest military exploits in the world's history, and
+for years to sustain a terrible struggle against the whole power of
+Rome.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI: A CAMPAIGN IN SPAIN
+
+
+Among the young officers who had followed Hannibal on board were
+some who had left Carthage only a few months before and were known to
+Malchus. From them he learned with delight that the troops would take
+the field at once.
+
+“We are going on a campaign against the Vacaei,” one of them said. “The
+army marched out two days since. Hannibal has been waiting here for your
+arrival, for a fast sailing ship which started a few hours after you
+brought the news that you were on your way, and you will set off to join
+the rest without delay. It is going to be a hard campaign.”
+
+“Where is the country of the Vacaei?” Malchus asked.
+
+“A long way off,” the other replied. “The marches will be long and
+tiresome. Their country lies somewhat to the northwest of the great
+plateau in the centre of Iberia. We shall have to ascend the mountains
+on this side, to cross the plateau, to follow the rivers which flow to
+the great ocean.”
+
+The Vacaei, in fact, dwelt in the lands bordered by the upper Duero,
+their country comprising a portion of old Castille, Leon, and the Basque
+provinces. The journey would indeed be a long and difficult one; and
+Hannibal was undertaking the expedition not only to punish the turbulent
+Vacaei, who had attacked some of the tribes which had submitted to
+Carthage, but to accustom the troops to fatigues and hardships, and to
+prepare them for the great expedition which he had in view. No time was
+indeed lost, for as soon as the troops were landed they were formed up
+and at once started on their march.
+
+“This is more than we bargained for,” Trebon, a young guardsman whose
+place in the ranks was next to Malchus, said to him. “I thought we
+should have had at least a month here before we set out. They say the
+city is as gay as Carthage; and as I have many friends here I have
+looked forward to a month of jollity before starting. Every night when I
+lay down on the hard planks of the deck I have consoled myself with the
+thought that a soft bed awaited me here; and now we have to take at once
+to the bare ground, with nothing but this skin strapped on the pommel of
+my saddle to sleep on, and my bernous to cover me. It is colder already
+a great deal than it was at Carthage; and if that is so here, what will
+it be on the tops of those jagged mountains we see before us? Why, as I
+live, that highest one over there is of dazzling white! That must be the
+snow we have heard of--the rain turned solid by cold, and which they say
+causes a pain to the naked limbs something like hot iron. Fancy having
+to sleep in such stuff!”
+
+Malchus laughed at the complaints of his comrade.
+
+“I confess I am glad we are off at once,” he said, “for I was sick of
+doing nothing but idling away my time at Carthage; and I suppose it
+would be just the same here. How busy are the streets of the town!
+Except for the sight of the mountains which we see through the breaks of
+the houses, one might believe one's self still at home.”
+
+The aspect of Carthagena, indeed, closely resembled that of the mother
+city, and the inhabitants were of the same race and blood.
+
+Carthagena had in the first place been formed by a great colony of
+Libyans. The inhabitants of that province inhabiting the seaports and
+coasts near Carthage were a mixture of Phoenician and native blood. They
+were ever impatient of the supremacy of Carthage, and their rebellions
+were frequent and often dangerous. After the suppression of these
+insurrections, Carthage, sensible of the danger arising from the
+turbulence of her neighbours, deported great numbers of them to form
+colonies. Vast numbers were sent up into the Soudan, which was then one
+of the most important possessions of the republic. The most extensive,
+however, of these forced emigrations was the great colony sent to found
+Carthagena, which had thus in a very few years, under the fostering
+genius of the great Hamilcar, become a great and prosperous city.
+
+Carthage itself had thus suddenly sprung into existence. After many
+internal troubles the democracy of Tyre had gained the upper hand in
+that city; and finding their position intolerable, the whole of the
+aristocracy decided to emigrate, and, sailing with a great fleet under
+their queen Dido or Elisa--for she was called by both names--founded
+Carthage. This triumph of the democracy in Tyre, as might be expected,
+proved the ruin of that city. Very rapidly she fell from the lofty
+position she had held, and her place in the world and her proud position
+as Queen of the Seas was very speedily taken by Carthage.
+
+The original Libyan colony of Carthagena had been very largely increased
+by subsequent emigration, and the populace presented an appearance very
+similar to that of the mother city, save that instead of the swarthy
+desert tribesmen, with their passive face and air of proud indifference,
+mingling with the population of the town, there was in Carthagena a
+large admixture of native Iberians, who, belonging to the tribes first
+subdued by Carthage, had either been forced to settle here to supply
+manual labour needed for the rising city, or who had voluntarily
+abandoned their wandering life and adopted the more settled habitudes
+and more assured comforts of existence in a great town.
+
+Skirting the lower part of the city, Hamilcar's force marched along the
+isthmus and crossed the bridge over the canal cut through it, and
+was soon in the country beyond. The ground rose gradually, and after
+marching for six miles the brigade was halted at a spot to which
+Hannibal had, when the fleet was first discerned approaching along the
+coast, despatched some bullocks and other provisions for their use. The
+march was a short one, but after a week's confinement on board ship
+the men were little fitted for a long journey. The bullocks and other
+rations were served out to the various companies, and the work of
+preparing the repast began. Malchus was amused, although rather
+disgusted at his first experience in a real campaign. When with Hamilcar
+on the expedition against the Atarantes he had formed part of his
+father's suite and had lived in luxury. He was now a simple soldier, and
+was called upon to assist to cut up the bullock which had fallen to the
+share of the Carthaginian cavalry.
+
+Some of the party went out to cut and bring in wood for the fires and
+cooking; others moistened the flour and made dough for the flat cakes
+which would be baked in the hot embers and eaten with the meat.
+Loud shouts of laughter rose as the young soldiers worked at their
+unaccustomed tasks, superintended by the officers, who, having all made
+several campaigns, were able to instruct them as to their duties. From
+a culinary point of view the meal could not be pronounced a success,
+and was, indeed, a contrast to the food to which the young nobles were
+accustomed. The march, however, and the keen bracing air had given them
+good appetites, and the novelty and strangeness of the experience gave
+a zest to the food; and in spite of the roughness of the meal, all
+declared that they had never dined better. Many fires were now lit; and
+round these, as the evening closed in, the men gathered in groups, all
+closely wrapped in their bernouses, which were worn alike by officers
+and men of the whole of the nationalities serving in the Carthaginian
+army, serving as a cloak by day and a blanket at night. Presently a
+trampling of horses was heard, and Hannibal and his personal staff rode
+into the encampment.
+
+He had not started until several hours after them, when, having given
+his last orders and made all final arrangements for the management
+of affairs during his absence, he had ridden on to join the army.
+Dismounting, he went at once on foot among the troops, chatting gaily
+with them and inquiring how they fared. After visiting all the other
+detachments he came to the bivouac of the Carthaginian horse, and for an
+hour sat talking by their fires.
+
+“Ah!” he said as he rose to go, “the others will sleep well enough
+tonight; but you sybarites, accustomed to your soft couches and your
+luxuries, will fare badly. I remember my first night on the hard ground,
+although 'tis now sixteen years back, how my limbs ached and how I
+longed for morning. Now, let me give you a hint how to make your beds
+comfortable. Mind, this is not for the future, but till your limbs get
+accustomed to the ground you may indulge in luxuries. Before you try
+to go off to sleep note exactly where your hip bones and shoulders will
+rest; take your daggers and scoop out the earth at these points so as
+to make depressions in which they may lie. Then spread your lion skins
+above them and lie down. You will sleep as comfortably as if on a soft
+couch.”
+
+Many of the young soldiers followed Hannibal's advice; others, among
+whom was Malchus, determined to accustom themselves at once to the hard
+ground. Malchus was not long in getting to sleep, his last thought being
+that the precaution advised by Hannibal to ensure repose was altogether
+unnecessary. But he changed his opinion when, two or three hours later,
+he woke up with acute pains in his hip and shoulder. After trying
+vainly, by changing his position, again to go off to sleep, he rose,
+rolled up the skin, and set to work to make the excavations recommended
+by the general. Then spreading out the skin again he lay down, and was
+astonished to find how immense was the relief afforded by this simple
+expedient.
+
+At daybreak the party were in motion. Their march was a long one; for
+Hannibal wished to come up with the main army as soon as possible, and
+no less than thirty miles were encompassed before they halted for the
+night. They were now far up on the slopes of the Sierras. The latter
+part of the journey had been exceedingly toilsome. The route was mostly
+bare rock, which sorely tried the feet of the soldiers, these being
+in most cases unprotected even by sandals. Malchus and his mounted
+companions did not of course suffer in their feet. But they were almost
+as glad as the infantry when the camping place was reached, for nothing
+is more fatiguing to a horseman than to be obliged to travel in the
+saddle for ten hours at the pace of footmen. The halting place this
+time was near the upper edge of the forest which then clothed the lower
+slopes of the mountains.
+
+Enough meat had been killed on the previous evening for three days'
+rations for the troops, and there was therefore no loss of time in
+preparing the meal. Wood, of course, was in abundance, and the pots
+were soon hanging from thick poles placed above the fires. The night was
+exceedingly cold, and the soldiers were grateful for the shelter which
+the trees afforded from the piercing wind which blew across the snow
+covered peaks of the higher range of mountains.
+
+“What is that noise?” Malchus asked one of the officers as, after the
+meal was finished and silence began to reign in the camp, a deep sound
+was heard in the forest.
+
+“That is the howling of a pack of wolves,” the officer said. “They are
+savage brutes, and when in company will not hesitate to attack small
+parties of men. They abound in the mountains, and are a scourge to
+the shepherds of the plains, especially in the cold weather, when they
+descend and commit terrible damage among the flocks.”
+
+“I thought I did not know the sound,” Malchus said. “The nights were
+noisy enough sometimes at the southern edge of the desert. The packs
+of jackals, with their sharp yelping cry, abounded; then there was the
+deeper note of the hyenas, and the barking cry of troops of monkeys, and
+the thundering roar of the lions. They were unpleasant enough, and at
+first used to keep one awake; but none of them were so lugubrious
+as that mournful howl I hear now. I suppose sometimes, when there is
+nothing else to do, we get up hunting parties?”
+
+“Yes,” the officer replied; “it is the chief amusement of our garrisons
+in winter among the wild parts of the country. Of course, near
+Carthagena these creatures have been eradicated; but among the mountains
+they abound, and the carcass of a dead horse is sure to attract plenty
+of them. It is a sport not without danger; and there are many instances
+where parties of five or six have gone out, taking with them a carcass
+to attract the wolves, and have never returned; and a search has
+resulted in the discovery of their weapons, injured and perhaps broken,
+of stains of blood and signs of a desperate struggle, but of them not so
+much as a bone has remained behind.”
+
+“I thought lion hunting was an exciting sport but the lions, although
+they may move and hunt in companies, do not fight in packs, as these
+fierce brutes seem to do. I hope some day to try it. I should like to
+send back two of their heads to hang on the wall by the side of that of
+the lion I killed up in the desert.”
+
+“Next winter you may do so,” the officer said. “The season is nearly
+over now, and you may be sure that Hannibal will give us enough to do
+without our thinking of hunting wolves. The Vacaei are fierce enough.
+Perhaps two of their heads would do instead of those of wolves.”
+
+“I do not think my mother and sisters would approve of that,” Malchus
+laughed; “so I must wait for the winter.”
+
+The night did not pass so quietly as that which had preceded it. The
+distant howling of the wolves, as they hunted in the forest, kept the
+horses in a tremor of terror and excitement, and their riders were
+obliged over and over again to rise and go among them, and by speaking
+to and patting them, to allay their fear. So long as their masters were
+near them the well trained horses were quiet and tractable, and would
+at a whispered order lie down and remain in perfect quiet; but no sooner
+had they left them and again settled to sleep than, at the first howl
+which told that the pack were at all approaching, the horses would lift
+their heads, prick their ears in the direction of the sound, and rise
+to their feet and stand trembling, with extended nostrils snuffing the
+unknown danger, pawing the ground, and occasionally making desperate
+efforts to break loose from their picket ropes.
+
+The work of soothing had then to be repeated, until at last most of the
+riders brought their lions' skins and lay down by the prostrate horses,
+with their heads upon their necks. The animals, trained thus to sleep
+with their riders by their side, and reassured by the presence of their
+masters, were for the most part content to lie quiet, although the packs
+of wolves, attracted by the scent of the meat that had been cooked,
+approached close to the camp and kept up a dismal chorus round it until
+morning.
+
+Day by day the march was continued. The country was wild and rugged,
+foaming torrents had to be crossed, precipices surmounted, barren tracts
+traversed. But after a week's hard marching the column had overcome the
+greater part of the difficulty, had crossed the Sierras and gained the
+plateau, which with a gradual fall slopes west down to the Atlantic, and
+was for the most part covered with a dense growth of forests. They now
+to their satisfaction overtook the main body of the army, and their
+marches would be somewhat less severe, for hitherto they had each day
+traversed extra distances to make up for the two days' loss in starting.
+Here Malchus for the first time saw the bands of Gaulish mercenaries.
+
+The Spanish troops had excited the admiration and astonishment of the
+Carthaginians by their stature and strength; but the Gauls were a still
+more powerful race. They belonged to the tribes which had poured down
+over the Apennines, and occupied the northern portion of Spain long
+anterior to the arrival of the Carthaginians. Their countenances were
+rugged, and as it seemed to Malchus, savage. Their colour was much
+lighter than that of any people he had yet seen. Their eyes were blue,
+their hair, naturally fair or brown, was dyed with some preparation
+which gave it a red colour.
+
+Some wore their long locks floating over their shoulders, others tied
+it in a knot on the top of their heads. They wore a loose short trouser
+fastened at the knee, resembling the baggy trousers of the modern Turks.
+A shirt with open sleeves came halfway down their thighs, and over
+it was a blouse or loose tunic decorated with ornaments of every
+description, and fastened at the neck by a metal brooch. Their helmets
+were of copper, for the most part ornamented with the horns of stags or
+bulls. On the crest of the helmet was generally the figure of a bird
+or wild beast. The whole was surmounted by immense tufts of feathers,
+something like those of our Highland bonnets, adding greatly to the
+height and apparent stature of the wearers.
+
+The Gauls had a passion for ornaments, and adorned their persons with a
+profusion of necklaces, bracelets, rings, baldricks, and belts of gold.
+Their national arms were long heavy pikes--these had no metal heads,
+but the points were hardened by fire; javelins of the same
+description--these before going into battle they set fire to, and hurled
+blazing at the enemy--lighter darts called mat ras saunions, pikes
+with curved heads, resembling the halberds of later times; and straight
+swords. Hannibal, however, finding the inconvenience of this diversity
+of weapons, had armed his Gaulish troops only with their long straight
+swords. These were without point, and made for cutting only, and were
+in the hands of these powerful tribesmen terrible weapons. These swords
+were not those they had been accustomed to carry, which were made of
+copper only, and often bent at the first blow, but were especially made
+for them in Carthage of heavy steel, proof against all accident.
+
+The march was conducted with all military precautions, although
+they were still traversing a country which had been already subdued.
+Nevertheless they moved as if expecting an instant attack. The light
+horse scoured the country. The lithe and active soldiers furnished by
+the desert tribes formed the advanced guard of the army, and marched
+also on its flanks, while the heavy armed soldiery marched in solid
+column ready for battle. Behind them came the long train of baggage
+protected by a strong rear guard.
+
+At last they reached a fertile country, and were now in the land of the
+Vacaei and their allies. Arbocala, now called Tordesillas, was captured
+without much difficulty. The siege was then laid to Salamanca, the chief
+town of the enemy. In the actual siege operations the Carthaginian
+horse took no part. The place resisted vigourously, but the machines
+of Hannibal effected a breach in the walls, and the inhabitants,
+seeing that further resistance was impossible, offered to capitulate,
+stipulating that they should be allowed to depart unharmed, leaving
+behind them all their arms and their treasure.
+
+The Carthaginian army were drawn up in readiness to march into the town
+as the Vacaei came out. As they filed past the Carthaginians they were
+inspected to see that they had carried out the terms of the agreement.
+It was found that they had done so rigidly--not an arm of any kind was
+found upon them. Their necklaces, bracelets, and ornaments had all been
+left behind.
+
+“What a savage looking race!” Malchus remarked to Trebon; “they look at
+us as if they would gladly spring on us, unarmed as they are, and
+tear us with their hands. They are well nigh as dark skinned as the
+Numidians.”
+
+“Here come their women!” Trebon said; “verily I would as soon fight the
+men as these creatures. Look how they glare at us! You see they have
+all had to give up their ornaments, so they have each their private
+grievance as well as their national one.”
+
+When the whole of the population had filed out, the Carthaginian army
+entered the town, with the exception of a body of light horse who were
+ordered to remain without and keep an eye on the doings of the late
+garrison. Malchus was amused at the scene within. The members of the
+Carthaginian horse disdained to join in the work of plunder, and were,
+therefore, free to watch with amusement their comrades at work. The
+amount of booty was large, for the number of gold ornaments found in
+every house, deposited there by the inhabitants on departing, was very
+great; but not satisfied with this the soldiers dug up the floors in
+search of buried treasure, searched the walls for secret hiding places,
+and rummaged the houses from top to bottom. Besides the rich booty, the
+soldiers burdened themselves with a great variety of articles which it
+would be impossible for them to carry away.
+
+Men were seen staggering under the weight of four or five heavy skins.
+Some had stuck feathers in their helmets until their heads were scarce
+visible. Some had great bundles of female garments, which they had
+collected with a vague idea of carrying them home to their families.
+The arms had in the first place been collected and placed under a
+strong guard, and picked troops were placed as sentries over the public
+treasury, whose contents were allotted to the general needs of the army.
+
+Night fell soon after the sack commenced. Malchus with a number of his
+comrades took possession of one of the largest houses in the place, and,
+having cleared it of the rubbish with which it was strewn, prepared
+to pass the night there. Suddenly a terrible uproar was heard--shouts,
+cries, the clashing of arms, the yells of the enemy, filled the air. The
+cavalry charged to watch the Vacaei, believing that these had departed
+quietly, had abandoned their post, and had entered the town to join in
+the work of plunder.
+
+As the garrison had marched out the men had been rigidly searched; but
+the women had been allowed to pass out without any close inspection.
+This carelessness cost the Carthaginians dear, for under their garments
+they had hidden the swords and daggers of the men. Relying upon the
+disorder which would reign in the city, the Vacaei had returned, and now
+poured in through the gates, slaying all whom they met.
+
+For a short time a terrible panic reigned among the Carthaginians, great
+numbers were cut down, and it seemed as if the whole force would be
+destroyed. Hannibal and his generals rode about trying to get the
+scattered men to form and oppose the enemy; but the panic was too
+general, and had it not been for the Carthaginian legion all would have
+been lost. The horse and foot, however, of this body, having abstained
+from joining in the pillage, had, for the most part, kept together in
+bodies, and these now sallied out in close and regular order, and fell
+upon the attacking enemy.
+
+The streets were too narrow for cavalry to act, and Malchus and his
+comrades fought on foot. The enemy, who had scattered on their work of
+slaughter, were in their turn taken at a disadvantage, and were unable
+to withstand the steady attack of the solid bodies. These, in the first
+place, cut their way to the square in the centre of the town, and there
+united. Hannibal, seeing he had now a solid body of troops under his
+command, at once broke them up into parties and advanced down all the
+streets leading from the central square. The hand-to-hand fight which
+was going on all over the town was soon terminated. The Carthaginians
+fell in in good order behind the ranks of their comrades, and the small
+bodies soon became columns which swept the enemy before them.
+
+The enemy fought desperately, firing the houses, hurling stones from the
+roofs upon the columns, and throwing themselves with reckless bravery
+upon the spears, but their efforts were in vain. Foot by foot they
+were driven back, until they were again expelled from the town. Keeping
+together, and ever showing front to the Carthaginians, the Vacaei, now
+reduced to less than half their number, retired to an eminence near the
+town, and there prepared to sell their lives dearly. The Carthaginians
+now fell into their regular ranks, and prepared to storm the enemy's
+position; but Hannibal rode forward alone towards the Vacaei, being
+plainly visible to them in the broad blaze of light from the burning
+city.
+
+From his long residence in Spain he was able to speak the Iberian tongue
+with fluency, and indeed could converse with all the troops of the
+various nationalities under the banner of Carthage in their own
+language.
+
+“Men of Salamanca,” he said, “resist no longer. Carthage knows how to
+honour a brave enemy, and never did men fight more valiantly in defence
+of their homes than you have done, and although further resistance would
+be hopeless, I will press you no further. Your lives are spared. You may
+retain the arms you know so well how to wield, and tomorrow my army will
+evacuate your town and leave you free to return to it.”
+
+Hannibal's clemency was politic. He would have lost many more men before
+he finally overcame the desperate band, and he was by no means desirous
+of exciting a deep feeling of hate among any of the tribes, just as
+he was meditating withdrawing the greater portion of the army for his
+enterprise against Rome. With the fall of Salamanca the resistance of
+the Vacaei ceased, and Hannibal prepared to march back to Carthagena.
+
+A storm, however, had gathered in his rear. Great numbers of the Vacaei
+had sought refuge among the Olcades, who had been subdued the previous
+autumn, and together they had included the whole of the fierce tribes
+known as the Carpatans, who inhabited the country on the right bank of
+the upper Tagus, to make common cause with them against the invaders. As
+Hannibal approached their neighbourhood they took up their position on
+the right bank of the river near Toledo. Here the stream is rapid and
+difficult of passage, its bed being thickly studded with great boulders
+brought down in time of flood from the mountains. The country on each
+side of the river is sandy, free from forests or valleys, which would
+cover the movements of an army.
+
+The host gathered to oppose the Carthaginians were fully one hundred
+thousand strong, and Hannibal saw at once that his force, weakened as it
+was with its loss at Salamanca, and encumbered by the great train laden
+with the booty they had gathered from the Vacaei, would have no chance
+whatever in a battle with so vast a body. The enemy separated as he
+approached the river, their object being evidently to fall upon his rear
+when engaged in the difficult operation of crossing. The Carthaginians
+moved in two heavy columns, one on each side of their baggage, and
+Hannibal's orders were stringent that on no account should they engage
+with the enemy.
+
+The natives swarmed around the columns, hurling darts and javelins; but
+the Carthaginians moved forward in solid order, replying only with
+their arrows and slings, and contenting themselves with beating off the
+attacks which the bolder of their foes made upon them. Night was falling
+when they arrived on the bank of the river. The enemy then desisted from
+their attack, believing that in the morning the Carthaginians would be
+at their mercy, encumbered by their vast booty on one side and cut off
+from retreat by a well nigh impassable river on the other.
+
+As soon as the army reached the river Hannibal caused the tents of all
+the officers to be erected. The baggage wagons were arranged in order,
+and the cattle unharnessed. The troops began to throw up intrenchments,
+and all seemed to show that the Carthaginians were determined to fight
+till the last on the ground they held. It was still light enough for the
+enemy to perceive what was being done, and, secure of their prey in the
+morning, they drew off to a short distance for the night. Hannibal had
+learned from a native that morning of a ford across the river, and it
+was towards this that he had been marching. As soon as it was perfectly
+dark a number of men entered the river to search for the ford. This was
+soon discovered.
+
+Then the orders were passed noiselessly round to the soldiers, and
+these, in regular order and in the most perfect quiet, rose to their
+feet and marched down to the ford. A portion of the infantry first
+passed, then the wagons were taken over, the rest of the infantry
+followed, and the cavalry and the elephants brought up the rear. The
+point where the river was fordable was at a sharp angle, and Hannibal
+now occupied its outer side. As daylight approached he placed his
+archers on the banks of the river where, owing to the sharp bend, their
+arrows would take in flank an enemy crossing the ford, and would also
+sweep its approaches.
+
+The cavalry were withdrawn some distance, and were ordered not to charge
+until the Spaniards had got across the river. The elephants, forty
+in number, were divided into two bodies. One of these was allotted to
+protect each of the bodies of infantry on the bank from attack, should
+the Spaniards gain a strong footing on the left bank. When day broke
+the enemy perceived that the Carthaginians had made the passage of the
+river. Believing that they had been too much alarmed to risk a battle,
+and were retreating hastily, the natives thronged down in a multitude to
+the river without waiting for their leaders or for orders to be given,
+and rushing forward, each for himself, leaped into the river.
+
+Numbers were at once swept away by the stream, but the crowd who had
+struck upon the ford pressed forward. When they were in midstream in a
+tumultuous mass Hannibal launched his cavalry upon them, and a desperate
+conflict ensued in the river. The combat was too unequal to last
+long. The Spaniards, waist deep in the rapid stream, had difficulty
+in retaining their feet, they were ignorant of the width or precise
+direction of the ford, and were hampered by their own masses; the
+cavalry, on the other hand, were free to use their weapons, and the
+weight and impetus of their charge was alone sufficient to sweep the
+Spanish from their footing into deep water.
+
+Many were drowned, many more cut down, and the rest driven in disorder
+back across the river. But fresh hordes had now arrived; Hannibal
+sounded the retreat, and the cavalry retired as the Spaniards again
+threw themselves into the stream. As the confused mass poured across the
+ford the two divisions of infantry fell upon them, while the arrows
+of the archers swept the struggling mass. Without order or discipline,
+bewildered at this attack by a foe whom they had regarded as flying, the
+Spaniards were driven back across the river, the Carthaginians crossing
+in their rear.
+
+The flying Iberians scattered terror among their comrades still flocking
+down to the bank, and as the Carthaginian infantry in solid column fell
+upon them, a panic seized the whole host and they scattered over the
+plain. The Carthaginian cavalry followed close behind the infantry, and
+at once dashed forward among the broken masses, until the Spanish army,
+lately so confident of victory, was but a broken mass of panic stricken
+fugitives.
+
+The victory of Toledo was followed at once by the submission of the
+whole of the tribes of Spain south of the Ebro, and Hannibal, having
+seen that the country was everywhere pacified, marched back with his
+army to Carthagena to pass the winter there (220-219 B.C.).
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII: A WOLF HUNT
+
+
+The summer's work had been a hard one and the young soldiers of the
+Carthaginian cavalry rejoiced when they marched into Carthagena again,
+with the prospect of four months' rest and gaiety. When in the field
+their discipline was as strict and their work as hard as that of the
+other corps, but, whereas, when they went into winter quarters, the rest
+of the army were placed under tents or huts, this corps d'elite were for
+the time their own masters.
+
+Two or three times a week they drilled and exercised their horses, but
+with these exceptions they were free to do as they chose. Scarce one
+but had relations or friends in Carthagena with whom they took up their
+abode, and those who were not so fortunate found a home at the great
+military club, of which, ranking as they did with the officers of other
+corps, they were all members.
+
+Hamilcar and Malchus had rooms assigned to them in the splendid mansion
+of Hannibal, which was the centre of the life and gaiety of the place,
+for Hannibal had, before starting on his campaign in the spring, married
+Imilce, the daughter of Castalius, a Spaniard of noble blood, and his
+household was kept up with a lavish magnificence, worthy alike of his
+position as virtual monarch of Spain and of his vast private wealth.
+Fetes were given constantly for the amusement of the people. At these
+there were prizes for horse and foot racing, and the Numidian cavalry
+astonished the populace by the manner in which they maneuvered their
+steeds; bowmen and slingers entered the lists for prizes of value given
+by the general; and the elephants exhibited proof of their docility and
+training.
+
+In the bay there were races between the galleys and triremes, and
+emulation was encouraged among the troops by large money prizes to the
+companies who maneuvered with the greatest precision and activity. For
+the nobles there were banquets and entertainments of music. The rising
+greatness of Carthagena had attracted to her musicians and artists from
+all parts of the Mediterranean. Snake charmers from the far Soudan and
+jugglers from the distant East exhibited their skill. Poets recited
+their verses, and bards sung their lays before the wealth and beauty of
+Carthagena. Hannibal, anxious at once to please his young wife and
+to increase his popularity, spared no pains or expense in these
+entertainments.
+
+Gay as they were Malchus longed for a more stirring life, and with five
+or six of his comrades obtained leave of absence for a month, to go on
+a hunting expedition in the mountains. He had heard, when upon the
+campaign, the issue of the plot in which he had been so nearly engaged.
+It had failed. On the very eve of execution one of the subordinates had
+turned traitor, and Giscon and the whole of those engaged in it had been
+arrested and put to a cruel death.
+
+Malchus himself had been denounced, as his name was found upon the list
+of the conspirators, and an order had been sent to Hannibal that he
+should be carried back a prisoner to Carthage. Hannibal had called the
+lad before him, and had inquired of him the circumstances of the case.
+Malchus explained that he had been to their meeting but once, being
+taken there by Giscon, and being in entire ignorance of the objects of
+the plot, and that he had refused when he discovered them to proceed
+in the matter. Hannibal and Hamilcar blamed him severely for allowing
+himself at his age to be mixed up in any way in public affairs; but they
+so represented the matter to the two Carthaginian commissioners with the
+army, that these had written home to say, that having inquired into the
+affair they found that beyond a boyish imprudence in accompanying Giscon
+to the place where the conspirators met, Malchus was not to blame in the
+matter.
+
+The narrow escape that he had had was a lesson which was not lost upon
+Malchus. Hamilcar lectured him sternly, and pointed out to him that the
+affairs of nations were not to be settled by the efforts of a handful of
+enthusiasts, but that grievances, however great, could only be righted
+when the people at large were determined that a change should be made.
+
+“There would be neither order nor stability in affairs, Malchus, if
+parties of desperate men of one party or another were ever striving for
+change, for revolution would be met by counter revolution. The affairs
+of nations march slowly; sudden changes are ever to be deprecated. If
+every clique of men who chance to be supported by a temporary wave of
+public opinion, were to introduce organic changes, there would be no
+stability in affairs. Capital would be alarmed; the rich and powerful,
+seeing their possessions threatened and their privileges attacked by the
+action of the demagogues of the hour, would do as did our forefathers of
+Tyre, when the whole of the aristocracy emigrated in a body to Carthage,
+and Tyre received a blow from which she has never recovered.”
+
+For some time after this event Malchus had felt that he was in disgrace,
+but his steadiness and good conduct in the campaign, and the excellent
+reports which his officers gave of him, had restored him to favour; and
+indeed his father and Hannibal both felt that a lad might well be led
+away by an earnest enthusiast like Giscon.
+
+The hunting party took with them a hundred Iberian soldiers used to the
+mountains, together with six peasants acquainted with the country and
+accustomed to the chase. They took several carts laden with tents, wine,
+and provisions. Four days' journey from Carthagena took the party into
+the heart of the mountains, and here, in a sheltered valley through
+which ran a stream, they formed their camp.
+
+They had good sport. Sometimes with dogs they tracked the bears to their
+lair, sometimes the soldiers made a wide sweep in the hills, and, having
+inclosed a considerable tract of forest, moved forward, shouting and
+clashing their arms until they drove the animals inclosed down through a
+valley in which Malchus and his companions had taken post.
+
+Very various was the game which then fell before their arrows and
+javelins. Sometimes a herd of deer would dart past, then two bears
+with their family would come along growling fiercely as they went, and
+looking back angrily at the disturbers of their peace. Sometimes a pack
+of wolves, with their red tongues hanging out, and fierce, snarling
+barks, would hurry along, or a wild boar would trot leisurely past,
+until he reached the spot where the hunters were posted. The wolves and
+deer fell harmlessly before the javelins of the Carthaginians, but the
+bears and wild boars frequently showed themselves formidable opponents,
+and there were several desperate fights before these yielded to the
+spears and swords of the hunters.
+
+Sometimes portions of the animals they had killed were hung up at night
+from the bough of a tree at a distance from the camp, to attract the
+bears, and one or two of the party, taking their post in neighbouring
+trees, would watch all night for the coming of the beasts. The snow
+was now lying thick on the tops of the mountains, and the wolves were
+plentiful among the forests.
+
+One day Malchus and two of his companions had followed a wounded deer
+far up among the hills, and were some miles away from the camp when the
+darkness began to set in.
+
+“I think we had better give it up,” Malchus said; “we shall find it
+difficult as it is to find our way back; I had no idea that it was so
+late.”
+
+His companions at once agreed, and they turned their faces towards the
+camp. In another half hour it was perfectly dark under the shadow of the
+trees, but the moon was shining, and its position afforded them a means
+of judging as to the direction where the camp lay. But even with such
+assistance it was no easy matter making their way. The country was rough
+and broken; ravines had to be crossed, and hills ascended. After pushing
+on for two hours, Halcon, the eldest of the party, said:
+
+“I am by no means sure that we are going right after all. We have had
+a long day's work now, and I do not believe we shall find the camp
+tonight. I think we had better light a fire here and wrap ourselves in
+our cloaks. The fire will scare wild beasts away, and we shall be easily
+able to find the camp in the morning.”
+
+The proposal was at once accepted; sticks were collected, and, with
+flint and steel and the aid of some dried fungus which they carried in
+their pouches, a fire was soon lit, and some choice portions of a deer
+which they had killed early in the day were soon broiling on sticks over
+it.
+
+“We must keep watch by turns,” Halcon said; “it will not do to let
+the fire burn low, for likely enough we may be visited by bears before
+morning.”
+
+After eating their meal and chatting for some time, Halcon and his
+companions lay down to rest, Malchus volunteering to keep the first
+watch. For some time he sat quietly, occasionally throwing logs on the
+fire from the store which they had collected in readiness. Presently
+his attitude changed, he listened intently and rose to his feet. Several
+times he had heard the howls of wolves wandering in the woods, but he
+now made out a long, deep, continuous howling; he listened for a minute
+or two and then aroused his companions.
+
+“There is a large pack of wolves approaching,” he said, “and by the
+direction of the sound I judge they are hunting on the traces of our
+footsteps. That is the line by which we came down from yonder brow, and
+it seems to me that they are ascending the opposite slope.”
+
+“Yes, and by the sound there must be a very large pack of them,” Halcon
+agreed; “pile up the fire and set yourselves to gather more wood as
+quickly as possible; these beasts in large packs are formidable foes.”
+
+The three men set to work, vigourously cutting down brushwood and
+lopping off small boughs of trees with their swords.
+
+“Divide the fire in four,” Halcon said, “and pile the fuel in the
+centre; they will hardly dare to pass between the fires.”
+
+The pack was now descending the slope, keeping up a chorus of howls and
+short yelps which sent a shiver of uneasiness through Malchus. As the
+wolves approached the spot the howling suddenly ceased.
+
+“They see us,” Halcon said; “keep a sharp lookout for them, but do not
+throw away a shot, we shall need all our arrows before daylight.”
+
+Standing perfectly quiet, the friends could hear the pattering sound
+made by the wolves' feet upon the fallen leaves; but the moon had sunk
+now, and they were unable to make out their figures.
+
+“It seems to me,” Malchus said in a whisper, “that I can see specks of
+fire gleaming on the bushes.”
+
+“It is the reflection of the fire in their eyes,” Halcon replied. “See!
+they are all round us! There must be scores of them.”
+
+For some time the wolves approached no closer; then, encouraged by the
+silence of the little group standing in the centre of the fire, two or
+three gray forms showed themselves in the circle of light. Three bows
+twanged. Two of the wolves fell, and the third, with a howl of pain,
+fled in the darkness. There was a sound of snarling and growling; a cry
+of pain, a fierce struggle, and then a long continued snarling.
+
+“What are they doing?” Malchus asked with a shudder.
+
+“I believe they are eating their wounded comrade,” Halcon replied. “I
+have heard such is the custom of the savage brutes. See, the carcasses
+of the other two have disappeared already.”
+
+Short as had been the time which had elapsed since they had fallen,
+other wolves had stolen out, and had dragged away the bodies of the two
+which had been killed. This incident, which showed how extreme was the
+hunger of the wolves, and how noiseless were their motions, redoubled
+the vigilance of the party.
+
+Malchus threw a handful of brushwood on to each of the fires.
+
+“We must be careful of the fuel,” Halcon said. “I would we had thought
+of this before we lay down to sleep. If we had collected fuel enough for
+our fires we should have been safe; but I doubt much if our supply will
+last now till morning.”
+
+As the hours went on the attitude of the wolves became more and more
+threatening, and in strong bodies they advanced close up to the fires.
+Every time that they did so armfuls of fuel were thrown on, and as the
+flames leaped up brightly they each time fell back, losing several of
+their numbers from the arrows of the little party. But the pile of
+fuel was now sinking fast, and except when the wolves advanced it was
+necessary to let the fires burn down.
+
+“It must want four hours yet of daylight,” Halcon said, as he threw on
+the last piece of wood. “Look round as the fire blazes up and see if you
+can make out any tree which may be climbed. I would that we had taken to
+them at first instead of trusting to our fires.”
+
+Unfortunately they had chosen a somewhat open space of ground for their
+encampment, for the brushwood grew thick among the trees.
+
+“There is a tree over there,” Malchus said, pointing to it, “with a
+bough but six feet from the ground. One spring on to that and we are
+safe.”
+
+“Very well,” Halcon assented; “we will attempt it at once before the
+fire burns low. Put your swords into your sheaths, sling your bows and
+arrows behind you, and take each a burning brand. These will be better
+weapons in such a case than swords or spears. Now, are you ready? Now!”
+
+Waving the burning brands over their heads, the three Carthaginians
+dashed across the intervening space towards the tree.
+
+It seemed as if the wolves were conscious that their prey were
+attempting to escape them; for, with a fierce howl, they sprang from the
+bushes and rushed to meet them; and, undeterred by the blazing brands,
+sprang upon them.
+
+Malchus scarce knew what passed in the short, fierce struggle. One wolf
+sprang upon his shield and nearly brought him to the ground; but the
+sharp boss pierced its body, and he flung it from him, at the same
+moment that he dashed the brand full in the face of another. A third
+sprang upon his shoulder, and he felt its hot breath in his face.
+Dropping his brand, he drove his dagger deep into its side. Then he
+hurled his heavy shield among the mass of wolves before him, took a
+bound into their midst, and grasping the bough, swung himself into the
+tree and sat there with his legs drawn up as a score of wolves leaped up
+towards him with open mouths.
+
+He gave a cry of horror. His two friends were down, and a confused mass
+of struggling bodies alone showed where they had fallen. For an instant
+he hesitated, debating whether he should leap down and strive to rescue
+them; but a glance below showed him that he would be pulled down long
+before he could reach the spot where they had fallen.
+
+Shifting himself along the arm until he reached the trunk, he rose to
+his feet and sent his arrows vengefully into the midst of the struggling
+mass of wolves until he had but three or four shafts left. These he
+reserved as a last resource.
+
+There was nothing to do now, and he sat down on the branch, and burst
+into tears over the fate of his comrades. When he looked up again all
+was quiet. The fierce pack had devoured not only his comrades, but their
+own fallen companions, and now sat in a circle with their red tongues
+hanging out and their eyes fixed upon him. As the fire gradually died
+out their form disappeared; but he could hear their quick breathing, and
+knew that they were still on the watch.
+
+Malchus climbed the tree until he reached a fork where he could sit at
+ease, and there waited for morning, when he hoped that his foes would
+disappear. But as the gray light dawned he saw them still on the watch;
+nor, as the dawn brightened into day, did they show any signs of moving.
+
+When he saw they had no intention of leaving the place, Malchus began to
+consider seriously what he had best do. He might still be, for aught
+he knew, miles away from the camp, and his friends there would have
+no means of knowing the position in which he was placed. They would
+no doubt send out all the soldiers in search of the party; but in that
+broken wilderness of forest and mountain, it was the merest chance
+whether they would find the spot where he was prisoner. Still, it
+appeared to him that this was the only possibility of his rescue. The
+trees grew thickly together, and he could easily have climbed from that
+in which he was stationed to the next, and might so have made his way
+for some distance; but as the wolves were watching him, and could see
+as well by night as by day, there was no advantage in shifting his
+position.
+
+The day passed slowly. The wolves had for the most part withdrawn from
+beneath the tree, but a few kept their station there steadily, and
+Malchus knew that the rest were only lying beneath the bushes round;
+for he could hear their frequent snarling, and sometimes a gray head was
+thrust out, and a pair of eager eyes looked hungrily towards him. From
+time to time Malchus listened breathlessly in hopes of hearing the
+distant shouts of his comrades; but all was still in the forest, and
+he felt sure that the wolves would hear anyone approaching before he
+should.
+
+Once or twice, indeed, he fancied that by their pricked ears and
+attitude of attention they could hear sounds inaudible to him; but the
+alarm, if such it was, soon passed away, and it might have been that
+they were listening only to the distant footsteps of some stag passing
+through the forest. Night came again with its long, dreary hours.
+Malchus strapped himself by his belt to the tree to prevent himself from
+falling and managed to obtain a few hours of uneasy sleep, waking up
+each time with a start, in a cold perspiration of fear, believing that
+he was falling into the hungry jaws below. In the morning a fierce
+desire to kill some of his foes seized him, and he descended to the
+lowest branch.
+
+The wolves, seeing their prey so close at hand, thronged thickly under
+it, and strove to leap up at him. Lying down on the bough, and twisting
+his legs firmly under it to give him a purchase, Malchus thrust his
+sword nearly to the hilt between the jaws, which snapped fiercely as a
+wolf sprang to within a few inches of the bough. Several were killed in
+this way, and the rest, rendered cautious, withdrew to a short distance.
+Suddenly an idea struck Malchus. He took off his belt and formed it
+into a running noose, and then waited until the wolves should summon up
+courage to attack again. It was not long. Furious with hunger, which the
+prey they had already devoured was only sufficient to whet, the wolves
+again approached and began to spring towards the bough.
+
+Malchus dropped the noose over one of their necks, and with an effort,
+hauled it to the bough, and despatched it with his dagger. Then he moved
+along the bough and hung it on a branch some ten feet from the ground,
+slashing open with his dagger its chest and stomach. Having done this he
+returned to his place. Six wolves were one after the other so hauled
+up and despatched, and as Malchus expected, the smell of their blood
+rendered the pack more savage than ever. They assembled round the
+foot of the tree, and continued to spring at the trunk, making vain
+endeavours to get at the supply of food which hung tantalizingly at so
+short a distance beyond their reach.
+
+So the day passed as before without signs of rescue. When it became
+dark Malchus again descended to the lowest trunk, and fired his three
+remaining arrows among the wolves below him. Loud howls followed each
+discharge, followed by a desperate struggle below. Then he tumbled from
+their position the six dead wolves to the ground below, and then as
+noiselessly as possible made his way along a bough into an adjoining
+tree, and so into another, till he had attained some distance from the
+spot where the wolves were fighting and growling over the remains of
+their companions, far too absorbed in their work for any thought of him.
+
+Then he dropped noiselessly to the ground and fled at the top of
+his speed. It would be, he was sure, some time before the wolves had
+completed their feast; and even should they discover that he was missing
+from the tree, it would probably be some time before they could hit upon
+his scent, especially, as, having just feasted on blood, their sense of
+smell would for a time be dulled. His previsions were accurate. Several
+times he stopped and listened in dread lest he should hear the distant
+howl, which would tell him that the pack was again on his scent. All was
+quiet, save for the usual cries and noises in the forest. In two hours
+he saw a distant glow of light, and was soon in the encampment of his
+friends.
+
+“Why, Malchus!” his comrades exclaimed as he entered the tent, “where
+have you been these two days? Why, you are splashed with blood. Where
+are Halcon and Chalcus?”
+
+“Dead,” Malchus said--“devoured by wolves.”
+
+A cry of horror broke from the three young guardsmen.
+
+“'Tis too true,” Malchus went on; “but give me food and wine. I have
+neither eaten nor drunk for the last two days, and I have gone through a
+terrible time. Even now I seem to see all round me countless cruel eyes,
+and hungry open mouths with their red tongues.”
+
+Seeing that Malchus was utterly worn and exhausted his companions
+hastened to place food and drink before him before asking any further
+questions.
+
+Malchus drank a cup of wine and took a mouthful of bread; but he was too
+faint and exhausted at present to eat more. He had supported well
+the terrible strain for the last forty-eight hours, and as he had run
+through the forest he had not noticed how it had told upon him; but now
+that he was safe among his friends he felt as weak as a child. For
+a time he lay upon the lion skin on which he had thrown himself upon
+entering the tent, unable to reply to his comrades' questions. Then, as
+the cordial began to take effect, he roused himself and forced himself
+to eat more. After that he told his friends what had happened.
+
+“You have indeed had an escape, Malchus; but how was it you did not take
+to the trees at once?”
+
+“I did not think of it,” Malchus said, “nor, I suppose, did the others.
+Halcon was our leader, and we did as he told us. He thought the fires
+would keep them off. Who could have thought the beasts would have
+ventured to attack us!”
+
+“I have always heard they were terrible,” one of the others said; “but I
+should have thought that three armed men would have been a match for any
+number of them.”
+
+“It would have been as much as thirty could have done to withstand
+them,” Malchus replied; “they did not seem to care for their lives, but
+sought only to slay. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. I would
+rather march alone to the assault of a walled city than face those
+terrible beasts.”
+
+In the morning the whole party started for the scene of the encounter.
+
+Malchus had some difficulty in discovering it; but at last, after
+searching a long time he came upon it.
+
+The ground beneath the tree was everywhere trampled and torn by the
+wolves in their struggles, and was spotted with patches of dry blood.
+The helmets, shields and arms of Halcon and Chalcus lay there, but not
+a remnant of their bones remained, and a few fragments of skin and some
+closely gnawed skulls alone testified to the wolves which had fallen
+in the encounter. The arms were gathered up, and the party returned
+to their camp, and the next day started for Carthagena for, after that
+experience, none cared for any further hunting.
+
+It was some weeks before Malchus completely recovered from the effects
+of the strain he had undergone. His nights were disturbed and restless.
+He would constantly start from his couch, thinking that he heard the
+howl of the wolves, and any sudden noise made him start and turn pale.
+Seeing how shaken his young kinsmen was, and what he had passed through,
+Hannibal sent him several times in ships which were going across to
+Africa for stores. He did not venture to send him to Carthage; for
+although his influence with the commissioners had been sufficient to
+annul the order of the council for the sending of Malchus as a prisoner
+there, it was probable that were he to return he would be seized and put
+to death--not for the supposed crime he had committed, but to gratify
+the hatred of Hanno against himself and his adherents.
+
+The sea voyages soon restored Malchus to his accustomed health. Trained
+and disciplined as his body had been by constant exercise, his nerves
+were not easily shaken, and soon recovered their tone, and when, early
+in March, he rejoined his regiment, he was able to enter with zest and
+energy into the preparations which Hannibal was making for the siege of
+Saguntum. Difficult as this operation would be, the preparations
+which were being made appeared enormous. Every week ships brought over
+reinforcements of troops, and the Iberian contingents were largely
+increased.
+
+One day Malchus entered an apartment where his father and Hannibal were
+talking earnestly together with a large map spread out before them. He
+would have retired at once, but Hannibal called him in.
+
+“Come in, Malchus, I would have no secrets from you. Although you are
+young I know that you are devoted to Carthage, that you are brave and
+determined. I see in you what I was myself at your age, but nine years
+ago, and it may be that some day you will be destined to continue the
+work which I am beginning. You, too, have commenced early, your training
+has been severe. As your father's son and my cousin your promotion will
+naturally be rapid. I will, therefore, tell you my plans. It is clear
+that Rome and Carthage cannot both exist--one or the other must be
+destroyed. It is useless to strike at extremities, the blow must be
+dealt at the heart. Unfortunately our fleet is no longer superior to
+that of Rome, and victories at sea, however important, only temporarily
+cripple an enemy.
+
+“It is by land the blow must be struck. Were the sea ours, I should say,
+land troops in southern Italy, and continue to pour over reinforcements
+until all the fighting men of North Africa are at the gates of Rome. But
+without the absolute command of the sea this cannot be done. Therefore
+I intend to make Spain our base, and to march through Southern Gaul over
+the Alps into Italy, and there to fight the Romans on their own ground.
+Already I have agents at work among the Gauls and the northern tribes of
+Italy, who will, I trust, join me in the war against our common enemy.
+The enterprise is a great one, but it is not impossible; if it succeeds,
+Rome will be destroyed and Carthage will reign, without a rival,
+mistress of the world. The plan was Hasdrubal's, but it has fallen to me
+to carry it out.”
+
+“It is a grand plan indeed,” Malchus exclaimed enthusiastically--“a
+glorious plan, but the difficulties seem tremendous.”
+
+“Difficulties are made to be overcome by brave men,” Hannibal said.
+“The Alps are the greatest barrier, but my agents tell me that the
+difficulties are not insuperable even for elephants. But before we start
+we have Spain to subdue. Saguntum is under the protection of Rome, and
+must be crushed, and all the country north of the Ebro conquered and
+pacified. This done the passage of reinforcements to my army in Italy
+will be easy. The Gauls will favour us, the mountains tribes will
+be crushed or bought over, so that the route for the advance of
+reinforcements, or for our retreat, if too hardly pressed, will be
+always open. But all this is for yourself alone.
+
+“My plans must not yet be known. Already our enemies in Carthage are
+gaining in strength. Many of our adherents have been put to death and
+the estates of others confiscated; but the capture of Saguntum will
+restore our supremacy, and the enthusiasm which it will incite among the
+populace will carry all before it. The spoils which will be taken there
+will be sufficient to silence every murmur in Carthage. Now leave us,
+Malchus, we have much to talk over and to arrange, and I have given you
+plenty to think about for the present.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII: A PLOT FRUSTRATED
+
+
+After leaving Hannibal, Malchus did not rejoin his comrades, but mounted
+the hills behind the town and sat down there, looking over the sea, and
+thinking over the vast plan which Hannibal's words had laid before him,
+and to which his father had once alluded in his presence. Malchus
+had been brought up by Hamilcar to regard Rome as the deadly enemy of
+Carthage, but he had not till now seen the truth which Hannibal had
+grasped, that it was a struggle not for empire only between the two
+republics, but one of life and death--that Carthage and Rome could not
+coexist, and that one or other of them must be absolutely destroyed.
+
+This, indeed, was the creed of the Barcine party, and was, apart from
+the minor questions of internal reforms, the great point on which they
+differed from Hanno and the trading portion of the community, who were
+his chief supporters. These were in favour of Carthage abandoning her
+colonies and conquests, and devoting herself solely to commerce and the
+acquisition of wealth. Believing that Rome, who would then have open
+to her all Europe and Asia to conquer, would not grudge to Carthage the
+northern seaboard of Africa, they forgot that a nation which is rich and
+defenceless will speedily fall a victim to the greed of a powerful
+and warlike neighbour, and that a conqueror never needs excuses for an
+attack upon a defenceless neighbour.
+
+Hitherto Malchus had thought only of a war with Rome made up of sea
+fights and of descents upon Sicily and Sardinia. The very idea of
+invading Italy and striking at Rome herself had never even entered his
+mind, for the words of his father had been forgotten in the events
+which followed so quickly upon them. The prospect which the words opened
+seemed immense. First Northern Spain was to be conquered, Gaul to be
+crossed, the terrible mountains of which he had heard from travellers
+were next to be surmounted, and finally a fight for life and death to
+be fought out on the plains of Italy. The struggle would indeed be a
+tremendous one, and Malchus felt his heart beat fast at the thought that
+he was to be an actor in it. Surely the history of the world told of no
+greater enterprise than this. Even the first step which was to be taken,
+a mere preliminary to this grand expedition, was a most formidable one.
+
+Saguntum stood as an outpost of Rome. While Carthage had been advancing
+from the south Rome had been pressing forward from the east along
+the shores of the Mediterranean, and had planted herself firmly at
+Marseilles, a port which gave her a foothold in Gaul, and formed a base
+whence she could act in Spain. In order to check the rising power of
+the Carthaginians there she had entered into a firm alliance with the
+Saguntines, whose country occupied what is now the district of Valencia.
+By the terms of the last treaty between the two republics each was
+forbidden to make war upon tribes in alliance with their rivals, and
+Saguntum being thus under the jurisdiction of Rome, an attack upon it
+would be almost equivalent to a declaration of war.
+
+The position of the city was one of great strength. It stood on an
+almost isolated rock at the foot of a spur of the mountains which
+formed an amphitheatre behind it. Around it extended a rich and fertile
+country, the sea was less than a mile from its walls, and the Romans
+could thus quickly send succour to their allies. The rock on which the
+town stood was well nigh inaccessible, falling sheer down from the foot
+of the walls, and was assailable only on the western side, where the
+rocks sloped gradually down to the plain. Here the walls were extremely
+strong and lofty, and were strengthened by a great tower which dominated
+the whole slope. It would be difficult to form approaches, for the rock
+was bare of soil and afforded no cover of any kind.
+
+Hitherto the Carthaginian generals had scrupulously respected the
+territory of the Saguntines, but now that the rest of Spain was subdued
+it was necessary to reduce this advanced post of Rome--this open door
+through which Rome, now mistress of the sea, could at any moment pour
+her legions into the heart of Spain.
+
+The Saguntines were not ignorant of the danger which threatened them.
+They had again and again sent urgently to Rome to demand that a legion
+should be stationed there for their protection. But Rome hesitated at
+despatching a legion of troops to so distant a spot, where, in case of a
+naval reverse, they would be isolated and cut off.
+
+Hannibal had not far to look for an excuse for an attack upon Saguntum.
+On the previous year, while he had been engaged in his campaign
+against the Carpatans, the Saguntines, taking advantage of his critical
+position, had made war upon the town of Torbola, an ally of Carthage.
+Torbola had implored the assistance of Hannibal, and he was now
+preparing to march against Saguntum with his whole force without waiting
+for the arrival of spring. His preparations had been silently made. The
+Saguntines, although uneasy, had no idea of any imminent danger, and
+the Carthaginian army collected in and around Carthagena were in entire
+ignorance that they were about to be called upon to take the field.
+
+“What say you, Malchus?” Hannibal asked that evening. “It is time now
+that I gave you a command. As my near relative it is fitting that you
+should be in authority. You have now served a campaign, and are eligible
+for any command that I may give you. You have shown yourself prompt in
+danger and worthy to command men. Which would you rather that I should
+place under you--a company of these giant Gauls, of the steady Iberians,
+of the well disciplined Libyans, or the active tribesmen of the desert?
+Choose which you will, and they shall be yours.”
+
+Malchus thought for some time.
+
+“In the day of battle,” he said at last, “I would rather lead Gauls,
+but, in such a march as you have told me you are meditating, I would
+rather have a company of Numidian footmen to act as scouts and feel
+the way for the army. There would not, perhaps, be so much glory to be
+obtained, but there would be constant work and excitement, and this will
+be far better than marching in the long column of the army.”
+
+“I think your choice is a good one,” Hannibal replied. “Such a corps
+will be needed to feel the way as we advance, to examine the roads and
+indicate that by which the column had best move, and to guard against
+ambushes and surprises. Tomorrow I will inspect the Numidian footmen
+and will put them through their exercises. We will have foot races and
+trials of skill with the bow, and I will bid their officers pick me out
+two hundred of the most active and vigourous among them; these you
+shall have under your command. You can choose among your comrades of the
+guards one whom you would like to have as your lieutenant.”
+
+“I will take Trebon,” Malchus said; “we fought side by side through the
+last campaign. He is prompt and active, always cheerful under fatigue,
+and as brave as a lion. I could not wish a better comrade.”
+
+“So be it,” Hannibal replied, “henceforth you are captain of the
+advanced company of the army. Remember, Malchus, that the responsibility
+is a great one, and that henceforward there must be no more boyish
+tricks. Your company will be the eyes of the army, and upon your
+vigilance its safety, when we once start upon our expedition, will in
+no slight degree depend. Remember, too, that you have by your conduct to
+justify me in choosing my young kinsman for so important a post.”
+
+The next day the Numidians were put through their exercises, and by
+nightfall the two hundred picked men were chosen from their ranks and
+were placed by Hannibal under the command of Malchus. Trebon was greatly
+pleased when he found himself appointed as lieutenant of the company.
+Although of noble family his connections were much less influential
+than those of the majority of his comrades, and he had deemed himself
+exceptionally fortunate in having been permitted to enter the chosen
+corps of the Carthaginian cavalry, and had not expected to be made an
+officer for years to come, since promotion in the Carthaginian army was
+almost wholly a matter of family influence.
+
+“I am indeed obliged to you, Malchus,” he said as he joined his friend
+after Hannibal had announced his appointment to him. “The general told
+me that he had appointed me at your request. I never even hoped that
+such good fortune would befall me. Of course I knew that you would
+speedily obtain a command, but my people have no influence whatever.
+The general says that your company are to act as scouts for the army,
+so there will be plenty of opportunity to distinguish ourselves.
+Unfortunately I don't see much chance of fighting at present. The
+Iberian tribesmen had such a lesson last autumn that they are not likely
+for a long time to give us further trouble.”
+
+“Do not make yourself uneasy on that score, Trebon,” Malchus said, “I
+can tell you, but let it go no further, that ere long there will be
+fighting enough to satisfy even the most pugnacious.”
+
+One evening Malchus had left the club early. Full as he was of the
+thoughts of the tremendous struggle which was soon to begin between the
+great antagonists, he wearied of the light talk of his gay comrades. The
+games of chance, to which a room in the club was allotted, afforded him
+no pleasure; nor had he any interest in the wagering which was going
+on as to the merits of the horses which were to run in the races on the
+following day. On leaving the club he directed his footsteps towards the
+top of the hill on which Carthagena stood, and there, sitting alone
+on one of the highest points, looked over the sea sparkling in the
+moonlight, the many vessels in the harbour and the lagoons stretching
+inland on each side of the city.
+
+He tried to imagine the course that the army was to follow, the terrible
+journey through the snow covered passes of that tremendous range of
+mountains of which he had heard, the descent into the plains of Italy,
+and the first sight of Rome. He pictured to himself the battles which
+would have to be fought by the way, and above all, the deadly conflict
+which would take place before Rome could be carried by assault, and the
+great rival of Carthage be humbled to the dust. Then he pictured the
+return of the triumphant expedition, the shouting multitudes who would
+acclaim Hannibal the sole arbitrator of the destinies of Carthage,
+and in his heart rejoiced over the changes which would take place--the
+overthrow of the faction of Hanno, the reform of abuses, the
+commencement of an era of justice, freedom, and prosperity for all.
+
+For more than three hours he sat thus, and then awoke to the fact that
+the night was cold and the hour late. Drawing his bernous tightly round
+him he descended into the city, which was now for the most part wrapped
+in sleep. He was passing through the native quarter when a door opened
+and several men came out. Scarcely knowing why he did so Malchus drew
+back into a doorway until they had moved on ahead of him, and then
+followed them at some little distance. At any other time he would have
+thought nothing of such an incident, but his nerves were highly strung
+at the moment, and his pause was dictated more by an indisposition to
+encounter anything which might disturb the current of his thoughts than
+by any other motive.
+
+In the moonlight he could see that two of the five men ahead of him
+were members of the Carthaginian horse guard, for the light glittered
+on their helmets; the other three were, by their attire, natives. Two
+of the latter soon separated from the others, and on reaching the better
+part of the town the two Carthaginians turned down a side street, and in
+the still night Malchus heard the parting words to their neighbour, “At
+the same place tomorrow night.” The remaining native kept straight along
+the road which Malchus was following. Still onward he went, and
+Malchus, to his surprise, saw him go up to one of the side entrances to
+Hannibal's palace. He must have knocked very quietly, or someone must
+have been waiting to admit him, for without a sound the door was opened
+and the man entered.
+
+Malchus went round to the principal entrance, and after a little
+badinage from the officer on guard as to the lateness of the hour at
+which he returned, made his way to his apartment.
+
+He was puzzled by what he had seen. It was strange that two of the
+Carthaginian guard, men necessarily belonging to noble families, should
+have been at a native gathering of some sort in the upper town. Strange,
+too, that a man probably an attendant or slave belonging to the palace
+should also have been present. The more he thought of it the more he was
+puzzled to account for it, and before he went to sleep he came to the
+resolution that he would, if possible, on the following night discover
+the object of such a gathering.
+
+Next evening, therefore, he returned from the Syssite early, exchanged
+his helmet for a skullcap, and, wrapping himself in his cloak, made his
+way to the house from which he had seen the men come forth. It stood at
+the corner of the street. Thick hangings hung across the openings for
+the windows, and prevented even a ray of light from finding its way out.
+Listening attentively Malchus could hear a low hum of voices within. As
+there were still people about he moved away for half an hour.
+
+On his return the street was deserted. Malchus put his hand through
+a window opening into the side street and felt that the hanging was
+composed of rushes tightly plaited together. With the point of his
+dagger he very cautiously cut a slit in this, and applying his eye to it
+was able to obtain a glimpse of the apartment within. On low stools by
+a fire two Carthaginians were sitting, while four natives were seated on
+the rushes which covered the floor. Malchus recognized the Carthaginians
+at once, for they were members of the troop in which he had served.
+Neither of them were men popular among their fellows, for they belonged
+to families closely related to Hanno. They had always, however,
+professed the greatest admiration for Hannibal, and had declared that
+for their part they altogether repudiated the doings of the party to
+which their family belonged.
+
+The conversation was carried on in low tones, a precaution absolutely
+necessary in the day when glass windows were unknown, unless the
+discourse was upon general subjects. Malchus listened attentively, but
+although he thought he caught the words Hanno and Hannibal repeated
+several times, he was unable to hear more. At the end of the half hour
+the conference was apparently at an end, for all rose to their feet.
+One of the Carthaginians put a bag, which was evidently heavy, into
+the hands of one of the natives, and the party then went out. Malchus
+stepped to the corner and caught the words, “Tomorrow night, then,
+without fail.”
+
+The party then separated, the Carthaginians passing straight on, the
+natives waiting until they had gone some little distance ahead before
+they followed. Malchus remained for some little time in the side street
+before he sallied out and took his way after them. After he saw two of
+the natives leave the other, he quickened his steps and passed the
+man, who proceeded alone towards the palace, a short distance before he
+arrived there. As he did so he glanced at his face, and recognized him
+as one of the attendants who waited at Hannibal's table. Malchus did
+not turn his head, however, but kept straight on his way and entered the
+palace as usual.
+
+“Malchus,” the captain of the guard laughed as he went in, “assuredly
+I shall have to tell Hamilcar of your doings. Last night you entered an
+hour after every one had retired to rest, tonight you are back in better
+time, but assuredly you have not been to the Syssite in that hunting
+cap. This savours of a mystery. Do not pretend to me that you have
+been looking after your company of Numidians at this time of the night,
+because, did you swear it by Astarte, I should not believe you.”
+
+“No; I think I could invent a better story than that if I were put to
+it,” Malchus said with a laugh; “but as I am not obliged to invent one
+at all, I will leave you to do so for me. In truth I have been about
+some private business, but what that business is is a profound secret.”
+
+“A secret of state, no doubt,” the officer rejoined. “Well, I will say
+nothing this time; but do not let it occur again, or I shall think that
+some Iberian maiden has captured that susceptible heart of yours.”
+
+After Malchus had reached his chamber he sat down for some time in
+deep thought. It was clear to him that something was wrong. This secret
+meeting of the two Carthaginians with natives, one of whom was employed
+in Hannibal's household, could mean no good. Money had passed, too, and,
+judging from the size and apparent weight of the bag, no inconsiderable
+amount. What could it mean? It was but a few months before that
+Hasdrubal had fallen beneath the dagger of a native servant. Could this
+be a plot against the life of Hannibal?
+
+The two Carthaginians were connected with Hanno, and might well be
+agents employed to rid him of his great rival. And yet he had heard
+nothing which would justify his bringing so grave an accusation against
+these men. The money which he had seen exchanged might be for the price
+of a horse or of a slave, and he might only make himself ridiculous
+were he to speak to Hannibal or his father as to what had occurred. He
+decided, therefore, that any action he might take must be on his own
+account. If the words he had overheard meant anything, and if a plot
+were really on hand, it was to be carried out on the following night.
+Malchus determined to take steps to meet it.
+
+The next day he took Trebon into his counsels and told him of the
+mysterious meetings which he had accidentally discovered. There was free
+access to Hannibal's palace; officers were constantly coming in and out,
+and soldiers arriving and leaving with messages and orders. Malchus,
+had, therefore, had no difficulty in passing into his apartment, one
+by one, ten picked men of his company. They had orders to remain there
+perfectly quiet, and Trebon also took post with them, Malchus telling
+him to make some excuse or other to prevent any attendant or slave from
+entering the apartment while he was absent.
+
+There was a concert that evening; the palace was crowded with guests.
+From time to time Malchus stole away to his room, where the Numidians
+were seated on the ground silent and immovable as so many bronze
+statues. At other times he kept near Hannibal, watching closely the
+movements of every native who passed near him; and ready to spring
+forward instantly if he saw any signs of an evil intention. However, he
+did not much apprehend, that even if his suspicions were correct and
+a plot was on foot against Hannibal, any attempt would be made to
+assassinate him in the midst of a crowded assembly, where there would
+be no possibility of escape for the perpetrators of such a deed. At
+last the guests began to depart, and an hour later all was quiet in the
+palace. Laying aside his sandals, Malchus stole noiselessly over the
+marble pavements until he approached the entrance which he had twice
+seen opened so late. A slave was lying close to it.
+
+Unobserved Malchus stole away again to his chamber and bade the
+Numidians follow him. Noiselessly the troop of barefooted Arabs moved
+shadowlike through the lofty halls and corridors. Two of them he placed
+at the entrance to the chamber where Hannibal slept, with orders
+to allow no one to pass until he returned, then with the others he
+proceeded to the entrance. Few lights only were burning in the passages,
+and it was not until they were close at hand that the slave perceived
+the approaching figures. He leaped to his feet, but before he could cry
+out Malchus stepped forward and said:
+
+“Silence, if you value your life. You know me; I am Malchus the son of
+Hamilcar. Now, tell me the truth, or tomorrow the torture shall wring it
+from you. Who placed you here, and why?”
+
+“Carpadon, one of the chief attendants, ordered me to remain here to
+admit him on his return. I knew not there was harm in it,” the slave
+said.
+
+“Is it the first time you have kept watch for such a purpose?”
+
+“No, my lord, some six or seven times he has gone out late.”
+
+“Do you know the cause of his absence?”
+
+“No, my lord, it would not become a slave to question one of the chief
+attendants of my lord Hannibal as to why he goes or comes.”
+
+The man's manner was so natural, and his surprise at the interest which
+one of the rank of Malchus showed in the doings of an attendant so
+genuine, that Malchus was convinced he knew nothing of any enterprise in
+which the man who had placed him there might be engaged.
+
+“Very well,” he said, “I will believe what you tell me. Now, do you
+resume your place at the door, and open it as usual at his signal. Say
+no word and make no sign which may lead him to know of our presence
+here. Mind, my eye will be upon you, and your life will pay for any
+treachery.”
+
+Malchus with four of his men now took post on one side of the door,
+standing well back in the shadow so that their presence would not be
+noticed by anyone entering. Trebon with the remaining four men took up a
+similar position on the other side of the doorway.
+
+Two hours passed. At length a low tap followed by two others was heard
+at the door. The slave at once opened it. Carpadon entered, and with a
+sudden movement threw one arm round the slave's neck and with the other
+stabbed him to the heart. Then he opened the door wide, and said in a
+low tone:
+
+“Enter, all is safe.”
+
+In a moment a dark mass of men poured in at the door. The matter was
+more serious than Malchus had expected. He had looked for the entry
+perhaps of three or four men, and had intended to close in behind them
+and cut them off; but here were a score at least, and how many more
+might be outside he knew not. He therefore gave the signal by shouting
+“Carthage,” and at once with his followers fell upon one flank of the
+natives, for such their dress showed them to be, while Trebon attacked
+them on the other. There was a shout of surprise and alarm at the
+unexpected onslaught, and several were cut down at once. The others,
+drawing their swords, began to defend themselves, trying at the same
+time to retreat to the door, through which, however, many others were
+still pressing in. For a few minutes a severe fight went on, and the
+numbers and desperation of Carpadon's followers began to tell, and, in
+spite of the efforts of Malchus and the Numidians, they would have been
+forced to fall back and allow the others to pass out, had not help been
+at hand.
+
+The shouting and clashing of weapons had awakened the palace, and the
+officer of the guard with ten of his men, some of them bearing torches,
+came running at full speed from their post at the chief entrance. As the
+guard came up and stood gazing uncertain what to do, or among whom the
+conflict was raging, Malchus for a moment drew out from the fray.
+
+“Seize and disarm all the natives,” he said; “the Numidians are here by
+my orders.”
+
+The instant the soldiers understood the situation they fell to, and
+the natives, whose retreat was cut off by the Numidians, were speedily
+disarmed; those nearer to the door had, the instant they saw the torches
+approaching, taken to flight.
+
+A moment later Hannibal, Hamilcar, and many other officers resident at
+the palace came running up.
+
+“What means this fray, Malchus?”
+
+“It means an attempt upon your life, Hannibal, which I have been
+fortunate enough to discover and defeat.”
+
+“Who are these men?” Hamilcar asked.
+
+“So far as I know they are natives,” Malchus replied. “The chief of
+the party is that man who lies bleeding there; he is one of your
+attendants.”
+
+One of the soldiers held a torch close to the man's face.
+
+“It is Carpadon,” Hannibal said. “I believed him honest and faithful.”
+
+“He is the tool of others, Hannibal; he has been well paid for this
+night's work.”
+
+Hannibal gave orders for the prisoners to be strictly guarded, and then,
+with Hamilcar and Malchus, returned to his private study. The lamps were
+lighted by the attendants, who then withdrew.
+
+“Now, Malchus, tell us your story,” Hannibal said. “It seems strange to
+me that you should have said nought to your father or me of what you
+had learned, and left us to take such measures as might seem fit to us,
+instead of taking the matter into your own hands.”
+
+“Had I had certainties to go upon I should assuredly have done so, but,
+as you will see when I tell you all I had learned, I had nothing but
+suspicions, and those of the vaguest, and for aught I knew I might be
+altogether in the wrong.”
+
+Malchus then gave the full details of the manner in which his suspicions
+had been first excited, and in which on the previous night he had taken
+steps to ascertain whether there were any foundation for them.
+
+“You see,” he concluded, “there was no sort of certainty, nothing to
+prove that the money was not paid for the purchase of a horse or slave.
+It was only the one fact that one of the party was a servant here that
+rendered what I discovered serious. Had it not been for the fate of
+Hasdrubal I should never have given the matter a second thought; but,
+knowing that he was assassinated by a trusted servant, and seeing two
+men whose families I knew belonged to Hanno's faction engaged in secret
+talk with one of your attendants, the suspicion struck me that a similar
+deed might again be attempted. The only words I had to go upon were,
+'Tomorrow night, then, without fail.' This was not enough for me to
+bring an accusation against two men of noble family; and, had I told
+you the tale without the confirmation it has now received, you would
+probably have treated it but lightly. I resolved, therefore, to wait
+and see, taking such precaution that no harm could come of my secrecy. I
+concealed in my room ten of my Numidians, with my lieutenant Trebon--an
+ample force whatever might betide.
+
+“If, as I suspected, this man intended, with two or three others, to
+steal into your chamber and slay you while you slept, we could at once
+have stopped the attempt; should he come with a larger force, we could,
+as is proved, resist them until the guard arrived on the spot. If, on
+the other hand, night passed off quietly and my suspicions proved to be
+altogether erroneous, I should escape the ridicule which would certainly
+have been forthcoming had I alarmed you without cause.”
+
+“You have acted very wisely and well, my son,” Hamilcar said, “and
+Carthage owes you the life of our beloved Hannibal. You indeed reasoned
+with great wisdom and forethought. Had you informed us of what you had
+discovered we should have taken precautions which would doubtless have
+effected the object; but they would probably have become known to the
+plotters, and the attempt would have been postponed and attempted some
+other time, and perhaps with success. What say you, Hannibal, have I not
+reason to be proud of this young son of mine?”
+
+“You have indeed, Hamilcar, and deeply am I indebted to him. It is not
+my life I care for, although that now is precious to me for the sake
+of my beloved Imilce, but had I fallen now all the plans which we have
+thought of together would have been frustrated, and the fairest chance
+which Carthage ever had of fighting out the quarrel with her rival would
+have been destroyed. Truly it has been a marvellous escape, and it seems
+to me that the gods themselves must have inspired Malchus to act as he
+did on such slight grounds as seeing two Carthaginians of the guard in
+company with three or four natives at a late hour of the evening.”
+
+“What do you think will be best to do with the traitors who have plotted
+against your life, Hannibal? Shall we try and execute them here, or send
+them to Carthage to be dealt with?”
+
+Hannibal did not answer for a minute.
+
+“I think, Hamilcar, the best plan will be to keep silent altogether as
+to the danger I have run. The army would be furious but would at the
+same time be dispirited were it known in Carthage that two of her nobles
+had been executed for an attempt on my life. It would only cause a fresh
+outbreak of animosity and an even deadlier feud than before between
+Hanno's friends and ours. Therefore, I say, let the men taken tonight be
+executed in the morning without question asked, and let no word be said
+by them or by us that they were bribed by Carthaginians. All in the
+palace now know that a party of natives have broken in, and will guess
+that my life was their object; there is no need that they should know
+more. As to the two men, I will call them before me tomorrow, with none
+but you present, and will let them know that I am aware that they are
+the authors of this attempt, and will bid them resign their places in
+the guard and return at once to Carthage.”
+
+“It grieves me that they should go unpunished,” Hamilcar said; “but
+doubtless your plan is the wisest.”
+
+“Then,” Hannibal said, rising, “we will to bed again. Malchus, acquaint
+Trebon of our determination that silence is to be kept; tell him that I
+shall bear him in mind, and not forget his share in this night's work.
+As for you, Malchus, henceforth you are more than my cousin; you have
+saved my life, and I shall never forget it. I shall tell Imilce in the
+morning of the danger which has passed, for it is sure to come to her
+ears, and she will know better than I do how to thank you.”
+
+Accordingly in the morning Hannibal's orders were carried out; the
+twelve natives taken prisoners were beheaded without any of the usual
+tortures which would have been inflicted upon a similar occasion.
+No less than fourteen others had been killed in the fight. The two
+Carthaginian nobles were sent for by Hannibal. They came prepared to
+die, for they knew already by rumour that the attempt had failed, and
+doubted not when the summons reached them that Carpadon had denounced
+them as his accomplices. But they went to their certain doom with the
+courage of their class--pale, perhaps, but otherwise unmoved. Hannibal
+was alone with Hamilcar when they entered.
+
+“That assassination is not an altogether unknown crime in Carthage,” he
+said quietly, “I was well aware, but I did not before think that nobles
+in the Carthaginian horse would stoop to it. I know that it was you who
+provided the gold for the payment of the men who made an attempt upon my
+life, that you personally paid my attendant Carpadon to hire assassins,
+and to lead them to my chamber. Were I to denounce you, my soldiers
+would tear you in pieces. The very name of your families would be held
+accursed by all honest men in Carthage for all time. I do not ask you
+whether I have given you cause for offence, for I know that I have not
+done so; you acted simply for the benefit of Hanno. Whether you were
+instructed by him I do not deign to ask. I shall not harm you. The tale
+of your infamy is known to but four persons, and none others will ever
+know it. I am proud of the honour of the nobles of Carthage, and would
+not that the scum of the people should bandy the name of your families
+on their lips as guilty of so foul an act of treason. You will, of
+course, at once resign your positions in the Carthaginian horse. Make
+what pretext you will--illness or private affairs. Tomorrow sail for
+Carthage, and there strive by efforts for the good of your country to
+efface the remembrance of this blow which you would have struck her.”
+
+So saying, with a wave of the hand he dismissed them.
+
+They went without a word, too astonished at his clemency, too humiliated
+by their own disgrace even to utter a word of thanks. When they were
+fairly beyond the palace they looked at each other as men awakened from
+a dream.
+
+“What a man!” one of them exclaimed. “No wonder the soldiers adore him!
+He has given us our lives--more, he has saved our names from disgrace.
+Henceforth, Pontus, we, at least, can never again take part against
+him.”
+
+“It is almost too much to bear,” the other said; “I feel that I would
+rather that he had ordered us to instant execution.”
+
+“Ay, for our own sakes, Pontus, but not for those of others. For myself
+I shall retire to the country; it seems to me that never again shall I
+be able to mix with others; they may know nothing of it, but it will be
+ever on my mind. How they would shrink back in horror were what we have
+done whispered to them! Truly, were it not for my family, I would prefer
+death with the worst torture to life as it will be now.”
+
+The excitement in the army was intense when it became known that a
+body of Iberians had attempted to break into Hannibal's palace with the
+design of murdering him, and many of the soldiers, seizing their arms,
+hurried towards the city, and had not an officer ridden with the news to
+Hannibal, they would assuredly have fallen upon the native inhabitants,
+and a general massacre would have taken place.
+
+Hannibal at once mounted and rode out to meet the soldiers. He was
+received with enthusiastic acclamations; at length he raised his arm to
+restore silence, and then addressed the troops, telling them how deeply
+he valued the evidence of their affection, but that he prayed them to
+return to their camps and lay by their arms.
+
+“We must not,” he said, “confound the innocent with the guilty. Those
+who were concerned in the attempt have paid the penalty with their
+lives; it is not because a handful of Spaniards have plotted against me
+that you are to swear hatred against the whole race; were you to punish
+the innocent for the guilty you would arouse the fury of the Iberians
+throughout the whole peninsula, and all our work would have to be done
+over again. You know that above all things I desire the friendship and
+goodwill of the natives. Nothing would grieve me more than that, just as
+we are attaining this, our efforts should be marred by a quarrel between
+yourselves and the people here. I pray you, therefore, as a personal
+favour to me, to abstain from all tumult, and go quietly back to your
+camp. The attack upon my palace was made only by some thirty or forty of
+the scum of the inhabitants, and the attempt was defeated by the wisdom
+and courage of my young cousin Malchus, whom you must henceforth regard
+as the saviour of my life.”
+
+The soldiers at once acceded to the request of their general, and after
+another outburst of cheering they returned quietly to their camp.
+
+The result of this affair was to render Malchus one of the most
+popular personages in the army, and the lad was quite abashed by the
+enthusiastic reception which the soldiers gave him when he passed among
+them. It removed, too, any feeling of jealousy which might have existed
+among his former comrades of the Carthaginian horse, for although it
+was considered as a matter of course in Carthage that generals should
+appoint their near relatives to posts of high command, human nature was
+then the same as now, and men not possessed of high patronage could not
+help grumbling a little at the promotion of those more fortunate than
+themselves. Henceforth, however, no voice was ever raised against the
+promotion of Malchus, and had he at once been appointed to a command of
+importance none would have deemed such a favour undeserved by the youth
+who had saved the life of Hannibal.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX: THE SIEGE OF SAGUNTUM
+
+
+A few days later the Carthaginian army were astonished by the issue
+of an order that the whole were to be in readiness to march upon the
+following day. The greatest excitement arose when the news got abroad.
+None knew against whom hostilities were to be directed. No one had heard
+aught of the arrival of messengers announcing fresh insurrection among
+the recently conquered tribes, and all sorts of surmises were indulged
+in as to the foe against whom this great force, the largest which had
+ever been collected by Carthage, were about to get in motion.
+
+The army now gathered around Carthagena amounted, indeed, to a hundred
+and fifty thousand men, and much surprise had for some time existed
+at the continual arrival of reinforcements from home, and at the large
+number of troops which had during the winter been raised and disciplined
+from among the friendly tribes.
+
+Simultaneously with the issue of the order long lines of wagons, laden
+with military stores, began to pour out from the arsenals, and all day
+long a procession of carts moved across the bridge over the canal in the
+isthmus to the mainland. The tents were struck at daylight, the baggage
+loaded up into the wagons told off to accompany the various bodies of
+soldiers, and the troops formed up in military order.
+
+When Hannibal rode on to the ground, surrounded by his principal
+officers, a shout of welcome rose from the army; and he proceeded to
+make a close inspection of the whole force. The officers then placed
+themselves at the head of their respective commands, the trumpets gave
+the signal, and the army set out on a march, as to whose direction and
+distance few present had any idea, and from which few, indeed, were ever
+destined to return.
+
+There was no longer any occasion for secrecy as to the object of the
+expedition. The generals repeated it to their immediate staffs, these
+informed the other officers, and the news speedily spread through the
+army that they were marching against Saguntum. The importance of the
+news was felt by all. Saguntum was the near ally of Rome, and an attack
+upon that city could but mean that Carthage was entering upon another
+struggle with her great rival.
+
+Saguntum lay about 140 miles north of Carthagena, and the army had to
+cross the range of mountains now known as the Sierra Morena, which
+run across the peninsula from Cape St. Vincent on the west to Cape St.
+Martin on the east. The march of so large an army, impeded as it was
+by a huge train of wagons with stores and the machines necessary for a
+siege, was toilsome and arduous in the extreme. But all worked with the
+greatest enthusiasm and diligence; roads were made with immense labour
+through forests, across ravines, and over mountain streams.
+
+Hannibal himself was always present, encouraging the men by his praises,
+and sharing all their hardships.
+
+At last the mountains were passed, and the army poured down into
+the fertile plains of Valencia, which town, however, was not then in
+existence. Passing over the site where it is now situated they continued
+their march north until Saguntum, standing on its rocky eminence, came
+into view.
+
+During the march Malchus and his company had led the way, guided by
+natives, who pointed out the easiest paths. As there were no enemies to
+be guarded against, they had taken their full share in the labours of
+the army.
+
+The Saguntines were already aware of the approach of the expedition. No
+sooner had it crossed the crest of the mountains than native runners
+had carried the news of its approach, and the inhabitants had spent the
+intervening time in laying in great stores of provisions, and in making
+every preparation for defence. The garrison was small in comparison with
+the force marching against it, but it was ample for the defence of the
+walls, for its position rendered the city well nigh impregnable against
+the machines in use at the time, and was formidable in the extreme even
+against modern artillery, for 2000 years afterwards Saguntum, with a
+garrison of 3000 men, resisted for a long time all the efforts of a
+French army under General Suchet. As soon as his force arrived near the
+town Hannibal rode forward, and, in accordance with the custom of the
+times, himself summoned the garrison to surrender. Upon their refusal
+he solemnly declared war by hurling his javelin against the walls. The
+troops at once advanced to the assault, and poured flights of arrows,
+masses of stones from their machines, javelins, and missiles of all
+descriptions into the city, the defenders replying with equal vigour
+from the walls. At the end of the first day's fighting Hannibal
+perceived that his hopes of carrying the place by assault were vain--for
+the walls were too high to be scaled, too thick to be shaken by any
+irregular attack--and that a long siege must be undertaken.
+
+This was a great disappointment to him, as it would cause a long
+delay that it would be scarce possible to commence the march which he
+meditated that summer. As to advancing, with Saguntum in his rear, it
+was not to be thought of, for the Romans would be able to land their
+armies there and to cut him off from all communication with Carthagena
+and Carthage. There was, then, nothing to be done but to undertake the
+siege in regular order.
+
+The army formed an encampment in a circle round the town. A strong force
+was left to prevent the garrison from making a sortie, and the whole of
+the troops were then marched away in detachments to the hills to fell
+and bring down the timber which would be required for the towers and
+walls, the bareness of the rock rendering it impossible to construct the
+approaches as usual with earth. In the first place, a wall, strengthened
+by numerous small towers, was erected round the whole circumference
+of the rock; then the approaches were begun on the western side, where
+attack was alone possible.
+
+This was done by lines of wooden towers, connected one with another by
+walls of the same material; movable towers were constructed to be pushed
+forward against the great tower which formed the chief defence of the
+wall, and on each side the line of attack was carried onward by portable
+screens covered with thick hide. In the meantime the Saguntines were
+not idle. Showers of missiles of all descriptions were hurled upon the
+working parties, great rocks from the machines on the walls crashed
+through the wooden erections, and frequent and desperate sorties were
+made, in which the Carthaginians were almost always worsted. The nature
+of the ground, overlooked as it was by the lofty towers and walls, and
+swept by the missiles of the defenders, rendered it impossible for any
+considerable force to remain close at hand to render assistance to the
+workers, and the sudden attacks of the Saguntines several times drove
+them far down the hillside, and enabled the besieged, with axe and fire,
+to destroy much of the work which had been so labouriously carried out.
+
+In one of these sorties Hannibal, who was continually at the front,
+overlooking the work, was seriously wounded by a javelin in the thigh.
+Until he was cured the siege languished, and was converted into a
+blockade, for it was his presence and influence alone which encouraged
+the men to continue their work under such extreme difficulties,
+involving the death of a large proportion of those engaged. Upon
+Hannibal's recovery the work was pressed forward with new vigour, and
+the screens and towers were pushed on almost to the foot of the walls.
+The battering rams were now brought up, and--shielded by massive
+screens, which protected those who worked them from the darts and stones
+thrown down by the enemy, and by lofty towers, from whose tops the
+Carthaginian archers engaged the Saguntines on the wall--began their
+work.
+
+The construction of walls was in those days rude and primitive, and they
+had little of the solidity of such structures in succeeding ages.
+The stones were very roughly shaped, no mortar was used, and the
+displacement of one stone consequently involved that of several others.
+This being the case it was not long before the heavy battering rams of
+the Carthaginians produced an effect on the walls, and a large breach
+was speedily made. Three towers and the walls which connected them fell
+with a mighty crash, and the besiegers, believing that the place was
+won, advanced to the assault. But the Saguntines met them in the breach,
+and for hours a desperate battle raged there.
+
+The Saguntines hurled down upon the assailants trunks of trees bristling
+with spearheads and spikes of iron, blazing darts and falariques--great
+blocks of wood with projecting spikes, and covered thickly with a mass
+of pitch and sulphur which set on fire all they touched. Other species
+of falariques were in the form of spindles, the shaft wrapped round with
+flax dipped in pitch. Hannibal fought at the head of his troops with
+desperate bravery, and had a narrow escape of being crushed by an
+enormous rock which fell at his feet; but in spite of his efforts
+and those of his troops they were unable to carry the breach, and at
+nightfall fell back to their camp, having suffered very heavy losses.
+
+Singularly enough the French columns were repulsed in an effort to
+carry a breach at almost the same spot, the Spaniards hurling among them
+stones, hand grenades of glass bottles and shells, and defending the
+breach with their long pikes against all the efforts of Suchet's troops.
+
+Some days passed before the attack was renewed, as the troops were worn
+out by their labours. A strong guard in the meantime held the advanced
+works against any sorties of the Saguntines.
+
+These, on their side, worked night and day, and by the time the
+Carthaginians again advanced the wall was rebuilt and the breach closed.
+But Hannibal had also been busy. Seeing that it was impossible for
+his troops to win an entrance by a breach, as long as the Saguntines
+occupied every point commanding it, he caused a vast tower to be built,
+sufficiently lofty to overlook every point of the defences, arming each
+of its stages with catapults and ballistas. He also built near the walls
+a great terrace of wood higher than the walls themselves, and from this
+and from the tower he poured such torrents of missiles into the town
+that the defenders could no longer remain upon the walls. Five hundred
+Arab miners now advanced, and these, setting to work with their
+implements, soon loosened the lower stones of the wall, and this again
+fell with a mighty crash and a breach was opened.
+
+The Carthaginians at once swarmed in and took possession of the wall;
+but while the besiegers had been constructing their castle and terrace,
+the Saguntines had built an interior wall, and Hannibal saw himself
+confronted with a fresh line of defences.
+
+As preparations were being made for the attack of the new defences
+messengers arrived saying that the Carpatans and Orotans, furious at the
+heavy levies of men which had been demanded from them for the army, had
+revolted. Leaving Maharbal to conduct the siege in his absence, Hannibal
+hurried away with a portion of his force, and returned in two months,
+having put down the revolt and severely punished the tribesmen.
+
+While the siege had been continuing the Romans had been making vain
+efforts to induce the Carthaginians to desist. No sooner had the
+operations commenced than agents from the Roman senate waited on
+Hannibal and begged him to abandon the siege. Hannibal treated their
+remonstrance with disdain, at the same time writing to Carthage to say
+that it was absolutely necessary that the people of Saguntum, who were
+insolent and hostile, relying on the protection of Rome, should be
+punished. The envoys then went to Carthage, where they made an animated
+protest against what they regarded as an unprovoked attack upon their
+allies. Rome, in fact, was anxious at this moment to postpone the
+struggle with Carthage for the same reason that Hannibal was anxious to
+press it on.
+
+She had but just finished a long struggle with the Gaulish tribes of
+Northern Italy, and was anxious to recover her strength before she
+engaged in another war. It was for this very reason that Hannibal
+desired to force on the struggle. His friends at Carthage persuaded the
+senate to refuse to listen to the envoys of Rome. Another embassy was
+sent to Hannibal, but the general would not give them an interview,
+and, following the instructions they had received, the ambassadors then
+sailed to Carthage to make a formal demand for reparation, and for the
+person of Hannibal to be delivered over to them for punishment.
+
+But the Barcine party were for the moment in the ascendancy; long
+negotiations took place which led to nothing, and all this time the
+condition of the Saguntines was becoming more desperate. Five new
+ambassadors were therefore sent from Rome to ask in the name of the
+republic whether Hannibal was authorized by the Carthaginians to lay
+siege to Saguntum, to demand that he should be delivered to Rome, and,
+in case of refusal, to declare war. The Carthaginian senate met in the
+temple of Moloch and there received the Roman ambassadors. Q. Fabius,
+the chief man of the embassy, briefly laid the demands of Rome before
+the senate. Cestar, one of the Barcine leaders, replied, refusing the
+demands. Fabius then rose.
+
+“I give you the choice--peace or war?”
+
+“Choose yourself,” the Carthaginians cried.
+
+“Then I choose war,” Fabius said.
+
+“So be it,” the assembly shouted.
+
+And thus war was formally declared between the two Republics. But
+Saguntum had now fallen. The second wall had been breached by the time
+Hannibal had returned from his expedition, and an assault was ordered.
+As before, the Saguntines fought desperately, but after a long struggle
+the Carthaginians succeeded in winning a footing upon the wall.
+
+The Saguntines, seeing that further resistance was vain, that the
+besiegers had already won the breach, that there was no chance of
+assistance from Rome, and having, moreover, consumed their last
+provisions, sought for terms. Halcon, the Saguntine general, and a noble
+Spaniard named Alorcus, on the part of Hannibal, met in the breach.
+Alorcus named the conditions which Hannibal had imposed--that the
+Saguntines should restore to the Torbolates the territory they had
+taken from them, and that the inhabitants, giving up all their goods and
+treasures, should then be permitted to leave the town and to found a new
+city at a spot which Hannibal would name.
+
+The Saguntines, who were crowding round, heard the terms. Many of the
+principal senators at once left the place, and hurrying into their
+houses carried the gold and silver which they had there, and also some
+of that in the public treasury, into the forum, and piling up a vast
+heap of wood set it alight and threw themselves into the flames. This
+act caused a tremendous commotion in the city. A general tumult broke
+out, and Hannibal, seeing that his terms were refused, poured his troops
+across the breach, and after a short but desperate fight captured the
+city. In accordance with the cruel customs of the times, which, however,
+were rarely carried into effect by Hannibal, the male prisoners were
+all put to the sword, as on this occasion he considered it necessary
+to strike terror into the inhabitants of Spain, and to inflict a lesson
+which would not be forgotten during his absence in the country.
+
+The siege had lasted eight months. The booty taken was enormous. Every
+soldier in the army had a rich share of the plunder, and a vast sum was
+sent to Carthage; besides which the treasure chests of the army were
+filled up. All the Spanish troops had leave given them to return to
+their homes for the winter, and they dispersed highly satisfied with the
+booty with which they were laden. This was a most politic step on the
+part of the young general, as the tribesmen, seeing the wealth with
+which their countrymen returned, no longer felt it a hardship to fight
+in the Carthaginian ranks, and the levies called out in the spring went
+willingly and even eagerly.
+
+Hannibal returned with his African troops to spend the winter at
+Carthagena. He was there joined by the emissaries he had sent to
+examine Southern Gaul and the passes of the Alps, to determine the most
+practicable route for the march of the army, and to form alliances
+with the tribes of Southern Gaul and Northern Italy. Their reports were
+favourable, for they had found the greatest discontent existing among
+the tribes north of the Apennines, who had but recently been conquered
+by the Romans.
+
+Their chiefs, smarting under the heavy yoke of Rome, listened eagerly
+to the offers of Hannibal's agents, who distributed large sums of money
+among them, and promised them, in return for their assistance, not only
+their freedom from their conqueror, but a full share in the spoils of
+Rome. The chiefs replied that they would render any assistance to the
+Carthaginians as soon as they passed the Alps, and that they would then
+join them with all their forces. The reports as to the passes of the
+Alps were less satisfactory. Those who had examined them found that the
+difficulties they offered to the passage of an army were enormous, and
+that the tribes who inhabited the lower passes, having suffered in
+no way yet at the hands of Rome, would probably resist any army
+endeavouring to cross.
+
+By far the easiest route would be to follow the seashore, but this was
+barred against the Carthaginians by the fact that the Massilians (the
+people of Marseilles) were the close allies of Rome. They had admitted
+Roman colonists among them, and carried on an extensive trade with the
+capital. Their town was strong, and their ports would be open to the
+Roman fleets. The tribes in their neighourhood were all closely allied
+with them.
+
+Hannibal saw at once that he could not advance by the route by the sea
+without first reducing Marseilles. This would be an even more difficult
+operation than the siege of Saguntum, as Rome would be able to send any
+number of men by sea to the aid of the besieged, and the great struggle
+would be fought out in Southern Gaul instead of, as he wished, in Italy.
+Thus he decided to march by a route which would take him far north of
+Marseilles, even although it would necessitate a passage through the
+terrible passes of the Alps.
+
+During the winter Hannibal laboured without intermission in preparing
+for his expedition. He was ever among his soldiers, and personally saw
+to everything which could conduce to their comfort and well being. He
+took a lively interest in every minute detail which affected them; saw
+that their clothing was abundant and of good quality, inspected their
+rations, and saw that these were well cooked.
+
+It was this personal attention to the wants of his soldiers which, as
+much as his genius as a general, his personal valour, and his brilliant
+qualities, endeared him to his troops. They saw how anxious he was for
+their welfare; they felt that he regarded every man in his army as a
+friend and comrade, and in return they were ready to respond to every
+appeal, to make every sacrifice, to endure, to suffer, to fight to the
+death for their beloved leader. His troops were mercenaries--that is,
+they fought for pay in a cause which in no way concerned them--but
+personal affection for their general supplied in them the place of the
+patriotism which inspires modern soldiers, and transformed these semi
+barbarous tribesmen into troops fit to cope with the trained legionaries
+of Rome.
+
+Hannibal was far in advance of any of the generals of his time in all
+matters of organization. His commissariat was as perfect as that of
+modern armies. It was its duty to collect grain from the country through
+which the army marched, to form magazines, to collect and drive with the
+troops herds of cattle, to take over the provisions and booty brought
+in by foraging parties, and, to see to the daily distribution of rations
+among the various divisions.
+
+Along the line of communication depots were formed, where provisions,
+clothing, and arms were stored in readiness for use, and from which the
+whole army could, in case of necessity, be supplied with fresh clothing
+and shoes. A band of surgeons accompanied the army, at the head of whom
+was Synhalus, one of the most celebrated physicians of the time. So
+perfect were the arrangements that it is said that throughout the
+long campaign in Italy not a single day passed but that the troops,
+elephants, and animals of all descriptions accompanying the army
+received their daily rations of food.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X: BESET
+
+During the winter Hannibal made every preparation to ensure the
+tranquillity of Spain while he was absent. In order to lessen the number
+of possible enemies there he raised a body of twelve hundred horse and
+fourteen thousand infantry from among the most turbulent tribes, and
+sent them across to Africa to serve as garrisons in Carthage and other
+points, while an equal number of African troops were brought over to
+garrison Spain, of which Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, was to have the
+government during his absence.
+
+Hanno, an able general, was to command the force which was to be left in
+southern Gaul to keep open the communications between the Pyrenees and
+the Alps, while the youngest brother, Mago, a youth of about the same
+age as Malchus, was to accompany him to Italy. Hannibal's wife and a
+child which had been born in the preceding spring, were sent by ship to
+Carthage.
+
+In the early spring the march commenced, the army following the coast
+line until it reached the mouth of the Ebro. The mountainous and broken
+country lying between this river and the Pyrenees, and now known as
+Catalonia, was inhabited by fierce tribes unconquered as yet by Roman or
+Carthaginian. Its conquest presented enormous difficulties. There was
+no coherence between its people; but each valley and mountain was a
+stronghold to be defended desperately until the last. The inhabitants,
+accustomed to the mountains, were hardy, active, and, vigourous, ready
+to oppose a desperate resistance so long as resistance was possible, and
+then to flee across their hills at a speed which defied the fleetest of
+their pursuers.
+
+Every man was a soldier, and at the first alarm the inhabitants of the
+villages abandoned their houses, buried their grain, and having driven
+away their cattle into almost inaccessible recesses among the hills,
+returned to oppose the invaders. The conquest of such a people was
+one of the most difficult of undertakings, as the French generals
+of Napoleon afterwards discovered, to their cost. The cruelty of the
+mountaineers was equal to their courage, and the lapse of two thousand
+years changed them but little, for in their long struggle against the
+French they massacred every detachment whom they could surprise among
+the hills, murdered the wounded who fell into their hands, and poisoned
+wells and grain.
+
+The army which Hannibal had brought to the foot of this country through
+which he had to pass, amounted to 102,000 men, of which 12,000 were
+cavalry and 90,000 infantry. This force passed the Ebro in three bodies
+of equal strength. The natives opposed a desperate resistance, but the
+three columns pressed forward on parallel lines. The towns were besieged
+and captured, and after two months of desperate fighting Catalonia was
+subdued, but its conquest cost Hannibal twenty-one thousand men, a fifth
+of his whole army. Hanno was for the time left here with ten thousand
+infantry and a thousand cavalry. He was to suppress any fresh rising, to
+hold the large towns, to form magazines for the army, and to keep open
+the passes of the Pyrenees. He fixed his headquarters at Burgos. His
+operations were facilitated by the fact that along the line of the sea
+coast were a number of Phoenician colonies who were natural allies of
+the Carthaginians, and aided them in every way in their power. Before
+advancing through the passes of the Pyrenees Hannibal still further
+reduced the strength of his force by weeding out all those who had in
+the conflict among the mountains shown themselves wanting in personal
+strength or in military qualities. Giving these leave to return home he
+advanced at the head of fifty thousand picked infantry and nine thousand
+cavalry.
+
+The company under Malchus had rendered good service during the campaign
+of Catalonia. It had accompanied the column marching by the seashore;
+with this were the elephants, the treasure, and the heavy baggage of the
+army. It had throughout been in advance of the column, feeling the
+way, protecting it from ambushes, and dispersing any small bodies of
+tribesmen who might have placed themselves on heights, whence with
+arrows and slings they could harass the column on its march. The company
+had lost comparatively few men in the campaign, for it had taken no part
+in the various sieges. Its duties, however, were severe in the extreme.
+The men were ever on the watch, scouting the country round, while the
+army was engaged in siege operations, sometimes ascending mountains
+whence they could command views over the interior or pursuing bands of
+tribesmen to their refuges among the hills.
+
+Severely as Malchus had trained himself in every exercise, he found it
+at first difficult to support the fatigues of such a life; but every day
+his muscles hardened, and by the end of the campaign he was able to keep
+on foot as long as the hardest of his men.
+
+One day he had followed a party of the tribesmen far up among the
+mountains. The enemy had scattered, and the Arabs in their hot pursuit
+had also broken up into small parties. Malchus kept his eye upon the man
+who appeared to be the chief of the enemy's party, and pressing hotly
+upon him brought him to bay on the face of a steep and rugged gorge.
+Only one of the Numidians was at hand, a man named Nessus, who was
+greatly attached to his young leader, and always kept close to him in
+his expeditions. The savage, a bulky and heavy man, finding he could
+no longer keep ahead of his fleet footed pursuers, took his post at a
+narrow point in the path where but one could oppose him; and there, with
+his heavy sword drawn, he awaited the attack. Malchus advanced to meet
+him, sword in hand, when an arrow from Nessus whizzed past him and
+struck the chief in the throat, and his body fell heavily down the
+rocks.
+
+“That is not fair,” Malchus said angrily. “I would fain have fought him
+hand to hand.”
+
+The Arab bowed his head.
+
+“My lord,” he said, “the combat would not have been even; the man had
+the upper ground, and you would have fought at a grievous disadvantage.
+Why should you risk your life in a fight with the swords, when my arrow
+has answered all purposes? What should I have said if I had gone back
+without you? What satisfaction would it have been to me to avenge your
+fall? What would they have said to me when I told them that I looked on
+idly while you engaged in such a struggle? Valour is valour, and we all
+know that my lord is the bravest among us; but the life of the cousin of
+our general is too valuable to be risked for nought when we are embarked
+upon a great enterprise.”
+
+“Look, Nessus! what is there?” Malchus exclaimed, his attention
+attracted by a dark object which was crossing the narrow path some
+distance ahead and ascending the steep side of the gorge. “It is a bear,
+let us follow him; his flesh will form a welcome change for the company
+tonight.”
+
+The bear, who had been prowling in the bottom of the ravine, had been
+disturbed by the fall of the body of the savage near him, and started
+hastily to return to its abode, which lay high up on the face of the
+cliff. Malchus and his companion hurried forward to the spot where it
+had crossed the path. The way was plain enough; there were scratches on
+the rock, and the bushes growing in the crevices were beaten down. The
+path had evidently been frequently used by the animal.
+
+“Look out, my lord!” Nessus exclaimed as Malchus hurried along. “These
+bears of the Pyrenees are savage brutes. See that he does not take you
+unawares.”
+
+The rocks were exceedingly steep; and Malchus, with his bow in his hand
+and the arrow fitted and ready to draw, climbed on, keeping his eyes on
+every clump of bush lest the bear should be lurking there. At last he
+paused. They had reached a spot now but a short distance from the top.
+The cliff here fell almost perpendicularly down, and along its face was
+a narrow ledge scarcely a foot wide. Along this it was evident the bear
+had passed.
+
+“I should think we must be near his den now, Nessus. I trust this ledge
+widens out before it gets there. It would be an awkward place for a
+conflict, for a stroke of his paw would send one over the edge.”
+
+“I shall be close behind you, my lord,” said Nessus, whose blood was now
+up with the chase. “Should you fail to stop him, drop on one knee that I
+may shoot over you.”
+
+For some fifty yards the ledge continued unbroken. Malchus moved along
+cautiously, with his arrow in the string and his shield shifted round
+his shoulder, in readiness for instant action. Suddenly, upon turning a
+sharp corner of the cliff, he saw it widened ten feet ahead into a
+sort of platform lying in the angle of the cliff, which beyond it again
+jutted out. On this platform was a bear, which with an angry growl at
+once advanced towards him. Malchus discharged his arrow; it struck the
+bear full on the chest, and penetrated deeply. With a stroke of his paw
+the animal broke the shaft asunder and rushed forward. Malchus threw
+forward the point of his spear, and with his shield on his arm awaited
+the onset. He struck the bear fairly on the chest, but, as before, it
+snapped the shaft with its paw, and rising to its feet advanced.
+
+“Kneel, my lord!” Nessus exclaimed.
+
+Malchus dropped on one knee, bracing himself as firmly as he could
+against the rock, and, with his shield above his head and his sword in
+his hand, awaited the attack of the enraged animal. He heard the twang
+of the bow behind him; then he felt a mighty blow, which beat down his
+shield and descended with terrible force upon his helmet, throwing him
+forward on to his face. Then there was a heavy blow on his back; and it
+was well for him that he had on backpiece as well as breastplate, or the
+flesh would have been torn from his shoulder to his loins. As the blow
+fell there was an angry roar. For a moment he felt crushed by a weight
+which fell upon him. This was suddenly removed, and he heard a crash far
+below as the bear, pierced to the heart by the Arab's spear, fell over
+the precipice. Nessus hastened to raise him.
+
+“My lord is not hurt, I hope?”
+
+“In no way, Nessus, thanks to you; but my head swims and my arm is well
+nigh broken with that blow. Who would have thought a beast like that
+could have struck so hard? See, he has dented in my helmet and has bent
+my shield! Now, before we go back and search for the body, let us see
+what its den is like.”
+
+“Do you take my spear, my lord; your own is broken, and your bow has
+gone over the precipice. It may be that there is another bear here.
+Where one is, the other is seldom far off.”
+
+They advanced on to the platform, and saw in the corner of the angle
+a cave entering some distance into the hill. As they approached the
+entrance a deep growl was heard within.
+
+“We had best leave it alone, my lord,” Nessus said as they both recoiled
+a step at the entrance. “This is doubtless the female, and these are
+larger and fiercer than the males.”
+
+“I agree with you, Nessus,” Malchus said. “Were we on other ground I
+should say let us attack it, but I have had enough of fighting bears on
+the edge of a precipice. There is as much meat as we can carry ready for
+us below. Besides, the hour is late and the men will be getting uneasy.
+Moreover, we are but half armed; and we cannot get at her without
+crawling through that hole, which is scarce three feet high. Altogether,
+we had best leave her alone.”
+
+While they were speaking the bear began to roar angrily, the deeper
+notes being mingled with a chorus of snarls and whinings which showed
+that there was a young family with her.
+
+“Do you go first, Nessus,” Malchus said. “The rear is the post of honour
+here, though I fancy the beast does not mean to come out.”
+
+Nessus without a word took the lead, and advanced across the platform
+towards the corner.
+
+As he was in the act of turning it he sprang suddenly back, while an
+arrow flew past, grazing the corner of the rock.
+
+“There are a score of natives on the path!” he exclaimed. “We are in a
+trap.”
+
+Malchus looked round in dismay. It was evident that some of the natives
+must have seen the fall of their leader and watched them pursue the
+bear, and had now closed in behind them to cut off their retreat. The
+situation was a most unpleasant one. The ledge extended no further than
+the platform; below, the precipice fell away sheer down a hundred feet;
+above, it rose as high. The narrow path was occupied with numerous foes.
+In the den behind them was the angry bear.
+
+For a moment the two men looked at each other in consternation.
+
+“We are fairly caught, Nessus,” Malchus said. “There is one thing, they
+can no more attack us than we can attack them. Only one can come round
+this corner at a time, and we can shoot or spear them as they do so. We
+are tolerably safe from attack, but they can starve us out.”
+
+“They can shoot over from the other side of the ravine,” Nessus said;
+“their arrows will carry from the opposite brow easily enough.”
+
+“Then,” Malchus said firmly, “we must dispose of the bear; we must have
+the cave. We shall be safe there from their arrows, while, lying at the
+entrance, we could shoot any that should venture past the corner. First,
+though, I will blow my horn. Some of our men may be within hearing.”
+
+Malchus pulled forth the horn which he carried. It was useless, being
+completely flattened with the blow that the bear had struck him.
+
+“That hope is gone, Nessus,” he said. “Now let us get the bear to come
+out as soon as possible, and finish with her. Do you stand at the corner
+with your arrow ready, in case the natives should try to surprise us,
+and be ready to aid me when she rushes out.”
+
+Malchus went to the mouth of the den, struck his spear against the side,
+and threw in some pieces of stone; but, although the growling was deep
+and continuous, the bear showed no signs of an intention of coming out.
+
+The Arab was an old hunter, and he now asked Malchus to take his place
+with the bow while he drove the bear out. He first took off his bernous,
+cut off several strips from the bottom, knotted them together, and then
+twisted the strip into a rope. Growing out from a crevice in the rock,
+some three feet above the top of the cave, was a young tree; and round
+this, close to the root, Nessus fastened one end of his rope, the other
+he formed into a slip-knot and let the noose fall in front of the cave,
+keeping it open with two twigs placed across it. Then he gathered some
+brushwood and placed it at the entrance, put a bunch of dried twigs and
+dead leaves among it, and, striking a light with his flint and steel on
+some dried fungus, placed this in the middle of the sticks and blew upon
+it. In a minute a flame leaped up. “Now, my lord,” he said, “be ready
+with your sword and spear. The beast will be out in a minute; she cannot
+stand the smoke.”
+
+Malchus ran to the corner and looked round. The natives were at a
+distance along the ledge, evidently with no intention of attacking a foe
+of whom they felt sure. A taunting shout was raised and an arrow flew
+towards him, but he instantly withdrew his head and ran back to the
+platform.
+
+A minute later there was a fierce growl and the bear rushed out. The
+brushwood was scattered as, checked suddenly in its rush by the noose,
+the animal rose on its hind legs. In an instant the spear of Nessus was
+plunged deeply into it on one side, while Malchus buried his sword to
+the hilt in its body under the fore shoulder of the other. Stabbed to
+the heart, the beast fell prostrate. Nessus repeated his blow, but
+the animal was dead. Five young bears rushed out after their mother,
+growling and snapping; but as these were only about a quarter grown they
+were easily despatched.
+
+“There is a supply of food for a long time,” Malchus said cheerfully;
+“and as there is a drip of water coming down in this angle we shall be
+able to quench our thirst. Ah! we are just in time.”
+
+As he spoke an arrow struck the rock close to them and dropped at their
+feet. Others came in rapid succession; and, looking at the brow of the
+opposite side of the ravine, they saw a number of natives.
+
+“Pull the bear's body across the mouth of the cave,” Malchus said, “it
+will prevent the arrows which strike the rock in front from glancing in.
+The little bears will do for food at present.”
+
+They were soon in the cave, which opened beyond the entrance and
+extended some distance into the mountain; it was seven or eight feet
+wide and lofty enough to stand upright in. Nessus lay down behind the
+bear, with his bow and arrow so as to command the angle of the rock.
+Malchus seated himself further in the cave, sheltered by the entrance
+from the arrows which from time to time glanced in at the mouth. Only
+once did Nessus have to shoot. The natives on the ledge, informed by
+their comrades on the opposite side of the gorge that their foes had
+sought refuge in the cave, ventured to advance; but the moment the first
+turned the corner he fell over the precipice, transfixed by an arrow
+from the bow of Nessus, and the rest hastily retreated.
+
+“Hand me your flint and steel, Nessus, and a piece of fungus. I may as
+well have a look round the cave.”
+
+A light was soon procured, and Malchus found that the cave extended some
+fifty feet back, narrowing gradually to the end. It had evidently been
+used for a long time by wild animals. The floor was completely covered
+with dry bones of various sizes.
+
+As soon as he saw that this was the case Malchus tore off a strip of his
+linen shirt, and rolling it into a ball set it on fire. On this he
+piled up small bones, which caught readily, and he soon had a bright
+and almost smokeless fire. He now took the place of Nessus. The latter
+skinned and cut up one of the small bears, and soon had some steaks
+broiling over the fire. By this time it was getting dusk without.
+
+When the meat was cooked Nessus satisfied his hunger and then sallied
+out from the cave and took his post as sentry with his spear close to
+the angle of the rock, as by this time the natives on the opposite side,
+being no longer able to see in the gathering darkness, had ceased
+to shoot. Malchus ate his food at his leisure, and then joined his
+companion.
+
+“We must get out of here somehow, Nessus. Our company will search for us
+tomorrow; but they might search for a week without finding us here; and,
+as the army is advancing, they could not spare more than a day; so, if
+we are to get away, it must be by our own exertions.”
+
+“I am ready to fight my way along this ledge, my lord, if such is your
+wish. They cannot see us to fire at, and as only one man can stand
+abreast, their numbers would be of no avail to them.”
+
+“Not on the ledge, Nessus; but they would hardly defend that. No doubt
+they are grouped at the further end, and we should have to fight against
+overwhelming numbers. No, that is not to be thought of. The only way of
+escape I can think of would be to let ourselves down the precipice; but
+our bernouses would not make a rope long enough.”
+
+“They would not reach a third of the distance,” Nessus replied, shaking
+his head. “They have been worn some time, and the cloth is no longer
+strong. It would need a broad strip to support us.”
+
+“That is so, Nessus, but we have materials for making the rope long
+enough, nevertheless.”
+
+“I do not understand you, my lord. Our other garments would be of but
+little use.”
+
+“Of no use at all, Nessus, and I was not thinking of them; but we have
+the skins of the bears--the hide of the old bear at least is thick and
+tough--and a narrow strip would bear our weight.”
+
+“Of course,” Nessus said. “How stupid of me not to think of it, for in
+the desert we make all our rope of twisted slips of hide. If you will
+stand sentry here, my lord, I will set about it at once.”
+
+Malchus took the spear, and Nessus at once set to work to skin the bear,
+and when that was done he cut long strips from the hide, and having
+fastened them together, twisted them into a rope.
+
+The bernouses--which when on the march were rolled up and worn over one
+shoulder like a scarf, as the German and Italian soldiers carry their
+blankets in modern times--were also cut up and twisted, and in three
+hours Nessus had a rope which he assured Malchus was long enough to
+reach to the bottom of the precipice and sufficiently strong to bear
+their weight.
+
+One end was fastened to the trunk of the young tree, and the rope was
+then thrown over the edge of the platform. One of the young bear's skins
+was fastened round and round it at the point where it crossed the edge
+of the rocky platform, to prevent it from being cut when the weight was
+put upon it, and they then prepared for their descent.
+
+“Do you go first,” Malchus said. “As soon as I feel that the rope is
+loose, I will follow you.”
+
+The Arab swung himself off the edge, and in a very short time Malchus
+felt the rope slacken. He followed at once. The first twenty feet the
+descent was absolutely perpendicular, but after that the rock inclined
+outward in a steep but pretty regular slope. Malchus was no longer
+hanging by the rope; but throwing the principal portion of his weight
+still upon it, and placing his feet on the inequalities of the rock, he
+made his way down without difficulty. Presently he stood by Nessus at
+the foot of the slope.
+
+“We had better make up the ravine. There will be numbers of them at its
+mouth. We can see the glow of their fires from here.”
+
+“But we may not be able to find a way up,” Nessus said; “the sides seem
+to get steeper and steeper, and we may find ourselves caught in a trap
+at the end of this gorge. At any rate we will try that way first. I
+wish the moon was up; it is as black as a wolf's mouth here, and the
+bottom of the gorge is all covered with boulders. If we stumble, and
+our arms strike a stone, it will be heard by the natives on the opposite
+heights.”
+
+They now set forward, feeling their way with the greatest care; but in
+the dense darkness the task of making their way among the boulders was
+difficult in the extreme. They had proceeded but a short distance when
+a loud yell rose from the height above them. It was repeated again and
+again, and was answered by shouts from the opposite side and from the
+mouth of the ravine.
+
+“By Astarte!” Malchus exclaimed, “they have found out that we have
+escaped already.”
+
+It was so. One of the natives had crept forward along the path, hoping
+to find the sentry asleep, or to steal up noiselessly and stab him. When
+he got to the angle of the rock he could see no form before him,
+nor hear the slightest sound. Creeping forward he found the platform
+deserted. He listened attentively at the entrance to the cave, and
+the keen ear of the savage would have detected had any been slumbering
+there; but all was still.
+
+He rose to his feet with the intention of creeping into the cave, when
+his head struck against something. He put up his hand and felt the rope,
+and saw how the fugitives had escaped. He at once gave the alarm to his
+comrades. In a minute or two a score of men with blazing brands came
+running along the path. On seeing the rope, they entered the cave, and
+found that their prey had really escaped.
+
+Malchus and his companion had not moved after the alarm was given.
+
+“We had better be going, my lord,” the Arab said as he saw the men with
+torches retracing their steps along the brow. “They will soon be after
+us.”
+
+“I think not, Nessus. Their chance of finding us among these boulders
+in the dark would be small, and they would offer such good marks to our
+arrows that they would hardly enter upon it. No, I think they will wait
+till daybreak, planting a strong force at the mouth of the ravine, and
+along both sides of the end, wherever an ascent could be made. Hark, the
+men on the heights there are calling to others along the brow.”
+
+“Very well, my lord,” Nessus said, seating himself on a rock, “then we
+will sell our lives as dearly as possible.”
+
+“I hope it has not come to that, Nessus. There is a chance of safety for
+us yet. The only place they are not likely to look for us is the cave,
+and as we have climbed down from above with the rope, there will be no
+difficulty in ascending.”
+
+Nessus gave an exclamation, which expressed at once admiration of his
+leader's idea and gratification at the thought of escape. They began
+without delay to retrace their steps, and after some trouble again found
+the rope.
+
+Nessus mounted first; his bare feet enabled him to grip any inequality
+of the surface of the rock. Whenever he came to a ledge which afforded
+him standing room he shook the rope, and waited until Malchus joined
+him.
+
+At last they stood together at the foot of the perpendicular rock at the
+top. The lightly armed Arab found no difficulty whatever in climbing the
+rope; but it was harder work for Malchus, encumbered with the weight
+of his armour. The numerous knots, however, helped him, and when he was
+within a few feet of the top, Nessus seized the rope and hauled it up
+by sheer strength until Malchus was level with the top. Then he gave him
+his hand, and assisted him to gain his feet. They entered the cave and
+made their way to the further end, and there threw themselves down. They
+had not long been there when they saw a flash of light at the mouth of
+the cave and heard voices.
+
+Malchus seized his spear and would have leaped to his feet, but Nessus
+pressed his hand on his shoulder.
+
+“They are come for the she bear,” he said. “It is not likely they will
+enter.”
+
+Lying hidden in the darkness the fugitives watched the natives roll the
+bear over, tie its legs together, and put a stout pole through them.
+Then four men lifted the pole on their shoulders and started.
+
+Another holding a brand entered the cave. The two fugitives held their
+breath, and Nessus sat with an arrow in the string ready to shoot. The
+brand, however, gave but a feeble light, and the native, picking up the
+bodies of three of the young bears, which lay close to the entrance,
+threw them over his shoulder, and crawled back out of the cave again. As
+they heard his departing footsteps the fugitives drew a long breath of
+relief.
+
+Nessus rose and made his way cautiously out of the cave. He returned in
+a minute.
+
+“They have taken the rope with them,” he said, “and it is well, for when
+they have searched the valley tomorrow, were it hanging there, it might
+occur to them that we have made our way up. Now that it is gone they can
+never suspect that we have returned here.”
+
+“There is no chance of our being disturbed again tonight, Nessus. We can
+sleep as securely as if were in our camp.”
+
+So saying, Malchus chose a comfortable place, and was soon asleep.
+
+Nessus, however, did not lie down, but sat watching with unwearied eyes
+the entrance to the cave. As soon as day had fairly broken, a chorus
+of loud shouts and yells far down the ravine told that the search had
+begun. For hours it continued. Every bush and boulder in the bottom was
+searched by the natives.
+
+Again and again they went up and down the gorge, convinced that the
+fugitives must be hidden somewhere; for, as Nessus had anticipated, the
+cliffs at the upper end were so precipitous that an escape there was
+impossible, and the natives had kept so close a watch all night along
+the slopes at the lower end, and at the mouth, that they felt sure that
+their prey could not have escaped them unseen. And yet at last they were
+forced to come to the conclusion that in some inexplicable way this must
+have been the case, for how else could they have escaped? The thought
+that they had reascended by the rope before it was removed, and that
+they were hidden in the cave at the time the bodies of the bear and its
+cubs were carried away, never occurred to them.
+
+All day they wandered about in the bottom of the ravine, searching every
+possible place, and sometimes removing boulders with great labour, where
+these were piled together in such a manner that any one could be hidden
+beneath them.
+
+At nightfall they feasted upon the body of the bear first killed, which
+had been found where it had fallen in the ravine. The body of one of the
+young bears which lay far up the cave, had escaped their search, and
+a portion of this furnished a meal to the two prisoners, who were,
+however, obliged to eat it raw, being afraid to light a fire, lest the
+smoke, however slight, should be observed coming out at the entrance.
+
+The next morning, so far as they could see, the place was deserted by
+the natives. Lying far back in the cave they could see that the men
+on the opposite side of the ravine had retired; but as it was quite
+possible that the natives, feeling still convinced that the fugitives
+must be hidden somewhere, had set a watch at some spot commanding a
+view of the whole ravine, they did not venture to show themselves at the
+entrance.
+
+After making another meal of the bear, they sallied out, when it again
+became dark, and made their way along the path. When they neared the end
+they saw a party of the enemy sitting round a great fire at the mouth
+of the ravine below them. They retired a short distance, and sat down
+patiently until at last the fire burned low, and the natives, leaving
+two of the party on watch, lay down to sleep. Then Malchus and his
+companion rose to their feet, and made their way along the path. When
+they were nearly abreast of the fire, Malchus happened to tread upon a
+loose stone, which went bouncing down the side of the hill.
+
+The scouts gave a shout, which called their companions to their feet,
+and started up the hillside towards the spot where the stone had fallen.
+
+Nessus discharged an arrow, which struck full on the chest of the leader
+of the party, and then followed Malchus along the hillside.
+
+A shout of rage broke from the natives as their comrade fell; but
+without pausing they pushed on. Malchus did not hurry. Silence now was
+of more importance than speed. He strode along, then, with a rapid but
+careful step, Nessus following closely behind him. The shouts of
+the savages soon showed that they were at fault. Malchus listened
+attentively as he went. Whenever the babel of tongues ceased for a
+moment he stopped perfectly still, and only ventured on when they were
+renewed.
+
+At last they had placed a long gap between them and their pursuers, and
+came out on a level shoulder of the hill. They continued their way until
+they found themselves at the edge of the forest. It was so dark under
+the trees that they could no longer advance, and Malchus therefore
+determined to wait till the dawn should enable them to continue their
+journey. Whether they were in a clump of trees or in the forest, which
+covered a large portion of the mountain side, they were unable to tell;
+nor, as not a single star could be seen, had they any indication of the
+direction which they should take. Retiring then for some little distance
+among the trees, they lay down and were soon asleep.
+
+When the first dawn of day appeared they were on their way again, and
+soon found that the trees under which they had slept formed part of the
+forest. Through occasional openings, formed by trees which had fallen
+from age or tempest, they obtained a view of the surrounding country,
+and were enabled to form an idea where lay the camp which they had left
+two days before.
+
+They had not proceeded far when they heard in the distance behind them
+the shouting of men and the barking of dogs, and knew that the
+enemy were upon their track. They ran now at the top of their speed,
+convinced, however, that the natives, who would have to follow the
+track, could not travel as fast as they did. Suddenly Malchus stopped.
+
+“Listen!” he said. They paused, and far down the hillside heard the
+distant sound of a horn. “Those must be our men,” Malchus exclaimed,
+“they are searching for us still; Hannibal must have allowed them to
+stay behind when the army proceeded on its way.”
+
+In another half hour the horn sounded close at hand and they were
+speedily among a body of Malchus' own followers, who received them with
+shouts of delight. The men were utterly worn out, for they had searched
+continuously day and night from the time they had missed their leader,
+sometimes high up among the hills, sometimes among the lower valleys.
+The party which he met comprised but a fourth of the band, for they had
+divided into four parties, the better to range the country.
+
+They were now ascending the hills again at a distance of two miles
+apart, and messengers were at once sent off to the other bodies to
+inform them that Malchus had returned. Malchus quickly recounted to his
+men the story of what had befallen them, and then bade them lie down to
+rest while he and Nessus kept watch.
+
+The natives who had been in pursuit did not make their appearance,
+having doubtless heard the horn which told of the approach of a body of
+the Carthaginians. In two hours the whole of the band were collected,
+and after a few hours' halt, to enable the men to recover from their
+long fatigue and sleeplessness, Malchus put himself at their head
+and they marched away to join the main body of their army, which they
+overtook two days later.
+
+Malchus was received with great delight by his father and Hannibal, who
+had given him up for lost. Nessus had over and over again recounted all
+the details of their adventure to his comrades, and the quickness of
+Malchus at hitting upon the stratagem of returning to the cave, and so
+escaping from a position where escape seemed well nigh impossible,
+won for him an even higher place than before in the admiration of his
+followers.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI: THE PASSAGE OF THE RHONE
+
+
+The army was now moving through the passes of the Pyrenees. The labour
+was great; no army had ever before crossed this mountain barrier; roads
+had to be made, streams bridged, and rocks blasted away, to allow the
+passage of the elephants and baggage wagons. Opinions have differed as
+to the explosives used by the Carthaginian miners, but it is certain
+that they possessed means of blasting rocks. The engineers of Hannibal's
+force possessed an amount of knowledge and science vastly in excess of
+that attained by the Romans at that time, and during the campaign the
+latter frequently endeavoured, and sometimes with success, by promises
+of high rewards, to induce Hannibal's engineers to desert and take
+service with them. A people well acquainted with the uses of sulphur
+and niter, skilled in the Oriental science of chemistry, capable of
+manufacturing Greek fire--a compound which would burn under water--may
+well have been acquainted with some mixture resembling gunpowder.
+
+The art of making this explosive was certainly known to the Chinese in
+very remote ages, and the Phoenicians, whose galleys traversed the most
+distant seas to the east, may have acquired their knowledge from that
+people.
+
+The wild tribes of the mountains harassed the army during this difficult
+march, and constant skirmishes went on between them and Hannibal's light
+armed troops. However, at last all difficulties were overcome, and the
+army descended the slopes into the plains of Southern Gaul.
+
+Already Hannibal's agents had negotiated for an unopposed passage
+through this country; but the Gauls, alarmed at the appearance of
+the army, and at the news which had reached them of the conquest of
+Catalonia, assembled in arms. Hannibal's tact and a lavish distribution
+of presents dissipated the alarm of the Gauls, and their chiefs visited
+Hannibal's camp at Elne, and a treaty was entered into for the passage
+of the army.
+
+A singular article of this treaty, and one which shows the esteem in
+which the Gauls held their women, was that all complaints on the part
+of the natives against Carthaginian troops should be carried to Hannibal
+himself or the general representing him, and that all complaints of the
+Carthaginians against the natives should be decided without appeal by a
+council composed of Gaulish women. This condition caused much amusement
+to the Carthaginians, who, however, had no cause to regret its
+acceptance, for the decisions of this singular tribunal were marked by
+the greatest fairness and impartiality. The greater part of the tribes
+through whose country the army marched towards the Rhone observed the
+terms of the treaty with good faith; some proved troublesome, but were
+wholly unable to stand against the Carthaginian arms.
+
+The exact route traversed by the army has been a subject of long and
+bitter controversy; but, as no events of very great importance occurred
+on the way, the precise line followed in crossing Gaul is a matter of
+but slight interest. Suffice that, after marching from the Pyrenees at
+a high rate of speed, the army reached the Rhone at the point where
+Roquemaure now stands, a short distance above Avignon.
+
+This point had been chosen by Hannibal because it was one of the few
+spots at which the Rhone runs in a single stream, its course being for
+the most part greatly broken up by islands. Roquemaure lies sixty-five
+miles from the sea, and it was necessary to cross the Rhone at some
+distance from its mouth, for Rome was now thoroughly alarmed, and
+Scipio, with a fleet and powerful army, was near Marseilles waiting to
+engage Hannibal on the plains of Gaul.
+
+During the last few days' march no inhabitants had been encountered.
+The Arecomici, who inhabited this part of the country, had not been
+represented at the meeting, and at the news of the approach of the
+Carthaginians had deserted their country and fled across the Rhone,
+where, joined by the tribes dwelling upon the further bank, they
+prepared to offer a desperate opposition to the passage of the river.
+The appearance of this mass of barbarians, armed with bows and arrows
+and javelins, on the further side of the wide and rapid river which had
+to be crossed, was not encouraging.
+
+“It was bad enough crossing the Pyrenees,” Malchus said to Trebon,
+“but that was nothing to this undertaking; it is one thing to climb a
+precipice, however steep, to the assault of an enemy, another to swim
+across at the head of the army under such a shower of missiles as we
+shall meet with on the other side.”
+
+Hannibal, however, had prepared to overcome the difficulty. Messengers
+had been sent up and down the river to all the people living on the
+right bank, offering to buy from them at good prices every barge and
+boat in their possession, promising them freedom from all exactions
+and hard treatment, and offering good pay to those who would render
+assistance to the army in the passage. Hannibal's offers were accepted
+without hesitation. That the army, which could, had it chosen, have
+taken all their boats by force and impressed their labour, should offer
+to pay liberally for both, filled them with admiration, and they were,
+moreover, only too glad to aid this formidable army of strangers to pass
+out of their country.
+
+The dwellers upon the Rhone at this period carried on an extensive
+commerce, not only with the tribes of the upper river, but with
+Marseilles and the ports of Spain and Northern Italy, consequently a
+large number of vessels and barges of considerable tonnage were at once
+obtained.
+
+To add to the means of transport the whole army were set to work, and,
+assisted by the natives, the soldiers cut down trees, and, hollowing
+them out roughly, formed canoes capable of carrying two or three men.
+So industriously did the troops work that in two days enough canoes
+were made to carry the army across the river; but there was still the
+opposition of the natives to be overcome, and when the canoes were
+finished Hannibal ordered Hanno, one of his best generals, to start with
+a division at nightfall up the bank of the river.
+
+Hanno marched five miles, when he found a spot where the river was
+smooth and favourable for the passage. The troops set to at once to
+cut trees; rafts were formed of these, and the troops passed over. The
+Spanish corps, accustomed to the passage of rivers, simply stripped, and
+putting their broad shields of hides beneath them, passed the river by
+swimming. Once across Hanno gave his men twenty-four hours' rest, and
+then, calculating that Hannibal's preparations would be complete, he
+marched down the river until he reached a hill, whose summit was visible
+from Hannibal's camp at daybreak. Upon this he lit a signal fire.
+
+The moment the smoke was seen in the camp Hannibal gave orders for the
+troops to embark. The light infantry took to their little canoes, the
+cavalry embarked in the larger vessels, and, as these were insufficient
+to carry all the horses, a great many of the animals were made to enter
+the river attached by ropes to the vessels. The heavier craft started
+highest up, in order that they might to some extent break the roughness
+of the waves and facilitate the passage of the canoes.
+
+The din was prodigious. Thousands of men tugged at the oars, the roughly
+made canoes were dashed against each other and often upset, while from
+the opposite bank rose loudly the defiant yells of the natives, prepared
+to dispute to the last the landing of the flotilla. Suddenly these cries
+assumed a different character. A mass of smoke was seen to rise from the
+tents of the enemy's camp, and Hanno's division poured down upon their
+rear. The Arecomici, taken wholly by surprise, were seized with a panic,
+and fled hastily in all directions, leaving the bank clear for the
+landing of Hannibal. The whole of the army were brought across at once
+and encamped that night on the river.
+
+In the morning Hannibal sent off five hundred Numidian horse to
+reconnoitre the river below, and ascertain what Scipio's army, which was
+known to have landed at its mouth, was doing. He then assembled his army
+and introduced to them some chiefs of the tribes beyond the Alps, who
+had a day or two before arrived in the camp with the agents he had
+sent to their country. They harangued the soldiers, an interpreter
+translating their speeches, and assured them of the welcome they
+would meet in the rich and fertile country beyond the Alps, and of the
+alacrity with which the people there would join them against the Romans.
+
+Hannibal himself then addressed the soldiers, pointed out to them that
+they had already accomplished by far the greatest part of their journey,
+had overcome every obstacle, and that there now remained but a few
+days' passage over the mountains, and that Italy, the goal of all their
+endeavours, would then lie before them.
+
+The soldiers replied with enthusiastic shouts, and Hannibal, after
+offering up prayers to the gods on behalf of the army, dismissed the
+soldiers, and told them to prepare to start on the following day. Soon
+after the assembly had broken up the Numidian horse returned in great
+confusion, closely pressed by the Roman cavalry, who had been sent by
+Scipio to ascertain Hannibal's position and course. The hostile cavalry
+had charged each other with fury. A hundred and forty of the Romans and
+two hundred of the Numidians were slain.
+
+Hannibal saw that there was no time to be lost. The next morning, at
+daybreak, the whole of his cavalry were posted to the south to cover the
+movements of the army and to check the Roman advance. The infantry were
+then set in motion up the bank of the river and Hannibal, with a small
+party, remained behind to watch the passage of the elephants, which had
+not yet been brought across.
+
+The elephants had not been trained to take to the water, and the
+operation was an extremely difficult one. Very strong and massive rafts
+were joined together until they extended two hundred feet into the
+river, being kept in their place by cables fastened to trees on the bank
+above them. At the end of this floating pier was placed another raft
+of immense size, capable of carrying four elephants at a time. A thick
+covering of earth was laid over the whole, and on this turf was placed.
+The elephants were then led forward.
+
+So solid was the construction that they advanced upon it without
+hesitation. When four had taken their place on the great raft at the
+end, the fastenings which secured it to the rest of the structure were
+cut, and a large number of boats and barges filled with rowers began to
+tow the raft across the river. The elephants were seized with terror at
+finding themselves afloat, but seeing no way of escape remained trembling
+in the centre of the raft until they reached the other side. When it was
+safely across, the raft and towing boats returned, and the operation was
+repeated until all the elephants were over.
+
+Some of the animals, however, were so terrified that they flung
+themselves from the rafts into the river and made their way to shore,
+keeping their probosces above the surface of the water. The Indians who
+directed them were, however, all swept away and drowned. As soon as the
+elephants were all across Hannibal called in his cavalry, and with them
+and the elephants followed the army.
+
+The Romans did not arrive at the spot until three days after the
+Carthaginians had left. Scipio was greatly astonished when he found that
+Hannibal had marched north, as he believed that the Alps were impassable
+for an army, and had reckoned that Hannibal would certainly march down
+the river and follow the seashore. Finding that the Carthaginians had
+left he marched his army down to his ships again, re-embarked them, and
+sailed for Genoa, intending to oppose Hannibal as he issued from the
+defiles of the Alps, in the event of his succeeding in making the
+passage.
+
+Four days' march up the Rhone brought Hannibal to the point where the
+Isere runs into that river. He crossed it, and with his army entered the
+region called by Polybius “The Island,” although the designation is an
+incorrect one, for while the Rhone flows along one side of the triangle
+and the Isere on the other, the base is formed not by a third river, but
+by a portion of the Alpine chain.
+
+Malchus and his band had been among the first to push off from the
+shore when the army began to cross the Rhone. Malchus was in a roughly
+constructed canoe, which was paddled by Nessus and another of his men.
+Like most of the other canoes, their craft soon became waterlogged,
+for the rapid and angry current of the river, broken and agitated by so
+large a number of boats, splashed over the sides of the clumsy canoes,
+which were but a few inches above the water. The buoyancy of the wood
+was sufficient to float them even when full, but they paddled slowly and
+heavily.
+
+The confusion was prodigious. The greater part of the men, unaccustomed
+to rowing, had little control over their boats. Collisions were
+frequent, and numbers of the boats were upset and their occupants
+drowned. The canoe which carried Malchus was making fair progress, but,
+to his vexation, was no longer in the front line. He was urging the
+paddlers to exert themselves to the utmost, when Nessus gave a sudden
+cry.
+
+A horse which had broken loose from its fastenings behind one of the
+barges was swimming down, frightened and confused at the din. It was
+within a few feet of them when Nessus perceived it, and in another
+moment it struck the canoe broadside with its chest. The boat rolled
+over at once, throwing its occupants into the water. Malchus grasped the
+canoe as it upset, for he would instantly have sunk from the weight of
+his armour. Nessus a moment later appeared by his side.
+
+“I will go to the other side, my lord,” he said, “that will keep the
+tree from turning over again.”
+
+He dived under the canoe, and came up on the opposite side, and giving
+Malchus his hand across it, there was no longer any fear of the log
+rolling over. The other rower did not reappear above the surface.
+Malchus shouted in vain to some of the passing boats to pick him up, but
+all were so absorbed in their efforts to advance and their eagerness to
+engage the enemy that none paid attention to Malchus or the others in
+like plight. Besides, it seemed probable that all, if they stuck to
+their canoes, would presently gain one bank or other of the river.
+Malchus, too, had started rather low down, and he was therefore soon out
+of the flotilla.
+
+The boat was nearly in midstream when the accident happened.
+
+“The first thing to do,” Malchus said when he saw that there was no
+chance of their being picked up, “is to rid myself of my armour. I can
+do nothing with it on, and if the tree turns over I shall go down like
+a stone. First of all, Nessus, do you unloose your sword belt. I will
+do the same. If we fasten them together they are long enough to go round
+the canoe, and if we take off our helmets and pass the belts through the
+chin chains they will, with our swords, hang safely.”
+
+This was with some difficulty accomplished.
+
+“Now,” Malchus continued, “let us make our way to the stern of the
+canoe. I will place my hand on the tree there, and do you unfasten the
+shoulder and waist straps of my breast and backpieces. I cannot do it
+myself.”
+
+This was also accomplished, and the two pieces of armour laid on the
+tree. They were now free to look round. The rapid stream had already
+taken them half a mile below the point where the army were crossing, and
+they were now entering a spot where the river was broken up by islands,
+and raced along its pent up channel with greater velocity than before,
+its surface broken with short angry waves, which rendered it difficult
+for them to retain their hold of the tree.
+
+For a time they strove by swimming to give the canoe an impetus towards
+one bank or the other; but their efforts were vain. Sometimes they
+thought they were about to succeed, and then an eddy would take the boat
+and carry it into the middle of the stream again.
+
+“It is useless, Nessus,” Malchus said at last. “We are only wearing
+ourselves out, and our efforts are of no avail whatever. We must be
+content to drift down the river until our good luck throws us into some
+eddy which may carry us near one bank or the other.”
+
+It was a long time, indeed, before that stroke of fortune befell them,
+and they were many miles down the river before the current took them
+near the eastern bank at a point where a sharp curve of the river threw
+the force of the current over in that direction; but although they were
+carried to within a few yards of the shore, so numbed and exhausted
+were they by their long immersion in the cold water that it was with
+the greatest difficulty that they could give the canoe a sufficient
+impulsion to carry it to the bank.
+
+At last, however, their feet touched the bottom, and they struggled to
+shore, carrying with them the arms and armour; then, letting the canoe
+drift away again, they crawled up the bank, and threw themselves down,
+utterly exhausted. It was some time before either of them spoke. Then
+Malchus said:
+
+“We had best strip off our clothes and wring them as well as we can;
+after that they will soon dry on us. We have no means of drying them
+here, so we must lie down among some bushes to shelter us from this
+bitter wind which blows from the mountains.”
+
+The clothes were wrung until the last drop was extracted from them and
+then put on again. They were still damp and cold, but Malchus and his
+companion had been accustomed to be drenched to the skin, and thought
+nothing of this. They were still too exhausted, however, to walk
+briskly, and therefore lay down among some thick bushes until they
+should feel equal to setting out on the long tramp to rejoin their
+companions. After lying for a couple of hours Malchus rose to his feet,
+and issuing from the bushes looked round. He had resumed his armour
+and sword. As he stepped out a sudden shout arose, and he saw within a
+hundred yards of him a body of natives some hundred strong approaching.
+They had already caught sight of him.
+
+“Nessus,” he exclaimed, without looking round, “lie still. I am seen,
+and shall be taken in a minute. It is hopeless for me to try to escape.
+You will do me more good by remaining hid and trying to free me from
+their hands afterwards.”
+
+So saying, and without drawing his sword, Malchus quietly advanced
+towards the natives, who were rushing down towards him with loud shouts.
+Flight or resistance would be, as he had at once seen, hopeless, and it
+was only by present submission he could hope to save his life.
+
+The natives were a portion of the force which had opposed Hannibal's
+landing, and had already killed several Carthaginians who had, like
+Malchus, struggled to the bank after being upset in the passage. Seeing
+that he attempted neither to fly nor to defend himself, they rushed upon
+him tumultuously, stripped him of his arms and armour, and dragged him
+before their leader. The latter briefly ordered him to be brought
+along, and the party continued their hurried march, fearing that the
+Carthaginian horse might at any moment pursue them. For the rest of the
+afternoon they marched without a halt, but at nightfall stopped in a
+wood.
+
+No fires were lit, for they knew not how close the Carthaginians might
+be behind them. Malchus was bound hand and foot and thrown down in their
+midst. There was no sleep that night. Half the party remained on watch,
+the others sat together round the spot where Malchus lay and
+discussed the disastrous events of the day--the great flotilla of the
+Carthaginians, the sudden attack in their rear, the destruction of their
+camp, the capture of the whole of their goods, and the slaughter and
+defeat which had befallen them.
+
+As their dialect differed but little from that of the Gauls in the
+Carthaginian service, Malchus was enabled to understand the greater part
+of their conversation, and learned that the only reason why he was not
+put to death at once was that they wished to keep him until beyond the
+risk of pursuit of the Carthaginians, when he could be sacrificed to
+their gods formally and with the usual ceremonies.
+
+All the time that they were talking Malchus listened anxiously for any
+sudden outbreak which would tell that Nessus had been discovered. That
+the Numidian had followed on their traces and was somewhere in the
+neighbourhood Malchus had no doubt, but rescue in his present position
+was impossible, and he only hoped that his follower would find that this
+was so in time and would wait for a more favourable opportunity. The
+night passed off quietly, and in the morning the natives continued their
+march. After proceeding for three or four hours a sudden exclamation
+from one of them caused the others to turn, and in the distance a
+black mass of horsemen was seen approaching. At a rapid run the natives
+started off for the shelter of a wood half a mile distant. Malchus was
+forced to accompany them. He felt sure that the horsemen were a party
+of Hannibal's cavalry, and he wondered whether Nessus was near enough to
+see them, for if so he doubted not that he would manage to join them and
+lead them to his rescue.
+
+Just before they reached the wood the natives suddenly stopped, for,
+coming from the opposite direction was another body of cavalry. It
+needed not the joyous shouts of the natives to tell Malchus that these
+were Romans, for they were coming from the south and could only be a
+party of Scipio's cavalry. The natives halted at the edge of the wood
+to watch the result of the conflict, for the parties evidently saw each
+other, and both continued to advance at full speed. The Roman trumpets
+were sounding, while the wild yells which came up on the breeze told
+Malchus that Hannibal's cavalry were a party of the Numidians.
+
+The Romans were somewhat the most numerous; but, had the cavalry opposed
+to them consisted of the Carthaginian horse, Malchus would have had
+little doubt as to the result; he felt, however, by no means certain
+that the light armed Numidians were a match for the Roman cavalry. The
+party had stopped but a quarter of a mile from the spot where the rival
+bands met, and the crash of bodies driven violently against each other
+and the clash of steel on armour could be plainly heard.
+
+For a few minutes it was a wild confused melee, neither party appearing
+to have any advantage. Riderless steeds galloped off from the throng,
+but neither party seemed to give way a foot. The whole mass seemed
+interlaced in conflict. It was a moving struggling throng of bodies with
+arms waving high and swords rising and falling. The Romans fought in
+silence, but the wild yells of the Numidians rose shrill and continuous.
+
+At last there was a movement, and Malchus gave a groan while the natives
+around him shouted in triumph as the Numidians were seen to detach
+themselves from the throng and to gallop off at full speed, hotly
+followed by the Romans, both, however, in greatly diminished numbers,
+for the ground on which the conflict had taken place was thickly strewn
+with bodies; nearly half of those who had engaged in that short but
+desperate strife were lying there.
+
+No sooner had the pursuers and pursued disappeared in the distance than
+the natives thronged down to the spot. Such of the Numidians as were
+found to be alive were instantly slaughtered, and all were despoiled of
+their clothes, arms, and ornaments. The Romans were left untouched, and
+those among them who were found to be only wounded were assisted by
+the natives, who unbuckled their armour, helped them into a sitting
+position, bound up their wounds, and gave them water.
+
+Highly satisfied with the booty they obtained, and having no longer any
+fear of pursuit, the natives halted to await the return of the Romans.
+Malchus learned from their conversation that they had some little doubt
+whether the Romans would approve of their appropriating the spoils of
+the dead Numidians, and it was finally decided to hand over Malchus,
+whose rich armour proclaimed him to be a prisoner of importance, to the
+Roman commander.
+
+The main body of the natives, with all the spoil which had been
+collected, moved away to the wood, while the chief, with four of his
+companions and Malchus, remained with the wounded Romans. It was late in
+the evening before the Romans returned, after having, as has been said,
+followed the Numidians right up to Hannibal's camp. There was some
+grumbling on the part of the Roman soldiers when they found that their
+allies had forestalled them with the spoil; but the officer in command
+was well pleased at finding that the wounded had been carefully attended
+to, and bade the men be content that they had rendered good service
+to the public, and that Scipio would be well satisfied with them. The
+native chief now exhibited the helmet and armour of Malchus, who was led
+forward by two of his men.
+
+“Who are you?” the commander asked Malchus in Greek, a language which
+was understood by the educated both of Rome and Carthage.
+
+“I am Malchus, and command the scouts of Hannibal's army.”
+
+“You are young for such a post,” the officer said; “but in Carthage
+it is interest not valour which secures promotion. Doubtless you are
+related to Hannibal.”
+
+“I am his cousin,” Malchus said quietly.
+
+“Ah!” the Roman said sarcastically, “that accounts for one who is a mere
+lad being chosen for so important a post. However, I shall take you
+to Scipio, who will doubtless have questions to ask of you concerning
+Hannibal's army.”
+
+Many of the riderless horses on the plain came in on hearing the sound
+of the Roman trumpets and rejoined the troop. Malchus was placed on
+one of these. Such of the wounded Romans as were able to ride mounted
+others, and a small party being left behind to look after those unable
+to move, the troops started on their way.
+
+They were unable, however, to proceed far; the horses had been
+travelling since morning and were now completely exhausted; therefore,
+after proceeding a few miles the troop halted. Strong guards were
+posted, and the men lay down by their horses, ready to mount at a
+moment's notice, for it was possible that Hannibal might have sent a
+large body of horsemen in pursuit. As on the night before, Malchus felt
+that even if Nessus had so far followed him he could do nothing while so
+strong a guard was kept up, and he therefore followed the example of the
+Roman soldiers around him and was soon fast asleep.
+
+At daybreak next morning the troops mounted and again proceeded to the
+south. Late in the afternoon a cloud of dust was seen in the distance,
+and the party presently rode into the midst of the Roman army, who had
+made a day's march from their ships and were just halting for the night.
+The commander of the cavalry at once hastened to Scipio's tent to inform
+him of the surprising fact that Hannibal had already, in the face of
+the opposition of the tribes, forced the passage of the Rhone, and that,
+with the exception of the elephants, which had been seen still on the
+opposite bank, all the army were across.
+
+Scipio was greatly mortified at the intelligence, for he had deemed it
+next to impossible that Hannibal could carry his army across so wide and
+rapid a river in the face of opposition. He had little doubt now that
+Hannibal's intention was to follow the Rhone down on its left bank to
+its mouth, and he prepared at once for a battle. Hearing that a prisoner
+of some importance had been captured, he ordered Malchus to be brought
+before him. As the lad, escorted by a Roman soldier on each side, was
+led in, Scipio, accustomed to estimate men, could not but admire the
+calm and haughty self possession of his young prisoner. His eye fell
+with approval upon his active sinewy figure, and the knotted muscles of
+his arms and legs.
+
+“You are Malchus, a relation of Hannibal, and the commander of the
+scouts of his army, I hear,” Scipio began.
+
+Malchus bowed his head in assent.
+
+“What force has he with him, and what are his intentions?”
+
+“I know nothing of his intentions,” Malchus replied quietly, “as to his
+force, it were better that you inquired of your allies, who saw us pass
+the river. One of them was brought hither with me, and can tell you what
+he saw.”
+
+“Know you not,” Scipio said, “that I can order you to instant execution
+if you refuse to answer my questions?”
+
+“Of that I am perfectly well aware,” Malchus replied; “but I
+nevertheless refuse absolutely to answer any questions.”
+
+“I will give you until tomorrow morning to think the matter over, and if
+by that time you have not made up your mind to give me the information I
+require, you die.”
+
+So saying he waved his hand to the soldiers, who at once removed Malchus
+from his presence. He was taken to a small tent a short distance away,
+food was given to him, and at nightfall chains were attached to his
+ankles, and from these to the legs of two Roman soldiers appointed to
+guard him during the night, while a sentry was placed at the entrance.
+The chains were strong, and fitted so tightly round the ankles that
+escape was altogether impossible. Even had he possessed arms and could
+noiselessly have slain the two soldiers, he would be no nearer getting
+away, for the chains were fastened as securely round their limbs as
+round his own. Malchus, therefore, at once abandoned any idea of escape,
+and lying quietly down meditated on his fate in the morning.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII: AMONG THE PASSES
+
+
+It was not until long after the guards to whom he was chained had fallen
+asleep that Malchus followed their example. It seemed to him he had been
+asleep a long time when a pressure by a hand on his shoulder woke him;
+at the same moment another hand was placed over his mouth.
+
+“Hush, my lord!” a voice said. It was Nessus. “Arise and let us go.
+There is no time to be lost, for it is nigh morning. I have been the
+whole night in discovering where you were.”
+
+“But the guards, Nessus?”
+
+“I have killed them,” Nessus said in a tone of indifference.
+
+“But I am chained to them by the ankles.”
+
+Nessus gave a little exclamation of impatience, and then in the darkness
+felt the irons to discover the nature of the fastenings. In a minute
+there was a sound of a dull crashing blow, then Nessus moved to the
+other side and the sound was repeated. With two blows of his short heavy
+sword the Arab had cut off the feet of the dead Romans at the ankle, and
+the chains were free.
+
+“Put on the clothes of this man, my lord, and take his arms; I will take
+those of the other.”
+
+As soon as this was done Nessus wrapped some folds of cloth round each
+of the chains to prevent their clanking, then passing a band through the
+ends he fastened them to Malchus' waist.
+
+“Quick, my lord,” he said as he finished the work; “daylight is
+beginning to break.”
+
+They stepped over the dead sentry at the door of the tent and were going
+on when Malchus said:
+
+“Best lift him inside, Nessus; it may be some little time before it is
+noticed that he is missing from his post.”
+
+This was quickly done, and they then moved away quietly among the tents
+till they approached the rear of the camp. It was now light enough to
+enable them to see dimly the figures of the Roman sentries placed at
+short intervals round the camp.
+
+“We cannot get through unseen,” Malchus said.
+
+“No, my lord,” Nessus replied; “I have wasted too much time in finding
+you.”
+
+“Then we had best lie down quietly here,” Malchus said; “in a short time
+the men will be moving about, and we can then pass through the sentries
+without remark.”
+
+As the light spread over the sky sounds of movement were heard in the
+camp, and soon figures were moving about, some beginning to make fires,
+others to attend to their horses. The two Carthaginians moved about
+among the tents as if similarly occupied, secure that their attire as
+Roman soldiers would prevent any observation being directed towards
+them. They were anxious to be off, for they feared that at any moment
+they might hear the alarm raised on the discovery that the sentry was
+missing.
+
+It was nearly broad daylight now, and when they saw two or three
+soldiers pass out between the sentries unquestioned they started at once
+to follow them. The morning was very cold, and the soldiers who were
+about were all wearing their military cloaks. Malchus had pulled the
+irons as high up as he could possibly force them, and they did not show
+below his cloak.
+
+Walking carelessly along they passed through the sentries, whose duties,
+now that morning had dawned, related only to discovering an enemy
+approaching the camp, the soldiers being now free to enter or leave as
+they pleased.
+
+“It is of no use to go far,” Malchus said; “the nearer we hide to the
+camp the better. We are less likely to be looked for there than at a
+distance, and it is impossible for me to travel at any speed until I get
+rid of these heavy irons. As soon as we get over that little brow ahead
+we shall be out of sight of the sentries, and will take to the first
+hiding place we see.”
+
+The little rise was but a short distance from camp, the country beyond
+was open but was covered with low brushwood. As soon as they were over
+the brow and were assured that none of those who had left the camp
+before them were in sight, they plunged into the brushwood, and, making
+their way on their hands and knees for a few hundred yards, lay down in
+the midst of it.
+
+“They are not likely to search on this side of the camp,” Malchus said.
+“They will not know at what hour I escaped, and will naturally suppose
+that I started at once to regain our camp. Listen, their trumpets are
+blowing. No doubt they are about to strike their camp and march; by
+this time my escape must be known. And now tell me, Nessus, how did you
+manage to follow and discover me?”
+
+“It was easy to follow you, my lord,” Nessus said. “When I heard your
+order I lay still, but watched through the bushes your meeting with the
+Gauls. My arrow was in the string, and had they attacked you I should
+have loosed it among them, and then rushed out to die with you, but
+when I saw them take you a prisoner I followed your orders. I had no
+difficulty in keeping you in sight until nightfall. Then I crept up to
+the wood and made my way until I was within a few yards of you and lay
+there till nearly morning; but, as the men around you never went to
+sleep, I could do nothing and stole away again before daylight broke.
+Then I followed again until I saw our horsemen approaching. I had
+started to run towards them to lead them to you when I saw the Roman
+horse, and I again hid myself.
+
+“The next night again the Romans kept too vigilant a watch for me to do
+anything, and I followed them all yesterday until I saw them enter the
+Roman camp. As soon as it was dark I entered, and, getting into the
+part of the camp occupied by the Massilians, whose Gaulish talk I could
+understand a little, I gathered that a Carthaginian prisoner who had
+been brought in was to be executed in the morning. So I set to work
+to find you; but the night was too dark to see where the sentries were
+placed, and I had to crawl round every tent to see if one stood at the
+entrance on guard, for I was sure that a sentry would be placed over
+you. I entered seven tents, at whose doors sentries were placed, before
+I found yours, but they were all those of Roman generals or persons of
+importance. I entered each time by cutting a slit in the back of the
+tent. At last when I was beginning to despair, I found your tent.
+
+“It was the smallest of any that had been guarded, and this made me
+think I was right. When I crawled in I found feeling cautiously about,
+that two Roman soldiers were asleep on the ground and that you were
+lying between them. Then I went to the entrance. The sentry was standing
+with his back to it. I struck a blow on his neck from behind, and he
+died without knowing he was hurt. I caught him as I struck and lowered
+him gently down, for the crash of his arms as he fell would have roused
+everyone near. After that it was easy to stab the two guards sleeping by
+you, and then I woke you.”
+
+“You have saved my life, Nessus, and I shall never forget it,” Malchus
+said gratefully.
+
+“My life is my lord's,” the Arab replied simply. “Glad am I indeed that
+I have been able to do you a service.”
+
+Just as he spoke they saw through the bushes a party of Roman horse
+ride at a gallop over the brow between them and the camp. They halted,
+however, on passing the crest, and an officer with them gazed long and
+searchingly over the country. For some minutes he sat without speaking,
+then he gave an order and the horsemen rode back again over the crest.
+
+“I think we shall see no more of them,” Malchus said. “His orders were,
+no doubt, that if I was in sight they were to pursue, if not, it would
+be clearly useless hunting over miles of brushwood in the hope of
+finding me, especially as they must deem it likely that I am far away in
+the opposite direction.”
+
+An hour later Nessus crept cautiously forward among the bushes, making a
+considerable detour until he reached the spot whence he could command a
+view of the Roman camp. It had gone, not a soul remained behind, but at
+some distance across the plain he could see the heavy column marching
+north. He rose to his feet and returned to the spot where he had left
+Malchus, and told him that the Romans had gone.
+
+“The first thing, Nessus, is to get rid of these chains.”
+
+“It is easy as to the chains,” Nessus said, “but the rings around your
+legs must remain until we rejoin the camp, it will need a file to free
+you from them.”
+
+The soil was sandy, and Nessus could find no stone sufficiently large
+for his purpose. They, therefore, started in the direction which the
+Romans had taken until, after two hours' slow walking, they came upon
+the bed of a stream in which were some boulders sufficiently large for
+the purpose.
+
+The rings were now pushed down again to the ankles, and Nessus wound
+round them strips of cloth until he had formed a pad between the iron
+and the skin to lessen the jar of the blow, then he placed the link of
+the chain near to the leg upon the edge of the boulder, and, drawing his
+sharp heavy sword, struck with all his force upon the iron.
+
+A deep notch was made; again and again he repeated the blow, until the
+link was cut through, then, with some difficulty, he forced the two
+ends apart until the shackle of the ring would pass between them. The
+operation was repeated on the other chain, and then Malchus was free,
+save for the two iron rings around his ankles. The work had taken
+upwards of an hour, and when it was done they started at a rapid walk in
+the direction taken by the column. They had no fear now of the natives,
+for should any come upon them they would take them for two Roman
+soldiers who had strayed behind the army.
+
+Scipio made a long day's march, and it was not until nightfall that his
+army halted. Malchus and his companion made a long detour round the camp
+and continued their way for some hours, then they left the track that
+the army would follow, and, after walking for about a mile, lay down
+among some bushes and were soon asleep.
+
+In the morning they agreed that before proceeding further it was
+absolutely necessary to obtain some food. Malchus had been fed when
+among the Romans, but Nessus had had nothing from the morning when he
+had been upset in the Rhone four days before, save a manchet of bread
+which he had found in one of the tents he had entered. Surveying the
+country round carefully, the keen eye of the Arab perceived some light
+smoke curling up at the foot of the hills on their right, and they at
+once directed their course towards it. An hour's walking brought them
+within sight of a native village.
+
+As soon as they perceived it they dropped on their hands and knees and
+proceeded with caution until within a short distance of it. They were
+not long in discovering a flock of goats browsing on the verdure in some
+broken ground a few hundred yards from the village. They were under the
+charge of a native boy, who was seated on a rock near them. They made
+their way round among the brushwood until they were close to the spot.
+
+“Shall I shoot him?” Nessus asked, for he had carried his bow and arrows
+concealed in his attire as a Roman soldier.
+
+“No, no,” Malchus replied, “the lad has done us no harm; but we must
+have one of his goats. His back is towards us, and, if we wait, one of
+them is sure to come close to us presently.”
+
+They lay quiet among the bushes until, after a delay of a quarter of an
+hour, a goat, browsing upon the bushes, passed within a yard or two of
+them.
+
+Nessus let fly his arrow, it passed almost through the animal, right
+behind its shoulder, and it fell among the bushes. In an instant
+Nessus was upon it, and, grasping its mouth tightly to prevent it from
+bleating, cut its throat. They dragged it away until a fall in the
+ground hid them from the sight of the natives, then they quickly skinned
+and cut it up, devoured some of the meat raw, and then, each taking a
+leg of the animal, proceeded upon their way.
+
+They now walked without a halt until, late in the evening, they came
+down upon the spot where the Carthaginian army had crossed. It was
+deserted. Going down to the edge of the river they saw the great rafts
+upon which the elephants had crossed.
+
+“We had best go on a mile or two ahead,” Nessus said, “the Roman cavalry
+may be here in the morning, though the column will be still a day's
+march away. By daylight we shall have no difficulty in finding the
+traces of the army.”
+
+Malchus took the Arab's advice, and the next morning followed on the
+traces of the army, which were plainly enough to be seen in the broken
+bushes, the trampled ground, and in various useless articles dropped or
+thrown away by the troops. They were forced to advance with caution, for
+they feared meeting any of the natives who might be hanging on the rear
+of the army.
+
+After three days' travelling with scarce a pause they came upon the army
+just as the rear guard was crossing the Isere, and Malchus received a
+joyous welcome from his friends, who had supposed him drowned at the
+passage of the Rhone. His account of his adventure was eagerly listened
+to, and greatly surprised were they when they found that he had been a
+prisoner in the camp of Scipio, and had been rescued by the fidelity and
+devotion of Nessus. Hannibal asked many questions as to the strength
+of Scipio's army, but Malchus could only say that, not having seen it
+except encamped, he could form but a very doubtful estimate as to its
+numbers, but considered it to be but little superior to that of the
+Carthaginian.
+
+“I do not think Scipio will pursue us,” Hannibal said. “A defeat here
+would be as fatal to him as it would be to us, and I think it more
+likely that, when he finds we have marched away north, he will return to
+his ships and meet us in Italy.”
+
+Malchus learned that everything had progressed favourably since the army
+had crossed the Rhone, the natives having offered no further opposition
+to their advance. A civil war was going on in the region the army had
+now entered, between two rival princes, brothers, of the Allobroges.
+Hannibal was requested to act as umpire in the quarrel, and decided in
+favour of the elder brother and restored order. In return he received
+from the prince whom he reseated on his throne, provisions, clothing,
+and other necessaries for the army, and the prince, with his troops,
+escorted the Carthaginians some distance up into the Alps, and prevented
+the tribes dwelling at the foot of the mountains from attacking them.
+
+The conquest of Catalonia, the passage of the Pyrenees, and the march
+across the south of Gaul, had occupied many months. Summer had come and
+gone, autumn had passed, and winter was at hand. It was the eighteenth
+of October when Hannibal led his army up the narrow valleys into the
+heart of the Alps. The snow had already fallen thickly upon the upper
+part of the mountains, and the Carthaginians shuddered at the sight
+of these lofty summits, these wild, craggy, and forbidding wastes.
+The appearance of the wretched huts of the inhabitants, of the people
+themselves, unshaved and unkempt and clad in sheepskins, and of the
+flocks and herds gathering in sheltered spots and crowding together to
+resist the effects of the already extreme cold, struck the Carthaginian
+troops with dismay. Large bodies of the mountaineers were perceived
+posted on the heights surrounding the valleys, and the column,
+embarrassed by its length and the vast quantity of baggage, was also
+exposed to attack by hordes who might at any moment rush out from the
+lateral ravines. Hannibal, therefore, ordered his column to halt.
+
+Malchus was now ordered to go forward with his band of scouts, and to
+take with him a party of Gauls, who, their language being similar
+to that of the natives, could enter into conversation with them. The
+mountaineers, seeing but a small party advancing, allowed them to
+approach peaceably and entered freely into conversation with them. They
+declared that they would on no account permit the Carthaginian army to
+pass forward, but would oppose every foot of their advance.
+
+The Gauls learned, however, that, believing the great column could only
+move forward in the daytime, the natives were in the habit of retiring
+from their rocky citadels at nightfall. Malchus returned with this news
+to Hannibal, who prepared to take advantage of it. The camp was at once
+pitched, and the men set to work to form an intrenchment round it as if
+Hannibal meditated a prolonged halt there. Great fires were lit and the
+animals unloaded. The natives, seeing from above everything that was
+being done, deserted their posts as usual at nightfall, confident that
+the Carthaginians had no intention of moving forward.
+
+Malchus with his scouts crept on along the path, and soon sent down
+word to Hannibal that the heights were deserted. The general himself now
+moved forward with all his light troops, occupied the head of the pass,
+and posted strong parties of men upon the heights commanding it. As soon
+as day broke the rest of the army got into motion and proceeded up the
+pass. The natives were now seen approaching in great numbers, but they
+halted in dismay on seeing that the Carthaginians had already gained
+possession of the strong places.
+
+The road by which the column was ascending wound along the face of
+a precipice, and was so narrow that it was with difficulty that the
+horses, snorting with fright, could be persuaded to proceed. The
+natives, seeing the confusion which the fright of the animals created in
+the column, at once took to the mountains, climbing up rugged precipices
+which appeared to the Carthaginians absolutely inaccessible, and
+presently made their appearance far up on the mountain side above the
+column.
+
+Here, sending up the most piercing yells, they began to roll rocks and
+stones down upon the column. The confusion below became terrible. The
+horses, alarmed by the strange wild cries, echoed and re-echoed a score
+of times among the mountains, and struck by the falling stones, plunged
+and struggled wildly to escape. Some tore along the path, precipitating
+those in front of them over the precipice, others lost their footing,
+and, dragging with them the carts to which they were attached, fell
+into the valley below. All order was lost. Incapable of defence or of
+movement the column appeared to be on the verge of destruction.
+
+“Come, my men,” Malchus exclaimed to his Arabs, “where these men can
+climb we can follow them; the safety of the whole column is at stake.”
+
+Slinging their weapons behind them the scouts began to climb the crags.
+Sure footed and hardy as they were, it was with the greatest difficulty
+that they could make their way up. Many lost their footing, and rolling
+down were dashed to pieces; but the great majority succeeded in climbing
+the heights, and at once became engaged in desperate battle with the
+natives.
+
+Every narrow ledge and crag was the scene of a conflict. The natives
+from the distant heights encouraged their companions with their shouts,
+and for a time the confusion in the column below was heightened by the
+combat which was proceeding far above them. Every stone dislodged by the
+feet of the combatants thundered down upon them, and the falling bodies
+of those hit by arrow or javelin came crushing down with a dull thud
+among the mass.
+
+At last the bravery and superior weapons of the Arabs prevailed. The
+precipice was cleared of the natives, and as the uproar ceased and the
+missiles ceased to fall, the column recovered its order, and again moved
+forward until the whole army gained the top of the pass. Here Hannibal
+took possession of a rough fort erected by the natives, captured several
+villages, and enough flocks and herds to feed his army for three days.
+Then descending from the top of the pass, which is now known as the
+Gol-du-Chat, he entered the valley of Chambery, and marched forward for
+three days without opposition.
+
+Malchus and his scouts received the warmest congratulations for their
+conduct at the pass, for they had undoubtedly saved the army from what
+had at one time threatened to be a terrible disaster. On arrival at a
+town supposed to be identical with the modern Conflans, the inhabitants
+came out with green boughs and expressed their desire for peace and
+friendship. They said that they had heard of the fate which had befallen
+those who ventured to oppose the Carthaginians, and that they were
+anxious to avoid such misfortunes. They offered to deliver hostages as a
+proof of their good intentions, to supply sheep and goats for the army,
+and to furnish guides through the difficult country ahead.
+
+For two days the march continued. The route the army was passing was
+that now known as the little St. Bernard. Fortunately Hannibal had from
+the first entertained considerable doubt as to the good faith of his
+guides, and never relaxed his vigilance. The scouts and light infantry,
+with the cavalry, preceded the great column of baggage, the heavy
+cavalry defended the rear.
+
+The track, which had for the last five days' march proceeded along a
+comparatively level valley, now mounted rapidly, and turning aside from
+the valley of the Isere it led up the deep bed of the mountain torrent
+known as the Reclus; this stream ran in a deep trough hollowed out in a
+very narrow valley. The bed is now so piled with rocks and stones as to
+be impassable, and the Romans afterwards cut a road along on the side
+of the mountain. But at this time it was possible for men and animals to
+proceed along the bed of the torrent.
+
+Suddenly while struggling with the difficulties of the ascent, a vast
+number of the natives appeared on the hills on either side, and began to
+hurl down stones and rocks upon the column below, while at the same
+time a still stronger force attacked them in the rear. The instant
+the natives made their appearance the treacherous guides, who were
+proceeding with the scouts at the head of the column, attempted to make
+their escape by climbing the mountain side. The Arabs were starting off
+in pursuit, but Malchus checked them.
+
+“Keep together,” he shouted, “and on no account scatter; the enemy are
+upon us in force, and it behooves us all to be steady and deliberate in
+our action.”
+
+A flight of arrows was, however, sent after the traitors, and most of
+them rolled lifeless down the slope again.
+
+Hannibal's first care was to extricate his cavalry from the gorge. This
+was performed with great difficulty, and they were drawn up in good
+order on the narrow piece of level ground between the gorge in which the
+river ran and the mountains bordering the side of the pass.
+
+The light troops now ascended the hills on both sides, and speedily
+became engaged with the enemy. The confusion in the bed of the torrent
+was tremendous. Great numbers of men and animals were killed by the
+rocks and missiles from above, but more of the soldiers were trampled to
+death by the frightened horses. The heavy infantry in the rear remained
+steady, and repulsed every effort of the main body of the enemy to break
+in upon the column.
+
+As night fell the combat ceased, but Hannibal and the troops in advance
+of the column passed the night under arms at the foot of a certain white
+rock standing above the ravine, and which still marks the exact site of
+the conflict. The natives had suffered heavily both from their conflict
+with the light troops upon the hillside, and from the repulse of their
+assaults upon the rear guard, and in the morning they did not venture
+to renew the attack, and the column moved forward out of the ravine
+and continued its march, the natives from time to time dashing down to
+attack it.
+
+The elephants were placed on the flank of the line of march, and the
+appearance of these strange beasts so terrified the enemy that they
+desisted from their attack, and by evening the army encamped on the
+summit of the pass.
+
+The snow had already fallen deeply, the army were worn out and
+dispirited by the exertions and dangers through which they had passed,
+and had suffered great losses in men and animals in the nine days which
+had elapsed since they first entered the mountains. Hannibal gave them
+two days' rest, in which time they were joined by many stragglers who
+had fallen behind, and by beasts of burden which, in the terror and
+confusion of the attack, had got rid of their loads and had escaped, but
+whose instinct led them to follow the line of march.
+
+At the end of the second day Hannibal assembled his troops and addressed
+them in a stirring speech. He told them that the worst part of their
+journey was now over. He pointed to them the plains of Italy, of which a
+view could be obtained through the pass ahead, and told them that there
+they would find rest and friends, wealth and glory. The soldiers as
+usual responded to the words of their beloved general with shouts of
+acclamation, and with renewed spirits prepared to meet the difficulties
+which still lay before them.
+
+The next morning the march was renewed. The snow lay deep on the track,
+and the soldiers found that, great as had been the difficulties of the
+ascent, those of the descent were vastly greater, for the slopes of the
+Alps on the Italian side are far steeper and more abrupt than are those
+on the French. Every step had to be made with care; those who strayed in
+the slightest from the path found the snow gave way beneath their feet
+and fell down the precipice beside them.
+
+Many of the baggage animals thus perished; but at last the head of the
+column found itself at the foot of the steep descent in a ravine with
+almost perpendicular walls, amid whose foot was in summer occupied by a
+mountain stream. Into the depth of this ravine the rays of the sun never
+penetrated, and in it lay a mass of the previous year's snow which had
+never entirely melted, but which formed with the water of the torrent a
+sheet of slippery ice.
+
+The newly formed snow prevented the troops from seeing the nature of the
+ground, and as they stepped upon it they fell headlong, sliding in
+their armour down the rapidly sloping bed of ice, many dashing out
+their brains or breaking their limbs against the great boulders which
+projected through it. The cavalry next attempted the passage, but with
+even less success, for the hoofs of the horses broke through the hard
+upper crust of the old snow and the animals sank in to their bellies.
+Seeing that it was impossible to pass this obstacle, Hannibal turned
+back the head of the column until they reached the top of the ascent
+down which they had just come. There he cleared away the snow and
+erected a camp; all the infantry were then brought down into the pass
+and set to work to build up a road along the side of the ravine.
+
+The engineers with fire and explosives blasted away the foot of the
+cliffs; the infantry broke up the rocks and formed a level track. All
+night the work continued, the troops relieving each other at frequent
+intervals, and by the morning a path which could be traversed by men
+on foot, horses, and baggage animals was constructed for a distance of
+three hundred yards, beyond which the obstacle which had arrested the
+advance of the army did not continue.
+
+The cavalry, baggage animals, and a portion of the infantry at once
+continued their way down the valley, while the rest of the infantry
+remained behind to widen the road sufficiently for the elephants to
+pass along. Although the work was pressed on with the greatest vigour it
+needed three days of labour in all before the elephants could be passed
+through. The animals were by this time weak with hunger, for from the
+time when they had turned aside from the valley of the Isere the Alps
+had been wholly bare of trees, and the ground being covered with snow,
+no foliage or forage had been obtainable to eke out the store of flour
+which they carried for their consumption. Nor was any wood found with
+which to manufacture the flat cakes into which the flour was formed for
+their rations.
+
+The elephants once through, the march was continued, and, joining the
+troops in advance, who had halted in the woods below the snow level,
+the column continued its march. On the third day after passing the gorge
+they issued out on to the plain of the Po, having lost in the fifteen
+days' passage of the Alps great numbers of men from the attacks of
+the enemy, from the passage of the rapid torrents, from falls over the
+precipices, and from cold, and having suffered still more severely in
+horses and baggage animals.
+
+Of the 59,000 picked troops with which he had advanced after the
+conquest of Catalonia, Hannibal reached the plains of Italy with but
+12,000 African infantry, 8,000 Spanish and Gaulish infantry, and 6,000
+cavalry--in all 26,000 men. A small force indeed with which to enter
+upon the struggle with the might and power of Rome. Of the 33,000 men
+that were missing, 13,000 had fallen in the passes of the Pyrenees and
+the march through Gaul, 20,000 had died in the passage of the Alps.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII: THE BATTLE OF THE TREBIA
+
+
+Well was it for the Carthaginians that Hannibal had opened
+communications with the Gaulish tribes in the plains at the foot of
+the Alps, and that on its issue from the mountain passes his army found
+itself among friends, for had it been attacked it was in no position to
+offer a vigorous resistance, the men being utterly broken down by their
+fatigues and demoralized by their losses. Many were suffering terribly
+from frostbites, the cavalry were altogether unable to act, so worn out
+and enfeebled were the horses. Great numbers of the men could scarce
+drag themselves along owing to the state of their feet; their shoes and
+sandals, well enough adapted for sandy plains, were wholly unfitted for
+traversing rocky precipices, and the greater part of the army was almost
+barefoot.
+
+So long as they had been traversing the mountains they had struggled on
+doggedly and desperately; to lag behind was to be slain by the natives,
+to lie down was to perish of cold; but with the cessation of the
+absolute necessity for exertion the power for exertion ceased also.
+Worn out, silent, exhausted, and almost despairing, the army of Hannibal
+presented the appearance of one which had suffered a terrible defeat,
+rather than that of a body of men who had accomplished a feat of arms
+unrivalled in the history of war.
+
+Happily they found themselves among friends. The Insubres, who had been
+looking forward eagerly to their coming, flocked in great numbers to
+receive them as they issued out into the plain, bringing with them
+cattle, grain, wine, and refreshments of all kinds, and inviting the
+army to take up their quarters among them until recovered from their
+fatigues. This offer Hannibal at once accepted. The army was broken
+up and scattered among the various towns and villages, where the
+inhabitants vied with each other in attending to the comforts of the
+guests. A fortnight's absolute rest, an abundance of food, and the
+consciousness that the worst of their labours was over, did wonders for
+the men.
+
+Malchus had arrived in a state of extreme exhaustion, and had, indeed,
+been carried for the last two days of the march on the back of one of
+the elephants. The company which he commanded no longer existed; they
+had borne far more than their share of the fatigues of the march; they
+had lost nearly half their number in the conflict among the precipices
+with the natives, and while the rest of the army had marched along a
+track where the snow had already been beaten hard by the cavalry in
+front of them, the scouts ahead had to make their way through snow knee
+deep. Inured to fatigue and hardship, the Arabs were unaccustomed to
+cold, and every day had diminished their numbers, until, as they issued
+out into the plain, but twenty men of the company remained alive.
+
+Hannibal committed his young kinsman to the care of one of the chiefs
+of the Insubres. The latter caused a litter to be constructed by his
+followers, and carried the young Carthaginian away to his village, which
+was situated at the foot of the hills on the banks of the river Orcus.
+
+Here he was handed over to the care of the women. The wounds and bruises
+caused by falls on the rocks and ice were bathed and bandaged, then he
+was placed in a small chamber and water was poured on to heated stones
+until it was filled with hot steam, and Malchus began to think that
+he was going to be boiled alive. After being kept for an hour in this
+vapour bath, he was annointed with oil, and was rubbed until every limb
+was supple, he was then placed on a couch and covered with soft skins,
+and in a few more minutes was sound asleep.
+
+It was late next day before he woke, and on rising he found himself a
+new man. A breakfast of meat, fresh cheese formed from goats' milk, and
+flat cakes was set before him, and, had it not been that his feet were
+still completely disabled from the effects of the frostbites, he felt
+that he was fit again to take his place in the ranks. The chief's wife
+and daughters waited upon him. The former was a tall, majestic looking
+woman. She did not belong to the Insubres, but was the daughter of a
+chief who had, with a portion of his tribe, wandered down from their
+native home far north of the Alps and settled in Italy.
+
+Two of the daughters were young women of over twenty, tall and robust in
+figure like their mother, the third was a girl of some fifteen years of
+age. The girls took after their German mother, and Malchus wondered at
+the fairness of their skins, the clearness of their complexion, and the
+soft light brown of their hair, for they were as much fairer than the
+Gauls as these were fairer than the Carthaginians. Malchus was able to
+hold little converse with his hosts, whose language differed much from
+that of the Transalpine Gauls.
+
+His stay here was destined to be much longer than he had anticipated,
+for his feet had been seriously frostbitten, and for some time it
+was doubtful whether he would not lose them. Gradually, however, the
+inflammation decreased, but it was six weeks after his arrival before he
+was able to walk. From time to time messengers had arrived from Hannibal
+and his father to inquire after him, and from them he learned that the
+Carthaginians had captured the towns of Vercella, Valentinum, and
+Asta, and the less important towns of Ivrea, Chivasso, Bodenkmag, and
+Carbantia.
+
+By the time he was cured he was able to talk freely with his hosts, for
+he soon mastered the points of difference between their language and
+that of the Gauls, with which he was already acquainted. The chief, with
+the greater part of his followers, now started and joined the army of
+Hannibal, which laid siege to the town of Turin, whose inhabitants were
+in alliance with Rome. It was strongly fortified. Hannibal erected an
+intrenchment at a distance of sixty yards from the wall, and under cover
+of this sank a well, and thence drove a wide gallery, the roof above
+being supported by props.
+
+Divided in brigades, each working six hours, the troops laboured night
+and day, and in three days from its commencement the gallery was carried
+under the walls. It was then driven right and left for thirty yards each
+way, and was filled with wood, combustibles, and explosives. The workers
+then retired and the wood was fired, the props supporting the roof were
+soon burned away, the earth above fell in bringing down the walls, and
+a great breach was made, through which the besiegers, drawn up in
+readiness, rushed in and captured the town.
+
+On the same day that Hannibal captured Turin, Scipio entered Piacenza.
+After finding that Hannibal had escaped him on the Rhone, he had
+despatched the principal part of his army, under his brother Cneius, to
+Spain, their original destination, and with the rest sailed to Pisa and
+landed there. Marching with all haste north he enlisted 10,000 troops
+from among the inhabitants of the country, many of them having already
+served in the Roman army. He then marched north to Tenneto, where he was
+joined by the praetors Manlius and Attilius with over 20,000 men, with
+whom he marched to Piacenza.
+
+Hannibal, after, as usual, rousing the enthusiasm of his soldiers by
+an address, marched towards Scipio. The latter, with his cavalry, had
+crossed the Ticino and was within five miles of Vercella, when Hannibal,
+also with his cavalry, came within sight. Scipio's front was covered
+with a swarm of foot skirmishers mixed with irregular Gaulish horsemen;
+the Roman cavalry and the cavalry of the Italian allies formed his main
+body.
+
+Hannibal ordered the Carthaginian horse to charge full upon the centre
+of the enemy, and the Numidians to attack them on both flanks. The
+Romans, in those days, little understood the use of cavalry, the troops
+frequently dismounting and fighting on foot. Hannibal's soldiers were,
+on the other hand, trained to fight in tactics resembling those
+of modern days. No sooner was the word given to charge than the
+Carthaginian horse, delighted at being at last, after all their toils
+and sufferings, within striking distance of their foes, gave a mighty
+shout, and setting spurs to their splendid horses flung themselves at
+the enemy.
+
+The charge of this solid mass of picked cavalry was irresistible. They
+swept before them the skirmishers and Gaulish horse, and fell with fury
+upon the main body, cleaving a way far into its ranks. Before the Romans
+could recover from their confusion the Numidian horse burst down upon
+their flanks. The charge was irresistible; large numbers of the
+Romans were killed and the rest fled in panic, hotly pursued by the
+Carthaginians, until they reached the shelter of the Roman infantry,
+which was advancing behind them. Scipio, who had been wounded in the
+fight, at once led his army back to Piacenza.
+
+The news of this battle reached Malchus just as he was preparing to
+depart. The messenger who brought it brought also a lead horse, which
+Hamilcar had sent for his son's use. Resuming his armour Malchus mounted
+and rode off at once, after many warm thanks to his friends, whom he
+expected to see again shortly, as they, with the rest of that section
+of the tribe, were about to join the chief--the Gaulish women frequently
+accompanying their husbands in their campaigns.
+
+Malchus was delighted to rejoin the army, from which he had now been
+separated more than two months. He saw with pleasure that they had now
+completely recovered from the effects of their hardships, and presented
+as proud and martial an appearance as when they had started from
+Carthagena.
+
+The issue of their first fight with the Romans had raised their spirits
+and confidence, and all were eager to enter upon the campaign which
+awaited them. Malchus, upon his arrival, was appointed to the command of
+the company of Gauls who formed the bodyguard of the general. Hannibal
+moved up the Po and prepared to cross that river at Gambio, two days'
+easy march above its junction with the Ticino. The army was accompanied
+by a considerable number of the Insubres. The work of constructing a
+bridge was at once commenced.
+
+Malchus, riding through the camp, came upon the tents of his late host,
+who had been joined that day by his family. To them Malchus did the
+honours of the camp, took them through the lines of the Carthaginian
+cavalry, showed them the elephants, and finally conducted them to
+Hannibal, who received them most kindly, and presented them with many
+presents in token of his thanks for their care of his kinsman. The next
+day the bridge was completed and the troops began to pass over, the
+natives crowding to the banks and even venturing on the bridge to
+witness the imposing procession of the troops.
+
+Malchus remained with Hannibal in the rear, but seeing that there was a
+delay as the elephants crossed, he was ordered to ride on to the bridge
+and see what was the matter. Finding the crowd too great to enable him
+to pass on horseback, Malchus gave his horse to a soldier and pressed
+forward on foot. When he reached the head of the column of elephants he
+found that one of the leading animals, entertaining a doubt as to the
+stability of the bridge at this point, obstinately refused to move
+further. Ordering the mahout to urge the animal forward, and telling
+some soldiers to prick the beast with a spear from behind, Malchus
+entered into conversation with the wife and daughters of the Insubrian
+chief, who had received from Hannibal a special order allowing them to
+take up their position on the bridge to witness their crossing.
+
+While he was speaking to them the elephant suddenly wheeled round
+and, trumpeting loudly, tried to force his way back. A scene of wild
+confusion ensued. The crowd gave way before him, several soldiers were
+thrust off the bridge into the river, and Malchus and his companions
+were borne along by the crowd; there was a little cry, and Malchus saw
+the youngest of the girls pushed off the bridge into the river.
+
+He flung off his helmet, unbuckled the fastenings of his breast plate
+and back piece, undid the belt of his sword, and leaped in. As he rose
+to the surface he heard a merry laugh beside him, and saw the girl
+swimming quietly close by. Although mortified at having so hastily
+assumed that she was unable to take care of herself he joined in her
+laugh, and swam by her side until they reached the bank some distance
+down. Encumbered by the trappings which he still retained, Malchus had
+far more difficulty than the girl in gaining the shore.
+
+“What, did you think,” she asked, laughing as he struggled up the bank,
+“that I, a Gaulish maiden, could not swim?”
+
+“I did not think anything about it,” Malchus said; “I saw you pushed in
+and followed without thinking at all.”
+
+Although they imperfectly understood each other's words the meaning was
+clear; the girl put her hand on his shoulder and looked frankly up in
+his face.
+
+“I thank you,” she said, “just the same as if you had saved my life. You
+meant to do so, and it was very good of you, a great chief of this army,
+to hazard your life for a Gaulish maiden. Clotilde will never forget.”
+
+By the time they reached the bridge the column had moved on. A more
+docile elephant had been placed in front, and this having moved across
+the doubtful portion of the bridge, the others had quickly followed.
+Just as Malchus and his companion reached the end of the bridge they met
+her mother and sisters coming to meet them.
+
+There was a smile of amusement on their faces as they thanked Malchus
+for his attempt at rescue, and Clotilde's sisters whispered some
+laughing remarks into her ear which caused the girl to flush hotly,
+and to draw her slight figure indignantly to its full height. Malchus
+retired to his tent to provide himself with fresh armour and sword, for
+he doubted not that those thrown aside had been carried over the bridge
+in the confusion. The soldier had returned with his horse, and in a few
+minutes he took his place at the head of the Gauls who were drawn up
+near Hannibal's tent.
+
+The general himself soon appeared, and mounting his horse rode forward.
+Malchus followed with his command, waving an adieu to the party who
+stood watching the departure, and not ill pleased that those who had
+before known him only as a helpless invalid, should now see him riding
+at the head of the splendid bodyguard of the great commander.
+
+Hannibal was marching nearly due east, with the intention of forcing
+Scipio to give battle south of the Po. A strong Roman fortress,
+Castegglo (Clastidium), lying at the foot of the hills, should have
+barred his way; but Hannibal, by the medium of one of his native allies,
+bribed the Roman commander to abstain from interrupting his march. Then
+he pressed forward until on the third day after crossing the Po he came
+within sight of Piacenza, under whose walls the Roman army were ranged.
+
+Scipio, after his disastrous cavalry conflict, had written to Rome
+urging his inability, with the force under his command, to give
+battle single handed to Hannibal, and begging that he might be at
+once reinforced by the army under Sempronius, then lying at Ariminum
+(Rimini). The united consular armies, he represented, should take up
+their position on the river Trebia.
+
+This river rose in the Apennines but a short distance from Genoa, and
+flowed nearly due north into the Po at Piacenza. The Roman army there
+would therefore effectually bar Hannibal's march into the rich plains
+to the east, and would prevent him from making across the Apennines and
+following the road by the coast, as they would, should he undertake such
+a movement, be able to fall on his rear.
+
+Hannibal pitched his camp on the Nure, about five miles from Piacenza,
+but Scipio remained immovable in his lines waiting for the arrival of
+his colleague. Hannibal's position was a difficult one. He had traversed
+the Pyrenees and the Alps that he might attack Rome; but between him and
+Southern Italy lay yet another barrier, the Apennines. Scipio had missed
+him after he had crossed the Pyrenees, had been too late to attack him
+when, exhausted and worn out, his army emerged from the Alps; but
+now, united with Sempronius, he hoped to crush him at the foot of the
+Apennines. Hannibal wished, if possible, to prevent a junction of the
+two Roman armies, but if that could not be done he determined to fight
+them together.
+
+Scipio perceived the danger of his position; and in order to be able
+the better to join Sempronius he left Piacenza under cover of night,
+and took up a strong position on the banks of the Trebia. Here he
+could maintain his communications direct with Rome, and, if absolutely
+necessary, fall back and join his colleague advancing towards him.
+Hannibal, when he perceived Scipio's change of position, broke up his
+camp and took post on the Trebiola, a little stream running into the
+Trebia and facing the Roman camp at a distance of four miles.
+
+He was now powerless to prevent the junction of the two Roman armies,
+and for nearly a month Scipio and Hannibal lay watching each other. By
+that time Sempronius was within a day's march of Scipio. Hannibal
+had not been idle during this time of rest. He had been occupied in
+cementing his alliance with the Gaulish tribes inhabiting the Lombard
+plains. These, seeing how rapidly Hannibal had cleared the province of
+the Romans, believed that their deliverance would be accomplished, and
+for the most part declared for the Carthaginians.
+
+Hannibal's agents had also been at work at Clastidium, and the prefect
+of the garrison was induced by a bribe to surrender the place to him.
+This was of enormous advantage to Hannibal, and a corresponding blow
+to the Romans, for Clastidium was the chief magazine north of the
+Apennines. The news of the fall of this important place filled
+Sempronius, an energetic and vigorous general, with fury. He at once
+rode down from his camp to that of Scipio and proposed that Hannibal
+should be attacked instantly.
+
+Scipio, who was still suffering from the wound he had received in the
+cavalry engagement, urged that the Roman army should remain where they
+were, if necessary, through the coming winter. He pointed out that
+Hannibal's Gaulish allies would lose heart at seeing him inactive, and
+would cease to furnish him with supplies, and that he would be obliged
+either to attack them at a disadvantage or to retire from the position
+he occupied. But Sempronius was an ambitious man, the time for the
+consular election was approaching, and he was unwilling to leave for his
+successor the glory of crushing Hannibal.
+
+The fact, too, that Scipio was wounded and unable to take part in the
+battle added to his desire to force it on, since the whole glory of the
+victory would be his. He therefore told his colleague that although he
+saw the force of his arguments, public opinion in Rome was already so
+excited at Hannibal having been allowed, without a battle, to wrest so
+wide a territory from Rome, that it was absolutely necessary that an
+action should be fought. The two armies were now united on the Trebia,
+and opinion was among the officers and troops, as between the consuls,
+widely divided as to the best course to be pursued.
+
+Hannibal's spies among the natives kept him acquainted with what was
+going on in the Roman camp, and he determined to provoke the Romans to
+battle. He therefore despatched two thousand infantry and a thousand
+cavalry to ravage the lands of some Gaulish allies of the Romans.
+Sempronius sent off the greater part of his cavalry, with a thousand
+light infantry, to drive back the Carthaginians.
+
+In the fight which ensued the Romans were worsted. Still more furious,
+Sempronius marched to support them with his army. Hannibal called in
+his troops and drew them off before Sempronius would arrive. The
+disappointment and rage of the Roman general were great, and Hannibal
+felt that he could now bring on a battle when he would. He determined
+to fight in the plain close to his own position. This was flat and bare,
+and was traversed by the Trebiola. This stream ran between steep banks
+below the level of the plain; its banks were covered with thick bushes
+and reeds, and the narrow gap across the plain was scarce noticeable.
+
+On the evening of the twenty-fifth of December Hannibal moved his army
+out from the camp and formed up on the plain facing the Trebia,
+ordering the corps commanded by his brother Mago to enter the bed of the
+Trebiola, and to conceal themselves there until they received his orders
+to attack. The position Mago occupied would bring him on the left rear
+of an army which had crossed the Trebia, and was advancing to attack
+the position taken up by Hannibal. Having thus prepared for the battle,
+Hannibal proceeded to provoke it.
+
+At daybreak on the twenty-sixth he despatched a strong body of horsemen
+across the river. Crossing the Trebia partly by ford and partly by
+swimming, the Carthaginian horse rode up to the palisade surrounding
+the Roman camp, where, with insulting shouts and the hurling of their
+javelins, they aroused the Roman soldiers from their slumber. This
+insult had the desired effect, Sempronius rushed from his tent, furious
+at what he deemed the insolence of the Carthaginians, and called his
+troops to arms. With their accustomed discipline the Romans fell into
+their ranks. The light cavalry first issued from the palisade, the
+infantry followed, the heavy cavalry brought up the rear. The insulting
+Numidians had already retired, but Sempronius was now determined to
+bring on the battle. He marched down the river and crossed at a ford.
+
+The water was intensely cold, the river was in flood, the ford waist
+deep as the soldiers marched across it. Having gained the opposite bank,
+the Roman general formed his army in order of battle. His infantry,
+about forty-five thousand strong, was formed in three parallel lines;
+the cavalry, five thousand strong, was on the flanks. The infantry
+consisted of sixteen thousand Roman legionary or heavy infantry, and
+six thousand light infantry. The Italian tribes, allied to Rome, had
+supplied twenty thousand infantry; the remaining three thousand were
+native allies. The infantry occupied a front of two and a half miles in
+length; the cavalry extended a mile and a quarter on each flank. Thus
+the Roman front of battle was five miles in extent.
+
+Hannibal's force was inferior in strength; his infantry of the line were
+twenty thousand strong. He had eight thousand light infantry and ten
+thousand cavalry. The Carthaginian formation was much deeper than the
+Roman, and Hannibal's line of battle was less than two miles long. In
+front of it were the elephants, thirty-six in number, divided in pairs,
+and placed in intervals of a hundred yards between each pair.
+
+While the Romans, exposed to a bitterly cold wind, chilled to the bone
+by their immersion in the stream, and having come breakfastless from
+camp, were forming their long order of battle, Hannibal's troops,
+gathered round blazing fires, were eating a hearty breakfast; after
+which, in high spirits and confidence, they prepared for the fight.
+
+Hannibal called the officers together and addressed them in stirring
+words, which were repeated by them to the soldiers. The Roman
+preparations had occupied a long time, and it was afternoon before
+they advanced in order of battle. When within a short distance of the
+Carthaginians they halted, and the trumpets and musical instruments on
+both sides blew notes of defiance. Then the Carthaginian slingers
+stole out between the ranks of their heavy infantry, passed between the
+elephants, and commenced the battle.
+
+Each of these men carried three slings, one of which was used for long
+distances, another when nearer to the foe, the third when close at hand.
+In action one of these slings was wound round the head, one round the
+body, the third carried in hand. Their long distance missiles were
+leaden bullets, and so skilful were they that it is said they could hit
+with certainty the face of a foe standing at slinging distance.
+
+Naked to the waist they advanced, and with their long distance slings
+hurled the leaden bullets at the Roman infantry. When closer they
+exchanged their slings and discharged from them egg shaped pebbles which
+they had gathered from the bed of the Trebia. When within still closer
+distance with the third slings they poured in volleys of much larger and
+heavier stones, with such tremendous force that it seemed as though they
+were sent from catapults. Against such a storm of missiles the Roman
+skirmishers could make no stand, and were instantly driven back.
+
+Their Cretan archers, after shooting away their arrows with but small
+effect, for the strings had been damped in crossing the river, also fled
+behind the heavy troops; and these in turn were exposed to the hail of
+stones. Disorganized by this attack, the like of which they had never
+experienced before, their helmets crushed in, their breastplates and
+shields battered and dented, the front line of the Romans speedily
+fell into confusion. Sempronius ordered up his war machines for casting
+stones and javelins, but these too had been injured in their passage
+across the river.
+
+The hail of Carthaginian missiles continued until the Roman light
+infantry were forced to fall back; and the slingers were then recalled,
+and the heavy infantry of the two armies stood facing each other. The
+Carthaginians took up close order, and, shoulder to shoulder, their
+bodies covered with their shields, they advanced to meet the legions of
+Rome. As they moved, their music--flute, harp, and lyre--rose on the
+air in a military march, and keeping step the long line advanced with
+perfect order and regularity. In the centre were the Carthaginian foot
+soldiers and their African allies, clothed alike in a red tunic, with
+helmet of bronze, steel cuirass and circular shield, and carrying,
+besides their swords, pikes of twenty feet in length. On the left were
+the Spaniards, in white tunics bordered with purple, with semicircular
+shields four feet in length and thirty-two inches in width, armed with
+long swords used either for cutting or thrusting.
+
+On the left were the native allies, naked to the waist, armed with
+shields and swords similar to those of the Gauls, save that the swords
+were used only for cutting.
+
+Sempronius brought up his second line to fill the intervals in the
+first, and the Romans advanced with equal steadiness to the conflict;
+but the much greater closeness of the Carthaginian formation served
+them in good stead. They moved like a solid wall, their shields locked
+closely together, and pressed steadily forward in spite of the desperate
+efforts of the Roman centre in its more open order to resist them; for
+each Roman soldier in battle was allowed the space of a man's width
+between him and his comrade on either side, to allow him the free use of
+his weapon. Two Carthaginians were therefore opposed to each Roman, in
+addition to which the greater depth of the African formation gave them a
+weight and impetus which was irresistible.
+
+While this fight was going on the Numidian horsemen, ten thousand
+strong, charged the Roman cavalry. These, much more lightly armed than
+their opponents and inferior in numbers, were unable for a moment to
+withstand the shock, and were at once driven from the field. Leaving the
+elephants to pursue them and prevent them from rallying, the Numidian
+horsemen turned and fell on the flanks of the long Roman line; while at
+the same moment the Carthaginian slingers, issuing out again from behind
+the main body, opened a tremendous fire with stones heated in furnaces
+brought to the spot.
+
+Although taken in flank, crushed under a storm of missiles, with their
+cavalry defeated and their centre broken, the Romans fought steadily and
+well. Hannibal now launched against their ranks the elephants attached
+to the infantry, which, covered in steel armour and trumpeting loudly,
+carried death and confusion into the Roman ranks. But still the legions
+fought on obstinately and desperately until the sound of wild music
+in their rear filled them with dismay, as Mago, with his division of
+Numidian infantry, emerged from his hiding place and fell upon the
+Romans from behind.
+
+Struck with terror at the sudden appearance of these wild soldiers, of
+whose ferocity they had heard so much, the Romans lost all heart and
+strove now only to escape. But it was in vain. The Carthaginian infantry
+were in their front, the cavalry on their flank, the Numidians in their
+rear.
+
+Some ten thousand Roman soldiers only, keeping in a solid body, cut
+their way through the cavalry and reached Piacenza.
+
+Thirty thousand were slaughtered on the plain. Many were drowned in
+trying to swim the Trebia, and only the legion which had remained to
+guard the camp, the broken remains of the cavalry, and the body which
+had escaped from Piacenza remained of the fifty thousand men whom
+Sempronius commanded.
+
+The exultation of the victors was unbounded. The hitherto invincible
+legions of Rome had been crushed. The way to Rome was clear before them.
+All the fatigues and hardships they had undergone were forgotten in the
+hour of triumph, and their native allies believed that their freedom
+from Rome was now assured.
+
+The verdict of great commanders of all ages has assigned to the battle
+of the Trebia the glory of being the greatest military exploit ever
+performed. The genius of Hannibal was shown not only in the plan of
+battle and the disposition of his troops, but in the perfection with
+which they were handled, in the movements which he had himself invented
+and taught them, and the marvellous discipline with which he had
+inculcated them.
+
+Napoleon the First assigned to Hannibal the leading place among the
+great generals of the world, and the Trebia was his masterpiece. But the
+Carthaginians, exulting in their victory, did not gauge the extent
+of the stubbornness and resources of Rome. Sempronius himself set the
+example to his countrymen. At Piacenza he rallied the remnants of his
+army, and wrote to Rome, saying that he had been victorious, but that a
+sudden storm had saved the enemy from destruction.
+
+The senate understood the truth, but acted in the spirit in which he had
+written. They announced to the people that a victory had been won, and
+ordered the consular election to take place as usual, at the same time
+issuing orders to all parts of the Roman dominion for the enrolment of
+fresh troops.
+
+Hannibal attempted to surprise Piacenza, but Scipio issued out with his
+cavalry and inflicted a check upon him, Hannibal himself being slightly
+wounded. The Carthaginians then marched away and stormed the town of
+Vicumve, and during their absence the two consuls evacuated Piacenza
+and marched south. Scipio led his portion of the little army to Ariminum
+(Rimini), Sempronius took his command to Arretium (Mezzo), where they
+both speedily received reinforcements. Hannibal made an attempt to cross
+the Apennines, but the snow lay deep among the mountains, and, unable to
+effect his purpose, he fell back again to winter in the plain.
+
+In the meantime Cneius Servilius Geminus and Caius Flaminius had been
+elected consuls. Flaminius succeeded Sempronius in command of the Roman
+army at Arretium, while Geminus took the command of that at Rimini.
+Between these consuls, as was usually the case in Rome, a bitter
+jealousy existed. Geminus was the nominee of the aristocratic party,
+while Flaminius was the idol of the populace, and, as has often been
+the case in war, this rivalry between two generals possessing equal
+authority wrought great evil to the armies they commanded.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV: THE BATTLE OF LAKE TRASIMENE
+
+
+The battle of Trebia cost Malchus the loss of his father. It was against
+the portion of the force headed by Hamilcar that the Romans, who cut
+their way through the circle of foes which Hannibal had thrown round
+them, flung themselves. Hamilcar had in vain attempted to stem the
+torrent. Surrounded by his bravest officers, he had cast himself in the
+way of the Roman legion; but nothing could withstand the rush of the
+heavy armed spearmen, who, knowing that all was lost, and that their
+only hope was in cutting their way through the Carthaginians, pressed
+forward, shoulder to shoulder, and swept aside the opposition of
+their more lightly armed foes. Hamilcar and most of his officers fell,
+striving to the last to stem the current.
+
+It was a grievous blow to Malchus, when, as he was exulting in the great
+victory which had been gained, the news came to him that his father had
+fallen. Hamilcar was very dear to him. He had been his companion and his
+friend, his guide and adviser. He had encouraged him in his aspirations,
+and had from his earliest years urged him to make the sacrifices and
+exertions necessary to qualify him to bear a prominent part under his
+cousin Hannibal.
+
+He had been his tutor in arms, and had striven to inspire him with the
+noblest sentiments. Since they had reached Spain he had seen less of him
+than before, for Hamilcar felt that it was best for his son to depend
+upon himself alone. He was proud of the name which Malchus was already
+winning for himself, and knew that it was better for him that his
+advancement should be considered due to his own exertions and gallantry
+and not to the influence of his father.
+
+When, however, they were thrown together, their relations were
+unchanged. Malchus was as affectionate, as respectful, and as eager to
+listen to his father's advice, as he had been as a boy, while Hamilcar
+was glad in the society of his son to forget the cares and toils of the
+expedition in which they had embarked and to talk of the dear ones at
+home.
+
+It was only three days before the battle that they had rejoiced together
+over the news which had reached them by a messenger from Gaul that
+Thyra had married Adherbal, and had immediately set out with him for
+Carthagena, where Adherbal had been offered a command by Hannibal's
+brother Hasdrubal, the governor of Spain, in his absence.
+
+Father and son had rejoiced at this for several reasons. Hanno's
+faction had now gained the upper hand, and the friends of Hannibal were
+subjected to persecution of all kinds. The very life of Adherbal as a
+prominent member of the Barcine party had been menaced. And it was
+only by embarking secretly for Spain that he had succeeded in avoiding
+arrest. The property of many of Hannibal's friends had been confiscated.
+Several had been put to death under one pretext or another, and although
+Hamilcar did not think that Hanno's faction would venture to bring
+forward any accusation against him while he was fighting the battles
+of his country, he experienced a sense of relief at the knowledge that,
+should the worst happen, his wife and Anna would find a refuge and
+asylum with Adherbal in Spain. Hamilcar and Malchus had discussed the
+matter long and seriously, and had talked, Hamilcar with sorrow, Malchus
+with indignation and rage, of the state of Carthage.
+
+“It makes one hate one's country,” Malchus exclaimed passionately, “when
+one hears of these things. You taught me to love Carthage, father, and
+to be proud of her. How can one be proud of a country so misgoverned, so
+corrupt, so base as this? Of what use are sacrifices and efforts here,
+when at home they think of nothing but luxury and ease and the making of
+money, when the best and bravest of the Carthaginians are disgraced and
+dishonoured, and the people bow before these men whose wealth has been
+gained solely by corruption and robbery? It makes one wish one had been
+born a Roman.”
+
+“Did not one hope that a better time would come, Malchus, when Carthage
+will emancipate herself from the rule of men like Hanno and his corrupt
+friends, I should, indeed, despair of her, for even the genius of
+Hannibal and the valour of his troops cannot avail alone to carry to a
+successful conclusion a struggle between such a state as Carthage now is
+and a vigourous, patriotic, and self-reliant people like those of Rome.
+
+“We may win battles, but, however great the victories may be, we can
+never succeed in the long run against the power of Rome unless Carthage
+proves true to herself. Our army is not a large one. Rome and her Latin
+allies can, if need be, put ten such in the field. If Carthage at this
+crisis of her fate proves worthy of the occasion, if she by a great
+effort again wins the sovereignty of the sea, and sends over armies to
+support us in our struggle, we may in the end triumph. If not, glorious
+as may be our success for a time, we are in the end doomed to failure,
+and our failure will assuredly involve the final destruction of
+Carthage.
+
+“Rome will not be slow to profit by the lesson which Hannibal is
+teaching her. His genius perceives that only by striking at Rome in
+Italy could a vital blow be given to her. The Romans in turn will
+perceive that only by an invasion of Africa can Carthage be humbled.
+Her task will then be far easier than ours is now, for not only is Rome
+fresh, strong, and vigourous, but she has had the wisdom to bind the
+Latin peoples around her closely to her by bestowing upon them the
+rights of citizenship, by making them feel that her cause is theirs.
+
+“Upon the other hand, Carthage has throughout her history been paving
+the way for her fall. She fights, but it is with foreign mercenaries.
+She stamps under foot the people she has conquered, and while her tax
+collectors grind them to the earth, and she forces them to send their
+sons to fight her battles, she gives them no share in her privileges, no
+voice in her councils.
+
+“I had hoped, Malchus, that at such a moment as this faction would have
+been silent at Carthage, and a feeling of patriotism would once again
+have asserted itself. I find that it is not so, and my heart sinks for
+my country. Were it not for my wife and family, Malchus, I would gladly
+die in the coming battle.”
+
+The words recurred to Malchus as he sat in his tent by the side of his
+father's body on the night after the battle of the Trebia, and a deep
+bitterness mingled with his sorrow.
+
+“Giscon was right,” he exclaimed. “All means are justifiable to rid
+one's country of those who are destroying her. It makes one mad to think
+that while men like my father are fighting and dying for their country,
+the tribunes of the democracy, who fatten on our spoils, are plotting
+against them at home. Henceforth, I fight not as a Carthaginian, but as
+a soldier of Hannibal, and will aid him in his endeavour to humble Rome;
+not that Carthage, with her blood stained altars, her corrupt officials,
+and her indolent population, may continue to exist, but that these manly
+and valiant Gauls who have thrown in their lot with us may live free and
+independent of the yoke of Rome. These people are rude and primitive,
+but their simple virtues, their love of freedom, their readiness to die
+rather than to be slaves, put the sham patriotism of Carthage to shame.”
+
+When the army went into winter quarters, and Hannibal dismissed his
+Gaulish allies, with many rich presents, to their homes, Malchus
+obtained leave from Hannibal to depart with Allobrigius--the chief of
+the Insubrian tribe living on the Orcus--who had, with his fighting
+men, accompanied Hannibal through the campaign. The chief's wife and
+daughters had returned after seeing the army across the Po. Malchus
+had sought the society of his late host during the campaign, had often
+ridden beside him on the march, and had spent the evening in his tent
+talking either of the civilization of Carthage, which seemed wonderful
+indeed to the simple Gaulish chieftain, or of the campaign on which they
+were engaged.
+
+Malchus had by this time mastered the differences between the dialect
+of the Cisalpine Gauls and that of those in Gaul itself and Iberia,
+with which he was already acquainted. The chief was gratified by the
+friendship of Hannibal's kinsman, and liked the frank simplicity of his
+manner. He had laughed loudly when his wife had told him how Malchus had
+leaped from the bridge to save the life of Clotilde when she fell into
+the river. But the act had proved that Malchus was grateful for the
+kindness which had been shown him, and had cemented the friendship
+between them. Therefore, when the campaign came to a close, he had
+offered a hearty invitation to Malchus to spend the time, until the
+army should again assemble, with him in his village on the banks of the
+Orcus. Hannibal had smiled when Malchus had asked for leave of absence.
+
+“Those daughters of the chief whom you presented to me on the day when
+we crossed the Po are the fairest I have seen in Gaul. Malchus, are you
+thinking of keeping up the traditions of our family? My father wedded
+all my sisters, as you know, to native princes in Africa, and I took an
+Iberian maiden as my wife. It would be in every way politic and to be
+desired that one so nearly related to me as yourself should form an
+alliance by marriage with one of these Gaulish chiefs.”
+
+Malchus laughed somewhat confusedly.
+
+“It will be time to talk about marriage some years hence, Hannibal; I am
+scarce twenty yet, and she is but a girl.”
+
+“Oh! there is a she in the case,” Hannibal laughed; “and my arrow drawn
+at a venture has struck home. Ah! yes, there were three of them, two
+tall and stately maidens and one still a slim and unformed girl. Indeed,
+I remember now having heard that you lost your armour and helmet in
+jumping off the bridge across the Po to fish out one of the daughters
+of Allobrigius, who turned out to be able to swim much better than you
+could. I had a hearty laugh over it with your poor father, but with the
+Romans at Piacenza and a great battle before us the matter passed from
+my mind. So that is how the wind lies. Well, as you say, you are both
+young, and there is no saying what the next two or three years may bring
+forth. However, bear in mind that such an alliance would please me much,
+and remember also that the Gaulish maidens marry young, and in times
+like ours, Malchus, it is never well to delay long.”
+
+Malchus took with him Nessus, who had, from the day when they escaped
+together from Scipio's camp, been always near his person, had carried
+his helmet on the line of march, slept next to him by the campfire, and
+fought by his side in battle, ready at any moment to give his life to
+avert harm from his leader.
+
+The return of Allobrigius and his tribesmen was celebrated by great
+rejoicings on the Orcus. The women and old men and boys met them some
+miles from the village, raising loud cries of welcome and triumph
+as they returned from their successful campaign against their former
+oppressors. Among no people were family ties held more precious than
+among the Gauls, and the rough military order which the tribesmen had
+preserved upon their march was at once broken up when the two parties
+met.
+
+Wives rushed into the arms of husbands, mothers embraced their sons,
+girls hung on the necks of their fathers and brothers. There was nothing
+to mar the joy of the meeting, for messengers had from time to time
+carried news from the army to the village, and the women who had lost
+those dearest to them in the campaign remained behind in the village, so
+that their mourning should not mar the brightness of the return of the
+tribe.
+
+Brunilda, the wife of the chief, stood with her daughters a little
+apart from the crowd on a rising knoll of ground, and the chief, who
+was mounted upon a horse taken from the Romans at the Trebia, spurred
+forward towards them, while Malchus hung behind to let the first
+greeting pass over before he joined the family circle. He had, however,
+been noticed, and Clotilde's cheeks were colouring hotly when her father
+rode up, from some laughing remark from her sisters. Brunilda received
+Malchus cordially, saying that she had often heard of him in the
+messages sent by her husband.
+
+“He has come to stop the winter with us,” Allobrigius said. “I promised
+him a warm welcome, and he needs rest and quiet, as do we all, for it
+has been hard work even to seasoned men like us. What with snow and rain
+I have scarcely been dry since I left you.”
+
+“That would not matter to the young Carthaginian lord,” the eldest girl
+said with a smile; “we know that he rather likes getting wet, don't we,
+Clotilde?” she said, turning to her sister, who was, contrary to her
+usual custom, standing shyly behind her.
+
+“I am afraid I shall never hear the last of that,” Malchus laughed; “I
+can only say that I meant well.”
+
+“Of course you did,” Allobrigius said; “you could not know that our
+Gaulish maidens could swim and march, and, if necessary, fight as
+stoutly as the men. The Romans before now have learned that, in
+the absence of the men from the camp, the women of Gaul can fight
+desperately for country, and home, and honour. Do not let yourself be
+troubled by what these wild girls say, my lord Malchus; you know our
+Gaulish women are free of tongue, and hold not their men in such awe and
+deference as is the custom among other nations.”
+
+“I am accustomed to be laughed at,” Malchus said smiling; “I have two
+sisters at home, and, whatever respect women may pay to their lords
+in Carthage, I suppose that neither there nor anywhere else have girls
+respect for their brothers.”
+
+The music at this moment struck up, the harpers began a song which they
+had composed in honour of the occasion, the tribesmen fell into their
+ranks again, and Allobrigius placed himself at their head. Malchus
+dismounted, and, leading his horse, walked by the side of Brunilda, who,
+with the rest of the women, walked on the flanks of the column on its
+way back to the village.
+
+The next three months passed very pleasantly to Malchus. In the day
+he hunted the boar, the bear, and the wolf among the mountains with
+Allobrigius; of an evening he sat by the fire and listened to the songs
+of the harpers or to the tales of the wars and wanderings of the Gaulish
+tribes, or himself told the story of Carthage and Tyre and the wars of
+the former with the Romans, described the life and manners of the great
+city, or the hunting of the lion in the Libyan deserts.
+
+While his listeners wondered at the complex life and strange arts and
+magnificence of Carthage, Malchus was struck with the simple existence,
+the warm family ties, the honest sincerity, and the deep love of freedom
+of the Gauls. When Brunilda and her daughter sighed with envy at the
+thought of the luxuries and pleasures of the great city, he told them
+that they would soon weary of so artificial an existence, and that
+Carthage, with its corruption, its ever present dread of the rising of
+one class against another, its constant fear of revolt from the people
+it had enslaved, its secret tribunals, its oppression and tyranny, had
+little which need be envied by the free tribes of Gaul.
+
+“I grant,” he said, “that you would gain greater comfort by adopting
+something of our civilization. You might improve your dwellings,
+hangings round your walls would keep out the bitter winds, well made
+doors are in winter very preferable to the skins which hang at your
+entrance, and I do think that a Carthaginian cook might, with advantage,
+give lessons to the tribes as to preparations of food; but beyond that I
+think that you have the best of it.”
+
+“The well built houses you speak of,” Allobrigius said, “have their
+advantages, but they have their drawbacks. A people who once settle down
+into permanent abodes have taken the first step towards losing their
+freedom. Look at all the large towns in the plains; until lately each of
+them held a Roman garrison. In the first place, they offer an incentive
+to the attack of a covetous foe; in the second, they bind their
+owners to them. The inhabitants of a town cling to their houses and
+possessions, and, if conquered, become mere slaves to their captors; we
+who live in dwellings which cost but a few weeks of work, whose worldly
+goods are the work of our own hands, or the products of the chase,
+should never be conquered; we may be beaten, but if so, we can retire
+before our enemies and live in freedom in the forest or mountains, or
+travel beyond the reach of our foes.
+
+“Had not your army come and freed us from Rome I was already meditating
+moving with my tribe across the great mountains to the north and
+settling among Brunilda's people in the German forests, far beyond the
+reach of Rome. What though, as she tells me, the winters are long
+and severe, the people ignorant of many of the comforts which we have
+adopted from our neighbours; at least we should be free, and of all
+blessings none is to compare with that.”
+
+“I agree with you,” Malchus said, thinking of the plots and
+conspiracies, the secret denunciations, the tyranny and corruption
+of Carthage, “it is good to be great, but it is better to be free.
+However,” he added more cheerfully, “I trust that we are going to free
+you from all future fear of Rome, and that you will be able to enjoy
+your liberty here without having to remove to the dark forests and long
+winter of the country north of the Alps.”
+
+So passed the winter. Early in the spring a messenger arrived from
+Hannibal bidding Malchus rejoin him, and calling upon Allobrigius to
+prepare to take the field against the Romans. Similar messages had been
+sent to all the Gaulish tribes friendly to Carthage, and early in March
+Hannibal prepared to cross the Apennines and to advance against Rome.
+
+The position occupied by the two Roman armies barred the only two roads
+by which it was believed that Hannibal could march upon Rome, but
+as soon as the spring commenced Hannibal started by a path, hitherto
+untrodden by troops, across the Apennines. In the march the troops
+suffered even greater hardships than those which they had undergone
+in the passage of the Alps, for during four days and three nights they
+marched knee deep in water, unable for a single moment to lie down.
+
+While ever moving backwards and forwards among his men to encourage them
+with his presence and words, even the iron frame of Hannibal gave way
+under the terrible hardships. The long continued strain, the want of
+sleep, and the obnoxious miasma from the marshes, brought on a fever
+and cost him the sight of one of his eyes. Of all the elephants but one
+survived the march, and it was with an army as worn out and exhausted as
+that which had issued from the Alps that he descended into the fertile
+plains of Tuscany, near Fiesole.
+
+The army of Flaminius, 30,000 strong, was still lying at Arezzo, on his
+direct road south, and it was with this only that Hannibal had now to
+deal, the force of Servilius being still far away at Rimini. His own
+army was some 35,000 strong, and crossing the Upper Arno near Florence,
+Hannibal marched towards Arezzo. Flaminius, as soon as he had heard
+that Hannibal was ascending the slopes of the Apennines, had sent
+to Servilius to join him, but the latter, alleging that he feared an
+invasion by the Gaulish tribes on the north, refused to move, but sent
+four thousand cavalry to Flaminius. This brought the armies to nearly
+equal strength, but, although Hannibal marched his troops within sight
+of Arezzo, Flaminius would not issue from his camp to attack him.
+
+He knew that Hannibal had defeated a force of tried troops, much
+exceeding his own in numbers, in the north, and that he would therefore
+probably be successful against one which scarcely equalled his own. He
+hoped, too, that Hannibal would attack him in his intrenched position.
+This the Carthaginian general had no intention of doing, but, leaving
+the camp behind him, marched on, plundering and ravaging the country
+towards Rome. Flaminius at once broke up his camp and followed on his
+track, preparing to take any opportunity which might occur to fall upon
+the Carthaginians, and knowing that the senate would at once call up the
+army of Servilius to assist him.
+
+Hannibal, by means of scouts left in his rear, found that Flaminius
+was marching on with his troops in solid column, taking no precaution
+against surprise, secure in the belief that Hannibal's object was to
+march on Rome without a stop. The Carthaginian general prepared at once
+to take advantage of his enemy's carelessness. He halted his troops at
+Cortona. The road by which he had passed wound along the shore of Lake
+Trasimene, at the foot of a range of steep hills, which approached
+closely to the water.
+
+Half way along these hills a stream runs down a valley into the
+lake, and in the valley, completely hidden from the sight of an enemy
+approaching, Hannibal placed the Numidian cavalry and the Gaulish
+infantry. Among some woods clothing the lower slope of the hills facing
+the lake he placed his light troops, while the Spanish and African
+infantry and the Gaulish cavalry were similarly hidden on the outer
+slopes of the hill in readiness to close in on the rear of the Romans
+when they had entered on the road between the hills and the lake.
+
+No better position could have been chosen for a surprise. When once the
+Romans had entered the path between the hills and the lake there was no
+escape for them. They were shut up between the wood clad hills swarming
+with the Carthaginian light troops and the lake, while the heavy
+infantry and cavalry of Hannibal were ready to fall on them front and
+rear.
+
+When Flaminius arrived at Cortona late at night he heard of the ravages
+and executions committed by the Carthaginians, as they had passed
+through early in the morning, and resolved to press forward at daybreak
+in hopes of finding some opportunity for falling upon and punishing
+them. When day broke it seemed favourable to his design, for a thick
+mist was rising from the lake and marshes. This, he thought, would
+conceal his advance from the Carthaginians, while, as the high ground
+ahead rose above the mist, he would be enabled to see their position. He
+pushed forward then rapidly, thinking that he should be able to overtake
+the rear of the Carthaginian army as it moved slowly along encumbered
+with its plunder.
+
+As he neared the entrance to the pass he caught sight of the heavy
+armed Carthaginians on the distant hill above the level of the mist,
+and believing that his own movements were hidden from the enemy, pushed
+forward as fast as the infantry could march. But the moment the rear of
+his column had entered the narrow flat between the foot of the hills and
+the lake, the Numidians quietly moved down and closed the pass behind
+them, while Hannibal with his heavy infantry descended from the farther
+hill to confront him. When all was ready he gave the signal, and at once
+in front, on their right flank, and on their rear the Carthaginians fell
+upon them.
+
+The light troops heralded their attack by rolling a vast quantity of
+rocks down the hill on the long column, and then, pressing down through
+the woods, poured their arrows and javelins into the struggling mass.
+
+Taken wholly by surprise, unable to advance or retreat, desperate at
+finding themselves thus caught in a trap, the Romans fought bravely but
+in vain. An earthquake shook the ground on which the terrible fight was
+going on; but not for a moment did it interrupt the struggle. For three
+hours the Romans, although suffering terribly, still fought on; then
+Flaminius was killed, and from that time they thought only of escape.
+But this was next to impossible. Six thousand only cut their way out.
+Fifteen thousand fell, and nine thousand were taken prisoners.
+
+As soon as the battle was over Hannibal despatched Maharbal with his
+division of the army in pursuit of the six thousand who had escaped,
+and, overtaking them next morning at Perugia, Maharbal forced them to
+surrender. At the same time he detached a strong force against the four
+thousand horsemen, whom Servilius had despatched from Rimini to aid his
+colleague, and the whole of these were surrounded and taken prisoners.
+Thus of the Roman army, thirty-six thousand strong, not a single man
+escaped.
+
+In all history there is no record of so great and successful a surprise.
+Hannibal retained as prisoners the Roman citizens and Latins, but
+released the rest of the captives, telling them that, far from being
+their enemy, he had invaded Italy for the purpose of liberating its
+helpless people from the tyranny of the Roman domination. The loss
+to the Carthaginians in the battle of Lake Trasimene was only fifteen
+hundred men.
+
+Hannibal has been blamed for not advancing against Rome after the battle
+of Lake Trasimene; but he knew that he could not hope to subdue that
+city so long as she was surrounded by faithful allies. His army was
+numerically insufficient to undertake such a siege, and was destitute
+of the machines for battering the walls. Rome was still defended by
+the city legions, besides which every man capable of bearing arms was
+a soldier. The bitter hostility of the Latins would have rendered it
+difficult in the extreme for the army to have obtained provisions while
+carrying on the siege, while in its rear, waiting for an opportunity to
+attack, would have lain the army of Servilius, thirty thousand strong,
+and growing daily more numerous as the friends and allies of Rome
+flocked to its banners.
+
+Hannibal saw that to undertake such an enterprise at present would be
+ruin. His course was clear. He had to beat the armies which Rome could
+put into the field; to shake the confidence of the Italian tribes in
+the power of Rome; to subsist his army upon their territories, and so
+gradually to detach them from their alliance with Rome. He hoped that,
+by the time this work was finished, Carthage would send another great
+army to his assistance provided with siege materials, and he would then
+be able to undertake with confidence the great task of striking a vital
+blow at Rome herself.
+
+“Malchus,” Hannibal said one day, “I wish you to ride north. The tribes
+at the foot of the hills promised to aid us, but have so far done
+nothing. If they would pour down to the plains now they would occupy the
+tribes friendly to the Romans, and would prevent them from sending men
+and stores to them. They sent me a message a month ago, saying that they
+were still willing to help us, and I then replied that I had been long
+waiting to hear that they had risen, and urged them to do so without
+loss of time. I have not heard since, and fear that the Roman agents
+have, by promises of money and privileges, prevailed upon them to keep
+quiet. It is a service of danger; for if they have been bought over they
+may seize you and send you in token of their goodwill as a prisoner to
+Rome; but I know that will not deter you.”
+
+“I am ready to go,” Malchus said, “and will start today. What force
+shall I take with me, and which of the chiefs shall I first see?”
+
+“You had best go first to Ostragarth. He is the most powerful of the
+chiefs on this side of the Apennines. You can select from the treasury
+such presents as you may choose for him and the others. You can promise
+them large grants of the land of the tribes aiding the Romans, together
+with a share in the plunder of the cities. I leave you quite free. In
+those respects you will be guided by what you see they want; but any
+promises you may make I will ratify. As to men I should not take a large
+escort. Force will, of course, be of no avail, and the appearance of
+a large number of troops might alarm them at once. Twenty men will be
+sufficient for dignity, and as a protection against any small bodies of
+the hostile tribesmen you may meet on your way; but have no frays if you
+can avoid it. The mission is an important one, and its success
+should not be risked merely to defeat a body of tribesmen. Go in your
+handsomest armour, and make as brave a show as you can, as my ambassador
+and kinsman. Take twenty of the Carthaginian horse; they will impose
+more upon the barbarians than would the Libyans or Numidians. Take your
+friend Trebon as their commander and a companion for yourself.”
+
+In two hours Malchus and his escort were ready to start. As their
+journey would be rapid they carried no stores with them, save three
+days' provisions, which each man carried at his saddlebow, and a bag
+containing a few feeds of corn for the horse. They took with them,
+however, two baggage horses laden with arms, armour, garments, and other
+presents for the chiefs.
+
+They passed rapidly across the country, meeting with no hostile parties,
+for the raids of Hannibal's light armed horse had so terrified
+the people that the villages were for the most part deserted, the
+inhabitants having sought refuge in the fortified towns. After two days'
+brisk riding they arrived at the foot of the hills, and their progress
+was now slower. The village of Ostragarth lay far up among them, and,
+being ignorant of the direction, Malchus broke the troop up into parties
+of four, and sent them up different valleys with orders to capture
+the first native they came across, and oblige him either by threats or
+promises to act as a guide to the stronghold of the chief.
+
+“I sincerely trust that this barbarian is friendly, Malchus, for the
+country looks wild and difficult in the extreme, and the forests which
+clothe these hills are thick and tangled. On the plain we can laugh
+at the natives, however numerous, and with twenty men I would charge a
+thousand of them; but among these hills it is different, one cannot find
+a level spot for a charge, and, if it comes to running, the mountaineers
+are as fleet as a horse on the broken ground of their hills.”
+
+“I agree with you, Trebon, that it would go hard with us, and that the
+utmost we could hope for would be a visit to Rome as captives. Still,
+these chiefs all offered alliance to Hannibal as he went south, and the
+success which has attended us should surely bind them to our interests.
+They are ever willing to join the winning side, and so far fortune has
+been wholly with us.”
+
+“That is so, Malchus, but then they see that the tribes of the plains
+still hold aloof from us and pin their faith on Rome. They must know
+that we are receiving no reinforcements to fill the gaps made in battle,
+and may well fear to provoke the anger of Rome by taking part with us
+before our success is, as they consider, absolutely secure.”
+
+“On the same grounds then, Trebon, they will be equally unwilling to
+offend us by any hostility until the scale is decidedly weighed down
+against us. Hannibal's anger might be as terrible as that of the
+Romans.”
+
+“There is something in that, Malchus, but not so much as you think. If
+Rome wins, Rome will have ample time and ample power, with the aid of
+all her native allies, to punish any who may have declared against
+her. On the other hand, should Carthage triumph, they may consider it
+probable that we should sack and burn Rome and then retire, or that if
+we remain there will be so much to arrange, so many tribes in the plains
+to subjugate and pacify, that we shall be little likely to undertake
+expeditions in the mountains. Therefore, you see, prudent men would
+decide for Rome. Could we have marched straight on after the victory at
+Lake Trasimene and have captured Rome, all these mountain tribes would
+have taken the opportunity to pour down into the plains to plunder and
+slay under the pretence of being our allies.”
+
+It was not until nightfall that the five parties returned to the spot
+where they had left their leaders. Three of them had been entirely
+unsuccessful, but the other two had each brought in a native. These men
+looked sullen and obstinate, and it was not until Malchus had ordered a
+halter to be placed round their necks and threatened them with instant
+death that they consented to act as guides.
+
+A vigilant watch was kept over them all night, and at daybreak next
+morning the party started. For some miles they rode along at the foot
+of the mountains, and then entered a valley up which a little used track
+ran. The men upon being questioned intimated that it was several hours'
+journey to the village of the chief of whom they were in search.
+
+This, indeed, proved to be the case, for it was not till the afternoon,
+after many hours' weary journey up gorges and through mountain valleys,
+that they arrived within sight of the village of Ostragarth. It was
+situated on one side of the valley, and consisted of huts surrounded
+by a rough stone wall of such height that only the tops of the circular
+roofs were visible above it. A loud shrill cry was heard as they came in
+sight, a cow horn was blown in the village, and instantly men could be
+seen running in. Others, engaged in tending flocks of goats high up on
+the mountain side, left their charges and began to hurry down.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV: A MOUNTAIN TRIBE
+
+
+“It is a petty place for a chief of any power,” Trebon said.
+
+“Yes,” Malchus agreed, “but I fancy these hill tribes are broken up into
+a very large number of small villages in isolated valleys, only uniting
+when the order of the chief calls upon them to defend the mountains
+against an invader, or to make a simultaneous raid upon the plains.”
+
+As they neared the village several persons were seen to issue out from
+the gate, and among these was a small and elderly man, evidently
+the chief of the party. His white hair descended to his waist; a boy
+standing behind him carried his bow and several javelins. The rest of
+the men appeared to be unarmed.
+
+“He is a crafty looking old fellow,” Malchus said as he alighted and
+advanced towards the chief, “but I suppose he has made up his mind to
+receive us as friends, at any rate for the present.
+
+“I come, chief, as an ambassador from the Carthaginian general. When we
+passed south he received messengers from you, saying that you were
+ready to enter into an alliance with him. To this he agreed, and sent
+presents. Since then you have done nothing, although he has sent to you
+urging you to aid him by making an attack on the tribes allied to Rome.
+In every battle which he has fought with the Romans he has defeated them
+with great slaughter; but, owing to the aid which they have received
+from the tribes in alliance with them, they are enabled continually to
+put fresh armies in the field. Therefore it is that he has sent me to
+you and to the other chiefs of the tribes inhabiting the mountains, to
+urge you to descend with your forces into the plains, and so oblige the
+tribes there to turn their attention to their own defence rather than to
+the sending of assistance to Rome. He has sent by my hands many valuable
+presents, and has authorized me to promise you, in his name, such lands
+as you may wish to obtain beyond the foot of the hills. He promises you,
+also, a share in the booty taken at the sack of the Italian cities.”
+
+“Will you please to enter,” the chief said, speaking a patois of Latin
+which Malchus found it difficult to understand. “We will then discuss
+the matters concerning which you speak.”
+
+So saying he led the way through the gates to a hut somewhat larger than
+the rest.
+
+“Do you enter with me, Trebon, but let your men remain in their saddle,
+and hold our horses in readiness for us to mount speedily if there be
+need. I doubt the friendliness of this old fellow and his people.”
+
+Upon entering the hut Malchus observed at once that the walls were
+covered with hangings which were new and fresh, and he detected some
+costly armour half hidden in a corner.
+
+“The Romans have been here before us,” he muttered to his companion;
+“the question is, how high have they bid for his support.”
+
+The chief took his seat on a roughly carved chair, and seats were
+brought in for his visitors. He began by asking an account of the state
+of affairs in the plains. Malchus answered him truthfully, except that
+he exaggerated a little the effects that the Carthaginian victories
+had produced among the natives. The chief asked many questions, and was
+evidently by some means well informed on the subject. He then expressed
+a desire to see the presents which they had brought him. Trebon went out
+and returned with two soldiers bearing them.
+
+“I don't like the look of things,” he said in a low voice. “The number
+of men in the village has trebled since we arrived, and they still keep
+coming in. None of them show arms at present, but no doubt they
+are hidden close at hand. I believe the chief is only keeping us in
+conversation till he considers that a sufficient force has arrived to
+make sure of us.”
+
+“We can't break it off now,” Malchus said, “and must take our chance. It
+would not do to ensure a failure by showing suspicion.”
+
+The chief examined the presents with great care and announced his
+satisfaction at them. Then he entered upon the question of the land
+which he was to receive, inquired whether the towns were to be captured
+by the Carthaginians and handed over to him, or were to be captured
+by his forces. When these points had been arranged, as it seemed,
+satisfactorily, he entered upon questions in dispute between himself and
+other chiefs of the mountain tribes. Malchus said he had no instructions
+as to these points, which were new to him, but that in all questions
+between the chief and tribes hostile to Carthage, full satisfaction
+would be given him. As to those between himself and other chiefs, who
+might also join against the Romans, if they elected to submit them to
+Hannibal for decision he would arbitrate between them.
+
+At this moment a horn was blown outside. A din of voices instantly
+arose, which was followed immediately afterwards by the clashing of
+weapons. Malchus and his companion leaped to their feet and rushed
+from the hut. They found that their men were attacked by a crowd of
+mountaineers. In an instant they leaped on their horses, and drawing
+their swords joined in the fray. The number of their foes was large,
+a great many men having come in since Trebon had last issued out. The
+attack was a determined one. Those next to the horsemen hewed at them
+with axes, those further back hurled darts and javelins, while others
+crept in among the horses and stabbed them from beneath with their long
+knives.
+
+“We must get out of this or we are lost,” Trebon exclaimed, and,
+encouraging the men with his shouts, he strove to hew a way through the
+crowd to the gate, while Malchus faced some of the men round and covered
+the rear. Several of the Carthaginians were already dismounted, owing to
+their horses being slain, and some of them were despatched before they
+could gain their feet. Malchus shouted to the others to leap up behind
+their comrades.
+
+By dint of desperate efforts Trebon and the soldiers with him cleared
+the way to the gate, but those behind were so hampered by the enemy that
+they were unable to follow. The natives clung to their legs and strove
+to pull them off their horses, while a storm of blows was hurled upon
+them. Trebon, seeing the danger of those behind, had turned, and in vain
+tried to cut his way back to them; but the number of the natives was too
+great. Malchus seeing this shouted at the top of his voice:
+
+“Fly, Trebon, you cannot help us, save those you can.” Seeing that he
+could render his friend no assistance, Trebon turned round and galloped
+off with nine of the soldiers who had made their way with him to the
+gate. Five had already fallen, and Malchus shouted to the other six to
+throw down their arms and yield themselves as prisoners. This they did,
+but two of them were killed before the villagers perceived they had
+surrendered.
+
+Malchus and the others were dragged from their horses, bound hand and
+foot, and thrown into one of the huts. The natives shouted in triumph,
+and yells of delight arose as the packages borne by the baggage animals
+were examined, and the variety of rich presents, intended for the
+various chiefs, divided among them.
+
+Most of the captives were more or less severely wounded, and some of
+the natives presently came into the hut and examined and bound up the
+wounds.
+
+“Keep up your spirits,” Malchus said cheerfully, “it is evident they
+don't intend to kill us. No doubt they are going to send us prisoners to
+the Romans, and in that case we shall be exchanged sooner or later. At
+any rate the Romans would not dare ill treat us, for Hannibal holds more
+than a hundred prisoners in his hands to every one they have taken.”
+
+Three days passed, food was brought to the captives regularly, and their
+bonds were sufficiently relaxed for them to feed themselves. At the end
+of that time they were ordered to rise and leave the hut. Outside the
+chief with some forty of his followers were waiting them. All were
+armed, and the prisoners being placed in their midst, the party started.
+
+They proceeded by the same road by which Malchus had ridden to the
+village, and some miles were passed without incident, when, as they were
+passing through a narrow valley, a great number of rocks came
+bounding down the hillside, and at different points along it several
+Carthaginians appeared. In these Malchus recognized at once the soldiers
+of his escort. One of these shouted out:
+
+“Surrender, or you are all dead men. A strong force surrounds you on
+both sides, and my officers, whom you see, will give orders to their
+men, who will loose such an avalanche of rocks that you will all be
+swept away.”
+
+“It is only the men who escaped us,” the chief cried; “push forward at
+once.”
+
+But the instant the movement began the Carthaginians all shouted orders,
+and a great number of rocks came bounding down, proving that they were
+obeyed by an invisible army. Several of the mountaineers were crushed by
+the stones, and the old chief, struck by a great rock in the chest, fell
+dead. A Carthaginian standing next to Malchus was also slain.
+
+The tribesmen gave a cry of terror. Hand to hand they were ready to
+fight valiantly, but this destruction by an unseen foe terrified them.
+The Carthaginian leader raised his hand, and the descent of the stones
+ceased.
+
+“Now,” he said, “you see the truth of my words. Hesitate any longer and
+all will be lost; but if you throw down your arms, and, leaving your
+captives behind, retire by the way you came, you are free to do so.
+Hannibal has no desire for the blood of the Italian people. He has come
+to free them from the yoke of Rome, and your treacherous chief, who,
+after our making an alliance with him, sold you to the Romans, has been
+slain, therefore I have no further ill will against you.”
+
+The tribesmen, dismayed by the loss of their chief, and uncertain as to
+the strength of the foes who surrounded them, at once threw down their
+arms, and, glad to escape with their lives, fled at all speed up the
+pass towards their village, leaving their captives behind them.
+
+The Carthaginians then descended, Trebon among them.
+
+“I did not show myself, Malchus,” the latter said as he joined his
+friend, “for the chief knew me by sight, and I wished him to be
+uncertain whether we were not a fresh party who had arrived.”
+
+“But who are your army?” Malchus asked; “you have astonished me as much
+as the barbarians.”
+
+“There they are,” Trebon said, laughing, as some fifty or sixty women
+and a dozen old men and boys began to make their way down the hill.
+“Fortunately the tribesmen were too much occupied with their plunder and
+you to pursue us, and I got down safely with my men. I was, of course,
+determined to try to rescue you somehow, but did not see how it was to
+be done. Then a happy thought struck me, and the next morning we rode
+down to the plain till we came to a walled village. I at once summoned
+it to surrender, using threats of bringing up a strong body to destroy
+the place if they refused. They opened the gates sooner than I had
+expected, and I found the village inhabited only by women, old men, and
+children, the whole of the fighting men having been called away to join
+the Romans. They were, as you may imagine, in a terrible fright, and
+expected every one of them to be killed. However, I told them that we
+would not only spare their lives, but also their property, if they would
+obey my orders.
+
+“They agreed willingly enough, and I ordered all those who were strong
+enough to be of any good to take each sufficient provisions for a week
+and to accompany me. Astonished as they were at the order, there was
+nothing for them to do but to obey, and they accordingly set out. I
+found by questioning them that the road we had travelled was the regular
+one up to the village, and that you would be sure to be brought down by
+it if the chief intended to send you to Rome.
+
+“By nightfall we reached this valley. The next morning we set to work
+and cut a number of strong levers, then we went up on the hillside to
+where you saw us, and I posted them all behind the rocks. We spent all
+the day loosing stones and placing them in readiness to roll down, and
+were then prepared for your coming. At nightfall I assembled them all,
+and put a guard over them. We posted them again at daybreak yesterday,
+but watched all day in vain, and here we should have remained for a
+month if necessary, as I should have sent down some of the boys for more
+provisions when those they brought were gone. However, I was right glad
+when I saw you coming today, for it was dull work. I would have killed
+the whole of these treacherous savages if I had not been afraid of
+injuring you and the men. As it was I was in terrible fright when the
+stones went rushing down at you. One of our men has been killed, I see;
+but there was no help for it.”
+
+The whole party then proceeded down the valley. On emerging from the
+hills Trebon told his improvised army that they could return to their
+village, as he had no further need of their services, and, delighted at
+having escaped without damage or injury, they at once proceeded on their
+way.
+
+“We had best halt here for the night,” Trebon said, “and in the morning
+I will start off with the mounted men and get some horses from one of
+the villages for the rest of you. No doubt they are all pretty well
+stripped of fighting men.”
+
+The next day the horses were obtained, and Malchus, seeing that, now he
+had lost all the presents intended for the chiefs, it would be useless
+to pursue his mission further, especially as he had learned that the
+Roman agents had already been at work among the tribes, returned with
+his party to Hannibal's camp.
+
+“I am sorry, Malchus,” the Carthaginian general said, when he related
+his failure to carry out the mission, “that you have not succeeded, but
+it is clear that your failure is due to no want of tact on your part.
+The attack upon you was evidently determined upon the instant you
+appeared in sight of the village, for men must have been sent out
+at once to summon the tribe. Your friend Trebon behaved with great
+intelligence in the matter of your rescue, and I shall at once promote
+him a step in rank.”
+
+“I am ready to set out again and try whether I can succeed better with
+some of the other chiefs if you like,” Malchus said.
+
+“No, Malchus, we will leave them alone for the present. The Romans have
+been beforehand with us, and as this man was one of their principal
+chiefs, it is probable that, as he has forsaken his alliance with us,
+the others have done the same. Moreover, the news of his death, deserved
+as it was, at the hands of a party of Carthaginians, will not improve
+their feelings towards us. Nothing short of a general movement among the
+hill tribes would be of any great advantage to us, and it is clear that
+no general movement can be looked for now. Besides, now that we see the
+spirit which animates these savages, I do not care to risk your loss by
+sending you among them.”
+
+The news of the disaster of Lake Trasimene was met by Rome in a spirit
+worthy of her. No one so much as breathed the thought of negotiations
+with the enemy, not even a soldier was recalled from the army of Spain.
+Quintus Fabius Maximus was chosen dictator, and he with two newly raised
+legions marched to Ariminum and assumed the command of the army there,
+raised by the reinforcements he brought with him to fifty thousand men.
+
+Stringent orders were issued to the inhabitants of the districts through
+which Hannibal would march on his way to Rome to destroy their crops,
+drive off their cattle, and take refuge in the fortified towns.
+Servilius was appointed to the command of the Roman fleet, and ordered
+to oppose the Carthaginians at sea. The army of Fabius was now greatly
+superior to that of Hannibal, but was inferior in cavalry. He had,
+moreover, the advantage of being in a friendly country, and of being
+provisioned by the people through whose country he moved, while Hannibal
+was obliged to scatter his army greatly to obtain provisions.
+
+Fabius moved his army until within six miles of that of Hannibal,
+and then took up his position upon the hills, contenting himself with
+watching from a distance the movements of the Carthaginians. Hannibal
+marched unmolested through some of the richest provinces of Italy till
+he descended into the plain of Campania. He obtained large quantities of
+rich booty, but the inhabitants in all cases held aloof from him, their
+belief in the star of Rome being still unshaken in spite of the reverses
+which had befallen her.
+
+Fabius followed at a safe distance, avoiding every attempt of Hannibal
+to bring on a battle.
+
+The Roman soldiers fretted with rage and indignation at seeing the
+enemy, so inferior in strength to themselves, wasting and plundering
+the country at their will. Minucius, the master of horse and second in
+command, a fiery officer, sympathized to the full with the anger of the
+soldiers, and continually urged upon Fabius to march the army to the
+assault, but Fabius was immovable. The terrible defeats which Hannibal
+had inflicted upon two Roman armies showed him how vast would be the
+danger of engaging such an opponent unless at some great advantage.
+
+Such advantage he thought he saw when Hannibal descended into the
+plain of Campania. This plain was inclosed on the south by the river
+Vulturnus, which could be passed only at the bridge at Casilinum,
+defended by the Roman garrison at that town, while on its other sides
+it was surrounded by an unbroken barrier of steep and wooded hills, the
+passes of which were strongly guarded by the Romans.
+
+After seeing that every road over the hills was strongly held by his
+troops, Fabius sat down with his army on the mountains, whence he could
+watch the doings of Hannibal's force on the plains. He himself was amply
+supplied with provisions from the country in his rear, and he awaited
+patiently the time when Hannibal, having exhausted all the resources
+of the Campania, would be forced by starvation to attack the Romans in
+their almost impregnable position in the passes.
+
+Hannibal was perfectly aware of the difficulties of his position. Had
+he been free and unencumbered by baggage he might have led his army
+directly across the wooded mountains, avoiding the passes guarded by
+the Romans, but with his enormous trail of baggage this was impossible
+unless he abandoned all the rich plunder which the army had collected.
+Of the two outlets from the plain, by the Appian and Latin roads which
+led to Rome, neither could be safely attempted, for the Roman army would
+have followed in his rear, and attacked him while endeavouring to force
+the passages in the mountains.
+
+The same objection applied to his crossing the Vulturnus. The only
+bridge was strongly held by the Romans, and the river was far too deep
+and rapid for a passage to be attempted elsewhere with the great Roman
+army close at hand. The mountain range between the Vulturnus and Cades
+was difficult in the extreme, as the passes were few and very strongly
+guarded, but it was here that Hannibal resolved to make the attempt to
+lead his army from the difficult position in which it was placed. He
+waited quietly in the plain until the supplies of food were beginning to
+run low, and then prepared for his enterprise.
+
+An immense number of cattle were among the plunder. Two thousand of the
+stoutest of these were selected, torches were fastened to their horns,
+and shortly before midnight the light troops drove the oxen to the
+hills, avoiding the position of the passes guarded by the enemy. The
+torches were then lighted, and the light troops drove the oxen straight
+up the hill. The animals, maddened by fear, rushed tumultuously forward,
+scattering in all directions on the hillside, but, continually urged by
+the troops behind them, mounting towards the summits of the hills.
+
+The Roman defenders of the passes, seeing this great number of lights
+moving upwards, supposed that Hannibal had abandoned all his baggage,
+and was leading his army straight across the hills. This idea was
+confirmed by the light troops, on gaining the crest of the hills,
+commencing an attack upon the Romans posted below them in the pass
+through which Hannibal intended to move. The Roman troops thereupon
+quitted the pass, and scaled the heights to interrupt or harass the
+retreating foe.
+
+As soon as Hannibal saw the lights moving on the top of the hills
+he commenced his march. The African infantry led the way; they were
+followed by the cavalry; then came the baggage and booty, and the rear
+was covered by the Spaniards and Gauls. The defile was found deserted by
+its defenders, and the army marched through unopposed. Meanwhile Fabius
+with his main army had remained inactive. The Roman general had seen
+with astonishment the numerous lights making their way up the mountain
+side, but he feared that this was some device on the part of Hannibal
+to entrap him into an ambush, as he had entrapped Flaminius on Lake
+Trasimene. He therefore held his army in readiness for whatever might
+occur until morning broke.
+
+Then he saw that he had been outwitted. The rear of the Carthaginian
+army was just entering the defile, and in a short time Fabius saw the
+Gauls and Spaniards scaling the heights to the assistance of their
+comrades, who were maintaining an unequal fight with the Romans.
+The latter were soon driven with slaughter into the plain, and the
+Carthaginian troops descended into the defile and followed their
+retreating army. Hannibal now came down into the fertile country of
+Apulia, and determined to winter there. He took by storm the town of
+Geronium, where he stored his supplies and placed his sick in shelter,
+while his army occupied an intrenched camp which he formed outside the
+town.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI: IN THE DUNGEONS OF CARTHAGE
+
+
+Fabius, after the escape of Hannibal from the trap in which he believed
+he had caught him, followed him into Apulia, and encamped on high ground
+in his neighbourhood intending to continue the same waiting tactics.
+He was, however, soon afterwards recalled to Rome to consult with the
+senate on matters connected with the army. He left Minucius in command,
+with strict orders that he should on no account suffer himself to be
+enticed into a battle. Minucius moved forward to within five miles of
+Geronium, and then encamped upon a spur of the hills.
+
+Hannibal, aware that Fabius had left, hoped to be able to tempt the
+impatient Minucius to an action. He accordingly drew nearer to the
+Romans and encamped upon a hill three miles from their position.
+
+Another hill lay about halfway between the two armies. Hannibal occupied
+this during the night with two thousand of his light troops, but
+next day Minucius attacked the position, drove off its defenders, and
+encamped there with his whole army. For some days Hannibal kept his
+force united in his intrenchments, feeling sure that Minucius would
+attack him. The latter, however, strictly obeyed the orders of Fabius
+and remained inactive.
+
+It was all important to the Carthaginians to collect an ample supply of
+food before winter set in, and Hannibal, finding that the Romans would
+not attack him, was compelled to resume foraging expeditions. Two-thirds
+of the army were despatched in various directions in strong bodies,
+while the rest remained to guard the intrenchment.
+
+This was the opportunity for which Minucius had been waiting. He at once
+despatched the whole of his cavalry to attack the foraging parties,
+and with his infantry he advanced to the attack of the weakly defended
+Carthaginian camp. For a time Hannibal had the greatest difficulty in
+resisting the assault of the Romans; but at last a body of four thousand
+of the foragers, who had beaten off the Roman cavalry and made their way
+into Geronium, came out to his support, and the Romans retired.
+
+Hannibal, seeing the energy which Minucius had displayed, fell back to
+his old camp near Geronium, and Minucius at once occupied the position
+which he had vacated. The partial success of Minucius enabled the party
+in Rome who had long been discontented with the waiting tactics of
+Fabius to make a fresh attack upon his policy, and Minucius was now
+raised to an equal rank with Fabius.
+
+Minucius, elated with his elevation, proposed to Fabius either that
+they should command the whole army on alternate days, or each should
+permanently command one-half. Fabius chose the latter alternative, for
+he felt certain that the impetuosity of his colleague would sooner or
+later get him into trouble with such an adversary as Hannibal, and
+that it was better to risk the destruction of half the army than of the
+whole.
+
+Minucius withdrew the troops allotted to him, and encamped in the plains
+at a distance of a mile and a half from Fabius. Hannibal resolved at
+once to take advantage of the change, and to tempt the Romans to attack
+him by occupying a hill which lay about halfway between the camp of
+Minucius and Geronium.
+
+The plain which surrounded the hill was level and destitute of wood, but
+Hannibal on a careful examination found that there were several hollows
+in which troops could be concealed, and in these during the night he
+posted five thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry. The position
+occupied by them was such that they would be able to take the Romans in
+flank and rear should they advance against the hill. Having made these
+dispositions he sent forward a body of light troops in the morning
+to occupy the hill. Minucius immediately despatched his light troops,
+supported by cavalry, to drive them from it. Hannibal reinforced his
+Carthaginians by small bodies of troops, and the fight was obstinately
+maintained until Minucius, whose blood was now up, marched towards the
+hill with his legions in order of battle.
+
+Hannibal on his side advanced with the remains of his troops, and the
+battle became fierce and general, until Hannibal gave the signal to
+his troops in ambush, who rushed out and charged the Romans in rear and
+flank. Their destruction would have been as complete and terrible as
+that which had befallen the army of Sempronius at the Trebia, had not
+Fabius moved forward with his troops to save the broken legions of
+Minucius.
+
+Fabius now offered battle, but Hannibal, well content with the heavy
+blow which he had struck, and the great loss which he had inflicted upon
+the command of Minucius, fell back to his camp. Minucius acknowledged
+that Fabius had saved his army from total destruction, and at once
+resigned his command into his hands, and reverted to his former position
+under him. Both armies then went into winter quarters.
+
+Malchus had not been present at the fighting near Geronium. Two days
+after Hannibal broke through the Roman positions round the plains of
+Campania he intrusted Malchus with an important commission. Commanding
+the bodyguard of the general, and being closely related to him, Malchus
+was greatly in Hannibal's confidence, and was indeed on the same footing
+with Mago, Hannibal's brother, and two or three other of his most
+trusted generals. Gathered in the general's tent on the previous
+evening, these had agreed with their leader that final success could not
+be looked for in their enterprise unless reinforcements were received
+from Carthage.
+
+It was now a year since they had emerged from the Alps on to the plains
+of Northern Italy. They had annihilated two Roman armies, had marched
+almost unopposed through some of the richest provinces of Italy, and yet
+they were no nearer the great object of their enterprise than they were
+when they crossed the Alps.
+
+Some of the Cisalpine Gauls had joined them, but even in the plains
+north of the Apennines the majority of the tribes had remained firm to
+their alliance with the Romans, while south of that range of mountains
+the inhabitants had in every case shown themselves bitterly hostile.
+Everywhere on the approach of the Carthaginians they had retired
+to their walled towns, which Hannibal had neither the time nor the
+necessary machines to besiege.
+
+Although Rome had lost two armies she had already equipped and placed in
+the field a third force superior in number to that of the Carthaginians;
+her army in Spain had not been drawn upon; her legion north of the
+Apennines was operating against the revolted tribes; other legions were
+in course of being raised and equipped, and Rome would take the field
+in the spring with an army greatly superior in strength to that of
+Carthage. Victorious as Hannibal had been in battle, the army which had
+struggled through the Alps had in the year which had elapsed, greatly
+diminished in numbers. Trebia and Trasimene had both lessened their
+strength, but their losses had been much heavier in the terrible
+march across the Apennines in the spring, and by fevers subsequently
+contracted from the pestiferous malaria of the marshes in the summer.
+In point of numbers the gaps had been filled up by the contingents
+furnished by their Gaulish allies. But the loss of all the elephants,
+of a great number of the cavalry, and of the Carthaginian troops, who
+formed the backbone of the army, was not to be replaced.
+
+“Malchus,” Hannibal said, “you know what we were speaking of
+yesterday evening. It is absolutely necessary that we should receive
+reinforcements. If Carthage aids me I regard victory as certain. Two
+or three campaigns like the last would alike break down the strength of
+Rome, and will detach her allies from her.
+
+“The Latins and the other Italian tribes, when they find that Rome is
+powerless to protect them, that their flocks and herds, their crops and
+possessions are at our mercy, will at length become weary of supporting
+her cause, and will cast in their lot with us; but if the strife is to
+be continued, Carthage must make an effort--must rouse herself from the
+lethargy in which she appears to be sunk. It is impossible for me to
+leave the army, nor can I well spare Mago. The cavalry are devoted to
+him, and losing him would be like losing my right hand; yet it is clear
+that someone must go to Carthage who can speak in my name, and can
+represent the true situation here.
+
+“Will you undertake the mission? It is one of great danger. In the first
+place you will have to make your way by sea to Greece, and thence take
+ship for Carthage. When you arrive there you will be bitterly opposed by
+Hanno and his faction, who are now all powerful, and it may be that your
+mission may cost you your life; for not only do these men hate me and
+all connected with me, but, like most demagogues, they place their
+own selfish aims and ends, the advantage of their own faction, and the
+furtherance of their own schemes far above the general welfare of the
+state, the loss of all the colonies of Carthage, and the destruction
+of her imperial power. The loss of national prestige and honour are to
+these men as nothing in comparison with the question whether they can
+retain their places and emoluments as rulers of Carthage.
+
+“Rome is divided as we are, her patricians and plebeians are ever
+bitterly opposed to each other; but at present patriotism rises above
+party, and both sink their disputes when the national cause is at
+stake. The time will doubtless come--that is, unless we cut her course
+short--that as Rome increases in wealth and in luxury she will suffer
+from the like evils that are destroying Carthage. Party exigencies will
+rise above patriotic considerations, and Rome will fall to pieces unless
+she finds some man strong and vigourous enough to grasp the whole power
+of the state, to silence the chattering of the politicians, and to rule
+her with a rod of iron. But I am wandering from my subject. Will you
+undertake this mission?”
+
+“I will,” Malchus replied firmly, “if you think me worthy of it. I
+have no eloquence as a speaker, and know nothing of the arts of the
+politician.”
+
+“There will be plenty of our friends there who will be able to harangue
+the multitude,” Hannibal replied. “It is your presence there as the
+representative of the army, as my kinsman, and as the son of the general
+who did such good service to the state that will profit our cause.
+
+“It is your mission to tell Carthage that now is her time or never; that
+Rome already totters from the blows I have struck her, and that another
+blow only is requisite to stretch her in the dust. A mighty effort is
+needed to overthrow once for all our great rival.
+
+“Sacrifices will be needed, and great ones, to obtain the object, but
+Rome once fallen the future of Carthage is secure. What is needed is
+that Carthage should obtain and keep the command of the sea for two
+years, that at least twenty-five thousand men should be sent over in the
+spring, and as many in the spring following. With such reinforcements I
+will undertake to destroy absolutely the power of Rome. Tomorrow I will
+furnish you with letters to our friends at home, giving full details as
+to the course they should pursue and particulars of our needs.
+
+“A party of horse shall accompany you to the coast, with a score of men
+used to navigation. There you will seize a ship and sail for Corinth,
+whence you will have no difficulty in obtaining passage to Carthage.”
+
+After nightfall the next day Malchus started, taking Nessus with him as
+his attendant and companion. The party travelled all night, and in the
+morning the long line of the sea was visible from the summits of the
+hills they were crossing. They waited for some hours to rest and refresh
+their horses, and then, continuing their journey, came down in the
+afternoon upon a little port at the mouth of the river Biferno. So
+unexpected was their approach that the inhabitants had not time to shut
+their gates, and the troops entered the town without resistance, the
+people all flying to their houses.
+
+Malchus at once proclaimed that the Carthaginians came as friends, and
+would, if, unmolested, injure no one; but if any armed attempt was made
+against them they would sack and destroy the town. Two or three vessels
+were lying in the port; Malchus took possession of the largest, and,
+putting his party of seamen on board her, ordered the crew to sail
+for Corinth. The horsemen were to remain in the town until the vessel
+returned, when, with the party on board her, they would at once rejoin
+Hannibal.
+
+The wind was favourable, and the next morning the mountains of Greece
+were in sight, and in the afternoon they entered the port of Corinth.
+The anchor was dropped at a short distance from the shore, the small
+boat was lowered, and Malchus, accompanied by Nessus, was rowed ashore
+by two of his own men. These then returned on board the ship, which at
+once weighed anchor and set sail on her return.
+
+Corinth was a large and busy port, and the arrival and departure of
+the little vessel from Italy passed altogether unnoticed, and without
+attracting any particular attention Malchus and his companion made their
+way along the wharves. The trade of Corinth was large and flourishing,
+and the scene reminded Malchus of that with which he was so familiar
+in Carthage. Ships of many nationalities were ranged along the quays.
+Galleys from Tyre and Cyprus, from Syria and Egypt, from Carthage and
+Italy, were all assembled in this neutral port.
+
+Corinth was, like Carthage, essentially a trading community; and while
+the power and glory of the rival cities of the Peloponnesus were rapidly
+failing Corinth was rising in rank, and was now the first city of
+Greece. Malchus had no difficulty in finding a Carthaginian trading
+ship. He was amply supplied with money, and soon struck a bargain that
+the captain should, without waiting to take in further cargo, at once
+sail for Carthage.
+
+The captain was much surprised at the appearance in Corinth of a young
+Carthaginian evidently of high rank, but he was too well satisfied at
+the bargain he had made to ask any questions. An hour later the mooring
+ropes were cast off, and the vessel, spreading her sails, started on her
+voyage. The weather was warm and pleasant, and Malchus, stretched on a
+couch spread on the poop, greatly enjoyed the rest and quiet, after the
+long months which had been spent in almost incessant activity. Upon the
+following day Nessus approached him.
+
+“My lord Malchus,” he said, “there are some on board the ship who know
+you. I have overheard the men talking together, and it seems that one
+of them recognized you as having been in the habit of going out with a
+fisherman who lived next door to him at Carthage.”
+
+“It matters not,” Malchus said indifferently; “I have no particular
+motive in concealing my name, though it would have been as well that
+I should be able to meet my friends in Carthage and consult with them
+before my arrival there was generally known. However, before I leave the
+ship I can distribute some money among the crew, and tell them that for
+certain reasons of state I do not wish them to mention on shore that I
+have been a passenger.”
+
+Had Malchus been aware that the ship in which he had taken passage was
+one of the great fleet of traders owned by Hanno, he would have regarded
+the discovery of his personality by the sailors in a more serious light;
+as it was, he thought no more of the matter. No change in the manner
+of the captain showed that he was aware of the name and rank of his
+passenger, and Malchus, as he watched the wide expanse of sea, broken
+only by a few distant sails, was too intent upon the mission with which
+he was charged to give the matter another moment's thought.
+
+The wind fell light and it was not until the evening of the eighth day
+after leaving Corinth that Carthage, with the citadel of Byrsa rising
+above it, could be distinguished. The ship was moving but slowly through
+the water, and the captain said that unless a change took place they
+would not make port until late the next morning. Malchus retired to his
+couch feeling sorry that the period of rest and tranquillity was at an
+end, and that he was now about to embark in a difficult struggle, which,
+though he felt its importance, was altogether alien to his taste and
+disposition.
+
+He had not even the satisfaction that he should see his mother and
+sister, for news had come a short time before he sailed that their
+position was so uncomfortable at Carthage that they had left for Spain,
+to take up their abode there with Adherbal and Anna. His mother was,
+he heard, completely broken down in health by grief for the loss of his
+father.
+
+He was wakened in the night by the splash of the anchor and the running
+out of he cable through the hawse hole, and supposed that the breeze
+must have sprung up a little, and that they had anchored at the entrance
+to the harbour. He soon went off to sleep again, but was presently
+aroused by what seemed to him the sound of a short struggle followed by
+another splash; he dreamingly wondered what it could be and then went
+off to sleep again. When he awoke it was daylight. Somewhat surprised at
+the non-appearance of Nessus, who usually came into his cabin the first
+thing in the morning to call him, he soon attired himself.
+
+On going to the door of his cabin he was surprised to find it fastened
+without. He knocked loudly against it to attract attention, but almost
+immediately found himself in darkness. Going to the porthole to discover
+the cause of this sudden change, he found that a sack had been stuffed
+into it, and immediately afterwards the sound of hammering told him that
+a plank was being nailed over this outside to keep it in its place.
+
+The truth washed across him--he was a prisoner. Drawing his sword he
+flung himself with all his force against the door, but this had been so
+securely fastened without that it did not yield in the slightest to
+his efforts. After several vain efforts he abandoned the attempt, and
+sitting down endeavoured to realize the position. He soon arrived at
+something like the truth: the trading interests of Carthage were wholly
+at the disposal of Hanno and his party, and he doubted not that, having
+been recognized, the captain had determined to detain him as a prisoner
+until he communicated to Hanno the fact of his arrival, and received
+instructions from him as to whether Malchus was to be allowed to land.
+
+Malchus recalled the sounds he had heard in the night, and uttered
+an exclamation of grief and anger as he concluded that his faithful
+follower had been attacked and doubtless killed and thrown overboard. At
+present he was powerless to do anything, and with his sword grasped in
+his hand he lay on the couch in readiness to start up and fight his way
+out, as soon as he heard those without undoing the fastenings of the
+door.
+
+The day passed slowly. He could hear voices without and footsteps on the
+deck of the poop overhead, but no one came near him; and after a time
+his watchfulness relaxed, as he made up his mind that his captors,
+whatever their intentions might be, would not attempt to carry them out
+until after nightfall. At last he heard a moving of the heavy articles
+which had been piled against the door; he sprang to his feet, the door
+opened two or three inches, and a voice said:
+
+“In the name of the republic I declare you to be my prisoner.”
+
+“I warn you I shall resist,” Malchus exclaimed. “I am Malchus, the son
+of Hamilcar, late a general of the republic, and I come to Carthage on a
+mission from Hannibal. Whatever complaint the state may have against me
+I am ready to answer at the proper time, and shall not fail to appear
+when called upon; but at present I have Hannibal's mission to discharge,
+and those who interfere with me are traitors to the republic, whomsoever
+they may be, and I will defend myself until the last.”
+
+“Open the door and seize him,” a voice exclaimed.
+
+As the door was opened Malchus sprang forward, but the lights of several
+lanterns showed a dozen men with levelled spears standing in front of
+the cabin.
+
+“I surrender,” he said, seeing that against such a force as this
+resistance would be vain, “but in the name of Hannibal I protest against
+this interference with the messenger whom he has sent to explain, in his
+name, to the senate the situation in Italy.”
+
+So saying Malchus laid down his shield and sword, took off his helmet,
+and walked quietly from the cabin. At an order from their superior four
+of the men laid down their weapons and seized him. In a minute he was
+bound hand and foot, a gag was forced into his mouth, a cloak thrown
+over his head, and he was roughly thrown into a large boat alongside the
+ship.
+
+Short as was the time which he had at liberty, Malchus had thrown a
+glance over the bulwarks of each side of the ship, and perceived that
+any resistance would have been useless, for far away lay the lights of
+Carthage; and it was evident that the vessel had made little progress
+since he had retired to rest on the previous evening. Had she been
+inside the harbour he had intended to spring overboard at once and to
+trust to escape by swimming.
+
+The person in command of the party which had seized Malchus took his
+place at the helm of the boat, and his twelve agents seated themselves
+at the oars and rowed away towards Carthage. The town was nearly eight
+miles away, and they were two hours before they arrived there. The place
+where they landed was at some distance from the busy part of the port.
+Two men were waiting for them there with a stretcher. Upon this Malchus
+was laid, four men lifted it on their shoulders, the others fell in
+round it as a guard, and the party then proceeded through quiet streets
+towards the citadel.
+
+The hour was late and but few people were about. Any who paused for a
+moment to look at the little procession, shrank away hastily on hearing
+the dreaded words, “In the name of the republic,” uttered by the leader
+of the party. The citizens of Carthage were too well accustomed to
+midnight arrests to give the matter further thought, save a momentary
+wonder as to who was the last victim of the tyrants of the city, and to
+indulge, perhaps, in a secret malediction upon them. Malchus had from
+the first no doubt as to his destination, and when he felt a sudden
+change in the angle at which the stretcher was carried, knew that he was
+being taken up the steep ascent to Byrsa.
+
+He heard presently the challenge of a sentry, then there was a pause as
+the gates were opened, then he was carried forward for awhile, there was
+another stop, and the litter was lowered to the ground, his cords were
+unfastened, and he was commanded to rise. It needed but a glance upwards
+to tell him where he was. Above him towered the dark mass of the
+temple of Moloch, facing him was a small door known to every citizen of
+Carthage as leading to the dungeons under the temple.
+
+Brave as he was, Malchus could not resist a shudder as he entered the
+portal, accompanied by four of his guards and preceded by a jailer.
+No questions were asked by the latter, and doubtless the coming of the
+prisoner had been expected and prepared for. The way lay down a long
+flight of steps and through several passages, all hewn in the solid
+rock. They passed many closed doors, until at last they turned into one
+which stood open. The gag was then removed from Malchus' mouth, the door
+was closed behind him, he heard the bolts fastened, and then remained
+alone in perfect darkness.
+
+Malchus felt round the walls of his cell and found that it was about six
+feet square. In one corner was a bundle of straw, and, spreading this
+out, he threw himself upon it and bitterly meditated over the position
+into which he had fallen. His own situation was desperate enough. He was
+helpless in the hands of Hanno. The friends and partisans of Hannibal
+were ignorant of his coming, and he could hope for no help from them. He
+had little doubt as to what his fate would be; he would be put to death
+in some cruel way, and Hannibal, his relatives, and friends would never
+know what had become of him from the moment when he left the Italian
+vessel in the port of Corinth.
+
+But hopeless as was his own situation, Malchus thought more of Hannibal
+and his brave companions in arms than of himself. The manner in which
+he had been kidnapped by the agents of Hanno, showed how determined was
+that demagogue to prevent the true state of things which prevailed in
+Italy from becoming known to the people of Carthage. In order to secure
+their own triumph, he and his party were willing to sacrifice Hannibal
+and his army, and to involve Carthage in the most terrible disasters.
+
+At last Malchus slept. When he awoke a faint light was streaming down
+into his cell. In the centre of the room was an opening of about a foot
+square, above which a sort of chimney extended twenty feet up through
+the solid rock to the surface, where it was covered with an iron
+grating. Malchus knew where he was. Along each side of the great temple
+extended a row of these gratings level with the floor, and every citizen
+knew that it was through these apertures that light and air reached the
+prisoners in the cells below. Sometimes groans and cries were heard to
+rise, but those who were near would hurry from the spot, for they
+knew that the spies of the law were ever on the watch, and that to be
+suspected of entering into communication with the prisoners would be
+sufficient to ensure condemnation and death.
+
+It was the sight of these gratings, and the thought of the dismal cells
+below, which had increased the aversion which Malchus had felt as a boy
+to enter the bloodstained temple, little as he had dreamed that the day
+would come when he himself would be lying a prisoner in one of them. He
+knew that it was useless for him to attempt by shouting to inform his
+friends in the city of his presence there. The narrowness of the air
+passage and the closeness of the grating above deadened and confused the
+voice, unless to a person standing immediately above the opening, and
+as the visitors to the temple carefully avoided the vicinity of the
+gratings, it would be but a waste of breath to attempt to call their
+attention.
+
+As to escape it was out of the question. The cell was cut in the solid
+rock. The door was of enormous strength, and even could that have been
+overcome, there were many others which would have to be passed before he
+could arrive at the entrance to the dungeon.
+
+In a short time a Numidian entered, bearing some bread and a pitcher
+of water. Malchus addressed him; but the negro opened his mouth, and
+Malchus saw that his tongue had been cut out, perhaps in childhood,
+perhaps as a punishment for a crime; but more probably the man was a
+slave captured in war, who had been mutilated to render him a safe and
+useful instrument of the officers of the law.
+
+Three hours later the door again opened, and two men appeared. They
+ordered Malchus to follow them, and led him through a number of
+meandering passages, until at last, opening a door, they ushered him
+into a large chamber. This was lighted by torches. At a table in the
+centre of the room were seated seven figures. In the one seated in a
+chair very slightly above the others Malchus at once recognized Hanno.
+His companions were all leading men of his faction.
+
+“Malchus, son of Hamilcar,” Hanno said, “what have you to say why you
+thus secretly come to Carthage?”
+
+“I come not secretly,” Malchus replied, “I come hither as the messenger
+of Hannibal to the senate. I am charged by him to lay before them
+the exact situation in Italy, to tell them how much he has already
+accomplished, and what yet remains to be done, and to explain to them
+the need there is that reinforcements should be despatched to him to
+carry out his great designs for the annihilation of the power of Rome. I
+come not in secret. I passed in a ship from Italy to Corinth, and there
+at once hired a vessel to convey me hither.”
+
+“As we are members of the senate,” Hanno said, “you can deliver your
+message to us.”
+
+“I fear that it will go no further,” Malchus replied. “The fact that
+I have been thus secretly seized and carried here, shows how far it is
+your wish that the people of Carthage should know my message. Still, as
+even in your breasts all patriotism may not yet be dead, and as my
+words may move you yet to do something to enable Hannibal to save the
+republic, I will give you the message he sent me to deliver to the
+senate.”
+
+A murmur of angry surprise arose from the seven men at the bold words
+and the defiant bearing of their prisoner.
+
+“How dare you thus address your judges?” Hanno exclaimed.
+
+“Judges!” Malchus repeated scornfully, “executioners, you should say.
+Think you that I know not that my death is resolved on? Even if you
+would you dare not free a noble of Carthage, a son of a general who has
+lost his life in her service, a cousin of the great Hannibal, after you
+have thus treacherously seized and thrown him into a dungeon. Cowed as
+the people of Carthage are by your tyranny, corrupted as they are
+by your gold, this lawless act of oppression would rouse them to
+resistance. No, Hanno, it is because I know that my doom is sealed I
+thus fearlessly defy you and your creatures.”
+
+Malchus then proceeded to deliver the message of Hannibal to the senate.
+He showed the exact situation of affairs in Italy, urged that if the
+reinforcements asked for were sent, the success of the arms of Carthage
+and the final defeat and humiliation of Rome were assured; while, on the
+other hand, if Hannibal were left unaided, his army must in time dwindle
+away until too feeble to resist the assaults of the Romans and their
+allies. He warned his hearers that if this catastrophe should come
+about, Rome, flushed with victory, smarting under the defeats and
+humiliation which Hannibal had inflicted upon them, would in turn become
+the aggressor, and would inflict upon Carthage a blow similar to that
+with which Rome had been menaced by Hannibal.
+
+Hanno and his companions listened in silence. Malchus for a time forgot
+his own position and the character of the men he addressed, and pleaded
+with an earnestness and passion such as he would have used had he been
+addressing the whole senate. When he had finished, Hanno without a word
+motioned to the jailers, and these, placing themselves one on each side
+of Malchus, led him back to his cell.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII: THE ESCAPE
+
+
+For the next two days Malchus was visited only by the Numidian who brought
+his food. The third night, as he was lying on his straw, wondering how
+long Hanno would be before he decided his fate, he started to his
+feet as he heard, apparently close at hand, his name whispered. It was
+repeated, and he now perceived that it came from above.
+
+“Yes,” he said in a low tone, looking upwards, “I am Malchus. Who speaks
+to me?”
+
+“It is I, Nessus,” the voice replied. “Thanks to the gods, I have found
+my lord.”
+
+“How did you get here, Nessus? I feared that you were drowned.”
+
+“I swam to shore,” the Arab said, “and then watched outside the gate
+here. I saw several prisoners brought in, and doubted not that you were
+among them. I was at the port when the ship came in, and found that
+she brought no passenger. Then I came up here again, soon found friends
+among the Arab regiment in the garrison; these obtained me employment
+in the stables of the elephants. Each night, when all has been still, I
+have crept here, and have whispered your name down each of the gratings.
+Tonight you have heard me. Now that I know where you are, I will set to
+work to contrive your escape. Is the passage from your cell here wide
+enough to admit your being drawn up?”
+
+“Yes,” Malchus replied; “it would be a close fit, but with a rope you
+could get me up through it.”
+
+“I will set to work to loosen these bars at once,” Nessus said; “but the
+difficulty is not to get you out from here, but to get you beyond the
+gates of the citadel. The watch is extremely strict, and the gates
+are not opened until nine o'clock. Before that your escape would be
+discovered, and it will be impossible for you to pass out undetected. I
+must find a hiding place where you can lie concealed until the search
+is over, and the vigilance of the sentries is relaxed; but it will be no
+easy matter. And now let us speak no more; it is dangerous to breathe,
+much less to speak here.”
+
+Not another word was spoken for hours. Malchus could hear a low
+continuous scraping noise as Nessus with his dagger worked away upon the
+stone into which the grating fitted. At last Nessus spoke again. “I have
+nearly finished, my lord, the greater part of the grating is loose, and
+in half an hour I can complete the work. Daylight will soon be breaking
+and I must go. Tomorrow night I will return with a rope. I hope today to
+find some place where you may be concealed.”
+
+Malchus with renewed hope threw himself upon the straw, and lay there
+until about noon when he was again summoned to the presence of his
+judges. They were the same whom he had seen previously.
+
+“Malchus, son of Hamilcar,” Hanno said, “you are now brought before us
+to hear the crime with which you are charged. We have here before us the
+written list of the names of the members of the conspiracy, headed
+by Giscon, which had for its aim the murder of many of the senate of
+Carthage and the overthrow of her constitution. We have also here the
+confession of several of the conspirators confirming this list, and
+saying that you were one of the party.”
+
+“I do not deny,” Malchus said firmly, “that I did once visit the place
+in which those you speak of met, and that my name was then entered on
+the roll; but when I went there I was wholly ignorant of the purposes
+of the association, and as soon as I learned their aims and objects I
+withdrew from them, and did not again visit their place of meeting.”
+
+“You could not well do that,” Hanno said, “since it is writ down that
+you sailed very shortly afterwards for Spain.”
+
+“I own that I did so,” Malchus replied, “but I told Giscon on the very
+day that I accompanied him to the meeting that I would go there no more.
+Moreover, your commissioners with Hannibal's army have already inquired
+into the circumstances, and they, in consideration of the fact that I
+was then little more than sixteen years old, that I was led ignorantly
+into the plot, and at once separated myself from it, absolved me from
+blame.”
+
+“The commissioners had no authority to do so,” Hanno replied; “they were
+ordered to send you to Carthage, and failed to carry out their orders
+only because Hannibal then, as always, set himself above the authority
+of the republic. As you have confessed that you were a member of this
+conspiracy, no further trial is needed, and this court awards to you
+the same punishment which was meted to all the others concerned in the
+conspiracy--you will tomorrow be put to death by the usual punishment of
+the press.”
+
+Malchus abstained from all reply, for it struck him at once that were
+he to defy and anger his judges they might order him to be instantly
+executed. He therefore without a word turned and accompanied his jailer
+to his cell. He waited impatiently for night, and the hours seemed long
+indeed before he heard the whisper of Nessus above. Directly the Arab
+received the reply, assuring him that Malchus was still there, he again
+set to work.
+
+In an hour the grating was removed and the rope lowered. Malchus
+fastened it under his arms, knotting it in front, and then whispered to
+Nessus that he was ready. The Arab drew him slowly and steadily up until
+his head was in the entrance of the narrow passage. Malchus had grasped
+the rope as high as possible above his head and hung by his hands,
+thereby drawing the shoulders upwards, and reducing their width as
+much as possible. He then managed to swing himself so that his body was
+diagonally across the opening, and when thus placed he found to his joy
+that the passage was large enough for him to pass through without much
+difficulty.
+
+Slowly and steadily Nessus drew him up until his shoulders were
+above the level of the ground, when Malchus, placing his hands on the
+pavement, sprang noiselessly out. The grating was replaced, and without
+a word being spoken they glided from the temple. Not a word was said
+until they had gone some little distance.
+
+“You have saved my life again, Nessus,” Malchus said, laying his hand
+upon his shoulder. “Another twelve hours and it would have been too
+late. I was to have been put to death in the morning.”
+
+Nessus gave a fierce exclamation and placed his hand on his knife.
+
+“Had they slain my lord,” he said, “I would have avenged you. I would
+have dogged your enemies night and day till, one by one, my knife should
+have found its way to their hearts!”
+
+“Have you found a hiding place, Nessus?”
+
+“There is but one place of safety, my lord, that I can think of. I have
+talked it over with two or three faithful friends, and they agree that
+so rigid will be the search that it will be well nigh impossible for
+anyone within the walls of the citadel to escape detection. The spies
+of Hanno are everywhere, and men fear within these walls even to whisper
+what they think. At any rate, no more secure hiding place could be found
+than that which we have decided upon.”
+
+“And where is that, Nessus?”
+
+“It is in the reservoirs. With four water skins and some planks we
+have prepared a raft. My two friends are waiting for us at one of the
+entrances. They will have fitted the raft together, and all will be in
+readiness. They are not likely to search for you there.”
+
+“The idea is excellent, Nessus.”
+
+The reservoirs of Carthage were of enormous extent, and some of these
+remain to this day and are the wonder and admiration of travellers. They
+were subterranean, and were cut from the solid rock, the stone extracted
+from them being used for the walls of the buildings of the city. Pillars
+were left at intervals to support the roof, and it was calculated that
+these underground lakes--for they were no less--contained sufficient
+water to supply the wants of the great city for at least six months.
+These vast storing places for water were an absolute necessity in a
+climate like that of Northern Africa, where the rain falls but seldom.
+Without them, indeed, Carthage would have been at the mercy of the first
+army which laid siege to it.
+
+The greatest pains were devoted to the maintenance of the water supply.
+The rainfall from the roofs of the temples and houses was conducted
+to the reservoirs, and these stores were never drawn upon on ordinary
+occasions, the town being supplied with water brought by aqueducts from
+long distances among the hills. Here and there openings were cut in the
+rock which formed the roof of the reservoirs, for the admission of air,
+and at a few points steps from the surface led down to the water. Iron
+gates guarded the entrance to these.
+
+Nessus and his friends had the evening before unfastened one of these
+gates. The lock was old and little used, as the gate was placed rather
+to prevent children and others going down to the water than for any
+other purpose, and the Arabs had found little difficulty in picking the
+rough lock.
+
+Malchus followed Nessus down the steps until he reached the edge of the
+water, some fifty feet below the surface. Here stood two Arabs bearing
+torches. At the foot of the steps floated the raft, formed, as Nessus
+had said, of four inflated sheepskins connected by a framework of
+planks. Across these a bullock's hide had been stretched, forming a
+platform. On this were some rugs, a skin of wine, and a pile of flat
+cakes and fruit, together with half a dozen torches.
+
+“Thanks, my friends!” Malchus said to the Arabs. “Some day I may be able
+to prove that I am grateful to you.”
+
+“The friends of Nessus are our friends,” one of the Arabs replied
+simply; “his lord is our master.”
+
+“Here is a paddle, my lord,” Nessus said. “I propose that you should
+paddle straight away as far as you can see a torch burning here; then
+that you should fasten the raft to a pillar. Every other night I will
+come with provisions here and show a light. If you see the light burn
+steadily it is safe for you to approach, and I come only to bring food
+or news; if you see the torch wave to and fro, it is a warning that they
+intend to search the reservoirs. I do not think it likely they will do
+so; still it is best to be prepared, and in that case you must paddle
+far away in the recesses. They might search for a long time before they
+find you. I trust that your imprisonment here will not be long, but that
+we may hit upon some plan of getting you out of the citadel. I would
+gladly go with you to share your solitude, but I must remain outside to
+plan some way of escape.”
+
+With a short farewell to his faithful follower Malchus took his place
+on the raft, having lit a torch and fastened it upright upon it. Then
+he paddled slowly away, keeping between the lines of heavy columns. His
+rate of progress was slow, and for half an hour he kept the torch
+in sight. By this time he felt sure that he must be approaching the
+boundary of the reservoir. He therefore moored his raft against a pillar
+and waved his torch backwards and forwards. The signal was answered by
+a similar movement of the distant light, which then disappeared. Malchus
+now extinguished his own torch, placed the means of relighting it with
+which Nessus had furnished him close to his hand, and then, wrapping
+himself in a rug, lay down to sleep.
+
+When he awoke it was day. The light was streaming down on to the water
+from an opening two or three hundred yards away, while far in the
+distance he could see a faint light which marked the place of the
+steps at which he had embarked. In the neighbourhood of the opening the
+columns stood up clear and gray against the dark background. A little
+further off their outlines were dim and misty; and wherever else he
+looked an inky darkness met his eye, save one or two faint bands of
+misty light, which marked the position of distant openings.
+
+The stillness which reigned in this vast cavern was almost oppressive.
+Sometimes a faint rustling whisper, the echo of some sound in the
+citadel above, passed among the columns; and the plaintive squeak of a
+bat was heard now and then, for numbers of these creatures were flitting
+noiselessly in the darkness, their forms visible for an instant as they
+passed and repassed between Malchus and the light. He wondered vaguely
+what they could find to eat here, and then remembered that he had heard
+that at nightfall numbers of bats could be seen flying up from the
+openings to the reservoirs to seek food without, returning to their
+hiding places when morning approached.
+
+Malchus amused himself by thinking over the fury and astonishment of
+Hanno and his colleagues on hearing that their prisoner had disappeared,
+and he pictured to himself the hot search which was no doubt going on
+throughout the citadel. He thought it improbable in the extreme that any
+search would be made in the reservoir. Nessus would refasten the gate
+after passing through it again, and the idea that he could be floating
+on the subterranean lake could hardly occur to them.
+
+Then he turned over in his mind the various devices by which it might
+be possible to get beyond the walls of the citadel. The anxiety of
+Hanno and those acting with him to prevent the manner in which they had
+kidnapped and sentenced to death the messenger and kinsman of Hannibal
+from becoming known in the city, would be so great that extraordinary
+vigilance would be used to prevent any from leaving the citadel. The
+guards on the walls would be greatly increased; none would be allowed to
+pass the gate without the most rigourous examination; while every nook
+and corner of the citadel, the temples, the barracks, storehouses, and
+stables, would be searched again and again. Even should a search be made
+in the reservoir, Malchus had little fear of discovery; for even should
+a boat come towards the spot where he was lying, he would only have
+to pass the raft round to the opposite side of the great pillar, some
+twelve feet square, against which he was lying.
+
+When the light faded out he again lay down to sleep. As before, he slept
+soundly; for, however great the heat above, the air in the subterranean
+chambers was always fresh and cool, and he could well bear the rugs
+which Nessus had provided. The next day passed more slowly, for he had
+less to think about. After the daylight had again faded he began to look
+forward expectantly for the signal, although he knew that many hours
+must still elapse before Nessus would be able to make his way to the
+place of meeting.
+
+So slowly did the hours pass, indeed, that he began at last to fear that
+something must have happened--perhaps that Nessus had been in some way
+recognized, and was now in the dungeons below the temple of Moloch.
+At last, however, to his joy Malchus saw the distant light; it burned
+steadily, and he at once set out to paddle towards it. He did not light
+his torch--it would have taken time, and he knew that, quietly as he
+paddled, the sound would be borne along the surface of the water to
+Nessus. At last he arrived at the steps. Nessus was there alone; beside
+him was a basket of fresh provisions.
+
+“Well, Nessus, what news?”
+
+“All is well, my lord; but Hanno is moving heaven and earth to find
+you. The gates of the citadel were kept closed all day yesterday; and
+although today they have again been opened, the examination of those
+who pass out is so strict that no disguise would avail to deceive the
+scrutiny of the searchers. One or other of the men who attended you in
+the prison is always at the gate. The barracks have been searched from
+end to end, the troops occupying them being all turned out while the
+agents of the law searched them from top to bottom. The same has been
+done with the stables; and it is well that we did not attempt to hide
+you above ground, for assuredly if we had done so they would have found
+you, however cunningly we had stowed you away. Of course the name of
+the prisoner who has escaped is known to none, but the report that an
+important prisoner had escaped from the state prisons beneath the temple
+has created quite an excitement in the city, for it is said that such an
+event never took place before. At present I can hit on no plan whatever
+for getting you free.”
+
+“Then I must be content to wait for a while, Nessus. After a time their
+vigilance is sure to relax, as they will think that I must have got
+beyond the walls.”
+
+“Are there any to whom you would wish me to bear news that you are
+here?”
+
+This was a question which Malchus had debated with himself over and over
+again. It appeared to him, however, that Hanno's power was so great
+that it would be dangerous for anyone to come forward and accuse him.
+No doubt every one of the leading men of the Barcine party was strictly
+watched; and did Hanno suspect that any of them were in communication
+with the escaped prisoner, he would take instant steps against them. He
+thought it better, therefore, that none should be acquainted with the
+secret until he was free. He therefore replied in the negative to the
+question of Nessus.
+
+“I must wait till I am free. Any action now might bring down the
+vengeance of Hanno upon others. He would find no difficulty in inventing
+some excuse for dealing a blow at them. You think there is no possibility
+of escape at present?”
+
+“I can think on no plan, my lord. So strict is the search that when the
+elephants went down today to the fountains for water every howdah was
+examined to see that no one was hidden within it.”
+
+“It will be necessary also, Nessus, if you do hit upon some plan for
+getting me out, to arrange a hiding place in the city.”
+
+“That will be easy enough,” Nessus replied. “My friends have many
+relations in the Arab quarter, and once free, you might be concealed
+there for any time. And now I will wait no longer, for last night visits
+were made in all the barracks and stables by the agents of the law,
+to see that every man was asleep in his place. Therefore I will return
+without delay. In two days I will be here again; but should anything
+occur which it is needful to tell you I will be here tomorrow night.”
+
+Malchus watched for the light on the following evening with but faint
+hope of seeing it, but at about the same hour as before he saw it
+suddenly appear again. Wondering what had brought Nessus before his
+time, he paddled to the stairs.
+
+“Well, Nessus, what is your news?”
+
+“We have hit upon a plan of escape, my lord. As I told you my friend and
+I are in the stable with the elephants, our duties being to carry in the
+forage for the great beasts, and to keep the stables in order. We have
+taken one of the Indian mahouts into our confidence, and he has promised
+his aid; the elephant of which he is in charge is a docile beast, and
+his driver has taught him many tricks. At his signal he will put up his
+trunk and scream and rush here and there as if in the state which is
+called must, when they are dangerous of approach. The mahout, who is a
+crafty fellow, taught him to act thus, because when in such a state of
+temper the elephants cannot be worked with the others, but remain in the
+stables, and their drivers have an easy time of it.
+
+“On the promise of a handsome reward the mahout has agreed that tomorrow
+morning, before the elephants are taken out, you shall be concealed in
+the bottom of the howdah. He will manage that the elephant is the first
+in the procession. When we get out into the courtyard he will slyly
+prick the beast, and give him the signal to simulate rage; he will then
+so direct him that, after charging several times about the court, he
+shall make a rush at the gate. You may be sure that the guards there
+will step aside quickly enough, for a furious elephant is not a creature
+to be hindered.
+
+“When he is once down to the foot of the hill the driver will direct him
+to some quiet spot. That he will find easily enough, for at his approach
+there will be a general stampede. When he reaches some place where no
+one is in sight he will halt the elephant and you will at once drop
+off him. I shall be near at hand and will join you. The elephant will
+continue his course for some little distance, and the mahout, feigning
+to have at last recovered control over him, will direct him back to the
+citadel.”
+
+“The idea is a capital one,” Malchus said, “and if carried out will
+surely succeed. You and I have often seen during our campaigns elephants
+in this state, and know how every one flies as they come along screaming
+loudly, with their trunks high, and their great ears out on each side
+of their heads. At any rate it is worth trying, Nessus, and if by any
+chance we should fail in getting through the gate, the mahout would, of
+course, take his elephant back to the stable, and I might slip out there
+and conceal myself till night, and then make my way back here again.”
+
+“That's what we have arranged,” Nessus said. “And now, my lord, I will
+leave you and go back to the stables, in case they should search them
+again tonight. If you will push off and lie a short distance away from
+the steps I will be here again half an hour before daybreak. I will
+bring you a garb like my own, and will take you direct to the stable
+where the animal is kept. There will be no one there save the mahout
+and my two friends, so that it will be easy for us to cover you in the
+howdah before the elephants go out. There is little chance of anyone
+coming into the stables before that, for they have been searched so
+frequently during the last two days that Hanno's agents must by this
+time be convinced that wherever you are hidden you are not there.
+Indeed, today the search has greatly relaxed, although the vigilance
+at the gate and on the walls is as great as ever; so I think that they
+despair of finding you, and believe that you must either have made your
+escape already, or that if not you will sooner or later issue from your
+hiding place and fall into their hands.”
+
+Malchus slept little that night, and rejoiced when he again saw
+Nessus descending the steps. A few strokes of his paddle sent the raft
+alongside. Nessus fastened a cord to it to prevent it from drifting
+away.
+
+“We may need it again,” he said briefly. Malchus placed his own clothes
+upon it and threw over his shoulders the bernous which Nessus had
+brought. He then mounted the steps with him, the gate was closed and the
+bolt shot, and they then made their way across to the stables. It was
+still perfectly dark, though a very faint light, low in the eastern sky,
+showed that ere long the day would break.
+
+Five minutes' walking and they arrived at the stables of the elephants.
+These, like those of the horses and the oxen which drew the cumbrous war
+machines, were formed in the vast thickness of the walls, and were what
+are known in modern times as casemates. As Nessus had said, the Indian
+mahout and the other two Arabs were the only human occupants of the
+casemate. The elephant at once showed that he perceived the newcomer to
+be a stranger by an uneasy movement, but the mahout quieted him.
+
+While they were waiting for morning, Nessus described, more fully than
+he had hitherto had an opportunity of doing, the attack made upon him on
+board the ship.
+
+“I was,” he said, “as my lord knows, uneasy when I found that they
+had recognized you, and when we were within a day's sail of Carthage I
+resolved to keep a lookout--therefore, although I wrapped myself in my
+cloak and lay down, I did not go to sleep. After a while I thought
+I heard the sound of oars, and, standing up, went to the bulwark to
+listen. Suddenly some of the sailors, who must have been watching me,
+sprang upon me from behind, a cloak was thrown over my head, a rope was
+twisted round my arms, and in a moment I was lifted and flung overboard.
+
+“I did not cry out, because I had already made up my mind that it was
+better not to arouse you from sleep whatever happened, as, had you run
+out, you might have been killed, and I thought it likely that their
+object would be, if you offered no resistance, to take you a prisoner,
+in which case I trusted that I might later on hope to free you. As my
+lord knows, I am a good swimmer. I let myself sink, and when well below
+the surface soon got rid of the rope which bound me, and which was,
+indeed, but hastily twisted round my arms. I came up to the surface as
+noiselessly as possible, and after taking a long breath dived and swam
+under water as far as I could. When I came up the ship was so far away
+that there was little fear of their seeing me; however, I dived again
+and again until in perfect safety.
+
+“I heard a boat rowed by many oars approach the vessel. I listened for a
+time and found that all was quiet, and then laid myself out for the long
+swim to shore, which I reached without difficulty. All day I kept my eye
+on the vessel, which remained at anchor. As I could not tell to which
+landing place you might be brought I went up in the evening and took
+my post on the road leading up here, and when towards morning a party
+entered, carrying one with them on a stretcher, I had little doubt that
+it was you.
+
+“I was sure to find friends among the Arabs either belonging to the
+regiment stationed in Byrsa or those employed in the storehouses or
+stables; so the next morning I entered the citadel and soon met these
+men, who belonged to my tribe and village. After that my way was plain;
+my only fear was that they might kill you before I could discover the
+place in which you were confined, and my heart sank the first night when
+I found that, though I whispered down every one of the gratings, I could
+obtain no reply.
+
+“I had many answers, indeed, but not from you. There might be many cells
+besides those with openings into the temple, and were you placed in one
+of these I might never hear of you again. I had resolved that if the
+next night passed without my being able to find you, I would inform some
+of those known to be friends of Hannibal that you were a prisoner, and
+leave it in their hands to act as they liked, while I still continued my
+efforts to communicate with you. You may imagine with what joy I heard
+your reply on the following night.”
+
+“I must have been asleep the first night,” Malchus said, “and did not
+hear your voice.”
+
+“I feared to speak above a whisper, my lord; there are priests all night
+in the sanctuary behind the great image.”
+
+Day had by this time broken, and a stir and bustle commenced in front
+of the long line of casemates; the elephants were brought out from
+their stables and stood rocking themselves from side to side while their
+keepers rubbed their hides with pumice stone. Nessus was one of those
+who was appointed to make the great flat cakes of coarse flour which
+formed the principal food of the elephants. The other Arabs busied
+themselves in bringing in fresh straw, which Malchus scattered evenly
+over the stall; heaps of freshly cut forage were placed before each
+elephant.
+
+In a short time one of the Arabs took the place of Nessus in preparing
+the cakes, while Nessus moved away and presently went down into the
+town to await the coming of Malchus. By this arrangement if the
+superintendent of the stables came round he would find the proper number
+of men at work, and was not likely to notice the substitution of Malchus
+for Nessus, with whose face he could not yet have become familiar. By
+this time numbers of the townsmen were as usual coming up to the citadel
+to worship in the temple or to visit friends dwelling there. Malchus
+learned that since his escape had been known each person on entrance
+received a slip of brass with a stamp on it which he had to give up on
+leaving.
+
+All employed in the citadel received a similar voucher, without which
+none could pass the gate. The time was now come when the elephants were
+accustomed to be taken down to the fountains in the town below, and the
+critical moment was at hand. The mahout had already begun to prepare his
+elephant for the part he was to play. It had been trumpeting loudly and
+showing signs of impatience and anger. The animal was now made to kneel
+by the door of its stable, where Malchus had already lain down at the
+bottom of the howdah, a piece of sacking being thrown over him by the
+Arabs. The two Arabs and the mahout carried the howdah out, placed it on
+the elephant, and securely fastened it in its position.
+
+These howdahs were of rough construction, being in fact little more than
+large open crates, for the elephants after being watered went to the
+forage yard, where the crates were filled with freshly cut grass or
+young boughs of trees, which they carried up for their own use to the
+citadel.
+
+The mahout took his position on its neck, and the elephant then rose to
+its feet. The symptoms of bad temper which it had already given were
+now redoubled. It gave vent to a series of short vicious squeals, it
+trumpeted loudly and angrily, and, although the mahout appeared to be
+doing his best to pacify it, it became more and more demonstrative. The
+superintendent of the elephants rode up.
+
+“You had better dismount and take that brute back to the stable,” he
+said; “he is not safe to take out this morning.” As he approached the
+elephant threw up his trunk, opened his mouth, and rushed suddenly at
+him. The officer fled hastily, shouting loudly to the other mahouts to
+bring their animals in a circle round the elephant, but the mahout gave
+him a sudden prod with his pricker and the elephant set off with great
+strides, his ears out, his trunk in the air, and with every sign of
+an access of fury, at the top of his speed. He rushed across the great
+courtyard, the people flying in all directions with shouts of terror; he
+made two or three turns up and down, each time getting somewhat nearer
+to the gate.
+
+As he approached it for the third time the mahout guided him towards it,
+and, accustomed at this hour to sally out, the elephant made a sudden
+rush in that direction. The officer on guard shouted to his men to
+close the gate, but before they could attempt to carry out the order
+the elephant charged through, and at the top of his speed went down the
+road.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII: CANNAE
+
+
+As the elephant tore down the road to the town many were the narrow
+escapes that, as they thought, those coming up had of being crushed or
+thrown into the air by the angry beast. Some threw themselves on their
+faces, others got over the parapet and hung by their hands until he
+had passed, while some squeezed themselves against the wall; but the
+elephant passed on without doing harm to any.
+
+On reaching the foot of the descent the mahout guided the animal to the
+left, and, avoiding the busy streets of the town, directed its course
+towards the more quiet roads of the opulent quarter of Megara. The cries
+of the people at the approach of the elephant preceded its course, and
+all took refuge in gardens or houses. The latter became less and
+less frequent, until, at a distance of two miles from the foot of the
+citadel, the mahout, on looking round, perceived no one in sight. He
+brought the elephant suddenly to a standstill.
+
+“Quick, my lord,” he exclaimed, “now is the time.”
+
+Malchus threw off the sack, climbed out of the howdah, and slipped down
+by the elephant's tail, the usual plan for dismounting when an elephant
+is on its feet. Then he sprang across the road, leaped into a garden,
+and hid himself among some bushes. The mahout now turned the elephant,
+and, as if he had succeeded at last in subduing it, slowly retraced his
+steps towards the citadel.
+
+A minute or two later Malchus issued out and quietly followed it. He
+had gone some distance when he saw an Arab approaching him, and soon
+recognized Nessus. They turned off together from the main road and made
+their way by bystreets until they reached the lower city. At a spot near
+the port they found one of the Arabs from above awaiting them, and he
+at once led the way to the house inhabited by his family. The scheme had
+been entirely successful. Malchus had escaped from the citadel without
+the possibility of a suspicion arising that he had issued from
+its gates, and in his Arab garb he could now traverse the streets
+unsuspected.
+
+Nessus was overjoyed at the success of the stratagem, and Malchus
+himself could hardly believe that he had escaped from the terrible
+danger which threatened him. Nessus and the Arab at once returned to the
+citadel. It was agreed that the former had better continue his work as
+usual until the evening, and then ask for his discharge on the plea that
+he had received a message requiring his presence in his native village,
+for it was thought that suspicion might be excited were he to leave
+suddenly without drawing his pay, and possibly a search might be
+instituted in the city to discover his whereabouts.
+
+At nightfall he returned, and then went to the house of one of the
+leaders of the Barcine party with a message from Malchus to tell him
+where he was, and the events which had occurred since his landing at
+Carthage, and asking him to receive him privately in two hours' time, in
+order that he might consult him as to the best plan to be followed.
+
+Nessus returned saying that Manon was at home and was awaiting him, and
+the two at once set out for his house. Manon, who was a distant relation
+of Malchus, received him most warmly, and listened in astonishment to
+his story of what had befallen him. Malchus then explained the mission
+with which Hannibal had charged him, and asked his advice as to the best
+course to be adopted. Manon was silent for a time.
+
+“Hanno's faction is all powerful at present,” he said, “and were
+Hannibal himself here I doubt whether his voice could stir the senate
+into taking action such as is needed. The times have been hard, and
+Hanno and his party have lavished money so freely among the lower
+classes that there is no hope of stirring the populace up to declare
+against him. I think it would be in the highest degree dangerous
+were we, as you propose, to introduce you suddenly to the senate as
+Hannibal's ambassador to them, and leave you to plead his cause. You
+would obtain no hearing. Hanno would rise in his place and denounce you
+as one already condemned by the tribunals as an enemy to the republic,
+and would demand your instant execution, and, as he has a great majority
+of votes in the senate, his demand would be complied with. You would,
+I am convinced, throw away your life for no good purpose, while your
+presence and your mysterious escape from prison would be made the
+pretense for a fresh series of persecutions of our partisans. I
+understand as well as you do the urgency for reinforcements being sent
+to Italy; but in order to do this the navy, now rotting in our harbours,
+must be repaired, the command of the sea must be regained, and fresh
+levies of troops made.
+
+“To ask Carthage to make these sacrifices in her present mood is
+hopeless; we must await an opportunity. I and my friends will prepare
+the way, will set our agents to work among the people, and when the
+news of another victory arrives and the people's hopes are aroused and
+excited, we will strike while the iron is hot, and call upon them to
+make one great effort to bring the struggle to a conclusion and to
+finish with Rome forever.
+
+“Such is, in my opinion, the only possible mode of proceeding. To
+move now would be to ensure a rejection of our demands, to bring fresh
+persecutions upon us, and so to weaken us that we should be powerless
+to turn to good account the opportunity which the news of another great
+victory would afford. I will write at once to Hannibal and explain
+all the circumstances of the situation, and will tell him why I have
+counselled you to avoid carrying out his instructions, seeing that to
+do so now would be to ensure your own destruction and greatly damage our
+cause.
+
+“In the meantime you must, for a short time, remain in concealment,
+while I arrange for a ship to carry you back to Italy.”
+
+“The sooner the better,” Malchus said bitterly, “for Carthage with its
+hideous tyranny, its foul corruption, its forgetfulness of its glory,
+its honour, and even its safety, is utterly hateful to me. I trust that
+never again shall I set foot within its walls. Better a thousand times
+to die in a battlefield than to live in this accursed city.”
+
+“It is natural that you should be indignant,” Manon said, “for the young
+blood runs hotly in your veins, and your rage at seeing the fate which
+is too certainly impending over Carthage, and which you are powerless
+to prevent, is in no way to be blamed. We old men bow more resignedly to
+the decrees of the gods. You know the saying, 'Those whom the gods would
+destroy they first strike with madness.' Carthage is such. She sees
+unmoved the heroic efforts which Hannibal and his army are making to
+save her, and she will not stretch out a hand to aid him. She lives
+contentedly under the constant tyranny of Hanno's rule, satisfied to
+be wealthy, luxurious, and slothful, to carry on her trade, to keep her
+riches, caring nothing for the manly virtues, indifferent to valour,
+preparing herself slowly and surely to fall an easy prey to Rome.
+
+“The end probably will not come in my time, it may come in yours, but
+come it certainly and surely will. A nation which can place a mere
+handful of its own citizens in the line of battle voluntarily dooms
+herself to destruction.”
+
+“Whether it comes in my time or not,” Malchus said, “I will be no sharer
+in the fate of Carthage. I have done with her; and if I do not fall in
+the battlefield I will, when the war is over, seek a refuge among the
+Gauls, where, if the life is rough, it is at least free and independent,
+where courage and manliness and honour count for much, and where the
+enervating influence of wealth is as yet unknown. Such is my firm
+resolution.”
+
+“I say nothing to dissuade you, Malchus,” the old man replied, “such are
+the natural sentiments of your age; and methinks, were my own time to
+come over again, I too would choose such a life in preference to an
+existence in the polluted atmosphere of ungrateful Carthage. And now,
+will you stop here with me, or will you return to the place where you
+are staying? I need not say how gladly I would have you here, but
+I cannot answer certainly for your safety. Every movement of those
+belonging to our party is watched by Hanno, and I doubt not that he has
+his spies among my slaves and servants.
+
+“Therefore deem me not inhospitable if I say that it were better for you
+to remain in hiding where you are. Let your follower come nightly to me
+for instructions; let him enter the gate and remain in the garden near
+it. I will come down and see him; his visits, were they known, would
+excite suspicion. Bid him on his return watch closely to see that he is
+not followed, and tell him to go by devious windings and to mix in the
+thickest crowds in order to throw any one who may be following off his
+track before he rejoins you. I trust to be able to arrange for a ship
+in the course of three or four days. Come again and see me before you
+leave. Here is a bag of gold; you will need it to reward those who have
+assisted in your escape.”
+
+Malchus at once agreed that it would be better for him to return to his
+abode among the Arabs, and thanking Manon for his kindness he returned
+with Nessus, who had been waiting without.
+
+As they walked along Malchus briefly related to his follower the
+substance of his interview with Manon. Suddenly Nessus stopped and
+listened, and then resumed his walk.
+
+“I think we are followed, my lord,” he said, “one of Hanno's spies in
+Manon's household is no doubt seeking to discover who are the Arabs who
+have paid his master a visit. I have thought once before that I heard
+a footfall, now l am sure of it. When we get to the next turning do you
+walk on and I will turn down the road. If the man behind us be honest
+he will go straight on; if he be a spy, he will hesitate and stop at the
+corner to decide which of us he shall follow; then I shall know what to
+do.”
+
+Accordingly at the next crossroad they came to Nessus turned down and
+concealed himself a few paces away, while Malchus, without pausing,
+walked straight on. A minute later Nessus saw a dark figure come
+stealthily along. He stopped at the junction of the roads and stood for
+a few seconds in hesitation, then he followed Malchus.
+
+Nessus issued from his hiding place, and, with steps as silent and
+stealthy as those of a tiger tracking his prey, followed the man. When
+within a few paces of him he gave a sudden spring and flung himself upon
+him, burying his knife between his shoulders. Without a sound the
+man fell forward on his face. Nessus coolly wiped his knife upon
+the garments of the spy, and then proceeded at a rapid pace until he
+overtook Malchus.
+
+“It was a spy,” he said, “but he will carry no more tales to Hanno.”
+
+Two days later, Nessus, on his return from his visit to Manon, brought
+news that the latter had arranged with the captain of a ship owned by
+a friend to carry them across to Corinth, whence they would have no
+difficulty in taking a passage to Italy. They were to go on board late
+the following night, and the ship would set sail at daybreak.
+
+The next evening Malchus accompanied by Nessus paid a farewell visit to
+Manon, and repeated to him all the instructions of Hannibal, and Manon
+handed him his letter for the general, and again assured him that he
+would, with his friends, at once set to work to pave the way for an
+appeal to the populace at the first favourable opportunity.
+
+After bidding farewell to the old noble, Malchus returned to the house
+of the Arab and prepared for his departure. He had already handsomely
+rewarded the two men and the mahout for the services they had rendered
+him. In the course of the day he had provided himself with the garments
+of a trader, the character which he was now about to assume.
+
+At midnight, when all was quiet, he and Nessus set out and made their
+way down to the port, where, at a little frequented landing stage, a
+boat was awaiting them, and they were at once rowed to the ship, which
+was lying at anchor half a mile from the shore in readiness for an early
+start in the morning.
+
+Although it seemed next to impossible that they could have been traced,
+Malchus walked the deck restlessly until the morning, listening to every
+sound, and it was not until the anchor was weighed, the sails hoisted,
+and the vessel began to draw away from Carthage that he went into his
+cabin. On the sixth day after leaving Carthage the ship entered the port
+of Corinth.
+
+There were several vessels there from Italian ports, but before
+proceeding to arrange for a passage Malchus went to a shop and bought,
+for himself and Nessus, such clothing and arms as would enable them to
+pass without difficulty as fighting men belonging to one of the Latin
+tribes. Then he made inquiries on the quay, and, finding that a small
+Italian craft was to start that afternoon for Brundusium, he went on
+board and accosted the captain.
+
+“We want to cross to Italy,” he said, “but we have our reasons for not
+wishing to land at Brundusium, and would fain be put ashore at some
+distance from the town. We are ready, of course, to pay extra for the
+trouble.”
+
+The request did not seem strange to the captain. Malchus had spoken in
+Greek, the language with which all who traded on the Mediterranean were
+familiar. He supposed that they had in some way embroiled themselves
+with the authorities at Brundusium, and had fled for awhile until the
+matter blew over, and that they were now anxious to return to their
+homes without passing through the town. He asked rather a high price for
+putting them ashore in a boat as they wished, and Malchus haggled over
+the sum for a considerable time, as a readiness to pay an exorbitant
+price might have given rise to doubts in the captain's mind as to the
+quality of his passengers. Once or twice he made as if he would go
+ashore, and the captain at last abated his demands to a reasonable sum.
+
+When this was settled Malchus went no more ashore, but remained on board
+until the vessel sailed, as he feared that he might again be recognized
+by some of the sailors of the Carthaginian vessels in port. The weather
+was fair and the wind light, and on the second day after sailing
+the vessel lay to in a bay a few miles from Brundusium. The boat was
+lowered, and Malchus and his companions set on shore.
+
+They had before embarking laid in a store of provisions not only for
+a voyage, but for their journey across the country, as the slight
+knowledge which Malchus had of the Latin tongue would have betrayed him
+at once were he obliged to enter a town or village to purchase food.
+Carrying the provisions in bundles they made for the mountains, and
+after three days' journey reached without interruption or adventure
+the camp of Hannibal. He was still lying in his intrenched camp near
+Geronium. The Roman army was as before watching him at a short distance
+off.
+
+Malchus at once sought the tent of the general, whose surprise at seeing
+him enter was great, for he had not expected that he would return until
+the spring. Malchus gave him an account of all that had taken place
+since he left him. Hannibal was indignant in the extreme at Hanno having
+ventured to arrest and condemn his ambassador. When he learned the
+result of the interview with Manon, and heard how completely the hostile
+faction were the masters of Carthage, he agreed that the counsels of
+the old nobleman were wise, and that Malchus could have done no good,
+whereas he would have exposed himself to almost certain death, by
+endeavouring further to carry out the mission with which he had been
+charged.
+
+“Manon knows what is best, and, no doubt, a premature attempt to excite
+the populace to force Hanno into sending the reinforcements we so much
+need would have not only failed, but would have injured our cause. He
+and his friends will doubtless work quietly to prepare the public mind,
+and I trust that ere very long some decisive victory will give them the
+opportunity for exciting a great demonstration on our behalf.”
+
+The remainder of the winter passed quietly. Malchus resumed his post as
+the commander of Hannibal's bodyguard, but his duties were very light.
+The greater part of his time was spent in accompanying Hannibal in his
+visits to the camps of the soldiers, where nothing was left undone which
+could add to the comfort and contentment of the troops. There is no
+stronger evidence of the popularity of Hannibal and of the influence
+which he exercised over his troops than the fact that the army under
+him, composed, as it was, of men of so many nationalities, for the most
+part originally compelled against their will to enter the service
+of Carthage, maintained their discipline unshaken, not only by the
+hardships and sacrifices of the campaigns, but through the long periods
+of enforced idleness in their winter quarters.
+
+From first to last, through the long war, there was neither grumbling,
+nor discontent, nor insubordination among the troops. They served
+willingly and cheerfully. They had absolute confidence in their general,
+and were willing to undertake the most tremendous labours and to engage
+in the most arduous conflicts to please him, knowing that he, on his
+part, was unwearied in promoting their comfort and well being at all
+other times.
+
+As the spring advanced the great magazines which Hannibal had brought
+with him became nearly exhausted, and no provisions could be obtained
+from the surrounding country, which had been completely ruined by the
+long presence of the two armies. It became, therefore, necessary to move
+from the position which he had occupied during the winter. The Romans
+possessed the great advantage over him of having magazines in their rear
+constantly replenished by their allies, and move where they might, they
+were sure of obtaining subsistence without difficulty. Thus, upon
+the march, they were unembarrassed by the necessity of taking a great
+baggage train with them, and, when halted, their general could keep
+his army together in readiness to strike a blow whenever an opportunity
+offered; while Hannibal, on the other hand, was forced to scatter a
+considerable portion of the army in search of provisions.
+
+The annual elections at Rome had just taken place, and Terentius Varro
+and Emilius Paulus had been chosen consuls. Emilius belonged to the
+aristocratic party, and had given proof of military ability three
+years before when he had commanded as consul in the Illyrian war. Varro
+belonged to the popular party, and is described by the historians of
+the period as a coarse and brutal demagogue, the son of a butcher, and
+having himself been a butcher. But he was unquestionably an able man,
+and possessed some great qualities. The praetor Marcellus, who had slain
+a Gaulish king with his own hand in the last Gaulish war, was at Ostia
+with a legion. He was destined to command the fleet and to guard the
+southern coasts of Italy, while another praetor, Lucius Postumius, with
+one legion, was in Cisalpine Gaul keeping down the tribes friendly to
+Carthage.
+
+But before the new consuls arrived to take the command of the army
+Hannibal had moved from Geronium.
+
+The great Roman magazine of Apulia was at Cannae, a town near the river
+Aulidus. This important place was but fifty miles by the shortest route
+across the plain from Geronium; but the Romans were unable to follow
+directly across the plain, for at this time the Carthaginians greatly
+outnumbered them in cavalry, and they would, therefore, have to take
+the road round the foot of the mountains, which was nearly seventy miles
+long; and yet, by some unaccountable blunder, they neglected to place a
+sufficient guard over their great magazines at Cannae to defend them for
+even a few days against a sudden attack.
+
+Hannibal saw the opportunity, and when spring was passing into summer
+broke up his camp and marched straight to Cannae, where the vast
+magazines of the Romans at once fell into his hands. He thus not only
+obtained possession of his enemy's supplies, but interposed between the
+Romans and the low lying district of Southern Apulia, where alone, at,
+this early season of the year, the corn was fully ripe.
+
+The Romans had now no choice but to advance and fight a battle for the
+recovery of their magazines, for, had they retired, the Apulians, who
+had already suffered terribly from the war, would, in sheer despair,
+have been forced to declare for Carthage, while it would have been
+extremely difficult to continue any longer the waiting tactics of
+Fabius, as they would now have been obliged to draw their provisions
+from a distance, while Hannibal could victual his army from the country
+behind him. The senate therefore, having largely reinforced the army,
+ordered the consuls to advance and give battle.
+
+They had under them eight full legions, or eighty thousand infantry and
+seven thousand two hundred cavalry. To oppose these Hannibal had forty
+thousand infantry and ten thousand excellent cavalry, of whom
+two thousand were Numidians. On the second day after leaving the
+neighbourhood of Geronium the Romans encamped at a distance of six miles
+from the Carthaginians. Here the usual difference of opinion at once
+arose between the Roman consuls, who commanded the army on alternate
+days. Varro wished to march against the enemy without delay, while
+Emilius was adverse to risking an engagement in a country which, being
+level and open, was favourable to the action of Hannibal's superior
+cavalry.
+
+On the following day Varro, whose turn it was to command, marched
+towards the hostile camp. Hannibal attacked the Roman advanced guard
+with his cavalry and light infantry, but Varro had supported his cavalry
+not only by his light troops, but by a strong body of his heavy armed
+infantry, and after an engagement, which lasted for several hours, he
+repulsed the Carthaginians with considerable loss.
+
+That evening the Roman army encamped about three miles from Cannae,
+on the right bank of the Aufidus. The next morning Emilius, who was in
+command, detached a third of his force across the river, and encamped
+them there for the purpose of supporting the Roman foraging parties on
+that side and of interrupting those of the Carthaginians.
+
+The next day passed quietly, but on the following morning Hannibal
+quitted his camp and formed his army in order of battle to tempt the
+Romans to attack; but Emilius, sensible that the ground was against him,
+would not move, but contented himself with further strengthening his
+camps. Hannibal, seeing that the Romans would not fight, detached his
+Numidian cavalry across the river to cut off the Roman foraging parties
+and to surround and harass their smaller camp on that side of the
+river. On the following morning Hannibal, knowing that Varro would be
+in command, and feeling sure that, with his impetuous disposition, the
+consul would be burning to avenge the insult offered by the surrounding
+of his camp by the Numidians, moved his army across the river, and
+formed it in order of battle, leaving eight thousand of his men to guard
+his camp.
+
+By thus doing he obtained a position which he could the better hold
+with his inferior forces, while the Romans, deeming that he intended
+to attack their camp on that side of the river, would be likely to move
+their whole army across and to give battle. This in fact Varro proceeded
+to do. Leaving ten thousand men in his own camp with orders to march out
+and attack that of Hannibal during the engagement, he led the rest of
+his troops over the river, and having united his force with that in
+the camp on the right bank, marched down the river until he faced the
+position which Hannibal had taken up.
+
+This had been skillfully chosen. The river, whose general course was
+east and west, made a loop, and across this Hannibal had drawn up his
+army with both wings resting upon the river. Thus the Romans could
+not outflank him, and the effect of their vastly superior numbers in
+infantry would to some extent be neutralized. The following was the
+disposition of his troops.
+
+The Spaniards and Gauls occupied the centre of the line of infantry. The
+Africans formed the two wings. On his left flank between the Africans
+and the river he placed his heavy African and Gaulish horse, eight
+thousand strong, while the two thousand Numidians were posted between
+the infantry and the river on the right flank. Hannibal commanded the
+centre of the army in person, Hanno the right wing, Hasdrubal the left
+wing; Maharbal commanded the cavalry.
+
+Varro placed his infantry in close and heavy order, so as to reduce
+their front to that of the Carthaginians. The Roman cavalry, numbering
+two thousand four hundred men, was on his right wing, and was thus
+opposed to Hannibal's heavy cavalry, eight thousand strong. The cavalry
+of the Italian allies, four thousand eight hundred strong, was on the
+left wing facing the Numidians.
+
+Emilius commanded the Roman right, Varro the left. The Carthaginians
+faced north, so that the wind, which was blowing strongly from the
+south, swept clouds of dust over their heads full into the faces of the
+enemy. The battle was commenced by the light troops on both sides,
+who fought for some time obstinately and courageously, but without any
+advantage to either. While this contest was going on, Hannibal advanced
+his centre so as to form a salient angle projecting in front of his
+line. The whole of the Gauls and Spaniards took part in this movement,
+while the Africans remained stationary; at the same time he launched his
+heavy cavalry against the Roman horse.
+
+The latter were instantly overthrown, and were driven from the field
+with great slaughter. Emilius himself was wounded, but managed to join
+the infantry. While the Carthaginian heavy horse were thus defeating
+the Roman cavalry, the Numidians maneuvered near the greatly superior
+cavalry of the Italian allies, and kept them occupied until the heavy
+horse, after destroying the Roman cavalry, swept round behind their
+infantry and fell upon the rear of the Italian horse, while the
+Numidians charged them fiercely in front.
+
+Thus caught in a trap the Italian horse were completely annihilated, and
+so, before the heavy infantry of the two armies met each other, not a
+Roman cavalry soldier remained alive and unwounded on the field.
+
+The Roman infantry now advanced to the charge, and from the nature of
+Hannibal's formation their centre first came in contact with the head of
+the salient angle formed by the Gauls and Spaniards. These resisted with
+great obstinacy. The principes, who formed the second line of the Roman
+infantry, came forward and joined the spearmen, and even the triarii
+pressed forward and joined in the fight. Fighting with extreme obstinacy
+the Carthaginian centre was forced gradually back until they were again
+in a line with the Africans on their flanks.
+
+The Romans had insensibly pressed in from both flanks upon the point
+where they had met with resistance, and now occupied a face scarcely
+more than half that with which they had begun the battle. Still further
+the Gauls and Spaniards were driven back until they now formed an angle
+in rear of the original line, and in this angle the whole of the Roman
+infantry in a confused mass pressed upon them. This was the moment for
+which Hannibal had waited. He wheeled round both his flanks, and the
+Africans, who had hitherto not struck a blow, now fell in perfect order
+upon the flanks of the Roman mass, while Hasdrubal with his victorious
+cavalry charged down like a torrent upon their rear. Then followed a
+slaughter unequalled in the records of history. Unable to open out, to
+fight, or to fly, with no quarter asked or given, the Romans and their
+Latin allies fell before the swords of their enemies, till, of the
+seventy thousand infantry which had advanced to the fight, forty
+thousand had fallen on the field. Three thousand were taken prisoners,
+seven thousand escaped to the small camp, and ten thousand made their
+way across the river to the large camp, where they joined the force
+which had been left there, and which had, in obedience to Varro's
+orders, attacked the Carthaginian camp, but had been repulsed with a
+loss of two thousand men. All the troops in both camps were forced
+to surrender on the following morning, and thus only fifteen thousand
+scattered fugitives escaped of the eighty-seven thousand two hundred
+infantry and cavalry under the command of the Roman consuls.
+
+Hannibal's loss in the battle of Cannae amounted to about six thousand
+men.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX: IN THE MINES
+
+
+The exultation of the Carthaginians at the total destruction of their
+enemies was immense, and Maharbal and some of the other leaders urged
+Hannibal at once to march upon Rome; but Hannibal knew the spirit of
+the Roman people, and felt that the capture of Rome, even after
+the annihilation of its army, would be a greater task than he could
+undertake. History has shown how desperate a defence may be made by
+a population willing to die rather than surrender, and the Romans, an
+essentially martial people, would defend their city until the last gasp.
+They had an abundance of arms, and there were the two city legions,
+which formed the regular garrison of the capital.
+
+The instant the news of the defeat reached Rome, a levy of all males
+over seventeen years of age was ordered, and this produced another ten
+thousand men and a thousand cavalry. Eight thousand slaves who were
+willing to serve were enlisted and armed, and four thousand criminals
+and debtors were released from prison and pardoned, on the condition of
+their taking up arms. The praetor Marcellus was at Ostia with the ten
+thousand men with which he was about to embark for Sicily.
+
+Thus Rome would be defended by forty-three thousand men, while Hannibal
+had but thirty-three thousand infantry, and his cavalry, the strongest
+arm of his force, would be useless. From Cannae to Rome was twelve days'
+march with an army encumbered with booty. He could not, therefore, hope
+for a surprise. The walls of Rome were exceedingly strong, and he had
+with him none of the great machines which would have been necessary for
+a siege. He must have carried with him the supplies he had accumulated
+for the subsistence of his force, and when these were consumed he would
+be destitute. Fresh Roman levies would gather on his rear, and before
+long his whole army would be besieged.
+
+In such an undertaking he would have wasted time, and lost the prestige
+which he had acquired by his astonishing victory. Varro, who had escaped
+from the battle, had rallied ten thousand of the fugitives at the strong
+place of Canusium, and these would be a nucleus round which the rest of
+those who had escaped would rally, and would be joined by fresh levies
+of the Italian allies of Rome.
+
+The Romans showed their confidence in their power to resist a siege by
+at once despatching Marcellus with his ten thousand men to Canusium.
+Thus, with a strongly defended city in front, an army of twenty thousand
+Roman soldiers, which would speedily increase to double that number, in
+his rear, Hannibal perceived that were he to undertake the siege of
+Rome he would risk all the advantages he had gained. He determined,
+therefore, to continue the policy which he had laid down for himself,
+namely, to move his army to and fro among the provinces of Italy until
+the allies of Rome one by one fell away from her, and joined him, or
+until such reinforcements arrived from Carthage as would justify him in
+undertaking the siege of Rome.
+
+Rome herself was never grander than in this hour of defeat; not for
+a moment was the courage and confidence of her citizens shaken. The
+promptness with which she prepared for defence, and still more the
+confidence which she showed by despatching Marcellus with his legion to
+Canusium instead of retaining him for the defence of the city, show a
+national spirit and manliness worthy of the highest admiration. Varro
+was ordered to hand over his command to Marcellus, and to return to Rome
+to answer before the senate for his conduct.
+
+Varro doubted not that his sentence would be death, for the Romans,
+like the Carthaginians, had but little mercy for a defeated general. His
+colleague and his army had undoubtedly been sacrificed by his rashness.
+Moreover, the senate was composed of his bitter political enemies, and
+he could not hope that a lenient view would be taken of his conduct.
+Nevertheless Varro returned to Rome and appeared before the senate. That
+body nobly responded to the confidence manifested in it; party feeling
+was suspended, the political adversary, the defeated general, were alike
+forgotten, it was only remembered how Varro had rallied his troops, how
+he had allayed the panic which prevailed among them, and had at once
+restored order and discipline. His courage, too, in thus appearing,
+after so great a disaster, to submit himself to the judgment of the
+country, counted in his favour. His faults were condoned, and the senate
+publicly thanked him, because he had not despaired of the commonwealth.
+
+Hannibal, in pursuance of his policy to detach the allies of Italy from
+Rome, dismissed all the Italian prisoners without ransom. The Roman
+prisoners he offered to admit to ransom, and a deputation of them
+accompanied an ambassador to offer terms of peace. The senate, however,
+not only refused to discuss any terms of peace, but absolutely forbade
+the families and friends of the prisoners to ransom them, thinking it
+politic neither to enrich their adversary nor to show indulgence to
+soldiers who had surrendered to the enemy.
+
+The victory of Cannae and Hannibal's clemency began to bear the effects
+which he hoped for. Apulia declared for him at once, and the towns
+of Arpi and Celapia opened their gates to him; Bruttium, Lucania, and
+Samnium were ready to follow. Mago with one division of the army was
+sent into Bruttium to take possession of such towns as might submit.
+Hanno was sent with another division to do the same in Lucania. Hannibal
+himself marched into Samnium, and making an alliance with the tribes,
+there stored his plunder, and proceeded into Campania, and entered
+Capua, the second city of Italy, which concluded an alliance with him.
+Mago embarked at one of the ports of Bruttium to carry the news of
+Hannibal's success to Carthage, and to demand reinforcements.
+
+Neither Rome nor Carthage had the complete mastery of the sea, and as
+the disaster which had befallen Rome by land would greatly lessen
+her power to maintain a large fleet, Carthage could now have poured
+reinforcements in by the ports of Bruttium without difficulty. But
+unfortunately Hannibal's bitterest enemies were to be found not in Italy
+but in the senate of Carthage, where, in spite of the appeals of Mago
+and the efforts of the patriotic party, the intrigues of Hanno and
+his faction and the demands made by the war in Spain, prevented the
+reinforcements from being forwarded which would have enabled him to
+terminate the struggle by the conquest of Rome.
+
+Hannibal, after receiving the submission of several other towns and
+capturing Casilinum, went into winter quarters at Capua. During the
+winter Rome made gigantic efforts to place her army upon a war footing,
+and with such success that, excluding the army of Scipio in Spain,
+she had, when the spring began, twelve legions or a hundred and twenty
+thousand men again under arms; and as no reinforcements, save some
+elephants and a small body of cavalry, ever reached Hannibal from
+Carthage, he was, during the remaining thirteen years of the war,
+reduced to stand wholly on the defensive, protecting his allies,
+harassing his enemy, and feeding his own army at their expense; and yet
+so great was the dread which his genius had excited that, in spite of
+their superior numbers, the Romans after Cannae never ventured again to
+engage him in a pitched battle.
+
+Soon after the winter set in Hannibal ordered Malchus to take a number
+of officers and a hundred picked men, and to cross from Capua to
+Sardinia, where the inhabitants had revolted against Rome, and were
+harassing the praetor, Quintus Mucius, who commanded the legion which
+formed the garrison of the island. Malchus and the officers under him
+were charged with the duty of organizing the wild peasantry of the
+island, and of drilling them in regular tactics; for unless acting
+as bodies of regular troops, however much they might harass the Roman
+legion, they could not hope to expel them from their country. Nessus of
+course accompanied Malchus.
+
+The party embarked in two of the Capuan galleys. They had not been many
+hours at sea when the weather, which had when they started been fine,
+changed suddenly, and ere long one of the fierce gales which are so
+frequent in the Mediterranean burst upon them. The wind was behind them,
+and there was nothing to do but to let the galleys run before it. The
+sea got up with great rapidity, and nothing but the high poops at their
+stern prevented the two galleys being sunk by the great waves which
+followed them. The oars were laid in, for it was impossible to use them
+in such a sea.
+
+As night came on the gale increased rather than diminished. The
+Carthaginian officers and soldiers remained calm and quiet in the storm,
+but the Capuan sailors gave themselves up to despair, and the men at the
+helm were only kept at their post by Malchus threatening to have them
+thrown overboard instantly if they abandoned it. After nightfall he
+assembled the officers in the cabin in the poop.
+
+“The prospects are bad,” he said. “The pilot tells me that unless the
+gale abates or the wind changes we shall, before morning, be thrown upon
+the coast of Sardinia, and that will be total destruction; for upon the
+side facing Italy the cliffs, for the most part, rise straight up from
+the water, the only port on that side being that at which the Romans
+have their chief castle and garrison. He tells me there is nothing to be
+done, and I see nought myself. Were we to try to bring the galley round
+to the wind she would be swamped in a moment, while even if we could
+carry out the operation, it would be impossible to row in the teeth of
+this sea. Therefore, my friends, there is nothing for us to do save
+to keep up the courage of the men, and to bid them hold themselves in
+readiness to seize upon any chance of getting to shore should the vessel
+strike.”
+
+All night the galley swept on before the storm. The light on the other
+boat had disappeared soon after darkness had set in. Half the soldiers
+and crew by turns were kept at work baling out the water which found its
+way over the sides, and several times so heavily did the seas break into
+her that all thought that she was lost. However, when morning broke she
+was still afloat. The wind had hardly shifted a point since it had begun
+to blow, and the pilot told Malchus that they must be very near to the
+coast of Sardinia. As the light brightened every eye was fixed ahead
+over the waste of angry foaming water. Presently the pilot, who was
+standing next to Malchus, grasped his arm.
+
+“There is the land,” he cried, “dead before us.”
+
+Not until a few minutes later could Malchus make out the faint outline
+through the driving mist. It was a lofty pile of rock standing by
+itself.
+
+“It is an island!” he exclaimed.
+
+“It is Caralis,” the pilot replied; “I know its outline well; we are
+already in the bay. Look to the right, you can make out the outline of
+the cliffs at its mouth, we have passed it already. You do not see the
+shore ahead because the rock on which Caralis stands rises from a level
+plain, and to the left a lagoon extends for a long way in; it is there
+that the Roman galleys ride. The gods have brought us to the only spot
+along the coast where we could approach it with a hope of safety.”
+
+“There is not much to rejoice at,” Malchus said; “we may escape the sea,
+but only to be made prisoners by the Romans.”
+
+“Nay, Malchus, the alternative is not so bad,” a young officer who was
+standing next to him said. “Hannibal has thousands of Roman prisoners in
+his hands, and we may well hope to be exchanged. After the last twelve
+hours any place on shore, even a Roman prison, is an elysium compared to
+the sea.”
+
+The outline of the coast was now clearly visible. The great rock of
+Caralis, now known as Cagliari, rose dark and threatening, the low
+shores of the bay on either side were marked by a band of white foam,
+while to the left of the rock was the broad lagoon, dotted with the
+black hulls of a number of ships and galleys rolling and tossing
+heavily, for as the wind blew straight into the bay the lagoon was
+covered with short, angry waves.
+
+The pilot now ordered the oars to be got out. The entrance to the lagoon
+was wide, but it was only in the middle that the channel was deep, and
+on either side of this long breakwaters of stone were run out from the
+shore, to afford a shelter to the shipping within. The sea was so rough
+that it was found impossible to use the oars, and they were again
+laid in and a small sail was hoisted. This enabled the head to be laid
+towards the entrance of the lagoon. For a time it was doubtful whether
+the galley could make it, but she succeeded in doing so, and then ran
+straight on towards the upper end of the harbour.
+
+“That is far enough,” the pilot said presently; “the water shoals fast
+beyond. We must anchor here.”
+
+The sail was lowered, the oars got out on one side, and the head of the
+galley brought to the wind. The anchor was then dropped. As the storm
+beaten galley ran right up the lagoon she had been viewed with curiosity
+and interest by those who were on board the ships at anchor. That she
+was an Italian galley was clear, and also that she was crowded with men,
+but no suspicion was entertained that these were Carthaginians.
+
+The anchor once cast Malchus held a council with the other officers.
+They were in the midst of foes, and escape seemed altogether impossible.
+Long before the gale abated sufficiently to permit them to put to sea
+again, they would be visited by boats from the other vessels to ask who
+they were and whence they came. As to fighting their way out it was out
+of the question, for there were a score of triremes in the bay, any
+one of which could crush the Capuan galley, and whose far greater speed
+rendered the idea of flight as hopeless as that of resistance. The
+council therefore agreed unanimously that the only thing to be done was
+to surrender without resistance.
+
+The storm continued for another twenty-four hours, then the wind died
+out almost as suddenly as it began.
+
+As soon as the sea began to abate two galleys were seen putting out from
+the town, and these rowed directly towards the ship. The fact that she
+had shown no flag had no doubt excited suspicion in the minds of the
+garrison. Each galley contained fifty soldiers. As they rowed alongside
+a Roman officer on the poop of one of the galleys hailed the ship, and
+demanded whence it came.
+
+“We are from Capua,” the pilot answered. “The gale has blown us across
+thence. I have on board fifty Carthaginian officers and soldiers, who
+now surrender to you.”
+
+As in those days, when vessels could with difficulty keep the sea in a
+storm, and in the event of a gale springing up were forced to run before
+it, it was by no means unusual for galleys to be blown into hostile
+ports, the announcement excited no great surprise.
+
+“Who commands the party?” the Roman officer asked.
+
+“I do,” Malchus replied. “I am Malchus, the son of Hamilcar, who was
+killed at the Trebia, a cousin of Hannibal and captain of his guard. I
+surrender with my followers, seeing that resistance is hopeless.”
+
+“It is hopeless,” the Roman replied, “and you are right not to throw
+away the lives of your men when there is no possibility of resistance.”
+
+As he spoke he stepped on board, ordered the anchor to be weighed, and
+the galley, accompanied by the two Roman boats, was rowed to the landing
+place. A messenger was at once sent up to Mucius to tell him what had
+happened, and the praetor himself soon appeared upon the spot. The
+officer acquainted him with the name and rank of the leader of the
+Carthaginian party, and said that there were with him two officers of
+noble families of the Carthaginians.
+
+“That is well,” the praetor said, “it is a piece of good fortune. The
+Carthaginians have so many of our officers in their hands, that it is
+well to have some whom we may exchange for them. Let them be landed.”
+
+As they left the ship the Carthaginians laid down their arms and armour.
+By this time a large number of the Roman garrison, among whom the
+news had rapidly spread, were assembled at the port. Many of the
+young soldiers had never yet seen a Carthaginian, and they looked
+with curiosity and interest at the men who had inflicted such terrible
+defeats upon the armies of the Romans. They were fine specimens of
+Hannibal's force, for the general had allowed Malchus to choose his own
+officers and men, and, knowing that strength, agility, and endurance
+would be needed for a campaign in so mountainous a country as Sardinia,
+he had picked both officers and men with great care.
+
+His second in command was his friend Trebon, who had long since obtained
+a separate command, but who, on hearing from Malchus of the expedition
+on which he was bound, had volunteered to accompany him. The men were
+all Africans accustomed to desert fighting and trained in warfare in
+Spain. The Romans, good judges of physical strength, could not repress
+a murmur of admiration at the sight of these sinewy figures. Less
+heavy than themselves, there was about them a spring and an elasticity
+resembling that of the tiger. Long use had hardened their muscles until
+they stood up like cords through their tawny skin, most of them bore
+numerous scars of wounds received in battle, and the Romans, as they
+viewed them, acknowledged to themselves what formidable opponents these
+men would be.
+
+A strong guard formed up on either side of the captives, and they were
+marched through the town to the citadel on the upper part of the rock.
+Here a large chamber, opening on to the courtyard, was assigned to the
+officers, while the men, who were viewed in the light of slaves, were at
+once set to work to carry stores up to the citadel from a ship which had
+arrived just as the storm broke.
+
+A fortnight later a vessel arrived from Rome with a message from
+the senate that they would not exchange prisoners, and that the
+Carthaginians were at once to be employed as slaves in the mines. The
+governor acquainted Malchus with the decision.
+
+“I am sorry,” he said, “indeed, that it is so; but the senate are
+determined that they will exchange no prisoners. Of course their view
+of the matter is, that when a Roman lays down his arms he disgraces
+himself, and the refusal to ransom him or allow him to be exchanged is
+intended to act as a deterrent to others. This may be fair enough in
+cases where large numbers surrender to a few, or where they lay down
+their arms when with courage and determination they might have cut their
+way through the enemy; but in cases where further resistance would be
+hopeless, in my mind men are justified in surrendering. However, I can
+only obey the orders I have received, and tomorrow must send you and
+your men to the mines.”
+
+As Malchus had seen the Iberian captives sent to labour as slaves in the
+mines in Spain, the fate thus announced to him did not appear surprising
+or barbarous. In those days captives taken in war were always made
+slaves when they were not put to death in cold blood, and although
+Hannibal had treated with marked humanity and leniency the Roman and
+Italian captives who had fallen into his hands, this had been the result
+of policy, and was by no means in accordance with the spirit in which
+war was then conducted. Accordingly, the next day the Carthaginians
+were, under a strong guard, marched away to the mines, which lay on the
+other side of the island, some forty miles due west of the port, and
+three miles from the western sea coast of the island. The road lay for
+some distance across a dead flat. The country was well cultivated and
+thickly studded with villages, for Rome drew a heavy tribute in corn
+annually from the island.
+
+After twenty miles' march they halted for the night, pursuing their way
+on the following morning. They had now entered a wide and fertile valley
+with lofty hills on either side. In some places there were stagnant
+marshes, and the officer in charge of the guard informed Malchus that in
+the autumn a pestilential miasma rose from these, rendering a sojourn in
+the valley fatal to the inhabitants of the mainland. The native people
+were wild and primitive in appearance, being clad chiefly in sheepskins.
+They lived in beehive shaped huts. The hills narrowed in towards the
+end of the day's march, and the valley terminated when the party arrived
+within half a mile of their destination. Here stood a small town named
+Metalla, with a strong Roman garrison, which supplied guards over the
+slaves employed in working the mines. This town is now called Iglesias.
+
+The principal mine was situated in a narrow valley running west from the
+town down to the sea coast. The officer in command of the escort handed
+over Malchus and his companions to the charge of the officer at the head
+mining establishment.
+
+Malchus was surprised at the large number of people gathered at the
+spot. They lived for the most part in low huts constructed of boughs or
+sods, and ranged in lines at the bottom of the valley or along the lower
+slopes of the hill. A cordon of Roman sentries was placed along the
+crest of the hill at either side, and a strong guard was posted in a
+little camp in the centre of the valley, in readiness to put down any
+tumult which might arise.
+
+The great majority of the slaves gathered there were Sards, men
+belonging to tribes which had risen in insurrection against the Romans.
+There were with them others of their countrymen who were not like them
+slaves, though their condition was but little better except that they
+received a nominal rate of payment. These were called free labourers,
+but their labour was as much forced as was that of the slaves--each
+district in the island being compelled to furnish a certain amount
+of labourers for this or the mines further to the north. The men so
+conscripted were changed once in six months. With the Sards were mingled
+people of many nations. Here were Sicilians and members of many Italian
+tribes conquered by the Romans, together with Gauls from the northern
+plains and from Marseilles.
+
+There were many mines worked in different parts of the island, but
+Metalla was the principal. The labour, in days when gunpowder had not
+become the servant of man, was extremely hard. The rocks had to be
+pierced with hand labour, the passages and galleries were of the
+smallest possible dimensions, the atmosphere was stifling; consequently
+the mortality was great, and it was necessary to keep up a constant
+importation of labour.
+
+“If these people did but possess a particle of courage,” Trebon said,
+“they would rise, overpower the guard, and make for the forests. The
+whole island is, as the officer who brought us here told us, covered
+with mountains with the exception of the two broad plains running
+through it; as we could see the hills are covered with woods, and the
+whole Roman army could not find them if they once escaped.”
+
+“That is true enough,” Malchus said, “but there must be at least five or
+six thousand slaves here. How could these find food among the mountains?
+They might exist for a time upon berries and grain, but they would in
+the end be forced to go into the valleys for food, and would then be
+slaughtered by the Romans. Nevertheless a small body of men could no
+doubt subsist among the hills, and the strength of the guard you see on
+the heights shows that attempts to escape are not rare. Should we find
+our existence intolerable here, we will at any rate try to escape. There
+are fifty of us, and if we agreed in common action we could certainly
+break through the guards and take to the hills. As you may see by their
+faces, the spirit of these slaves is broken. See how bent most of them
+are by their labour, and how their shoulders are wealed by the lashes of
+their taskmasters!”
+
+The officer in charge of the mines told Malchus that he should not put
+him and the other two officers to labour, but would appoint them as
+overseers over gangs of the men, informing them that he had a brother
+who was at present a captive in the hands of Hannibal; and he trusted
+that Malchus, should he have an opportunity, would use his kind offices
+on his behalf.
+
+One of the lines of huts near the Roman camp was assigned to the
+Carthaginians, and that evening they received rations of almost black
+bread similar to those served out to the others. The following morning
+they were set to work. Malchus and his two friends found their tasks by
+no means labourious, as they were appointed to look after a number of
+Sards employed in breaking up and sorting the lead ore as it was brought
+up from the mine. The men, however, returned in the evening worn out
+with toil. All had been at work in the mines. Some had had to crawl long
+distances through passages little more than three feet high and one foot
+wide, until they reached the broad lode of lead ore.
+
+Here some of the party had been set to work, others had been employed in
+pushing on the little galleries, and there had sat for hours working
+in a cramped position, with pick, hammer, and wedge. Others had been
+lowered by ropes down shafts so narrow that when they got to the bottom
+it was only with extreme difficulty that they were able to stoop to work
+at the rock beneath their feet. Many, indeed, of these old shafts have
+been found in the mines of Montepone, so extremely narrow that it is
+supposed that they must have been bored by slaves lowered by ropes, head
+foremost, it appearing absolutely impossible for a man to stoop to work
+if lowered in the ordinary way.
+
+The Carthaginians, altogether unaccustomed to work of this nature,
+returned to their huts at night utterly exhausted, cramped, and aching
+in every limb. Many had been cruelly beaten for not performing the tasks
+assigned to them. All were filled with a dull despairing rage. In the
+evening a ration of boiled beans, with a little native wine, was served
+out to each, the quantity of the food being ample, it being necessary to
+feed the slaves well to enable them to support their fatigues.
+
+After three days of this work five or six of the captives were so
+exhausted that they were unable to take their places with the gang when
+ordered for work in the morning. They were, however, compelled by blows
+to rise and take their places with the rest. Two of them died during the
+course of the day in their stifling working places; another succumbed
+during the night; several, too, were attacked by the fever of the
+country. Malchus and his friends were full of grief and rage at the
+sufferings of their men.
+
+“Anything were better than this,” Malchus said. “A thousand times better
+to fall beneath the swords of the Romans than to die like dogs in the
+holes beneath that hill!”
+
+“I quite agree with you, Malchus,” Halco, the other officer with the
+party, said, “and am ready to join you in any plan of escape, however
+desperate.”
+
+“The difficulty is about arms,” Trebon observed. “We are so closely
+watched that it is out of the question to hope that we should succeed in
+getting possession of any. The tools are all left in the mines; and as
+the men work naked, there is no possibility of their secreting any.
+The stores here are always guarded by a sentry; and although we might
+overpower him, the guard would arrive long before we could break through
+the solid doors. Of course if we could get the other slaves to join us,
+we might crush the guard even with stones.”
+
+“That is out of the question,” Malchus said. “In the first place, they
+speak a strange language, quite different to the Italians. Then, were
+we seen trying to converse with any of them, suspicions might be roused;
+and even could we get the majority to join us, there would be many who
+would be only too glad to purchase their own freedom by betraying the
+plot to the Romans. No, whatever we do must be done by ourselves alone;
+and for arms we must rely upon stones, and upon the stoutest stakes we
+can draw out from our huts. The only time that we have free to ourselves
+is the hour after work is over, when we are allowed to go down to the
+stream to wash and to stroll about as we will until the trumpet sounds
+to order us to retire to our huts for the night.
+
+“It is true that at that time the guards are particularly vigilant, and
+that we are not allowed to gather into knots; and an Italian slave I
+spoke to yesterday told me that he dared not speak to me, for the place
+swarms with spies, and that any conversation between us would be sure
+to be reported, and those engaged in it put to the hardest and cruelest
+work. I propose, therefore, that tomorrow--for if it is to be done, the
+sooner the better, before the men lose all their strength--the men shall
+on their return from work at once eat their rations; then each man,
+hiding a short stick under his garment and wrapping a few heavy stones
+in the corner of his robe, shall make his way up towards the top of the
+hill above the mine.
+
+“No two men must go together--all must wander as if aimlessly among the
+huts. When they reach the upper line on that side and see me, let all
+rapidly close up, and we will make a sudden rush at the sentries above.
+They cannot get more than five or six together in time to oppose us, and
+we shall be able to beat them down with our stones. Once through them,
+the heavy armed men will never be able to overtake us till we reach the
+forest, which begins, I believe, about half a mile beyond the top.”
+
+The other two officers at once agreed to the plan; and when the camp was
+still Malchus crept cautiously from hut to hut, telling his men of the
+plan that had been formed and giving orders for the carrying of it out.
+
+All assented cheerfully; for although the stronger were now becoming
+accustomed to their work, and felt less exhausted than they had done the
+first two days, there was not one but felt that he would rather suffer
+death than endure this terrible fate. Malchus impressed upon them
+strongly that it was of the utmost consequence to possess themselves of
+the arms of any Roman soldiers they might overthrow, as they would to
+a great extent be compelled to rely upon these to obtain food among the
+mountains.
+
+Even the men who were most exhausted, and those stricken with fever,
+seemed to gain strength at once at the prospect of a struggle for
+liberty, and when the gang turned out in the morning for work none
+lagged behind.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX: THE SARDINIAN FORESTS
+
+
+The Carthaginians returned in the evening in groups from the various
+scenes of their labour and without delay consumed the provisions
+provided for them. Then one by one they sauntered away down towards
+the stream. Malchus was the last to leave, and having seen that all his
+followers had preceded him, he, too, crossed the stream, paused a moment
+at a heap of debris from the mine, and picking up three or four pieces
+of rock about the size of his fist, rolled them in the corner of his
+garment, and holding this in one hand moved up the hill.
+
+Here and there he paused a moment as if interested in watching the
+groups of slaves eating their evening meal, until at last he reached the
+upper line of little huts. Between these and the hill top upon which
+the sentries stood was a distance of about fifty yards, which was kept
+scrupulously clear to enable them to watch the movements of any man
+going beyond the huts. The sentries were some thirty paces apart, so
+that, as Malchus calculated, not more than four or five of them could
+assemble before he reached them, if they did not previously perceive
+anything suspicious which might put them on the alert.
+
+Looking round him Malchus saw his followers scattered about among the
+slaves at a short distance. Standing behind the shelter of the hut he
+raised his hand, and all began to move towards him. As there was nothing
+in their attire, which consisted of one long cloth wound round them,
+to distinguish them from the other slaves, the movement attracted no
+attention from the sentries, who were, from their position, able to
+overlook the low huts.
+
+When he saw that all were close, Malchus gave a shout and dashed up the
+hill, followed by his comrades.
+
+The nearest sentry, seeing a body of fifty men suddenly rushing towards
+him, raised a shout, and his comrades from either side ran towards him;
+but so quickly was the movement performed that but five had gathered
+when the Carthaginians reached them, although many others were running
+towards the spot. The Carthaginians, when they came close to their
+levelled spears, poured upon them a shower of heavy stones, which
+knocked two of them down and so bruised and battered the others that
+they went down at once when the Carthaginians burst upon them.
+
+The nearest Romans halted to await the arrival of their comrades coming
+up behind them, and the Carthaginians, seizing the swords, spears, and
+shields of their fallen foes, dashed on at full speed. The Romans soon
+followed, but with the weight of their weapons, armour, and helmets
+they were speedily distanced, and the fugitives reached the edge of the
+forest in safety and dashed into its recesses.
+
+After running for some distance they halted, knowing that the Romans
+would not think of pursuing except with a large force. The forests which
+covered the mountains of Sardinia were for the most part composed of
+evergreen oak, with, in some places, a thick undergrowth of shrubs and
+young trees. Through this the Carthaginians made their way with some
+difficulty, until, just as it became dark, they reached the bottom of a
+valley comparatively free of trees and through which ran a clear stream.
+
+“Here we will halt for the night,” Malchus said; “there is no fear of
+the Romans pursuing at once, if indeed they do so at all, for their
+chance of finding us in these mountains, covered with hundreds of square
+miles of forests, is slight indeed; however, we will at once provide
+ourselves with weapons.”
+
+The five Roman swords were put into requisition, and some straight
+young saplings were felled, and their points being sharpened they were
+converted into efficient spears, each some fourteen feet long.
+
+“It is well we have supped,” Malchus said; “our breakfast will depend
+on ourselves. Tomorrow we must keep a sharp lookout for smoke rising
+through the trees; there are sure to be numbers of charcoal burners in
+the forest, for upon them the Romans depend for their fuel. One of the
+first things to do is to obtain a couple of lighted brands. A fire is
+essential for warmth among these hills, even putting aside its uses for
+cooking.”
+
+“That is when we have anything to cook,” Halco said laughingly.
+
+“That is certainly essential,” Malchus agreed; “but there is sure to be
+plenty of wild boar and deer among these forests. We have only to find a
+valley with a narrow entrance, and post ourselves there and send all the
+men to form a circle on the hills around it and drive them down to us;
+besides, most likely we shall come across herds of goats and pigs, which
+the villagers in the lower valleys will send up to feed on the acorns. I
+have no fear but we shall be able to obtain plenty of flesh; as to corn,
+we have only to make a raid down into the plain, and when we have found
+out something about the general lay of the country, the hills and the
+extent of the forest, we will choose some spot near its centre and
+erect huts there. If it were not for the peasants we might live here
+for years, for all the Roman forces in Sardinia would be insufficient to
+rout us out of these mountains; but unfortunately, as we shall have to
+rob the peasants, they will act as guides to the Romans, and we shall be
+obliged to keep a sharp lookout against surprise. If it gets too hot for
+us we must make a night march across the plain to the mountains on the
+eastern side. I heard at Caralis that the wild part there is very much
+larger than it is on this side of the island, and it extends without a
+break from the port right up to the north of the island.”
+
+Safe as he felt from pursuit Malchus posted four men as sentries, and
+the rest of the band lay down to sleep, rejoicing in the thought that on
+the morrow they should not be wakened to take their share in the labours
+in the mine.
+
+At daybreak all were on the move, and a deep spot having been found
+in the stream, they indulged in the luxury of a bath. That done they
+started on the march further into the heart of the forest. The hills
+were of great height, with bare crags often beetling up among the trees
+hundreds of feet, with deep valleys and rugged precipices. In crossing
+one of these valleys Nessus suddenly lifted his hand.
+
+“What is it?” Malchus asked.
+
+“I heard a pig grunt,” Nessus replied, “on our right there.”
+
+Malchus at once divided the band in two and told them to proceed as
+quietly as possible along the lower slopes of the hill, leaving a man at
+every fifteen paces.
+
+When all had been posted, the ends of the line were to descend until
+they met in the middle of the valley, thus forming a circle. A shout
+was to tell the rest that this was done, and then all were to move down
+until they met in the centre. One officer went with each party, Malchus
+remained at the spot where he was standing. In ten minutes the signal
+was heard, and then all moved forward, shouting as they went, and
+keeping a sharp lookout between the trees to see that nothing passed
+them. As the narrowing circle issued into the open ground at the bottom
+of the valley there was a general shout of delight, for, huddled down
+by a stream, grunting and screaming with fright, was a herd of forty
+or fifty pigs, with a peasant, who appeared stupefied with alarm at the
+sudden uproar.
+
+On seeing the men burst out with their levelled spears from the wood,
+the Sard gave a scream of terror and threw himself upon his face. When
+the Carthaginians came up to him Malchus stirred him with his foot, but
+he refused to move; he then pricked him with the Roman spear he held,
+and the man leaped to his feet with a shout. Malchus told him in Italian
+that he was free to go, but that the swine must be confiscated for the
+use of his followers. The man did not understand his words, but, seeing
+by his gestures that he was free to go, set off at the top of his speed,
+hardly believing that he could have escaped with his life, and in no
+way concerned at the loss of the herd. This was, indeed, the property of
+various individuals in one of the villages at the foot of the hills--it
+being then, as now, the custom for several men owning swine to send them
+together under the charge of a herdsman into the mountains, where for
+months together they live in a half wild state on acorns and roots, a
+villager going up occasionally with supplies of food for the swineherd.
+
+No sooner had the peasant disappeared than a shout from one of the men
+some fifty yards away called the attention of Malchus.
+
+“Here is the man's fire, my lord.”
+
+A joyous exclamation rose from the soldiers, for, the thought of all
+this meat and no means of cooking it was tantalizing every one. Malchus
+hurried to the spot, where, indeed, was a heap of still glowing embers.
+Some of the men at once set to work to collect dried sticks, and in a
+few minutes a great fire was blazing. One of the pigs was slaughtered
+and cut up into rations, and in a short time each man was cooking his
+portion stuck on a stick over the fire.
+
+A smaller fire was lit for the use of the officers a short distance
+away, and here Nessus prepared their share of the food for Malchus
+and his two companions. After the meal the spears were improved by the
+points being hardened in the fire. When they were in readiness to march
+two of the men were told off as fire keepers, and each of these took two
+blazing brands from the fire, which, as they walked, they kept crossed
+before them, the burning points keeping each other alight. Even with one
+man there would be little chance of losing the fire, but with two such a
+misfortune could scarcely befall them.
+
+A party of ten men took charge of the herd of swine, and the whole
+then started for the point they intended to make to in the heart of
+the mountains. Before the end of the day a suitable camping place was
+selected in a watered valley. The men then set to work to cut down
+boughs and erect arbours. Fires were lighted and another pig being
+killed those who preferred it roasted his flesh over the fire, while
+others boiled their portions, the Roman shields being utilized as pans.
+
+“What do you think of doing, Malchus?” Halco asked as they stretched
+themselves out on a grassy bank by the stream when they had finished
+their meal. “We are safe here, and in these forests could defy the
+Romans to find us for months. Food we can get from the villages at the
+foot of the hills, and there must be many swine in the forest beside
+this herd which we have captured. The life will not be an unpleasant
+one, but--” and he stopped.
+
+“But you don't wish to end your days here,” Malchus put in for him, “nor
+do I. It is pleasant enough, but every day we spend here is a waste of
+our lives, and with Hannibal and our comrades combating the might of
+Rome we cannot be content to live like members of the savage tribes
+here. I have no doubt that we shall excite such annoyance and alarm by
+our raids among the villages in the plains that the Romans will ere long
+make a great effort to capture us, and doubtless they will enlist the
+natives in their search. Still, we may hope to escape them, and there
+are abundant points among these mountains where we may make a stand
+and inflict such heavy loss upon them that they will be glad to come to
+terms. All I would ask is that they shall swear by their gods to treat
+us well and to convey us as prisoners of war to Rome, there to remain
+until exchanged. In Rome we could await the course of events patiently.
+Hannibal may capture the city. The senate, urged by the relatives of the
+many prisoners we have taken, may agree to make an exchange, and we may
+see chances of our making our escape. At any rate we shall be in the
+world and shall know what is going on.”
+
+“But could we not hold out and make them agree to give us our freedom?”
+
+“I do not think so,” Malchus said. “It would be too much for Roman pride
+to allow a handful of escaped prisoners to defy them in that way, and
+even if the prefect of this island were to agree to the terms, I do not
+believe that the senate would ratify them. We had better not ask too
+much. For myself I own to a longing to see Rome. As Carthage holds
+back and will send no aid to Hannibal, I have very little hope of ever
+entering it as a conqueror, and rather than not see it at all I would
+not mind entering it as a prisoner. There are no mines to work there,
+and the Romans, with so vast a number of their own people in the hands
+of Hannibal, would not dare to treat us with any cruelty or severity.
+
+“Here it is different. No rumour of our fate will ever reach Hannibal,
+and had every one of us died in those stifling mines he would never have
+been the wiser.”
+
+The two officers both agreed with Malchus; as for the soldiers, they
+were all too well pleased with their present liberty and their escape
+from the bondage to give a thought to the morrow.
+
+The next day Malchus and his companions explored the hills of the
+neighbourhood, and chose several points commanding the valleys by which
+their camp could be approached, as lookout places. Trees were cleared
+away, vistas cut, and wood piled in readiness for making bonfires, and
+two sentries were placed at each of these posts, their orders being to
+keep a vigilant lookout all over the country, to light a fire instantly
+the approach of any enemy was perceived, and then to descend to the camp
+to give particulars as to his number and the direction of his march.
+
+A few days later, leaving ten men at the camp with full instructions as
+to what to do in case of an alarm by the enemy, Malchus set out with the
+rest of the party across the mountains. The sun was their only guide
+as to the direction of their course, and it was late in the afternoon
+before they reached the crest of the easternmost hills and looked down
+over the wide plain which divides the island into two portions. Here
+they rested until the next morning, and then, starting before daybreak,
+descended the slopes. They made their way to a village of some size at
+the mouth of a valley, and were unnoticed until they entered it. Most
+of the men were away in the fields; a few resisted, but were speedily
+beaten down by the short heavy sticks which the Carthaginians carried in
+addition to their spears.
+
+Malchus had given strict orders that the latter weapons were not to be
+used, that no life was to be taken, and that no one was to be hurt or
+ill used unless in the act of offering resistance. For a few minutes the
+confusion was great, women and children running about screaming in wild
+alarm. They were, however, pacified when they found that no harm was
+intended.
+
+On searching the village large stores of grain were discovered and
+abundance of sacks were also found, and each soldier filled one of these
+with as much grain as he could conveniently carry. A number of other
+articles which would be useful to them were also taken--cooking pots,
+wooden platters, knives, and such arms as could be found. Laden with
+these the Carthaginians set out on their return to camp. Loaded as they
+were it was a long and toilsome journey, and they would have had
+great difficulty in finding their way back had not Malchus taken
+the precaution of leaving four or five men at different points with
+instructions to keep fires of damp wood burning so that the smoke should
+act as a guide. It was, however, late on the second day after their
+leaving the village before they arrived in camp. Here the men set to
+work to crush the grain between flat stones, and soon a supply of rough
+cakes were baking in the embers.
+
+A month passed away. Similar raids to the first were made when the
+supplies became exhausted, and as at the second village they visited
+they captured six donkeys, which helped to carry up the burdens, the
+journeys were less fatiguing than on the first occasion. One morning as
+the troop were taking their breakfast a column of bright smoke rose from
+one of the hill tops. The men simultaneously leaped to their feet.
+
+“Finish your breakfast,” Malchus said, “there will be plenty of time.
+Slay two more hogs and cut them up. Let each man take three or four
+pounds of flesh and a supply of meal.”
+
+Just as the preparations were concluded the two men from the lookout
+arrived and reported that a large force was winding along one of the
+valleys. There were now but six of the herd of swine left--these were
+driven into the forest. The grain and other stores were also carried
+away and carefully hidden, and the band, who were now all well armed
+with weapons taken in the different raids on the villages, marched away
+from their camp.
+
+Malchus had already with his two comrades explored all the valleys in
+the neighbourhood of the camp, and had fixed upon various points
+for defence. One of these was on the line by which the enemy were
+approaching. The valley narrowed in until it was almost closed
+by perpendicular rocks on either side. On the summit of these the
+Carthaginians took their post. They could now clearly make out the
+enemy; there were upwards of a thousand Roman troops, and they were
+accompanied by fully five hundred natives.
+
+When the head of the column approached the narrow path of the valley
+the soldiers halted and the natives went on ahead to reconnoitre. They
+reported that all seemed clear, and the column then moved forward. When
+it reached the gorge a shout was heard above and a shower of rocks fell
+from the crags, crushing many of the Romans. Their commander at once
+recalled the soldiers, and these then began to climb the hillside,
+wherever the ground permitted their doing so. After much labour they
+reached the crag from which they had been assailed, but found it
+deserted.
+
+All day the Romans searched the woods, but without success. The
+natives were sent forward in strong parties. Most of these returned
+unsuccessful, but two of them were suddenly attacked by the
+Carthaginians, and many were slaughtered.
+
+For four days the Romans pursued their search in the forest, but never
+once did they obtain a glimpse of the Carthaginians save when, on
+several occasions, the latter appeared suddenly in places inaccessible
+from below and hurled down rocks and stones upon them. The Sards had
+been attacked several times, and were so disheartened by the losses
+inflicted upon them that they now refused to stir into the woods unless
+accompanied by the Romans.
+
+At the end of the fourth day, feeling it hopeless any longer to pursue
+the fugitive band over these forest covered mountains, the Roman
+commander ordered the column to move back towards its starting place. He
+had lost between forty and fifty of his men and upwards of a hundred of
+the Sards had been killed. Just as he reached the edge of the forest he
+was overtaken by one of the natives.
+
+“I have been a prisoner in the hands of the Carthaginians,” the man
+said, “and their leader released me upon my taking an oath to deliver a
+message to the general.” The man was at once brought before the officer.
+
+“The leader of the escaped slaves bids me tell you,” he said, “that had
+you ten times as many men with you it would be vain for you to attempt
+to capture them. You searched, in these four days, but a few square
+miles of the forest, and, although he was never half a mile away from
+you, you did not succeed in capturing him. There are hundreds of square
+miles, and, did he choose to elude you, twenty thousand men might search
+in vain. He bids me say that he could hold out for years and harry all
+the villages of the plains; but he and his men do not care for living
+the life of a mountain tribe, and he is ready to discuss terms of
+surrender with you, and will meet you outside the forest here with two
+men with him if you on your part will be here with the same number at
+noon tomorrow. He took before me a solemn oath that he will keep the
+truce inviolate, and requires you to do the same. I have promised to
+take back your answer.”
+
+The Roman commander was greatly vexed at his non-success, and at the
+long continued trouble which he saw would arise from the presence of
+this determined band in the mountains. They would probably be joined by
+some of the recently subdued tribes, and would be a thorn in the side of
+the Roman force holding the island. He was, therefore, much relieved by
+this unexpected proposal.
+
+“Return to him who sent you,” he said, “and tell him that I, Publius
+Manlius, commander of that portion of the 10th Legion here, do hereby
+swear before the gods that I will hold the truce inviolate, and that I
+will meet him here with two officers, as he proposes, at noon tomorrow.”
+
+At the appointed hour Malchus, with the two officers, standing just
+inside the edge of the forest, saw the Roman general advancing with two
+companions; they at once went forward to meet them.
+
+“I am come,” Malchus said, “to offer to surrender to you on certain
+terms. I gave you my reasons in the message I yesterday sent you. With
+my band here I could defy your attempts to capture me for years, but I
+do not care to lead the life of a mountain robber. Hannibal treats his
+captives mercifully, and the treatment which was bestowed upon me and my
+companions, who were not even taken in fair fight, but were blown by a
+tempest into your port, was a disgrace to Rome. My demand is this,
+that we shall be treated with the respect due to brave men, that we be
+allowed to march without guard or escort down to the port, where we will
+go straight on board a vessel there prepared for us. We will then
+lay down our arms and surrender as prisoners of war, under the solemn
+agreement taken and signed by you and the governor of the island, and
+approved and ratified by the senate of Rome, that, in the first place,
+the garments and armour of which we were deprived when captured, shall
+be restored to us, and that we shall then be conveyed in the ship to
+Rome, there to remain as prisoners of war until exchanged, being sent
+nowhere else, and suffering no pains or penalties whatever for what has
+taken place on this island.”
+
+The Roman general was surprised and pleased with the moderation of
+the demand. He had feared that Malchus would have insisted upon being
+restored with his companions to the Carthaginian army in Italy. Such
+a proposition he would have been unwilling to forward to Rome, for it
+would have been a confession that all the Roman force in the island was
+incapable of overcoming this handful of desperate men, and he did not
+think that the demand if made would have been agreed to by the senate.
+The present proposition was vastly more acceptable. He could report
+without humiliation that the Carthaginian slaves had broken loose
+and taken to the mountains, where there would be great difficulty in
+pursuing them, and they would serve as a nucleus round which would
+assemble all the disaffected in the island; and could recommend that,
+as they only demanded to be sent to Rome as prisoners of war, instead
+of being kept in the island, the terms should be agreed to. After a
+moment's delay, therefore, he replied:
+
+“I agree to your terms, sir, as far as I am concerned, and own they
+appear to me as moderate and reasonable. I will draw out a document,
+setting them forth and my acceptance of them, and will send it at once
+to the prefect, praying him to sign it, and to forward it to Rome for
+the approval of the senate. Pending an answer I trust that you will
+abstain from any further attacks upon the villages.”
+
+“It may be a fortnight before the answer returns,” Malchus replied;
+“but if you will send up to this point a supply of cattle and flour
+sufficient for our wants till the answer comes, I will promise to
+abstain from all further action.”
+
+To this the Roman readily agreed, and for a fortnight Malchus and
+his friends amused themselves by hunting deer and wild boar among the
+mountains. After a week had passed a man had been sent each day to the
+spot agreed upon to see if any answer had been received from Rome. It
+was nearly three weeks before he brought a message to Malchus that the
+terms had been accepted, and that the Roman commander would meet him
+there on the following day with the document. The interview took place
+as arranged, and the Roman handed to Malchus the document agreeing to
+the terms proposed, signed by himself and the prefect, and ratified by
+the senate. He said that if Malchus with his party would descend into
+the road on the following morning three miles below Metalla they would
+find an escort of Roman soldiers awaiting them, and that a vessel would
+be ready at the port for them to embark upon their arrival.
+
+Next day, accordingly, Malchus with his companions left the forest, and
+marched down to the valley in military order. At the appointed spot
+they found twenty Roman soldiers under an officer. The latter saluted
+Malchus, and informed him that his orders were to escort them to the
+port, and to see that they suffered no molestation or interference at
+the hands of the natives on their march. Two days' journey took them to
+Caralis, and in good order and with proud bearing they marched through
+the Roman soldiers, who assembled in the streets to view so strange a
+spectacle. Arrived at the port they embarked on board the ship prepared
+for them, and there piled their arms on deck. A Roman officer received
+them, and handed over, in accordance with the terms of the agreement,
+the whole of the clothing and armour of which they had been deprived.
+A guard of soldiers then marched on board, and an hour later the sails
+were hoisted and the vessel started for her destination.
+
+Anxiously Malchus and his companions gazed round the horizon in hopes
+that some galleys of Capua or Carthage might appear in sight, although
+indeed they had but small hopes of seeing them, for no Carthaginian ship
+would be likely to be found so near the coast of Italy, except indeed if
+bound with arms for the use of the insurgents in the northern mountains
+of Sardinia. However, no sail appeared in sight until the ship entered
+the mouth of the Tiber. As they ascended the river, and the walls and
+towers of Rome were seen in the distance, the prisoners forgot their own
+position in the interest excited by the appearance of the great rival of
+Carthage.
+
+At that time Rome possessed but little of the magnificence which
+distinguished her buildings in the days of the emperors. Everything was
+massive and plain, with but slight attempt at architectural adornment.
+The temples of the gods rose in stately majesty above the mass of
+buildings, but even these were far inferior in size and beauty to those
+of Carthage, while the size of the city was small indeed in comparison
+to the wide spreading extent of its African rival.
+
+The vessel anchored in the stream until the officer in command landed
+to report his arrival with the prisoners and to receive instructions.
+An hour later he returned, the prisoners were landed and received by a
+strong guard of spearmen at the water gate. The news had spread rapidly
+through the city. A crowd of people thronged the streets, while at the
+windows and on the roofs were gathered numbers of ladies of the upper
+classes. A party of soldiers led the way, pushing back the crowd as they
+advanced. A line of spearmen marched on either side of the captives, and
+a strong guard brought up the rear to prevent the crowd from pressing
+in there. Malchus walked at the head of the prisoners, followed by his
+officers, after whom came the soldiers walking two and two.
+
+There was no air of dejection in the bearing of the captives, and they
+faced the regards of the hostile crowd with the air rather of conquerors
+than of prisoners. They remembered that it was but by accident that they
+had fallen into the hands of the Romans, that in the battlefield they
+had proved themselves over and over again more than a match for the
+soldiers of Rome, and that it was the walls of the city alone which had
+prevented their marching through her streets as triumphant conquerors.
+
+It was no novel sight in Rome for Carthaginian prisoners to march
+through the streets, for in the previous campaigns large numbers of
+Carthaginians had been captured; but since Hannibal crossed the Alps and
+carried his victorious army through Italy, scarce a prisoner had been
+brought to Rome, while tens of thousands of Romans had fallen into the
+hands of Hannibal. The lower class of the population of Rome were at all
+times rough and brutal, and the captives were assailed with shouts of
+exultation, with groans and menaces, and with bitter curses by those
+whose friends and relatives had fallen in the wars.
+
+The better classes at the windows and from the housetops abstained
+from any demonstration, but watched the captives as they passed with
+a critical eye, and with expressions of admiration at their fearless
+bearing and haughty mien.
+
+“Truly, that youth who marches at their head might pose for a
+Carthaginian Apollo, Sempronius,” a Roman matron said as she sat at the
+balcony of a large mansion at the entrance to the Forum. “I have seldom
+seen a finer face. See what strength his limbs show, although he walks
+as lightly as a girl. I have a fancy to have him as a slave; he would
+look well to walk behind me and carry my mantle when I go abroad. See to
+it, Sempronius; as your father is the military praetor, you can manage
+this for me without trouble.”
+
+“I will do my best, Lady Flavia,” the young Roman said; “but there may
+be difficulties.”
+
+“What difficulties?” Flavia demanded imperiously. “I suppose the
+Carthaginians will as usual be handed over as slaves; and who should
+have a better right to choose one among them than I, whose husband,
+Tiberius Gracchus, is Consul of Rome?”
+
+“None assuredly,” Sempronius replied. “It was only because, as I hear,
+that youth is a cousin of Hannibal himself, and, young as he is, the
+captain of his bodyguard, and I thought that my father might intend to
+confine him in the prison for better security.”
+
+Flavia waved her hand imperiously.
+
+“When did you ever hear of a slave escaping from Rome, Sempronius? Are
+not the walls high and strong, and the sentries numerous? And even did
+they pass these, would not the badge of slavery betray them at once to
+the first who met them without, and they would be captured and brought
+back? No, I have set my mind upon having him as a slave. He will go well
+with that Gaulish maiden whom Postumius sent me from the banks of the
+Po last autumn. I like my slaves to be as handsome as my other
+surroundings, and I see no reason why I should be baulked of my fancy.”
+
+“I will do my best to carry out your wishes, Lady Flavia,” Sempronius
+replied deferentially, for the wife of the consul was an important
+personage in Rome. Her family was one of the most noble and powerful in
+the city, and she herself--wealthy, luxurious, and strong willed--was
+regarded as a leader of society at Rome.
+
+Sempronius deemed it essential for his future advancement to keep on
+good terms with her. At the same time he was ill pleased at this last
+fancy of hers. In the first place, he was a suitor for the hand of her
+daughter Julia. In the second, he greatly admired the northern beauty
+of the Gaulish slave girl whom she had spoken of, and had fully intended
+that when Flavia became tired of her--and her fancies seldom lasted
+long--he would get his mother to offer to exchange a horse, or a hawk,
+or something else upon which Flavia might set her mind, for the slave
+girl, in which case she would, of course, be in his power. He did not,
+therefore, approve of Flavia's intention of introducing this handsome
+young Carthaginian as a slave into her household. It was true that he
+was but a slave at present, but he was a Carthaginian noble of rank as
+high as that of Flavia.
+
+That he was brave was certain, or he would not be the captain of
+Hannibal's bodyguard. Julia was fully as capricious as her mother, and
+might take as warm a fancy for Malchus as Flavia had done, while, now
+the idea of setting this Gaulish girl and the Carthaginian together had
+seized Flavia, it would render more distant the time when the Roman lady
+might be reasonably expected to tire of the girl. However, he felt that
+Flavia's wishes must be carried out; whatever the danger might be, it
+was less serious than the certainty of losing that lady's favour unless
+he humoured her whims.
+
+His family was far less distinguished than hers, and her approval of his
+suit with Julia was an unexpected piece of good fortune which he owed,
+as he knew, principally to the fact that Gracchus wished to marry
+his daughter to Julius Marcius, who had deeply offended Flavia by an
+outspoken expression of opinion, that the Roman ladies mingled too much
+in public affairs, and that they ought to be content to stay at home and
+rule their households and slaves.
+
+He knew that he would have no difficulty with his father. The praetor
+was most anxious that his son should make an alliance with the house
+of Gracchus, and it was the custom that such prisoners taken in war,
+as were not sacrificed to the gods, should be given as slaves to the
+nobles. As yet the great contests in the arena, which cost the lives
+of such vast numbers of prisoners taken in war, were not instituted.
+Occasional combats, indeed, took place, but these were on a small scale,
+and were regarded rather as a sacrifice to Mars than as an amusement for
+the people.
+
+Sempronius accordingly took his way moodily home. The praetor had just
+returned, having seen Malchus and the officers lodged in prison, while
+the men were set to work on the fortifications. Sempronius stated
+Flavia's request. The praetor looked doubtful.
+
+“I had intended,” he said, “to have kept the officers in prison until
+the senate decided what should be done with them; but, of course, if
+Flavia has set her mind on it I must strain a point. After all there
+is no special reason why the prisoners should be treated differently to
+others. Of course I cannot send the leader of the party to Flavia and
+let the others remain in prison. As there are two of them I will send
+them as presents to two of the principal families in Rome, so that
+if any question arises upon the subject I shall at once have powerful
+defenders; at any rate, it will not do to offend Flavia.”
+
+Malchus, as he was led through the streets of Rome, had been making
+comparisons by no means to the favour of Carthage. The greater
+simplicity of dress, the absence of the luxury which was so unbridled at
+Carthage, the plainness of the architecture of the houses, the free and
+manly bearing of the citizens, all impressed him. Rough as was the crowd
+who jeered and hooted him and his companions, there was a power and
+a vigour among them which was altogether lacking at home. Under the
+influence of excitement the populace there was capable of rising
+and asserting themselves, but their general demeanour was that of
+subservience to the wealthy and powerful.
+
+The tyranny of the senate weighed on the people, the numerous secret
+denunciations and arrests inspired each man with a mistrust of his
+neighbour, for none could say that he was safe from the action of secret
+enemies. The Romans, on the other hand, were no respecters of persons.
+Every free citizen deemed himself the equal of the best; the plebeians
+held their own against the patricians, and could always return one of
+the consuls, generally selecting the man who had most distinguished
+himself by his hostility to the patricians.
+
+The tribunes, whose power in Rome was nearly equal to that of the
+consuls, were almost always the representatives and champions of the
+plebeians, and their power balanced that of the senate, which was
+entirely in the interests of the aristocracy. Malchus was reflecting
+over these things in the prison, when the door of his cell opened and
+Sempronius, accompanied by two soldiers, entered. The former addressed
+him in Greek.
+
+“Follow me,” he said. “You have been appointed by my father, the praetor
+Caius, to be the domestic slave of the lady Flavia Gracchus, until such
+time as the senate may determine upon your fate.”
+
+As Carthage also enslaved prisoners taken in war Malchus showed
+no surprise, although he would have preferred labouring upon the
+fortifications with his men to domestic slavery, however light the
+latter might be. Without a comment, then, he rose and accompanied
+Sempronius from his prison.
+
+Domestic slavery in Rome was not as a whole a severe fate. The masters,
+indeed, had the power of life and death over their slaves, they could
+flog and ill use them as they chose; but as a rule they treated them
+well and kindly.
+
+The Romans were essentially a domestic people, kind to their wives, and
+affectionate, although sometimes strict, with their children. The
+slaves were treated as the other servants; and, indeed, with scarce an
+exception, all servants were slaves. The rule was easy and the labour
+by no means hard. Favourite slaves were raised to positions of trust and
+confidence, they frequently amassed considerable sums of money, and were
+often granted their freedom after faithful services.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI: THE GAULISH SLAVE
+
+
+On arriving at the mansion of Gracchus, Sempronius led Malchus to the
+apartment occupied by Flavia. Her face lighted with satisfaction.
+
+“You have done well, my Sempronius,” she said; “I shall not forget your
+ready gratification of my wish. So this is the young Carthaginian? My
+friends will all envy me at having so handsome a youth to attend upon
+me. Do you speak our tongue?” she asked graciously.
+
+“A few words only,” Malchus answered. “I speak Greek.”
+
+“It is tiresome,” Flavia said, addressing Sempronius, “that I do not
+know that language; but Julia has been taught it. Tell him, Sempronius,
+that his duties will be easy. He will accompany me when I walk abroad,
+and will stand behind me at table, and will have charge of my pets. The
+young lion cub that Tiberius procured for me is getting troublesome
+and needs a firm hand over him; he nearly killed one of the slaves
+yesterday.”
+
+Sempronius translated Flavia's speech to Malchus.
+
+“I shall dress him,” Flavia said, “in white and gold; he will look
+charming in it.”
+
+“It is hardly the dress for a slave,” Sempronius ventured to object.
+
+“I suppose I can dress him as I please. Lesbia, the wife of Emilius,
+dresses her household slaves in blue and silver, and I suppose I have as
+much right as she has to indulge my fancies.”
+
+“Certainly, Lady Flavia,” Sempronius said reverentially. “I only thought
+that such favours shown to the Carthaginian might make the other slaves
+jealous.”
+
+Flavia made no answer, but waved her fan to Sempronius in token of
+dismissal. The young Roman, inwardly cursing her haughty airs, took his
+leave at once, and Flavia handed Malchus over to the charge of the chief
+of the household, with strict directions as to the dress which was to be
+obtained for him, and with orders to give the animals into his charge.
+
+Malchus followed the man, congratulating himself that if he must serve
+as a slave, at least he could hardly have found an easier situation. The
+pets consisted of some bright birds from the East, a Persian greyhound,
+several cats, a young bear, and a half grown lion. Of these the lion
+alone was fastened up, in consequence of his attack upon the slave on
+the previous day.
+
+Malchus was fond of animals, and at once advanced boldly to the lion.
+The animal crouched as if for a spring, but the steady gaze of Malchus
+speedily changed its intention, and, advancing to the full length of its
+chain, it rubbed itself against him like a great cat. Malchus stroked
+its side, and then, going to a fountain, filled a flat vessel with water
+and placed it before it. The lion lapped the water eagerly. Since its
+assault upon the slave who usually attended to it, none of the others
+had ventured to approach it. They had, indeed, thrown it food, but had
+neglected to supply it with water.
+
+“We shall get on well together, old fellow,” Malchus said. “We are both
+African captives, and ought to be friends.”
+
+Finding from the other slaves that until the previous day the animal
+had been accustomed to run about the house freely and to lie in Flavia's
+room, Malchus at once unfastened the chain and for some time played with
+the lion, which appeared gentle and good tempered. As the master of
+the household soon informed the others of the orders he had received
+respecting Malchus, the slaves saw that the newcomer was likely, for
+a time at least, to stand very high in the favour of their capricious
+mistress, and therefore strove in every way to gain his goodwill.
+
+Presently Malchus was sent for again, and found Julia sitting on the
+couch by the side of her mother, and he at once acknowledged to himself
+that he had seldom seen a fairer woman. She was tall, and her figure was
+full and well proportioned. Her glossy hair was wound in a coil at the
+back of her head, her neck and arms were bare, and she wore a garment
+of light green silk, and embroidered with gold stripes along the bottom,
+reaching down to her knees, while beneath it a petticoat of Tyrian
+purple reached nearly to the ground.
+
+“Is he not good looking, Julia?” Flavia asked. “There is not a slave in
+Rome like him. Lesbia and Fulvia will be green with envy.”
+
+Julia made no reply, but sat examining the face of Malchus with as much
+composure as if he had been a statue. He had bowed on entering, as he
+would have done in the presence of Carthaginian ladies, and now stood
+composedly awaiting Flavia's orders.
+
+“Ask him, Julia, if it is true that he is a cousin of Hannibal and the
+captain of his guard. Such a youth as he is, I can hardly believe
+it; and yet how strong and sinewy are his limbs, and he has an air of
+command in his face. He interests me, this slave.”
+
+Julia asked in Greek the questions that her mother had dictated.
+
+“Ask him now, Julia,” Flavia said, when her daughter had translated the
+answer, “how he came to be captured.”
+
+Malchus recounted the story of his being blown by a gale into the Roman
+ports; then, on her own account, Julia inquired whether he had been
+present at the various battles of the campaign. After an hour's
+conversation Malchus was dismissed. In passing through the hall beyond
+he came suddenly upon a female who issued from one of the female
+apartments. They gave a simultaneous cry of astonishment.
+
+“Clotilde!” Malchus exclaimed, “you here, and a captive?”
+
+“Alas! yes,” the girl replied. “I was brought here three months since.”
+
+“I have heard nothing of you all,” Malchus said, “since your father
+returned with his contingent after the battle of Trasimene. We knew that
+Postumius with his legion was harrying Cisalpine Gaul, but no particular
+has reached us.”
+
+“My father is slain,” the girl said. “He and the tribe were defeated.
+The next day the Romans attacked the village. We, the women and the old
+men, defended it till the last. My two sisters were killed. I was taken
+prisoner and sent hither as a present to Flavia by Postumius. I have
+been wishing to die, but now, since you are here, I shall be content to
+live even as a Roman slave.”
+
+While they were speaking they had been standing with their hands
+clasped. Malchus, looking down into her face, over which the tears were
+now streaming as she recalled the sad events at home, wondered at the
+change which eighteen months had wrought in it. Then she was a girl,
+now she was a beautiful woman--the fairest he had ever seen, Malchus
+thought, with her light brown hair with a gleam of gold, her deep gray
+eyes, and tender, sensitive mouth.
+
+“And your mother?” he asked.
+
+“She was with my father in the battle, and was left for dead on the
+field; but I heard from a captive, taken a month after I was, that she
+had survived, and was with the remnant of the tribe in the well nigh
+inaccessible fastnesses at the head of the Orcus.”
+
+“We had best meet as strangers,” Malchus said. “It were well that none
+suspect we have met before. I shall not stay here long--if I am not
+exchanged. I shall try to escape whatever be the risks, and if you will
+accompany me I will not go alone.”
+
+“You know I will, Malchus,” Clotilde answered frankly. “Whenever you
+give the word I am ready, whatever the risk is. It should break my heart
+were I left here alone again.”
+
+A footstep was heard approaching, and Clotilde, dropping Malchus' hands,
+fled away into the inner apartments, while Malchus walked quietly on to
+the part of the house appropriated to the slaves. The next day, having
+assumed his new garments, and having had a light gold ring, as a badge
+of servitude, fastened round his neck, Malchus accompanied Flavia and
+her daughter on a series of visits to their friends.
+
+The meeting with Clotilde had delighted as much as it had surprised
+Malchus. The figure of the Gaulish maiden had been often before his eyes
+during his long night watches. When he was with her last he had resolved
+that when he next journeyed north he would ask her hand of the chief,
+and since his journey to Carthage his thoughts had still more often
+reverted to her. The loathing which he now felt for Carthage had
+converted what was, when he was staying with Allobrigius, little more
+than an idea, into a fixed determination that he would cut himself loose
+altogether from corrupt and degenerate Carthage, and settle among the
+Gauls. That he should find Clotilde captive in Rome had never entered
+his wildest imagination, and he now blessed, as a piece of the greatest
+good fortune, the chance, which had thrown him into the hands of the
+Romans, and brought him into the very house where Clotilde was a slave.
+Had it not been for that he would never again have heard of her. When
+he returned to her ruined home he would have found that she had been
+carried away by the Roman conquerors, but of her after fate no word
+could ever have reached him.
+
+Some weeks passed, but no mode of escape presented itself to his mind.
+Occasionally for a few moments he saw Clotilde alone, and they were
+often together in Flavia's apartment, for the Roman lady was proud
+of showing off to her friends her two slaves, both models of their
+respective races.
+
+Julia had at first been cold and hard to Malchus, but gradually her
+manner had changed, and she now spoke kindly and condescendingly to him,
+and would sometimes sit looking at him from under her dark eyebrows with
+an expression which Malchus altogether failed to interpret. Clotilde was
+more clear sighted. One day meeting Malchus alone in the atrium she said
+to him: “Malchus, do you know that I fear Julia is learning to love you.
+I see it in her face, in the glance of her eye, in the softening of that
+full mouth of hers.”
+
+“You are dreaming, little Clotilde,” Malchus said laughing.
+
+“I am not,” she said firmly; “I tell you she loves you.”
+
+“Impossible!” Malchus said incredulously. “The haughty Julia, the
+fairest of the Roman maidens, fall in love with a slave! You are
+dreaming, Clotilde.”
+
+“But you are not a common slave, Malchus, you are a Carthaginian noble
+and the cousin of Hannibal. You are her equal in all respects.”
+
+“Save for this gold collar,” Malchus said, touching the badge of slavery
+lightly.
+
+“Are you sure you do not love her in return, Malchus? She is very
+beautiful.”
+
+“Is she?” Malchus said carelessly. “Were she fifty times more beautiful
+it would make no difference to me, for, as you know as well as I do, I
+love some one else.”
+
+Clotilde flushed to the brow. “You have never said so,” she said softly.
+
+“What occasion to say so when you know it? You have always known it,
+ever since the day when we went over the bridge together.”
+
+“But I am no fit mate for you,” she said. “Even when my father was
+alive and the tribe unbroken, what were we that I should wed a great
+Carthaginian noble? Now the tribe is broken, I am only a Roman slave.”
+
+“Have you anything else to observe?” Malchus said quietly.
+
+“Yes, a great deal more,” she went on urgently. “How could you present
+your wife, an ignorant Gaulish girl, to your relatives, the haughty
+dames of Carthage? They would look down upon me and despise me.”
+
+“Clotilde, you are betraying yourself,” Malchus said smiling, “for you
+have evidently thought the matter over in every light. No,” he said,
+detaining her, as, with an exclamation of shame, she would have fled
+away, “you must not go. You knew that I loved you, and for every time
+you have thought of me, be it ever so often, I have thought of you a
+score. You knew that I loved you and intended to ask your hand from your
+father. As for the dames of Carthage, I think not of carrying you there;
+but if you will wed me I will settle down for life among your people.”
+
+A footstep was heard approaching. Malchus pressed Clotilde for a moment
+against his breast, and then he was alone. The newcomer was Sempronius.
+He was still a frequent visitor, but he was conscious that he had lately
+lost rather than gained ground in the good graces of Julia. Averse as
+he had been from the first to the introduction of Malchus into the
+household, he was not long in discovering the reason for the change
+in Julia, and the dislike he had from the first felt of Malchus had
+deepened to a feeling of bitter hatred.
+
+“Slave,” he said haughtily, “tell your mistress that l am here.”
+
+“I am not your slave,” Malchus said calmly, “and shall not obey your
+orders when addressed in such a tone.”
+
+“Insolent hound,” the young Roman exclaimed, “I will chastise you,” and
+he struck Malchus with his stick. In an instant the latter sprang upon
+him, struck him to the ground, and wrenching the staff from his hand
+laid it heavily across him. At that moment Flavia, followed by her
+daughter, hurried in at the sound of the struggle. “Malchus,” she
+exclaimed, “what means this?”
+
+“It means,” Sempronius said rising livid with passion, “that your slave
+has struck me--me, a Roman patrician. I will lodge a complaint against
+him, and the penalty, you know, is death.”
+
+“He struck me first, Lady Flavia,” Malchus said quietly, “because I
+would not do his behests when he spoke to me as a dog.”
+
+“If you struck my slave, Sempronius,” Flavia said coldly, “I blame him
+not that he returned the blow. Although a prisoner of war, he is, as you
+well know, of a rank in Carthage superior to your own, and I wonder not
+that, if you struck him, he struck you in return. You know that you had
+no right to touch my slave, and if you now take any steps against him I
+warn you that you will never enter this house again.”
+
+“Nor will I ever speak a word to you,” Julia added.
+
+“But he has struck me,” Sempronius said furiously; “he has knocked me
+down and beaten me.”
+
+“Apparently you brought it upon yourself,” Flavia said. “None but
+ourselves know what has happened; therefore, neither shame nor disgrace
+can arise from it. My advice to you is, go home now and remain there
+until those marks of the stick have died out; it will be easy for you to
+assign an excuse. If you follow the matter up, I will proclaim among
+my friends how I found you here grovelling on the ground while you were
+beaten. What will then be said of your manliness? Already the repeated
+excuses which have served you from abstaining to join the armies in
+the field have been a matter for much comment. You best know whether it
+would improve your position were it known that you had been beaten by a
+slave. Why, you would be a jest among young Romans.”
+
+Sempronius stood irresolute. His last hopes of winning Julia were
+annihilated by what had happened. The tone of contempt in which both
+mother and daughter had spoken sufficiently indicated their feelings,
+and for a moment he hesitated whether he would not take what revenge he
+could by denouncing Malchus. But the thought was speedily put aside. He
+had been wrong in striking the domestic slave of another; but the fact
+that Malchus had been first attacked, and the whole influence of the
+house of Gracchus, its relations, friends, and clients exerted in his
+behalf, would hardly suffice to save him. Still the revenge would be
+bought dearly in the future hostility of Flavia and her friends, and
+in the exposure of his own humiliating attitude. He, therefore, with a
+great effort subdued all signs of anger and said:
+
+“Lady Flavia, your wish has always been law to me, and I would rather
+that anything should happen than that I should lose your favour and
+patronage, therefore, I am willing to forget what has happened, the more
+so as I own that I acted wrongly in striking your slave. I trust that
+after this apology you will continue to be the kindly friend I have
+always found you.”
+
+“Certainly, Sempronius,” Flavia said graciously, “and I shall not forget
+your ready acquiescence in my wishes.”
+
+It was the more easy for Sempronius to yield, inasmuch as Malchus had,
+after stating that he had been first struck, quietly left the apartment.
+For some little time things went on as before. Malchus was now at
+home in Rome. As a slave of one of the most powerful families, as was
+indicated by the badge he wore on his dress, he was able, when his
+services were not required, to wander at will in the city. He made the
+circuit of the walls, marked the spots which were least frequented and
+where an escape would be most easily made; and, having selected a spot
+most remote from the busy quarter of the town, he purchased a long rope,
+and carrying it there concealed it under some stones close to one of the
+flights of steps by which access was obtained to the summit of the wall.
+
+The difficulty was not how to escape from Rome, for that, now that he
+had so much freedom of movement, was easy, but how to proceed when he
+had once gained the open country. For himself he had little doubt that
+he should be able to make his way through the territories of the allies
+of Rome, but the difficulty of travelling with Clotilde would be much
+greater.
+
+“Clotilde,” he said one day, “set your wits to work and try and think of
+some disguise in which you might pass with me. I have already prepared
+for getting beyond the walls; but the pursuit after us will be hot, and
+until we reach the Carthaginian lines every man's hand will be against
+us.”
+
+“I have thought of it, Malchus; the only thing that I can see is for me
+to stain my skin and dye my hair and go as a peasant boy.”
+
+“That is what I, too, have thought of, Clotilde. The disguise would be
+a poor one, for the roundness of your arms and the colour of your eyes
+would betray you at once to any one who looked closely at you. However,
+as I can see no better way, I will get the garments and some for myself
+to match, and some stuff for staining the skin and hair.”
+
+The next day Malchus bought the clothes and dye and managed to bring
+them into the house unobserved, and to give to Clotilde those intended
+for her.
+
+The lion, under the influence of the mingled firmness and kindness of
+Malchus, had now recovered his docility, and followed him about the
+house like a great dog, sleeping stretched out on a mat by the side of
+his couch.
+
+Sempronius continued his visits. Malchus was seldom present when he
+was with Flavia, but Clotilde was generally in the room. It was now the
+height of summer, and her duty was to stand behind her mistress with a
+large fan, with which she kept up a gentle current of air over Flavia's
+head and drove off the troublesome flies. Sometimes she had to continue
+doing so for hours, while Flavia chatted with her friends.
+
+Sempronius was biding his time. The two slaves were still high in
+Flavia's favour, but he was in hopes that something might occur which
+would render her willing to part with them. He watched Julia narrowly
+whenever Malchus entered the room, and became more and more convinced
+that she had taken a strong fancy for the Carthaginian slave, and the
+idea occurred to him that by exciting her jealousy he might succeed in
+obtaining his object. So careful were Malchus and Clotilde that he had
+no idea whatever that any understanding existed between them. This,
+however, mattered but little; nothing was more likely than that
+these two handsome slaves should fall in love with each other, and he
+determined to suggest the idea to Julia.
+
+Accordingly one day when he was sitting beside her, while Flavia was
+talking with some other visitors, he remarked carelessly, “Your mother's
+two slaves, the Carthaginian and the Gaul, would make a handsome
+couple.”
+
+He saw a flush of anger in Julia's face. For a moment she did not reply,
+and then said in a tone of indifference:
+
+“Yes, they are each well favoured in their way.”
+
+“Methinks the idea has occurred to them,” Sempronius said. “I have seen
+them glance at each other, and doubt not that when beyond your presence
+they do not confine themselves to looks.”
+
+Julia was silent, but Sempronius saw, in the tightly compressed lips and
+the lowering brow with which she looked from one to the other, that the
+shaft had told.
+
+“I have wondered sometimes,” he said, “in an idle moment, whether
+they ever met before. The Carthaginians were for some time among the
+Cisalpine Gauls, and the girl was, you have told me, the daughter of a
+chief there; they may well have met.”
+
+Julia made no reply, and Sempronius, feeling that he had said enough,
+began to talk on other subjects. Julia scarcely answered him, and at
+last impatiently waved him away. She sat silent and abstracted until the
+last of the visitors had left, then she rose from her seat and walked
+quietly up to her mother and said abruptly to Clotilde, who was standing
+behind her mistress: “Did you know the slave Malchus before you met
+here?”
+
+The suddenness of the question sent the blood up into the cheeks of the
+Gaulish maiden, and Julia felt at once that the hints of Sempronius were
+fully justified.
+
+“Yes,” Clotilde answered quietly, “I met him when, with Hannibal, he
+came down from the Alps into our country.”
+
+“Why did you not say so before?” Julia asked passionately. “Mother, the
+slaves have been deceiving us.”
+
+“Julia,” Flavia said in surprise, “why this heat? What matters it to us
+whether they have met before?”
+
+Julia did not pay any attention, but stood with angry eyes waiting for
+Clotilde's answer.
+
+“I did not know, Lady Julia,” the girl said quietly, “that the affairs
+of your slaves were of any interest to you. We recognized each other
+when we first met. Long ago now, when we were both in a different
+position--”
+
+“And when you loved each other?” Julia said in a tone of concentrated
+passion.
+
+“And when we loved each other,” Clotilde repeated, her head thrown back
+now, and her bearing as proud and haughty as that of Julia.
+
+“You hear that, mother? you hear this comedy that these slaves have been
+playing under your nose? Send them both to the whipping post.”
+
+“My dear Julia,” Flavia exclaimed, more and more surprised at her anger,
+“what harm has been done? You astonish me. Clotilde, you can retire.
+What means all this, Julia?” she went on more severely when they were
+alone; “why all this strange passion because two slaves, who by some
+chance have met each other before, are lovers? What is this Gaulish
+girl, what is this Carthaginian slave, to you?”
+
+“I love him, mother!” Julia said passionately.
+
+“You!” Flavia exclaimed in angry surprise; “you, Julia, of the house of
+Gracchus, love a slave! You are mad, girl, and shameless.”
+
+“I say so without shame,” Julia replied, “and why should I not? He is a
+noble of Carthage, though now a prisoner of war. What if my father is
+a consul? Malchus is the cousin of Hannibal, who is a greater man than
+Rome has ever yet seen. Why should I not wed him?”
+
+“In the first place, it seems, Julia,” Flavia said gravely, “because
+he loves someone else. In the second place, because, as I hear, he is
+likely to be exchanged very shortly for a praetor taken prisoner at
+Cannae, and will soon be fighting against us. In the third place,
+because all Rome would be scandalized were a Roman maiden of the
+patrician order, and of the house of Gracchus, to marry one of the
+invaders of her country. Go to, Julia, I blush for you! So this is the
+reason why of late you have behaved so coldly to Sempronius. Shame on
+you, daughter! What would your father say, did he, on his return from
+the field, hear of your doings? Go to your chamber, and do not let me
+see you again till you can tell me that you have purged this madness
+from your veins.”
+
+Without a word Julia turned and left the room. Parental discipline was
+strong in Rome, and none dare disobey a parent's command, and although
+Julia had far more liberty and license than most unmarried Roman girls,
+she did not dare to answer her mother when she spoke in such a tone.
+
+Flavia sat for some time in thought, then she sent for Malchus. He had
+already exchanged a few words with Clotilde, and was therefore prepared
+for her questions.
+
+“Malchus, is it true that you love my Gaulish slave girl?”
+
+“It is true,” Malchus replied quietly. “When we met in Gaul, two years
+since, she was the daughter of a chief, I a noble of Carthage. I loved
+her; but we were both young, and with so great a war in hand it was not
+a time to speak of marriage.”
+
+“Would you marry her now?”
+
+“Not as a slave,” Malchus replied; “when I marry her it shall be before
+the face of all men--I as a noble of Carthage, she as a noble Gaulish
+maiden.”
+
+“Hannibal is treating for your exchange now,” Flavia said. “There are
+difficulties in the way, for, as you know, the senate have refused to
+allow its citizens who surrender to be ransomed or exchanged; but the
+friends of the praetor Publius are powerful and are bringing all their
+influence to bear to obtain the exchange of their kinsman, whom Hannibal
+has offered for you. I will gladly use what influence I and my family
+possess to aid them. I knew when you came to me that, as a prisoner of
+war, it was likely that you might be exchanged.”
+
+“You have been very kind, my Lady Flavia,” Malchus said, “and I esteem
+myself most fortunate in having fallen into such hands. Since you know
+now how it is with me and Clotilde, I can ask you at once to let me
+ransom her of you. Any sum that you like to name I will bind myself, on
+my return to the Carthaginian camp, to pay for her.”
+
+“I will think it over,” Flavia said graciously. “Clotilde is useful to
+me, but I can dispense with her services, and will ask you no exorbitant
+amount for her. If the negotiations for your exchange come to aught, you
+may rely upon it that she shall go hence with you.”
+
+With an expression of deep gratitude Malchus retired. Flavia, in thus
+acceding to the wishes of Malchus, was influenced by several motives.
+She was sincerely shocked at Julia's conduct, and was most desirous of
+getting both Malchus and Clotilde away, for she knew that her daughter
+was headstrong as she was passionate, and the presence of Clotilde in
+the house would, even were Malchus absent, be a source of strife and
+bitterness between herself and her daughter.
+
+In the second place, it would be a pretty story to tell her friends,
+and she should be able to take credit to herself for her magnanimity in
+parting with her favourite attendant. Lastly, in the present state of
+affairs it might possibly happen that it would be of no slight
+advantage to have a friend possessed of great power and influence in the
+Carthaginian camp. Her husband might be captured in fight--it was not
+beyond the bounds of possibility that Rome itself might fall into the
+hands of the Carthaginians. It was, therefore, well worth while making a
+friend of a man who was a near relation of Hannibal.
+
+For some days Julia kept her own apartment. All the household knew that
+something had gone wrong, though none were aware of the cause. A general
+feeling of uneasiness existed, for Julia had from a child in her fits of
+temper been harsh with her slaves, venting her temper by cruelly beating
+and pinching them. Many a slave had been flogged by her orders at such
+a time, for her mother, although herself an easy mistress, seldom
+interfered with her caprices, and all that she did was good in the eyes
+of her father.
+
+At the end of the week Flavia told Malchus that the negotiations for his
+release had been broken off, the Roman senate remaining inflexible
+in the resolve that Romans who surrendered to the enemy should not be
+exchanged. Malchus was much disappointed, as it had seemed that the time
+of his release was near; however, he had still his former plan of escape
+to fall back upon.
+
+A day or two later Julia sent a slave with a message to Sempronius, and
+in the afternoon sallied out with a confidential attendant, who always
+accompanied her when she went abroad. In the Forum she met Sempronius,
+who saluted her.
+
+“Sempronius,” she said coming at once to the purpose, “will you do me a
+favour?”
+
+“I would do anything to oblige you, Lady Julia, as you know.”
+
+“That is the language of courtesy,” Julia said shortly; “I mean would
+you be ready to run some risk?”
+
+“Certainly,” Sempronius answered readily.
+
+“You will do it the more readily, perhaps,” Julia said, “inasmuch as
+it will gratify your revenge. You have reason to hate Malchus, the
+Carthaginian slave.”
+
+Sempronius nodded.
+
+“Your suspicion was true, he loves the Gaulish slave; they have been
+questioned and have confessed it. I want them separated.”
+
+“But how?” Sempronius asked, rejoicing inwardly at finding that Julia's
+wishes agreed so nearly with his own.
+
+“I want her carried off,” Julia said shortly. “When once you have got
+her you can do with her as you will; make her your slave, kill her,
+do as you like with her, that is nothing to me--all I want is that she
+shall go. I suppose you have some place where you could take her?”
+
+“Yes,” Sempronius said, “I have a small estate among the Alban Hills
+where she would be safe enough from searchers; but how to get her there?
+She never goes out except with Lady Flavia.”
+
+“She must be taken from the house,” Julia said shortly; “pretty slaves
+have been carried off before now, and no suspicion need light upon you.
+You might find some place in the city to hide her for a few days, and
+then boldly carry her through the gates in a litter. None will think of
+questioning you.”
+
+“The wrath of Lady Flavia would be terrible,” Sempronius said
+doubtfully.
+
+“My mother would be furious at first,” Julia said coldly; “but get her a
+new plaything, a monkey or a Numidian slave boy, and she will soon forget
+all about the matter.”
+
+“But how do you propose it should be done?” Sempronius asked.
+
+“My slave shall withdraw all the bolts of the back entrance to the
+house,” Julia said; “do you be there at two in the morning, when all
+will be sound asleep; bring with you a couple of barefooted slaves. My
+woman will be at the door and will guide you to the chamber where the
+girl sleeps; you have only to gag her and carry her quietly off.”
+
+Sempronius stood for a moment in doubt. The enterprise was certainly
+feasible. Wild adventures of this kind were not uncommon among the
+dissolute young Romans, and Sempronius saw at once that were he detected
+Julia's influence would prevent her mother taking the matter up hotly.
+Julia guessed his thoughts.
+
+“If you are found out,” she said, “I will take the blame upon myself,
+and tell my mother that you were acting solely at my request.”
+
+“I will do it, Julia,” he agreed; “tonight at two o'clock I will be
+at the back door with two slaves whom I can trust. I will have a place
+prepared to which I can take the girl till it is safe to carry her from
+the city.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII: THE LION
+
+
+Malchus was sleeping soundly that night when he was awakened by a low
+angry sound from the lion.
+
+He looked up, and saw by the faint light of a lamp which burned in the
+hall, from which the niche like bed chambers of the principal slaves
+opened, that the animal had risen to its feet. Knowing that, docile as
+it was with those it knew, the lion objected to strangers, the thought
+occurred to him that some midnight thief had entered the house for the
+purpose of robbery. Malchus took his staff and sallied out, the lion
+walking beside him.
+
+He traversed the hall and went from room to room until he entered the
+portion of the house inhabited by Flavia and the female slaves. Here he
+would have hesitated, but the lion continued its way, crouching as it
+walked, with its tail beating its sides with short quick strokes.
+
+There was no one in the principal apartment. He entered the corridor,
+from which as he knew issued the bed chambers of the slaves. Here he
+stopped in sudden surprise at seeing a woman holding a light, while two
+men were issuing from one of the apartments bearing between them a
+body wrapped up in a cloak. Sempronius stood by the men directing their
+movements. The face of the person carried was invisible, but the light
+of the lamp fell upon a mass of golden brown hair, and Malchus knew at
+once that it was Clotilde who was being carried off.
+
+Malchus sprang forward and with a blow of his staff levelled one of the
+slaves to the ground; Sempronius with a furious exclamation drew his
+sword and rushed at him, while the other slave, dropping his burden,
+closed with Malchus and threw his arms around him. For a moment Malchus
+felt powerless, but before Sempronius could strike there was a deep
+roar, a dark body sprang forward and hurled itself upon him, levelling
+him to the ground with a crushing blow of its paw, and then seized him
+by the shoulder and shook him violently. The slave who held Malchus
+loosed his hold and fled with a cry of affright, the female slave
+dropped the light and fled also. Clotilde had by this time gained her
+feet.
+
+“Quick, love!” Malchus said; “seize your disguise and join me at the
+back gate. Sempronius is killed; I will join you as quickly as I can.”
+
+By this time the household was alarmed, the shout of Malchus and the
+roar of the lion had aroused everyone, and the slaves soon came hurrying
+with lights to the spot. Malchus checked them as they came running out.
+
+“Fetch the net,” he said. The net in question had been procured after
+the lion had before made an attack upon the slave, but had not since
+been required.
+
+Malchus dared not approach the creature now, for though he was not
+afraid for himself, it was now furious, and might, if disturbed, rush
+among the others and do terrible destruction before it could be secured.
+The net was quickly brought, and Malchus, with three of the most
+resolute of the slaves, advanced and threw it over the lion, which was
+lying upon the prostrate body of Sempronius. It sprang to its feet, but
+the net was round it, and in its struggle to escape it fell on its side.
+Another twist of the net and it was helplessly inclosed; the four
+men lifted the ends and carried it away. Cutting a portion of the net
+Malchus placed the massive iron collar attached to the chain round its
+neck and then left it, saying to the others:
+
+“We can cut the rest of the net off it afterwards.”
+
+He then hurried back to the scene of the struggle. Flavia was already
+there.
+
+“What is all this, Malchus,” she asked. “Here I find Sempronius dead
+and one of his slaves senseless beside him; they tell me when he first
+arrived you were here.”
+
+“I know nothing of it, lady,” Malchus replied, “save that the lion
+aroused me by growling, and thinking that robbers might have entered the
+house, I arose and searched it and came upon three men. One I levelled
+to the ground with my staff; doubtless he is only stunned and will be
+able to tell you more when he recovers. I grappled with another, and
+while engaged in a struggle with him the third attacked me with a sword,
+and would have slain me had not the lion sprang upon him and felled him.
+The other man then fled--this is all I know about it.”
+
+“What can it all mean?” Flavia said. “What could Sempronius with two
+slaves be doing in my house after midnight? It is a grave outrage, and
+there will be a terrible scandal in Rome tomorrow--the son of a praetor
+and a friend of the house!”
+
+She then ordered the slaves to raise the body of Sempronius and carry
+it to a couch, and to send at once for a leech. She also bade them throw
+water on the slave and bring him to consciousness, and then to bring him
+before her to be questioned.
+
+“Where is my daughter?” she said suddenly; “has she not been roused by
+all this stir?” One of the female slaves stole into Julia's apartment,
+and returned saying that her mistress was sound asleep on her couch.
+
+An expression of doubt crossed Flavia's face, but she only said, “Do
+not disturb her,” and then thoughtfully returned to her room. It was not
+until an hour later that the prisoner was sufficiently recovered to be
+brought before Flavia. He had already heard that his master was killed,
+and, knowing that concealment would be useless, he threw himself on
+the ground before Flavia, and owned that he and another slave had been
+brought by Sempronius to carry off a slave girl.
+
+Acting on his instructions they had thrust a kerchief into her mouth,
+and wrapped a cloak round her, and were carrying her off when a man
+rushed at him, and he supposed struck him, for he remembered nothing
+more. He then with many tears implored mercy, on the ground that he was
+acting but on his master's orders. At this moment the praetor himself
+arrived, Flavia having sent for him immediately she had ascertained that
+Sempronius was dead. He was confused and bewildered at the suddenness of
+his loss.
+
+“I thought at first,” Flavia said, “that he must have been engaged in
+some wild scheme to carry off Julia, though why he should do so I could
+not imagine, seeing that he had my approval of his wooing; but Julia is
+asleep, not having been a wakened by the noise of the scuffle. It must
+have been one of the slave girls.”
+
+“Ah!” she exclaimed suddenly. “I did not see Clotilde.” She struck a
+bell, and her attendant entered.
+
+“Go,” she said, “and summon Clotilde here.”
+
+In a few minutes the slave returned, saying that Clotilde was not to be
+found.
+
+“She may have been carried off by the other slave,” Flavia said, “but
+Malchus was there, and would have pursued. Fetch him here.”
+
+But Malchus too was found to be missing.
+
+“They must have fled together,” Flavia said. “There was an understanding
+between them. Doubtless Malchus feared that this affair with your son
+might cause him to be taken away from here. Perhaps it is best so, and
+I trust that they may get away, though I fear there is little chance,
+since no slaves are allowed to leave the city without a pass, and even
+did they succeed in gaining the open country they would be arrested
+and brought back by the first person who met them. But that is not the
+question for the present.”
+
+“What think you, my friend, what are we to do in this terrible
+business?”
+
+“I know not,” the praetor said with a groan.
+
+“The honour of both our families is concerned,” Flavia said calmly.
+“Your son has been found in my house at night and slain by my lion. All
+the world knows that he was a suitor for Julia's hand. There's but one
+thing to be done; the matter must be kept secret. It would not do to try
+and remove Sempronius tonight, for the litter might be stopped by the
+watch; it must be taken boldly away in daylight. Send four slaves whom
+you can trust, and order them to be silent on pain of death. I will tell
+my household that if a word is breathed of what has taken place tonight,
+I will hand whoever disobeys me over to the executioners. When you have
+got your son's body home you can spread a rumour that he is sick of the
+fever. There will be no difficulty in bribing the leech. Then in a few
+days you will give out that he is dead, and none will be any the wiser.”
+
+The praetor agreed that this was the best plan that could be adopted,
+and it was carried out in due course, and so well was the secret kept
+that no one in Rome ever doubted that Sempronius had fallen a victim to
+fever.
+
+Julia's anger in the morning, when she heard that the Gaulish slave girl
+and the Carthaginian were missing, was great, and she hurried to her
+mother's room to demand that a hue and cry should be at once made
+for them, and a reward offered for their apprehension. She had, when
+informed of the scenes which had taken place in the night, and of the
+death of Sempronius, expressed great astonishment and horror, and indeed
+the news that her accomplice had been killed had really shocked her. The
+sentiment, however, had faded to insignificance in the anger which she
+felt when, as the narrative continued, she heard of the escape of the
+two slaves.
+
+A stormy scene took place between her and her mother, Julia boldly
+avowing that she was the author of the scheme which had had so fatal a
+termination. Flavia, in her indignation at her daughter's conduct,
+sent her away at once to a small summer retreat belonging to her in the
+hills, and there she was kept for some months in strict seclusion under
+the watchful guardianship of some old and trusted slaves.
+
+Malchus, having seen the lion fastened up, had seized the bundle
+containing his disguise, and hurried away to the gate where Clotilde was
+awaiting him.
+
+“How long you have been!” she said with a gasp of relief.
+
+“I could not get away until the lion was secured,” he said, “for I
+should have been instantly missed. Now we will be off at once.” Both had
+thrown large dark cloaks over their garments, and they now hurried along
+through the deserted streets, occasionally drawing aside into bylanes as
+they heard the tramp of the city watch.
+
+At last, after half an hour's walking, they reached the wall. Malchus
+knew the exact spot where he had hidden the rope, and had no difficulty
+in finding it. They mounted the steps and stood on the battlements. The
+sentries were far apart, for no enemy was in the neighbourhood of Rome.
+Malchus fastened the rope round Clotilde, and lowered her down over the
+battlements. When he found that she had reached the ground he made
+fast the end of the rope and slid down till he stood beside her. They
+proceeded with the utmost caution until at some distance from the walls;
+and then shaped their course until, after a long walk, they came down
+upon the Tiber below the city.
+
+Day had by this time broken, and Malchus bade Clotilde enter a little
+wood to change her garments and dye her skin. He then proceeded to do
+the same, and rolling up the clothes he had taken off, hid them under
+a bush. Clotilde soon joined him again. She wore the dress of a peasant
+boy, consisting of a tunic of rough cloth reaching to her knees. Her
+limbs, face, and neck were dyed a sunny brown, and her hair, which
+was cut quite short, was blackened. Dyes were largely in use by Roman
+ladies, and Malchus had had no difficulty in procuring those necessary
+for their disguises.
+
+“I don't think anyone would suspect you, Clotilde,” he said; “even I
+should pass you without notice. What a pity you have had to part with
+all your sunny hair!”
+
+“It will soon grow again,” she said; “and now, Malchus, do not let us
+waste a moment. I am in terror while those dark walls are in sight.”
+
+“We shall soon leave them behind,” Malchus said encouragingly. “There
+are plenty of fishermen's boats moored along the bank here. We shall
+soon leave Rome behind us.”
+
+They stepped into a boat, loosened the moorings, and pushed off, and
+Malchus, getting out the oars, rowed steadily down the river until they
+neared its mouth. Then they landed, pushed the boat into the stream
+again, lest, if it were found fastened up, it might give a clue to any
+who were in pursuit of them, and then struck off into the country. After
+travelling some miles they turned into a wood, where they lay down for
+several hours, and did not resume their course until nightfall.
+
+Malchus had, before starting, entered the kitchen, and had filled a bag
+with cold meat, oatmeal cakes, and other food, and this, when examined,
+proved ample for four days' supply, and he had, therefore, no occasion
+to enter the villages to buy provisions. They kept by the seashore until
+they neared Terracina, and then took to the hills, and skirted these
+until they had left the state of Latium. They kept along at the foot of
+the great range which forms the backbone of Italy, and so passing along
+Samnium, came down upon the Volturnus, having thus avoided the Roman
+army, which lay between Capua and Rome.
+
+Their journey had been a rough one, for, by the winding road they had
+followed along the mountains, the distance they traversed was over one
+hundred miles. The fatigue had been great, and it was well that Clotilde
+had had a Gaulish training. After their provisions were exhausted they
+had subsisted upon corn which they gathered in the patches of cultivated
+ground near the mountain villages, and upon fruits which they picked in
+the woods.
+
+Twice, too, they had come upon herds of half wild goats in the
+mountains, and Malchus had succeeded in knocking down a kid with a
+stone. They had not made very long journeys, resting always for a few
+hours in the heat of the day, and it was ten days after they had left
+Rome before, from an eminence, they saw the walls of Capua.
+
+“How can I go in like this?” Clotilde exclaimed in a sudden fit of
+shyness.
+
+“We will wait until it is dusk,” Malchus said; “the dye is fast wearing
+off, and your arms are strangely white for a peasant girl's. I will
+take you straight to Hannibal's palace, and you will soon be fitted out
+gorgeously. There are spoils enough stored up to clothe all the women of
+Rome.”
+
+They sat down in the shade of a clump of trees, and waited till the heat
+of the day was past; then they rose and walked on until, after darkness
+had fallen, they entered the town of Capua. They had no difficulty in
+discovering the palace where Hannibal was lodged. They were stopped at
+the entrance by the guards, who gave a cry of surprise and pleasure when
+Malchus revealed himself. At first they could hardly credit that, in the
+dark skinned peasant, their own commander stood before them, and as the
+news spread rapidly the officers of the corps ran down and saluted him
+with a joyous greeting. While this was going on Clotilde shrank back out
+of the crowd.
+
+As soon as he could extricate himself from his comrades, Malchus joined
+her, and led her to Hannibal, who, hearing the unusual stir, was issuing
+from his apartment to see what had occasioned it. The shouts of “Long
+live Malchus!” which rose from the soldiers informed him of what had
+happened, and he at once recognized his kinsman in the figure advancing
+to meet him.
+
+“My dear Malchus,” he exclaimed, “this is a joyous surprise. I have been
+in vain endeavouring to get you out of the hands of the Romans, but they
+were obstinate in refusing an exchange; but knowing your adroitness, I
+have never given up hopes of seeing you appear some day among us. But
+whom have you here?” he asked as he re-entered his room accompanied by
+Malchus and his companion.
+
+“This is Clotilde, daughter of Allobrigius, the chief of the Orcan
+tribe,” Malchus replied, “and my affianced wife. Her father has been
+defeated and killed by Postumius, and she was carried as a slave to
+Rome. There good fortune and the gods threw us together, and I have
+managed to bring her with me.”
+
+“I remember you, of course,” Hannibal said to the girl, “and that I
+joked my young kinsman about you. This is well, indeed; but we must see
+at once about providing you with proper garments. There are no females
+in my palace, but I will send at once for Chalcus, who is now captain of
+my guard, and who has married here in Capua, and beg him to bring hither
+his wife; she will I am sure take charge of you, and furnish you with
+garments.”
+
+Clotilde was soon handed over to the care of the Italian lady, and
+Malchus then proceeded to relate to Hannibal the various incidents which
+had occurred since he had sailed from Capua for Sardinia. He learned in
+return that the mission of Mago to Carthage had been unsuccessful. He
+had brought over a small reinforcement of cavalry and elephants, which
+had landed in Bruttium and had safely joined the army; but this only
+repaired a few of the many gaps made by the war, and was useless to
+enable Hannibal to carry out his great purpose.
+
+“Hanno's influence was too strong,” Hannibal said, “and I foresee that
+sooner or later the end must come. I may hold out for years here in
+Southern Italy, but unless Carthage rises from her lethargy, I must
+finally be overpowered.”
+
+“It seems to me,” Malchus said, “that the only hope is in rousing the
+Gauls to invade Italy from the north.”
+
+“I know nothing of what is passing there,” Hannibal said; “but it is
+clear from the disaster which has befallen our friends the Orcans that
+the Romans are more than holding their own north of the Apennines.
+Still, if a diversion could be made it would be useful. I suppose you
+are desirous of taking your bride back to her tribe.”
+
+“Such is my wish, certainly,” Malchus said. “As I have told you,
+Hannibal, I have made up my mind never to return to Carthage. It is
+hateful to me. Her tame submission to the intolerable tyranny of Hanno
+and his faction, her sufferance of the corruption which reigns in every
+department, her base ingratitude to you and the army which have done
+and suffered so much, the lethargy which she betrays when dangers are
+thickening and her fall and destruction are becoming more and more sure,
+have sickened me of her. I have resolved, as I have told you, to cast
+her off, and to live and die among the Gauls--a life rough and simple,
+but at least free.”
+
+“But it seems that the Gauls have again been subjected to Rome,”
+ Hannibal said.
+
+“On this side of the Alps,” Malchus replied, “but beyond are great
+tribes who have never as yet heard of Rome. It is to them that
+Clotilde's mother belongs, and we have settled that we will first try
+and find her mother and persuade her to go with us, and that if she
+is dead we will journey alone until we join her tribe in Germany. But
+before I go I will, if it be possible, try and rouse the Gauls to make
+another effort for freedom by acting in concert, by driving out the
+Romans and invading Italy. You will, I trust, Hannibal, not oppose my
+plans.”
+
+“Assuredly not, Malchus; I sympathize with you, and were I younger
+and without ties and responsibilities would fain do the same. It is a
+sacrifice, no doubt, to give up civilization and to begin life anew,
+but it is what our colonists are always doing. At any rate it is
+freedom--freedom from the corruption, the intrigue, the sloth, and the
+littleness of a decaying power like that of Carthage. You will be happy
+at least in having your wife with you, while the gods only know when I
+shall see the face of my beloved Imilce.
+
+“Yes, Malchus, follow your own devices. Carthage, when she flung you
+in prison and would have put you to a disgraceful death, forfeited all
+further claim upon you. You have rendered her great services, you have
+risked your life over and over again in her cause, you have repaid
+tenfold the debt which you incurred when she gave you birth. You are
+free now to carry your sword where you will. I shall deeply regret your
+loss, but your father has gone and many another true friend of mine,
+and it is but one more in the list of those I have lost. Follow your
+own wishes, and live in that freedom which you will never attain in the
+service of Carthage.”
+
+The next day the marriage of Malchus and Clotilde took place. Hannibal
+himself joined their hands and prayed the gods to bless their
+union. Three weeks later Hannibal arranged that a body of a hundred
+Carthaginian horse should accompany Malchus to the north, where he would
+endeavour to raise the Gaulish tribes. They were to cross into Apulia,
+to travel up the east coast until past the ranges of the Apennines,
+and then make their way across the plains to the Alps. A dozen officers
+accompanied him; these were to aid him in his negotiations with
+the chiefs, and in organizing the new forces, should his efforts be
+successful.
+
+To the great joy of Malchus, on the very evening before he started
+Nessus arrived in the camp. He had, when Malchus was at Rome, been
+employed with the other Carthaginian soldiers on the fortifications.
+Malchus had once or twice seen him as, with the others, he was marched
+from the prison to the walls, and had exchanged a few words with him.
+He had told him that he intended to escape, but could not say when he
+should find an opportunity to do so; but that if at any time a month
+passed without his seeing him, Nessus would know that he had gone.
+
+The extra rigour with which the prisoners were guarded had led Nessus to
+suspect that a prisoner had escaped, and a month having passed without
+his seeing Malchus, he determined on making an attempt at flight. So
+rigourous was the watch that there was no possibility of this being done
+secretly, and, therefore, one day when they were employed in repairing
+the foundations of the wall outside the city Nessus seized the
+opportunity, when the attention of the guards was for a moment directed
+in another quarter, to start at the top of his speed. He had chosen the
+hottest hour of the day for the attempt, when few people were about, and
+the peasants had left the fields for an hour's sleep under the shade of
+trees.
+
+The Roman guard had started in pursuit, but Nessus had not overrated his
+powers. Gradually he left them behind him, and, making straight for the
+Tiber, plunged in and swam the river. He had followed the right bank
+up to the hills, and on the second evening after starting made his
+appearance at Capua. When he heard the plans of Malchus he announced,
+as a matter of course, that he should accompany him. Malchus pointed out
+that, with the rewards and spoils he had obtained, he had now sufficient
+money to become a man of importance among his own people. Nessus quietly
+waved the remark aside as if it were wholly unworthy of consideration.
+
+The cavalry who were to accompany Malchus were light armed Numidians,
+whose speed would enable them to distance any bodies of the enemy they
+might meet on their way. With them were thirty lead horses, some of them
+carrying a large sum of money, which Hannibal had directed should be
+paid to Malchus from the treasury, as his share, as an officer of high
+rank, of the captured booty. The rest of the horses were laden with
+costly arms, robes of honour, and money as presents for the Gaulish
+chiefs. These also were furnished from the abundant spoils which had
+fallen into the hands of the Carthaginians.
+
+Hannibal directed Malchus that, in the event of his failing in his
+mission, he was not to trouble to send these things back, but was to
+retain them to win the friendship and goodwill of the chiefs of the
+country to which he proposed to journey. The next morning Malchus took
+an affectionate farewell of the general and his old comrades, and then,
+with Clotilde riding by his side--for the women of the Gauls were as
+well skilled as the men in the management of horses--he started at the
+head of his party. He followed the route marked out for him without any
+adventure of importance. He had one or two skirmishes with parties of
+tribesmen allied with Rome, but his movements were too rapid for any
+force sufficient to oppose his passage being collected.
+
+After ascending the sea coast the troop skirted the northern slopes of
+the Apennines, passing close to the battlefield of Trebia, and
+crossing the Po by a ford, ascended the banks of the Orcus, and reached
+Clotilde's native village. A few ruins alone marked where it had stood.
+Malchus halted there and despatched scouts far up the valley. These
+succeeded in finding a native, who informed them that Brunilda with the
+remains of the tribe were living in the forests far up on the slopes.
+The scouts delivered to them the message with which they were charged:
+that Clotilde and Malchus, with a Carthaginian force, were at Orca. The
+following evening Brunilda and her followers came into camp.
+
+Deep was the joy of the mother and daughter. The former had long since
+given up all hope of ever hearing of Clotilde again, and had devoted her
+life to vengeance on the Romans. From her fastness in the mountain she
+had from time to time led her followers down, and carried fire and sword
+over the fields and plantations of the Roman colonists, retiring rapidly
+before the garrisons could sally from the towns and fall upon her. She
+was rejoiced to find that her child had found a husband and protector
+in the young Carthaginian, still more rejoiced when she found that the
+latter had determined upon throwing in his lot with the Gauls.
+
+All that night mother and daughter sat talking over the events which
+had happened since they parted. Brunilda could give Malchus but little
+encouragement for the mission on which he had come. The legion of
+Postumius had indeed been defeated and nearly destroyed in a rising
+which had taken place early in the spring; but fresh troops had arrived,
+dissensions had, as usual, broken out among the chiefs, many of them
+had again submitted to the Romans, and the rest had been defeated and
+crushed. Brunilda thought that there was little hope at present of their
+again taking up arms.
+
+For some weeks Malchus attempted to carry out Hannibal's instructions;
+he and his lieutenants, accompanied by small parties of horse, rode
+through the country and visited all the chiefs of Cisalpine Gaul, but
+the spirit of the people was broken. The successes they had gained had
+never been more than partial, the Roman garrison towns had always defied
+all their efforts, and sooner or later the Roman legions swept down
+across the Apennines and carried all before them.
+
+In vain Malchus told them of the victories that Hannibal had won, that
+Southern Italy was in his hands, and the Roman dominion tottering. In
+reply they pointed to the garrisons and the legion, and said that, were
+Rome in a sore strait, she would recall her legion for her own defence,
+and no arguments that Malchus could use could move them to lay aside
+their own differences and to unite in another effort for freedom. Winter
+was now at hand. Malchus remained in the mountains with the Orcans until
+spring came, and then renewed his efforts with no greater success
+than before. Then he dismissed the Carthaginians, with a letter giving
+Hannibal an account of all he had done, and bade them find their way
+back to Capua by the road by which they had come.
+
+Brunilda had joyfully agreed to his proposal that they should cross
+the Alps and join her kinsmen in Germany, and the remnant of the tribe
+willingly consented to accompany them. Accordingly in the month of May
+they set out, and journeying north made their way along the shore of
+the lake now called the Lago di Guarda, and, crossing by the pass of
+the Trentino, came down on the northern side of the Alps, and, after
+journeying for some weeks among the great forests which covered the
+country, reached the part inhabited by the tribe of the Cherusei, to
+which Brunilda belonged.
+
+Here they were hospitably received. Brunilda's family were among the
+noblest of the tribe, and the rich presents which the ample resources of
+Malchus enabled him to distribute among all the chiefs, at once raised
+him to a position of high rank and consideration among them. Although
+accepting the life of barbarism Malchus was not prepared to give up all
+the usages of civilization. He built a house, which, although it
+would have been but a small structure in Carthage, was regarded with
+admiration and wonder by the Gauls. Here he introduced the usages and
+customs of civilization. The walls, indeed, instead of being hung with
+silk and tapestry, were covered with the skins of stags, bears, and
+other animals slain in the chase; but these were warmer and better
+suited for the rigour of the climate in winter than silks would have
+been. The wealth, knowledge, and tact of Malchus gained him an immense
+influence in the tribe, and in time he was elected the chief of that
+portion of it dwelling near him. He did not succeed in getting his
+followers to abandon their own modes of life, but he introduced among
+them many of the customs of civilization, and persuaded them to adopt
+the military formation in use among the Carthaginians. It was with some
+reluctance that they submitted to this; but so complete was the victory
+which they obtained over a rival tribe, upon their first encounter when
+led by Malchus and his able lieutenant Nessus, that he had no difficulty
+in future on this score.
+
+The advantages, indeed, of fighting in solid formation, instead of
+the irregular order in which each man fought for himself, were so
+overwhelming that the tribe rapidly increased in power and importance,
+and became one of the leading peoples in that part of Germany. Above
+all, Malchus inculcated them with a deep hatred of Rome, and warned them
+that when the time came, as it assuredly would do, that the Romans would
+cross the Alps and attempt the conquest of the country, it behooved the
+German tribes to lay aside all their disputes and to join in a common
+resistance against the enemy.
+
+From time to time rumours, brought by parties of Cisalpine Gauls, who,
+like the Orcans, fled across the Alps to escape the tyranny of Rome,
+reached Malchus. For years the news came that no great battle had been
+fought, that Hannibal was still in the south of Italy defeating all the
+efforts of the Romans to dislodge him.
+
+It was not until the thirteenth year after Hannibal had crossed the Alps
+that any considerable reinforcement was sent to aid the Carthaginian
+general. Then his brother Hasdrubal, having raised an army in Spain
+and Southern Gaul, crossed the Alps to join him. But he was met, as
+he marched south, by the consuls Livius and Nero with an army greatly
+superior to his own; and was crushed by them on the river Metaurus,
+the Spanish and Ligurian troops being annihilated and Hasdrubal himself
+killed.
+
+For four years longer Hannibal maintained his position in the south of
+Italy. No assistance whatever reached him from Carthage, but alone and
+unaided he carried on the unequal war with Rome until, in 204 B.C.,
+Scipio landed with a Roman force within a few miles of Carthage,
+captured Utica, defeated two Carthaginian armies with great slaughter,
+and blockaded Carthage. Then the city recalled the general and the army
+whom they had so grossly neglected and betrayed.
+
+Hannibal succeeded in safely embarking his army and in sailing to
+Carthage; but so small was the remnant of the force which remained to
+him, that when he attempted to give battle to Scipio he was defeated,
+and Carthage was forced to make peace on terms which left her for the
+future at the mercy of Rome. She was to give up all her ships of war
+except ten, and all her elephants, to restore all Roman prisoners,
+to engage in no war out of Africa--and none in Africa except with the
+consent of Rome, to restore to Massinissa, a prince of Numidia who had
+joined Rome, his kingdom, to pay a contribution of two hundred talents a
+year for fifty years, and to give a hundred hostages between the ages of
+fourteen and thirty, to be selected by the Roman general.
+
+These terms left Carthage at the mercy of Rome, when the latter,
+confident in her power, entered upon the third Punic war, the overthrow
+and the destruction of her rival were a comparatively easy task for her.
+Hannibal lived nineteen years after his return to Carthage. For eight
+years he strove to rectify the administration, to reform abuses, and to
+raise and improve the state; but his exposure of the gross abuses of the
+public service united against him the faction which had so long profited
+by them, and, in B. C. 196, the great patriot and general was driven
+into exile.
+
+He then repaired to the court of Antiochus, King of Syria, who was at
+that time engaged in a war against Rome; but that monarch would not
+follow the advice he gave him, and was in consequence defeated at
+Magnesia, and was forced to sue for peace and to accept the terms the
+Romans imposed, one of which was that Hannibal should be delivered into
+their hands.
+
+Hannibal, being warned in time, left Syria and went to Bithynia. But
+Rome could not be easy so long as her great enemy lived, and made a
+demand upon Prusias, King of Bithynia, for his surrender. He was about
+to comply with the request when Hannibal put an end to his life, dying
+at the age of sixty-four.
+
+No rumour of this event ever reached Malchus, but he heard, fifteen
+years after he had passed into Germany, that Hannibal had at last
+retired from Italy, and had been defeated at Zama, and that Carthage had
+been obliged to submit to conditions which placed her at the mercy of
+Rome. Malchus rejoiced more than ever at the choice he had made. His
+sons were now growing up, and he spared no efforts to instill in them
+a hatred and distrust of Rome, to teach them the tactics of war, and to
+fill their minds with noble and lofty thoughts.
+
+Nessus had followed the example of his lord and had married a Gaulish
+maiden, and he was now a subchief in the tribe. Malchus and Clotilde
+lived to a great age, and the former never once regretted the choice
+he had made. From afar he heard of the ever growing power of Rome, and
+warned his grandsons, as he had warned his sons, against her, and begged
+them to impress upon their descendants in turn the counsels he had given
+them. The injunction was observed, and the time came when Arminius, a
+direct descendant of Malchus, then the leader of the Cherusei, assembled
+the German tribes and fell upon the legions of Varus, inflicting upon
+them a defeat as crushing and terrible as the Romans had ever suffered
+at the hands of Hannibal himself, and checking for once and all the
+efforts of the Romans to subdue the free people of Germany.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Young Carthaginian, by G.A. Henty
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