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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Young Carthaginian, by G.A. Henty
+(#9 in our series by G.A. Henty)
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+Title: The Young Carthaginian
+
+Author: G.A. Henty
+
+Release Date: February, 2004  [EBook #5128]
+[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule]
+[This file was first posted on May 5, 2002]
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+Edition: 10
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+Language: English
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+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN ***
+
+
+
+
+The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Young Carthaginian:
+A Story of The Times of Hannibal, by G. A. Henty
+This etext was produced by Martin Robb (MartinRobb@ieee.org)
+
+
+
+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 Nubian 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 Nubian, 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 dose 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  l 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 Nubian 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 or 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  fall 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 confusion
+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 afoot, 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 afoot.  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 Nubian 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 Nubian 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 here
+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. l  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  Nubian 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 l 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
+
+
+
+
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