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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.