第 22 页

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