第 35 页

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