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in the sanctuary behind the great image."

Day had by this time broken, and a stir and bustle commenced in front

of the long line of casemates; the elephants were brought out from

their stables and stood rocking themselves from side to side while their

keepers rubbed their hides with pumice stone. Nessus was one of those

who was appointed to make the great flat cakes of coarse flour which

formed the principal food of the elephants. The other Arabs busied

themselves in bringing in fresh straw, which Malchus scattered evenly

over the stall; heaps of freshly cut forage were placed before each

elephant.

In a short time one of the Arabs took the place of Nessus in preparing

the cakes, while Nessus moved away and presently went down into the

town to await the coming of Malchus. By this arrangement if the

superintendent of the stables came round he would find the proper number

of men at work, and was not likely to notice the substitution of Malchus

for Nessus, with whose face he could not yet have become familiar. By

this time numbers of the townsmen were as usual coming up to the citadel

to worship in the temple or to visit friends dwelling there. Malchus

learned that since his escape had been known each person on entrance

received a slip of brass with a stamp on it which he had to give up on

leaving.

All employed in the citadel received a similar voucher, without which

none could pass the gate. The time was now come when the elephants were

accustomed to be taken down to the fountains in the town below, and the

critical moment was at hand. The mahout had already begun to prepare his

elephant for the part he was to play. It had been trumpeting loudly and

showing signs of impatience and anger. The animal was now made to kneel

by the door of its stable, where Malchus had already lain down at the

bottom of the howdah, a piece of sacking being thrown over him by the

Arabs. The two Arabs and the mahout carried the howdah out, placed it on

the elephant, and securely fastened it in its position.

These howdahs were of rough construction, being in fact little more than

large open crates, for the elephants after being watered went to the

forage yard, where the crates were filled with freshly cut grass or

young boughs of trees, which they carried up for their own use to the

citadel.

The mahout took his position on its neck, and the elephant then rose to

its feet. The symptoms of bad temper which it had already given were

now redoubled. It gave vent to a series of short vicious squeals, it

trumpeted loudly and angrily, and, although the mahout appeared to be

doing his best to pacify it, it became more and more demonstrative. The

superintendent of the elephants rode up.

"You had better dismount and take that brute back to the stable," he

said; "he is not safe to take out this morning." As he approached the

elephant threw up his trunk, opened his mouth, and rushed suddenly at

him. The officer fled hastily, shouting loudly to the other mahouts to

bring their animals in a circle round the elephant, but the mahout gave

him a sudden prod with his pricker and the elephant set off with great

strides, his ears out, his trunk in the air, and with every sign of

an access of fury, at the top of his speed. He rushed across the great

courtyard, the people flying in all directions with shouts of terror; he

made two or three turns up and down, each time getting somewhat nearer

to the gate.

As he approached it for the third time the mahout guided him towards it,

and, accustomed at this hour to sally out, the elephant made a sudden

rush in that direction. The officer on guard shouted to his men to

close the gate, but before they could attempt to carry out the order

the elephant charged through, and at the top of his speed went down the

road.

CHAPTER XVIII: CANNAE

As the elephant tore down the road to the town many were the narrow

escapes that, as they thought, those coming up had of being crushed or

thrown into the air by the angry beast. Some threw themselves on their

faces, others got over the parapet and hung by their hands until he

had passed, while some squeezed themselves against the wall; but the

elephant passed on without doing harm to any.

On reaching the foot of the descent the mahout guided the animal to the

left, and, avoiding the busy streets of the town, directed its course

towards the more quiet roads of the opulent quarter of Megara. The cries

of the people at the approach of the elephant preceded its course, and

all took refuge in gardens or houses. The latter became less and

less frequent, until, at a distance of two miles from the foot of the

citadel, the mahout, on looking round, perceived no one in sight. He

brought the elephant suddenly to a standstill.

"Quick, my lord," he exclaimed, "now is the time."

Malchus threw off the sack, climbed out of the howdah, and slipped down

by the elephant's tail, the usual plan for dismounting when an elephant

is on its feet. Then he sprang across the road, leaped into a garden,

and hid himself among some bushes. The mahout now turned the elephant,

and, as if he had succeeded at last in subduing it, slowly retraced his

steps towards the citadel.

A minute or two later Malchus issued out and quietly followed it. He

had gone some distance when he saw an Arab approaching him, and soon

recognized Nessus. They turned off together from the main road and made

their way by bystreets until they reached the lower city. At a spot near

the port they found one of the Arabs from above awaiting them, and he

at once led the way to the house inhabited by his family. The scheme had

been entirely successful. Malchus had escaped from the citadel without

the possibility of a suspicion arising that he had issued from

its gates, and in his Arab garb he could now traverse the streets

unsuspected.

Nessus was overjoyed at the success of the stratagem, and Malchus

himself could hardly believe that he had escaped from the terrible

danger which threatened him. Nessus and the Arab at once returned to the

citadel. It was agreed that the former had better continue his work as

usual until the evening, and then ask for his discharge on the plea that

he had received a message requiring his presence in his native village,

for it was thought that suspicion might be excited were he to leave

suddenly without drawing his pay, and possibly a search might be

instituted in the city to discover his whereabouts.

At nightfall he returned, and then went to the house of one of the

leaders of the Barcine party with a message from Malchus to tell him

where he was, and the events which had occurred since his landing at

Carthage, and asking him to receive him privately in two hours' time, in

order that he might consult him as to the best plan to be followed.

Nessus returned saying that Manon was at home and was awaiting him, and

the two at once set out for his house. Manon, who was a distant relation

of Malchus, received him most warmly, and listened in astonishment to

his story of what had befallen him. Malchus then explained the mission

with which Hannibal had charged him, and asked his advice as to the best

course to be adopted. Manon was silent for a time.

"Hanno's faction is all powerful at present," he said, "and were

Hannibal himself here I doubt whether his voice could stir the senate

into taking action such as is needed. The times have been hard, and

Hanno and his party have lavished money so freely among the lower

classes that there is no hope of stirring the populace up to declare

against him. I think it would be in the highest degree dangerous

were we, as you propose, to introduce you suddenly to the senate as

Hannibal's ambassador to them, and leave you to plead his cause. You

would obtain no hearing. Hanno would rise in his place and denounce you

as one already condemned by the tribunals as an enemy to the republic,

and would demand your instant execution, and, as he has a great majority

of votes in the senate, his demand would be complied with. You would,

I am convinced, throw away your life for no good purpose, while your

presence and your mysterious escape from prison would be made the

pretense for a fresh series of persecutions of our partisans. I

understand as well as you do the urgency for reinforcements being sent

to Italy; but in order to do this the navy, now rotting in our harbours,

must be repaired, the command of the sea must be regained, and fresh

levies of troops made.

"To ask Carthage to make these sacrifices in her present mood is

hopeless; we must await an opportunity. I and my friends will prepare

the way, will set our agents to work among the people, and when the

news of another victory arrives and the people's hopes are aroused and

excited, we will strike while the iron is hot, and call upon them to

make one great effort to bring the struggle to a conclusion and to

finish with Rome forever.

"Such is, in my opinion, the only possible mode of proceeding. To

move now would be to ensure a rejection of our demands, to bring fresh

persecutions upon us, and so to weaken us that we should be powerless

to turn to good account the opportunity which the news of another great

victory would afford. I will write at once to Hannibal and explain

all the circumstances of the situation, and will tell him why I have

counselled you to avoid carrying out his instructions, seeing that to

do so now would be to ensure your own destruction and greatly damage our

cause.

"In the meantime you must, for a short time, remain in concealment,

while I arrange for a ship to carry you back to Italy."

"The sooner the better," Malchus said bitterly, "for Carthage with its

hideous tyranny, its foul corruption, its forgetfulness of its glory,

its honour, and even its safety, is utterly hateful to me. I trust that

never again shall I set foot within its walls. Better a thousand times

to die in a battlefield than to live in this accursed city."

"It is natural that you should be indignant," Manon said, "for the young

blood runs hotly in your veins, and your rage at seeing the fate which

is too certainly impending over Carthage, and which you are powerless

to prevent, is in no way to be blamed. We old men bow more resignedly to

the decrees of the gods. You know the saying, `Those whom the gods would

destroy they first strike with madness.' Carthage is such. She sees

unmoved the heroic efforts which Hannibal and his army are making to

save her, and she will not stretch out a hand to aid him. She lives

contentedly under the constant tyranny of Hanno's rule, satisfied to

be wealthy, luxurious, and slothful, to carry on her trade, to keep her

riches, caring nothing for the manly virtues, indifferent to valour,

preparing herself slowly and surely to fall an easy prey to Rome.

"The end probably will not come in my time, it may come in yours, but

come it certainly and surely will. A nation which can place a mere

handful of its own citizens in the line of battle voluntarily dooms

herself to destruction."

"Whether it comes in my time or not," Malchus said, "I will be no sharer

in the fate of Carthage. I have done with her; and if I do not fall in

the battlefield I will, when the war is over, seek a refuge among the

Gauls, where, if the life is rough, it is at least free and independent,

where courage and manliness and honour count for much, and where the

enervating influence of wealth is as yet unknown. Such is my firm

resolution."

"I say nothing to dissuade you, Malchus," the old man replied, "such are

the natural sentiments of your age; and methinks, were my own time to

come over again, I too would choose such a life in preference to an

existence in the polluted atmosphere of ungrateful Carthage. And now,

will you stop here with me, or will you return to the place where you

are staying? I need not say how gladly I would have you here, but

I cannot answer certainly for your safety. Every movement of those

belonging to our party is watched by Hanno, and I doubt not that he has

his spies among my slaves and servants.

"Therefore deem me not inhospitable if I say that it were better for you

to remain in hiding where you are. Let your follower come nightly to me

for instructions; let him enter the gate and remain in the garden near

it. I will come down and see him; his visits, were they known, would

excite suspicion. Bid him on his return watch closely to see that he is

not followed, and tell him to go by devious windings and to mix in the

thickest crowds in order to throw any one who may be following off his

track before he rejoins you. I trust to be able to arrange for a ship

in the course of three or four days. Come again and see me before you

leave. Here is a bag of gold; you will need it to reward those who have

assisted in your escape."

Malchus at once agreed that it would be better for him to return to his

abode among the Arabs, and thanking Manon for his kindness he returned

with Nessus, who had been waiting without.

As they walked along Malchus briefly related to his follower the

substance of his interview with Manon. Suddenly Nessus stopped and

listened, and then resumed his walk.

"I think we are followed, my lord," he said, "one of Hanno's spies in

Manon's household is no doubt seeking to discover who are the Arabs who

have paid his master a visit. I have thought once before that I heard

a footfall, now l am sure of it. When we get to the next turning do you

walk on and I will turn down the road. If the man behind us be honest

he will go straight on; if he be a spy, he will hesitate and stop at the

corner to decide which of us he shall follow; then I shall know what to

do."

Accordingly at the next crossroad they came to Nessus turned down and

concealed himself a few paces away, while Malchus, without pausing,

walked straight on. A minute later Nessus saw a dark figure come

stealthily along. He stopped at the junction of the roads and stood for