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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