第 46 页

avowing that she was the author of the scheme which had had so fatal a

termination. Flavia, in her indignation at her daughter's conduct,

sent her away at once to a small summer retreat belonging to her in the

hills, and there she was kept for some months in strict seclusion under

the watchful guardianship of some old and trusted slaves.

Malchus, having seen the lion fastened up, had seized the bundle

containing his disguise, and hurried away to the gate where Clotilde was

awaiting him.

"How long you have been!" she said with a gasp of relief.

"I could not get away until the lion was secured," he said, "for I

should have been instantly missed. Now we will be off at once." Both had

thrown large dark cloaks over their garments, and they now hurried along

through the deserted streets, occasionally drawing aside into bylanes as

they heard the tramp of the city watch.

At last, after half an hour's walking, they reached the wall. Malchus

knew the exact spot where he had hidden the rope, and had no difficulty

in finding it. They mounted the steps and stood on the battlements. The

sentries were far apart, for no enemy was in the neighbourhood of Rome.

Malchus fastened the rope round Clotilde, and lowered her down over the

battlements. When he found that she had reached the ground he made

fast the end of the rope and slid down till he stood beside her. They

proceeded with the utmost caution until at some distance from the walls;

and then shaped their course until, after a long walk, they came down

upon the Tiber below the city.

Day had by this time broken, and Malchus bade Clotilde enter a little

wood to change her garments and dye her skin. He then proceeded to do

the same, and rolling up the clothes he had taken off, hid them under

a bush. Clotilde soon joined him again. She wore the dress of a peasant

boy, consisting of a tunic of rough cloth reaching to her knees. Her

limbs, face, and neck were dyed a sunny brown, and her hair, which

was cut quite short, was blackened. Dyes were largely in use by Roman

ladies, and Malchus had had no difficulty in procuring those necessary

for their disguises.

"I don't think anyone would suspect you, Clotilde," he said; "even I

should pass you without notice. What a pity you have had to part with

all your sunny hair!"

"It will soon grow again," she said; "and now, Malchus, do not let us

waste a moment. I am in terror while those dark walls are in sight."

"We shall soon leave them behind," Malchus said encouragingly. "There

are plenty of fishermen's boats moored along the bank here. We shall

soon leave Rome behind us."

They stepped into a boat, loosened the moorings, and pushed off, and

Malchus, getting out the oars, rowed steadily down the river until they

neared its mouth. Then they landed, pushed the boat into the stream

again, lest, if it were found fastened up, it might give a clue to any

who were in pursuit of them, and then struck off into the country. After

travelling some miles they turned into a wood, where they lay down for

several hours, and did not resume their course until nightfall.

Malchus had, before starting, entered the kitchen, and had filled a bag

with cold meat, oatmeal cakes, and other food, and this, when examined,

proved ample for four days' supply, and he had, therefore, no occasion

to enter the villages to buy provisions. They kept by the seashore until

they neared Terracina, and then took to the hills, and skirted these

until they had left the state of Latium. They kept along at the foot of

the great range which forms the backbone of Italy, and so passing along

Samnium, came down upon the Volturnus, having thus avoided the Roman

army, which lay between Capua and Rome.

Their journey had been a rough one, for, by the winding road they had

followed along the mountains, the distance they traversed was over one

hundred miles. The fatigue had been great, and it was well that Clotilde

had had a Gaulish training. After their provisions were exhausted they

had subsisted upon corn which they gathered in the patches of cultivated

ground near the mountain villages, and upon fruits which they picked in

the woods.

Twice, too, they had come upon herds of half wild goats in the

mountains, and Malchus had succeeded in knocking down a kid with a

stone. They had not made very long journeys, resting always for a few

hours in the heat of the day, and it was ten days after they had left

Rome before, from an eminence, they saw the walls of Capua.

"How can I go in like this?" Clotilde exclaimed in a sudden fit of

shyness.

"We will wait until it is dusk," Malchus said; "the dye is fast wearing

off, and your arms are strangely white for a peasant girl's. I will

take you straight to Hannibal's palace, and you will soon be fitted out

gorgeously. There are spoils enough stored up to clothe all the women of

Rome."

They sat down in the shade of a clump of trees, and waited till the heat

of the day was past; then they rose and walked on until, after darkness

had fallen, they entered the town of Capua. They had no difficulty in

discovering the palace where Hannibal was lodged. They were stopped at

the entrance by the guards, who gave a cry of surprise and pleasure when

Malchus revealed himself. At first they could hardly credit that, in the

dark skinned peasant, their own commander stood before them, and as the

news spread rapidly the officers of the corps ran down and saluted him

with a joyous greeting. While this was going on Clotilde shrank back out

of the crowd.

As soon as he could extricate himself from his comrades, Malchus joined

her, and led her to Hannibal, who, hearing the unusual stir, was issuing

from his apartment to see what had occasioned it. The shouts of "Long

live Malchus!" which rose from the soldiers informed him of what had

happened, and he at once recognized his kinsman in the figure advancing

to meet him.

"My dear Malchus," he exclaimed, "this is a joyous surprise. I have been

in vain endeavouring to get you out of the hands of the Romans, but they

were obstinate in refusing an exchange; but knowing your adroitness, I

have never given up hopes of seeing you appear some day among us. But

whom have you here?" he asked as he re-entered his room accompanied by

Malchus and his companion.

"This is Clotilde, daughter of Allobrigius, the chief of the Orcan

tribe," Malchus replied, "and my affianced wife. Her father has been

defeated and killed by Postumius, and she was carried as a slave to

Rome. There good fortune and the gods threw us together, and I have

managed to bring her with me."

"I remember you, of course," Hannibal said to the girl, "and that I

joked my young kinsman about you. This is well, indeed; but we must see

at once about providing you with proper garments. There are no females

in my palace, but I will send at once for Chalcus, who is now captain of

my guard, and who has married here in Capua, and beg him to bring hither

his wife; she will l am sure take charge of you, and furnish you with

garments."

Clotilde was soon handed over to the care of the Italian lady, and

Malchus then proceeded to relate to Hannibal the various incidents which

had occurred since he had sailed from Capua for Sardinia. He learned in

return that the mission of Mago to Carthage had been unsuccessful. He

had brought over a small reinforcement of cavalry and elephants, which

had landed in Bruttium and had safely joined the army; but this only

repaired a few of the many gaps made by the war, and was useless to

enable Hannibal to carry out his great purpose.

"Hanno's influence was too strong," Hannibal said, "and I foresee that

sooner or later the end must come. I may hold out for years here in

Southern Italy, but unless Carthage rises from her lethargy, I must

finally be overpowered."

"It seems to me," Malchus said, "that the only hope is in rousing the

Gauls to invade Italy from the north."

"I know nothing of what is passing there," Hannibal said; "but it is

clear from the disaster which has befallen our friends the Orcans that

the Romans are more than holding their own north of the Apennines.

Still, if a diversion could be made it would be useful. I suppose you

are desirous of taking your bride back to her tribe."

"Such is my wish, certainly," Malchus said. "As I have told you,

Hannibal, I have made up my mind never to return to Carthage. It is

hateful to me. Her tame submission to the intolerable tyranny of Hanno

and his faction, her sufferance of the corruption which reigns in every

department, her base ingratitude to you and the army which have done

and suffered so much, the lethargy which she betrays when dangers are

thickening and her fall and destruction are becoming more and more sure,

have sickened me of her. I have resolved, as I have told you, to cast

her off, and to live and die among the Gauls--a life rough and simple,

but at least free."

"But it seems that the Gauls have again been subjected to Rome,"

Hannibal said.

"On this side of the Alps," Malchus replied, "but beyond are great

tribes who have never as yet heard of Rome. It is to them that

Clotilde's mother belongs, and we have settled that we will first try

and find her mother and persuade her to go with us, and that if she

is dead we will journey alone until we join her tribe in Germany. But

before I go I will, if it be possible, try and rouse the Gauls to make

another effort for freedom by acting in concert, by driving out the

Romans and invading Italy. You will, I trust, Hannibal, not oppose my

plans."

"Assuredly not, Malchus; I sympathize with you, and were I younger

and without ties and responsibilities would fain do the same. It is a

sacrifice, no doubt, to give up civilization and to begin life anew,

but it is what our colonists are always doing. At any rate it is

freedom--freedom from the corruption, the intrigue, the sloth, and the

littleness of a decaying power like that of Carthage. You will be happy

at least in having your wife with you, while the gods only know when I

shall see the face of my beloved Imilce.

"Yes, Malchus, follow your own devices. Carthage, when she flung you

in prison and would have put you to a disgraceful death, forfeited all

further claim upon you. You have rendered her great services, you have

risked your life over and over again in her cause, you have repaid

tenfold the debt which you incurred when she gave you birth. You are

free now to carry your sword where you will. I shall deeply regret your

loss, but your father has gone and many another true friend of mine,

and it is but one more in the list of those I have lost. Follow your

own wishes, and live in that freedom which you will never attain in the

service of Carthage."

The next day the marriage of Malchus and Clotilde took place. Hannibal

himself joined their hands and prayed the gods to bless their

union. Three weeks later Hannibal arranged that a body of a hundred

Carthaginian horse should accompany Malchus to the north, where he would

endeavour to raise the Gaulish tribes. They were to cross into Apulia,

to travel up the east coast until past the ranges of the Apennines,

and then make their way across the plains to the Alps. A dozen officers

accompanied him; these were to aid him in his negotiations with

the chiefs, and in organizing the new forces, should his efforts be

successful.

To the great joy of Malchus, on the very evening before he started

Nessus arrived in the camp. He had, when Malchus was at Rome, been

employed with the other Carthaginian soldiers on the fortifications.

Malchus had once or twice seen him as, with the others, he was marched

from the prison to the walls, and had exchanged a few words with him.

He had told him that he intended to escape, but could not say when he

should find an opportunity to do so; but that if at any time a month

passed without his seeing him, Nessus would know that he had gone.

The extra rigour with which the prisoners were guarded had led Nessus to

suspect that a prisoner had escaped, and a month having passed without

his seeing Malchus, he determined on making an attempt at flight. So

rigourous was the watch that there was no possibility of this being done

secretly, and, therefore, one day when they were employed in repairing

the foundations of the wall outside the city Nessus seized the

opportunity, when the attention of the guards was for a moment directed

in another quarter, to start at the top of his speed. He had chosen the

hottest hour of the day for the attempt, when few people were about, and

the peasants had left the fields for an hour's sleep under the shade of

trees.

The Roman guard had started in pursuit, but Nessus had not overrated his

powers. Gradually he left them behind him, and, making straight for the

Tiber, plunged in and swam the river. He had followed the right bank

up to the hills, and on the second evening after starting made his

appearance at Capua. When he heard the plans of Malchus he announced,

as a matter of course, that he should accompany him. Malchus pointed out

that, with the rewards and spoils he had obtained, he had now sufficient

money to become a man of importance among his own people. Nessus quietly

waved the remark aside as if it were wholly unworthy of consideration.

The cavalry who were to accompany Malchus were light armed Numidians,

whose speed would enable them to distance any bodies of the enemy they

might meet on their way. With them were thirty lead horses, some of them

carrying a large sum of money, which Hannibal had directed should be

paid to Malchus from the treasury, as his share, as an officer of high

rank, of the captured booty. The rest of the horses were laden with

costly arms, robes of honour, and money as presents for the Gaulish

chiefs. These also were furnished from the abundant spoils which had