OUR HEADS ARE IN PERIL.
When I returned to the deck, the promontory of Utica (or, as the
point on the Libyan coast facing Sicily is sometimes called, the Cape
of Hermes) was clearly visible.
In honour of our arrival at so important a city we all took extra
pains in dressing ourselves. I put on my best kitonet and my
embroidered cap; and Hannibal donned his plumed helmet, and wore a
handsome tunic under his cuirass.
We could ere long see not only the cape but the city of Utica itself;
and further south, at the other extremity of the bay, a confused
white mass, which unquestionably was Carthage. Leaving this on our
left, we steered due west right into the bay, and having rounded
the headland, coasted for some miles along the low-lying shore that
continued all the way to the city, which seemed to rise in gentle
gradations from the deep blue waters to where the "bozrah" formed
its lofty crown. The red and brown domes of the buildings and the
battlements of the citadel stood out in sharp relief against the
azure sky; and the masses of verdure all around the city formed a
fitting background for the dazzling whiteness of its lime-washed
walls.
Having passed a number of imposing edifices on the island, which is
separated from the mainland by a canal that forms the trade-harbour,
we entered the war-port, in the centre of which, high above the
crowds of shipping, rose the massive walls and towers of the
Admiralty palace. I found that there was room for my ships on the
left-hand quay, where I had them laid to, and then in company with
Hanno I got into a small boat and rowed across the harbour to a
jetty, wide and paved, that led from the Admiralty to the mainland,
and which, being in connection with all the surrounding quays, is
always thronged with passengers going to and fro upon business at the
Admiralty offices.
From the jetty we passed through a high vaulted gateway, flanked on
either side by a tower, into an outer court-yard. Here the sentinels
asked our names, and sent us on through another lofty gateway, across
a hall hung with red and yellow tapestry into a long dark lobby, at
the end of which was a half-open gate leading into the large inner
court. We crossed this court, and entered another lobby exactly like
the one we had just quitted; and leaving this, we found ourselves in
a low square room with a vaulted roof, whence we passed, by a side
door, into a gloomy room with a circular dome. We had, however, still
farther to go: after ascending three long and very narrow staircases
we entered an apartment with a lofty dome on the second floor of
one of the towers; but even yet we had not reached our destination.
We had now to descend a few steps and pass along a corridor, from
which we ascended another staircase, and finally reached a spacious
apartment, circular in shape, well lighted by loop-holes in the wall,
and having a handsome vaulted ceiling.
I could observe that we had thus made our way to the left-hand tower
of the four which are ranged along the north front of the palace, one
at each end of the building, and one at each side of the gateway,
this one commanding a view of the Admiral's private basin, beyond
which I could see my own vessels lying in the Cothôn.
The apartment was hung with strips of tapestry alternately red and
yellow, and the paved floor was covered with mats. The guards who had
ushered us all the way from the outer court-yard remained standing
at the door, and having given us permission to enter, Hanno and I
advanced alone towards a window, where, seated in a chair of painted
wood, I recognised old Adonibal, the naval _suffes_, or suffect.
Nearly every one is aware that our Libyan cities are subject to a
government in many respects similar to that which existed among the
children of Israel before the time of King Saul; that is, they are
ruled by suffects, whose office corresponds very nearly to that of
the "judges." A council, all eligible as suffects, are nominated
by the people, and these from their own number elect two (whom,
however, the people reserve to themselves the power of displacing),
one to be "naval suffect," entrusted with the control of all maritime
matters; the other, popularly called the "sacred suffect," to have
the superintendence of all inland affairs. But it is not so generally
known that for the last ten years the Libyan suffects have been
appointed without any sanction either of the Kings of Tyre or Sidon.
The representatives are chosen independently, subject only to the
condition that no Tyrians are admitted to the office at Utica, which
is essentially a Sidonian colony, and no Sidonian can be elected for
Carthage, where it is the Tyrians who have been rearing the new city
around the ancient Bozrah.
At the time of our visit, Adonibal, the son of Adoniram, had been for
eight years the naval suffect, and it was universally acknowledged
that he wielded his magistracy with a resolute and steady hand.
After many years of adventure both by sea and land, he had settled
at Utica, where he had carried on his affairs, both in trade and
warfare, with great success. He had led the forces of the city
against the Libyans, had made incursions upon the coast of Tarshish,
and in a great measure had contributed to the establishment of
Massalia, the city of the Salians, at the mouth of the Rhone, in the
land of the Celts. In return for his services, and as a proof of the
confidence they had in his judgment and experience, the people of
Utica elected him their naval suffect, and the way in which the city
and its dependencies prospered under his rule convinced them that
their choice could not have fallen on a better man.
In the course of my many voyages I had at various times been brought
into contact with Adonibal, and although I was quite aware that he
had been a daring freebooter, I knew him to be a brave sailor and a
clever merchant. It was therefore with much pleasure that I advanced
towards the chair in which the hale old man was seated. Although he
had a flowing white beard, his upper lip was shorn perfectly smooth
in the old Chittim fashion; he wore his mariner's cap pressed closely
over his ears; and his nose, slightly redder than of yore, betokened
that he had more than a slight acquaintance with the luscious produce
of Helbon and Berytos.
I bowed, and congratulated him that I found him looking so well.
"Ah!" he said, speaking in a sort of facetious way that had become
habitual to him, "here's Mago, the Sidonian, the cutest captain that
ever took cedar ship to Tarshish! And who is this young man with you?"
I introduced Hanno as my scribe and fellow-townsman.
"And the brave fellows that were with you when you came here before;
how are they all?" continued Adonibal, stroking his beard; "Himilco
with his one eye, and Gisgo who had lost his ears, how are they? And
what has become of the notable _Gadita_?"
Flattered by the accuracy with which he retained me and my people in
his memory, I replied that they were all well and with me, and that
he had only to turn his head to the window and he would see all my
ships in the harbour, amongst them the _Gadita_, whose name had been
altered to the _Cabiros_.
The old man laughed significantly.
"I shall see your ships quite soon enough for your liking," he said;
"I shall not lose much time in making my official inspection of them.
The _Melkarth_ left here only three days since."
"The _Melkarth_!" I exclaimed in astonishment.
Seeing my amazement he began to jeer me. "An old stager like you!
you surprise me very much by trusting yourself here so soon after
Bodmilcar."
"Bodmilcar!" I repeated; "surely you must be unaware of how Bodmilcar
has acted!"
"I am only aware of this," he said, his eye twinkling as he spoke;
"you and your scribe must lay down your swords and be trotted off to
the dungeons, and the rest of your people will very soon be trotted
after you."
[Illustration]
I stood dumb with bewilderment; but Hanno, with whom neither patience
nor reticence were prevailing virtues, laid his hand upon the hilt of
his sword, and said:--
"This sword was given me by Melek David, and whoever demands its
surrender shall first know the feel of its point in his bosom."
White with passion, the old man started to his feet. In an instant
a couple of guards had laid their hands upon the shoulders of my
impetuous scribe.
"Let him alone!" he bawled; "I can defend myself."
Then suddenly controlling his fury, he said very slowly, addressing
us both:
"Lay down your swords at once, or by Baal-Peor! within a quarter of
an hour your heads shall be swinging from the highest battlement of
this very tower!"
I knew that Adonibal was not a man to swear lightly by his god, and
I knew, moreover, that a few heads more or less were a matter of no
moment to him. Seeing, therefore, that he was somewhat calmer, I
summoned all my courage, and said as firmly as I could:
"My lord suffect, you are bound to show justice to all mariners
alike; you would not, I am sure, commit a Sidonian captain to the
dungeons without giving him a fair hearing."
He had recovered his equanimity sufficiently to resume his bantering
tone:
"They have gone for the handcuffs: they will soon be back; but
perhaps you will have time to tell me what you want, while they are
fetching them. And, really, I am curious to know what defence you can
possibly make for your treachery to Bodmilcar, under whose command,
as I see by his letters, you were placed by King Hiram."
"I have but one question to ask," I said; "and if the answer convicts
me, why then you may behead me, hang me, or crucify me, as you like.
Have you any documents bearing Bodmilcar's seal and signature?"
From a bag that was hanging beside him he drew out a papyrus-roll,
which he opened and laid before me.
"There," he said, "is Bodmilcar's deposition, written, signed, and
sealed by himself. That convicts you plainly enough, I should think."
"Just the contrary," I replied calmly; "Bodmilcar is caught in his
own trap. Here is our charter-party." And taking the deed from the
hands of Hanno, I showed it to the suffect.
"Yes," I continued, "that is the indenture which sets forth the
contract, and you need only glance at it to see that Bodmilcar
covenanted to sail under my command. Why, the very seal with which he
ratified his deposition was bought with the few coins I gave him to
rescue him from starvation at Tyre! Let me ask you now, who is the
traitor?"
Adonibal perused the document carefully, and seemed much distressed.
In a few moments he rose and said:
"Mago, my friend, I have manifestly misjudged you. Nothing could be
more completely demonstrated than Bodmilcar's faithlessness. Forgive
me my too hasty conclusion. I ought to have known that neither
you nor your brave companions could ever have been guilty of such
treachery."
He went on to say that he should be interested in hearing our whole
story, and that he should be only too ready to do us justice. As I
detailed the particulars of Bodmilcar's conduct, he could hardly
restrain his indignation.
"By Baal-Peor of Berytos!" he said, "if ever Bodmilcar and his crew
come within reach of my clutches, they shall all be crucified within
an hour."
He then addressed himself to Hanno:
"You, sir scribe, seem to have a spirit of your own, notwithstanding
your tender years."
"My lord," replied Hanno, "I should not have been so presumptuous if
Mago had not already told me how renowned you were for discrimination
and for justice. I felt that there could be nothing to fear from one
who knows so well how to unmask the truth."
"You have a sharp fellow here, Mago," said Adonibal to me, smiling
as he spoke; "but, come now, we must all drink wine together. I have
much to tell about Bodmilcar, and presently I shall hope to see as
many of your people as you please, seated at my own table."
Thanking him for his hospitable offer, I made Hanno write down a
list of my officers, which was delivered to one of the guards. Wine,
meanwhile, had been brought in, and Adonibal himself handed us
each an ivory goblet with a rim of Tarshish silver. While we were
drinking, he observed that he took it for granted we had not come to
Utica empty-handed.
"I am quite aware," he said, "that the bulk of your cargo is for King
David; but I reckon that you are rather too old a sailor not to be
doing a little business on your own account. What have you got to
dispose of?"
I told him that I had brought some sulphur and lava-stones, articles
which always used to command a ready sale in Libya.
"And so they do now," he said; "you will be sure to get a good price
for them. But what else have you?"
"Well, my lord suffect, you know I have been in three little
skirmishes off Ionia and Sicily. You must naturally suppose I have
managed to pick up a trifle or two."
"Ha! ha!" he laughed; "you are a genuine Sidonian. Out with it,
man!--how many have you got?"
"Sixty-one," I answered; "and fine sturdy fellows they are--as fine
a lot as one could wish to see. Perhaps the council might like to
purchase them. I would take any reasonable sum, and should prefer
selling them in bulk rather than in separate parcels. I hope the
republic may be induced to take them off my hands."
"Good--good, my friend," said Adonibal; "it is worth consideration.
We have had some rough encounters lately with the Libyans, and must
replace our soldiers. Your Hellenes may be a good investment. Under
Phœnician generals they often do very well in the forts, and if
they get killed, the loss is not very serious. I think I can arrange
to take the lot. I can put them with a batch of Egyptians that I
bought of Bodmilcar, and send them off in divisions; some into
garrison, some to the works, and some to fell trees. The Egyptians
are good hands at building."
"Do I understand you aright?" I asked, "have you purchased Egyptians
from Bodmilcar? There seems no limit to the scoundrel's treachery.
Those Egyptians were lent him by Pharaoh to go in pursuit of us.
Some of their ships were wrecked off Crete."
"He sold them to me, ships and all," said the Admiralty-lord.
"They made a pretty good howling at first; but a day or two in the
dungeons, and a little low diet, corrected all that, and to-day they
are as quiet as lambs."
I could not help smiling as I realised the adroitness with which
Bodmilcar had taken advantage of his allies.
"You may laugh;" said Adonibal, half-amused and half-vexed; "the
rascal has bamboozled the Egyptians, and outwitted you, crafty old
salt as you are. Perhaps it may entertain you to learn that he has
gone off with two of my galleys and three hundred Phœnicians."
"Good Ashtoreth!" I exclaimed; "how has he managed that?"
He emptied his wine-cup and went on:
"Three hundred criminals sentenced to transportation in the
mother-country had been landed here. My prisons were already full,
and I resolved at the first opportunity to forward them to the mines
at Tarshish. Bodmilcar arrived; I gave him the commission. I lent him
two galleys, and furnished him with written credentials from myself.
But what did the knave do? the curse of Khousor Phtah be on him! he
saw that they were a sturdy set, gave them their freedom, put arms
in their hands, and enlisted them into his service. And now they are
ready to attack you with my galleys as soon as you will give them a
chance."
"No doubt," I said; "but never mind; I daresay we shall be a match
for them."
We were interrupted by the arrival of Hannibal and the rest of my
officers, who had received the suffect's invitation.
"Welcome, friends! welcome to you all!" he said; "I ought to
recognise some old faces. Aye, there's Hamilcar! I remember him when
he was a cabin-boy on board my ship. And here, too, here's Himilco,
learned in the stars! and if my memory fails me not, no bad judge of
a good cup of Helbon. It is so still, Himilco?"
My pilot professed that he retained his taste both for the astronomy
and the wine.
"And you, Gisgo, did you ever find your ears again?"
"Aye, that I did," was the prompt reply; "and here they are, safe
in my purse. And not only my own, but those of the brute who cut
them off!" And to the amusement of the suffect, Gisgo gave a graphic
description of his splitting the skull of the Siculian chief.
Adonibal had a kind word for all my men, and promised that he would
visit them on board their ships, at which he said that he had been
looking from his window, and had already formed a favourable opinion
of them.
Bread and meat were now laid before us; and while we were sitting at
table I asked Adonibal whether amongst the Egyptians that Bodmilcar
had sold him there were not some Hellenes.
"Certainly," he said; "a dozen Phocians."
"A woman and a boy?"
"Yes; both a woman and a boy; but as I had no use for them, Bodmilcar
kept them; he had an eunuch to take care of them."
"You saw the eunuch, then?"
"Yes; and a great lubberly Syrian he was."
"What did he talk about?"
"Why, he seemed to say nothing except to ask how he could get from
here to Tyre."
"Is he going back?"
"No; Bodmilcar has him, and I do not think he will let him go in a
hurry."
When we had finished our repast, some slaves appeared with torches to
attend us to our ships. We did not quit the palace the same way as
we had entered, but after descending the staircase to the next lower
floor of the tower, we passed through a door into the sloping gallery
of what is called a "curtain;" into this the quarters of the soldiers
opened, the chambers themselves being built in the thickness of the
outer wall; we then passed into a vaulted hall, whence a corridor
brought us to the gate of the palace adjacent to the Admiralty-basin.
A private barque was waiting to convey us to our ships, where we
found the sailors, who by my orders had not been allowed to leave
their posts, making all manner of plans for the next day.
The trumpets on the various vessels were soon heard summoning the
crews for the night, and the countless lights in every direction
testified to the crowded condition of the harbour; over these, high
and bright, were the lights in the city, while in the east the
flickerings from the loop-holes of the Admiralty made the building
look more sombre and massive than ever.
In the morning I had everything put in readiness for the admiral's
promised visit, and before noon I saw his twelve-oar issuing from his
private quay. As soon as he had mounted the deck of the _Ashtoreth_,
he turned and glanced impatiently towards the top of the palace.
"Idiots!" he muttered; "how long they are! when I was young an order
was executed in half the time."
He had not finished speaking before several men appeared at the
summit of one of the towers and fastened a score of heads along the
battlemented parapet.
"Right at last!" he said; "it ought to have been done a quarter of an
hour ago!"
Finding his equanimity restored, I proceeded to show him my cargo,
and had the captives brought forward for him to see. Without any
haggling (for Adonibal was really a generous and large-hearted man)
he agreed to pay a liberal price, alike for the sulphur, the lava,
and the slaves.
He next made a complete inspection of my ships, and expressed himself
much pleased with their construction and arrangements. Eager to make
amends for his rough reception of us on our arrival, he promised me
that I should be allowed to put my ships into a dry dock, free of
dues, saying that this would give me an opportunity of examining
the copper sheathing. He then gave orders for his purchases to be
embarked, and for the slaves to be properly guarded, adding that he
himself was going across the bay to settle some disputes that had
arisen amongst the Tyrians. He summoned his officers to accompany him
with their ropes and scourges, and said to me:
"Farewell, for the present, Mago; I see that your men are all longing
to get ashore. I was young myself once, and I have not forgotten what
it is to have some shekels burning holes in your pocket."
He made a sign to his attendants, and preceded by his scribe and
officers, re-entered his boat and departed.
Having thus disposed so satisfactorily of my property, I no longer
delayed giving the men the permission that they were anticipating, to
go on shore; and with the exception of the few who were of necessity
told off to take charge of the ships, they lost no time in availing
themselves of their liberty.
The Phocians had wrapped their dead comrade in a winding-sheet, and
proposed to carry him to a cemetery of which one of my sailors had
told them. Before they started, I presented Aminocles, as a token of
my appreciation of his services, with a couple of silver shekels. He
stared at them, quite bewildered.
"Ah!" said I, "I forgot that you barbarians do not know anything
about coined money; but never mind--the sailors who are going with
you will show you what to do with them. Trust them for that."
Accompanied by Hanno, Hannibal, Chamai, and Bichri, and taking the
two women. I landed on the principal quay, Himilco and his friend
Gisgo, with Hasdrubal and Hamilcar, preferring to go in another
direction. We all had well-filled purses, and those who had never
before seen the famous city, were impatient to inspect its wonders.
Our first resort was to the temple of Ashtoreth. This was at the
basement of one of the forts that protect the entrance to the
harbour, and was at a very little distance from the place where our
ships were lying; and as neither Bichri, Chamai, nor Abigail wished
to make any offering to the goddess, they waited for us upon the
quay, entertained, they said, in watching the numerous vessels going
in and out both of the Cothôn and of the trade-harbour, of which the
outer basin was visible from this point.
[Illustration: UTICA.
_To face page 187._]
Being built in a fort, the construction of the temple is necessarily
very simple. Eight unornamented pillars support the roof, and, like
the walls, are stuccoed with yellow ochre; at the further end was a
recumbent figure of the goddess, with a golden crescent on her head.
From the tariff of sacrifices which was posted up at the entrance I
made my own selection, paying the sum of five shekels; and having
made my offering, I obtained permission from the governor of the
fort, who was an old acquaintance, to take my party on to the terrace
upon the roof, whence there was a fine view of the city. Chamai,
Bichri, and Abigail joined us there. Looking towards the sea, we had
on our left the Cothôn and the Admiralty palace, and on our right
the island which had been the original nucleus of the colony, and
the trade-harbour which separated it from the mainland. Landwards
rose the white buildings and terraces of the city, threaded by dark
winding streets, and studded with domes painted red and brown, and
culminating towards the south in the massive citadel, the residence
of the sacred suffect. A double line of fortifications encircled
the whole city both by land and sea, and outside this a moat and
palisade, that followed the undulations of the soil, formed a third
advanced line of defence; beyond this again stretched the country
with its rich foliage and yellow crops, amongst which lay imbedded
the snow-white terraces and brown domes of the country-houses, farms,
and cisterns.[34]
[34] The description of Utica is from M. Daux's admirable book,
'Fouilles executées dans le Zeugis et Byzacium.'
The Cothôn at Utica, although not to be compared with the harbours
at Tyre and Sidon, is still the finest of any that have yet been
constructed in our western settlements, and is well adapted to the
climate. It is 480 cubits, or nearly three-quarters of a stadium
square, and is capable of holding as many as four hundred ships of
war; a small dry basin is annexed to it, having a passage flanked
by two lofty columns, and leading into the great harbour of the
arsenal. On three sides it is bounded by paved quays, twelve cubits
wide, which are very little above the level of the water; the fourth
side being formed by a strong mole. Behind the quays rises a wall of
rubble-work faced with Maltese stone, in which at regular intervals
are pierced the arched openings that form the entrances to the dry
docks. The dry docks, as I had told Hannibal, are sixty in number;
they are sixteen cubits high, but as they are only forty cubits
long by twelve broad, they will only hold small vessels like the
_Cabiros_, larger ships being sent for repairs into the basin in
front of the arsenal. The docks are covered in by a flat pavement
which forms a second quay as wide as the lower one; upon this, over
the docks, and partitioned symmetrically with them, stands the range
of magazines and storehouses, fourteen cubits high, of which the flat
roofs form a third terrace, which is on a level with the city. The
whole of these fine edifices are built upon cisterns.
On the innermost side of the harbour the lowest quay is broken in the
middle by the jetty which maintains the same level, and connects the
quay with that of the Admiralty; the shore end of it breaks the line
of magazines, and is a wide open space, generally thronged with busy
crowds; it terminates in a flight of paved steps that leads up to
the second and third terraces, from the uppermost of which, through
openings in the embattled wall that encloses the whole, there is
direct access into the city.
The entrance to the Cothôn is defended on one side by the fortress
containing the temple, and on the other by two more forts connected
by a curtain, and these form the boundary of the mole. The channel,
at the mouth, is considerably encroached upon by the towing-quays,
which are so broad as only to allow a passage thirty cubits in
width. The outer basin of the arsenal is defended in a similar
manner by two forts, one of them being at the other extremity of
the mole; and other forts have been erected, one at each end of the
interior side of the Cothôn, the lower storey of one of them being
appropriated as another temple. A solid embattled wall starts from
the mole, and after running round the arsenal and its outer basin,
joins the city wall at the left-hand fort, while a corresponding
wall, pierced by a lofty square opening, flanked by loop-holes,
separates the basin from the arsenal. As a connoisseur in such
matters, Hannibal pronounced the whole to be wonderfully well
devised, and expressed his conviction that, protected as they were by
their forts and by the wall that was connected with the city wall,
the Cothôn and arsenal were capable of resisting the most determined
assault.
The mole itself is a remarkably fine structure. It is built upon
piles, and extends the whole length from the arsenal-basin to
the entrance; it is no less than twenty-four cubits thick, and
its massive substance of rubble is pierced by slanting apertures
or air-holes, the effect of which is to rebut the waves and very
materially to diminish their shock. The noble work does great credit
to Adonibal, under whose supervision it was constructed.
The Admiralty palace in the centre is a handsome edifice, consisting
of a main building flanked by six circular towers and four bastions.
It is a large irregular parallelogram, with one of the round towers
at each exterior angle, and having an open court in the middle, upon
which open all the apartments of the palace, and around which runs
a gallery on pillars, supporting two tiers of arches. The two other
round towers are on the sides of the gateway on the north front of
the palace, which opens on the naval suffect's private landing-place;
there is likewise a gateway on the south front, which is protected by
walls pierced with loop-holes and built into the sides of the palace.
It was through this gateway that I had myself passed into the outer
court-yard, and from which I had been conducted up one of the two
interior towers, of which only the tops were visible from the spot
where we were now standing.
After leaving the temple, I conducted my party along the quay to the
open space at the end of the jetty, and then mounting the steps, we
passed through the arches in the enceinte of the Cothôn, thus making
our way towards the city. We passed the baths, and taking a turning
to the left, wound our path upwards in the direction of the Bozrah;
there, at the base of the plateau on which the citadel is built, is
a large square, the common resort of the sailors; under the shadow
of the trees was a number of stalls for the sale of food and drink;
there was likewise music as well as amusements of various kinds; and
at the farther end was a market for the disposal of wild animals,
ivory, slaves, and whatever else was the produce of the interior of
Libya. For many hours of the day the place is thronged by people of
every rank; and musicians, acrobats, men with monkeys, dancers of
both sexes, hawkers of caps and sandals, singers, vendors of cakes,
fruit, and cooling drinks, all press upon the sailor fresh from
his voyage, and endeavour to attract for themselves a share of the
shekels which he is sure to have brought on shore. It had not been my
intention to come to this spot, but early association made me almost
involuntarily turn my steps in this direction.
Everybody seemed bent on pleasure, and it was not long before I saw
several groups of my own men laughing, shouting, singing and pushing
along in true sailor fashion, jostling their neighbours, and buying
wine and other drinks from every hawker that they met.
Hannibal was breaking out into loud admiration of the life and gaiety
of the place, when Hanno drew his attention to a row of heads that,
by order of the sacred suffect, had been ranged along the battlements
above the gate of the Bozrah. Hannibal paid but little heed to the
ghastly sight, scarcely turning his eyes to look, but proceeded to
rhapsodise over the difficulty of scaling such fortifications, and
to expatiate upon the impregnability of the position, until he was
recalled by an exclamation of surprise made simultaneously by Bichri,
Chamai, and the two women. A huge elephant was being led past by some
Libyans.
[Illustration: A HUGE ELEPHANT WAS BEING LED PAST.
_To face page 191_]
"What monster have we here?" cried Hannibal, equally astonished.
"Heavens!" exclaimed Bichri; "how many arrows would it take to slay
such a brute as that?"
"It must be the Behemoth, of which we have heard so much," said
Chamai, gazing in amazement.
I explained to them that the animal which had so much excited their
wonder was an elephant; that the great teeth projecting from its jaws
were ivory; and that the rope-like appendage to its head, which it
wielded so adroitly, was its trunk.
"What a line a herd of those creatures would make on a field of
battle!" said Hannibal, his thoughts turning as usual to military
tactics; "I cannot imagine how any infantry could hold their ground
against them; the only thing would be to open their ranks, let the
brutes pass through, and then attack them from behind."
"You are not the first soldier, Hannibal," I answered, "who has had
the same idea. Some of these animals have already been tamed, and
trained to carry on their backs a tower full of archers. They are
brought from the banks of the Upper Bagradas, and from the forests in
the borders of Tritonis, a lake in the interior of Libya."
Besides the elephant, we saw a hippopotamus, or river horse, and a
couple of rhinoceroses, with their big horns. The whole of these were
a portion of the tribute (consisting of ivory, tame elephants, and
other animals), which had been imposed by the sacred suffect upon the
subjugated Libyans on the Bagradas, and which happened now to be on
its transit to the Bozrah.
A well-known voice, harsh and sonorous, at this instant caught my
ear, and turning round, I saw Jonah towering head and shoulders
above the crowd, and encircled by a group of my sailors, all in roars
of laughter.
"Now, at last," the trumpeter was saying, "I am where I wanted to
be! Now I am in the land of strange beasts! This is the first animal
I ever saw in my life with two tails, one behind and one at the end
of his nose! I wonder how many onions it would take to season the
carcase of such a brute as that! I wonder, too, how long it would
take a fellow to eat it!"
Leaving the sailors to their diversions, we bent our steps towards
the market, where red-skinned Libyans, with aquiline noses and long
plaited hair, were being offered for sale. Entering a tent where
provisions of all kinds were sold, I ordered some refreshments for
myself and my party, and a Syrian slave, who was serving instead of
the owner, brought us two guinea-fowls, some stewed beans and onions,
some olives, bread, and very fair Helbon wine. Hannibal seated
himself near the stove to feast his eyes upon the wheat-and-honey
cakes that were being fried upon the top.
We had not long been in the refreshment-booth before Himilco and
Gisgo made their appearance; they were followed by a dancing-girl and
three other girls, one playing the flute, and two the tambourine. The
dancing-girl was one of the western Moors; she had a copper-coloured
complexion, and her hair twisted in coils like so many serpents; her
nails and eyebrows were dyed red; her face was tattooed with three
parallel stripes in regular Mahouârin fashion; and on her wrists
and ankles she wore rattles that clanked again as she moved. The
flute-player was a native of Barbary, with a fair skin and light
hair, parted over a high, narrow forehead. Both girls were dressed
alike in gay skirts, open as high as the knees; in their hair they
had bodkins, of which the heads were grotesque figures; their
necklaces and girdles were of glass and enamel; and their earrings
were great crosses. The tambourine-players were inconceivably ugly;
one of them appeared to belong to the Rasennæ, and the other had
her face so daubed with red and blue paint, and made such hideous
grimaces, that it was idle to speculate upon her nationality.
Himilco was in high spirits; he came up to me and said that he and
Gisgo had been spending the morning in going from tavern to tavern,
and that they had engaged the orchestra, which we now saw, to
accompany them for the day wherever they went, and to entertain them
while they regaled themselves.
"Poor girls!" said Abigail; "are they obliged to perform for all the
sailors alike?"
"No, indeed," I replied; "they take good care never to perform unless
they are well paid, and I suppose there is not much hardship in that."
The Libyan had now commenced her performance. We stayed for a few
minutes watching her contortions, and then left the tent.
The first person we met in the square was Hamilcar, carrying a monkey.
"Hamilcar with a monkey!" cried Hannibal. "Where did you get it? The
very thing I want myself. I want to teach it to fight."
"I should like to have a monkey," said Hanno; "I would teach it to
dance."
Bichri said he was sure he could make it learn the use of the bow;
and Chamai declared it would be capital fun to teach it to make
grimaces, and to mimic the mighty Jonah.
On all hands it was agreed that we must have a monkey on board the
_Ashtoreth_.
Hamilcar told them that they would have to go down towards the
trade-harbour, through the square where the rich merchant Hamoun
resides; and at the corner of the street which leads to the temple of
Moloch they would find a dealer who had a whole cargo to dispose of.
"You will have a choice there," he said; "there are apes of all
sorts, all sizes, and all colours. You may have them brown, or red,
or grey, or black, or green; with tails or without tails; with long
hair, short hair, or no hair; wild or tame; only ask for what you
want, and you will be sure to get it."
On our way down towards the trade-harbour we met Aminocles, quite
drunk. He was being dragged along by a couple of sailors, singing at
the top of their voices. He had learnt only too soon what was the
use, or abuse, of the silver shekels.
We had no trouble in finding the monkey-dealer's, and Hanno, who had
taken it upon himself to select the most intelligent monkey he could
see, chose one which appeared to meet with general approval.
"And now what are we to call it?" said Hannibal, who liked everything
to have a name.
"Don't you think," said Hanno, "that it has a very striking
resemblance to old Gebal, the judge at Sidon? Look at it now. Isn't
it like him when he rolls his eyes and scratches his poll, just
before giving sentence?"
"Exactly!" said Hannibal, "the very facsimile! and Judge Gebal he
shall be called!"
We now made our way with our new purchase down to the quay, whence
a small boat carried us across the trade-harbour to the opposite
island, on which are built the handsome residences of the more
wealthy inhabitants of the city; for during the last ten years many
of the merchants have amassed considerable fortunes, and abandoning
sea-life, have settled down in homes replete with luxury. We walked
to the extremity of the island, and after leaving the two women at
the noble bath-room at the top of the wall above the small basin in
which the pleasure-boats of the rich inhabitants are kept, we betook
ourselves to the men's baths, and enjoyed the refreshment of a wash
and a shave. Rejoined by the women, we rowed across to the nearest
point of the Cothôn, and paid a visit to the signal-tower; thence we
went on foot to the magnificent gardens that lie between the citadel
and the lower town. Here I showed my party the temple of Achmon, and
took them to see the public fountains, the constant resort of both
sexes for lounging and gossip.
Night coming on, we returned to the _Ashtoreth_, on which the lamps
were already lighted. Going on board, I found the slave of the man
who had entertained me during my former visit to Utica waiting for
me with an invitation from his master to dine with him next day,
and I sent a message that we should be pleased to avail ourselves
of his hospitality. During our day's absence my cook had prepared a
sumptuous repast, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
The trumpets now sounded the signal for calling in the sailors. They
came dropping in two or three at a time, all more or less tipsy, and
some of them inclined to be noisy; but so strong was their habit of
submission to discipline, that no sooner had they stepped on board
than they relapsed into their wonted silence, and retired quietly to
their berths. Himilco was among the last to return, and to his credit
I feel bound to record that he was quite able to walk across the deck
without any assistance from his friend Gisgo.