AN AMBUSCADE.
For two days we continued our return march without any interruption,
and reached the base of the steep ascent that leads to the plateau
overlooking the river.
The mounting of this height was a matter of no little difficulty. We
had to climb like goats, clinging to rocks and tufts of brushwood,
trampling down branches and dry grass, and hardly succeeded, after
all, in following the track which the head of the caravan had opened.
Suddenly, about half-way up the slope, the ground sank abruptly,
forming a deep ravine that had to be crossed before continuing the
ascent. We paused at its brink to recover our breath. Behind us the
long line of our sailors and porters was slowly filing through the
thicket; in front, yawned the precipitous ravine itself; and opposite
to us rose the mountain-side, to its very summit a mass of sombre
woods; several eagles were wheeling round above the chasm.
"A fine place for an ambush!" said Hannibal, wiping the perspiration
from his forehead, and little dreaming what was in store for us.
Himilco took a draught from the goat-skin that he carried at his
side, and heaved a long-drawn sigh:
"Ah!" he said, "it was in just such a plaguy hole as this that I lost
my eye ten years ago. I hope the hand that thrust the lance has been
rotten long since."
My own experience of the dangers of the land of Tarshish made me
very cautious, and with the approval of my two military subordinates,
I despatched Hanno and Jonah to the rear to call together the
stragglers, and to collect any that might have lost their way in the
woods; Bichri and his ten Benjamite archers, and Aminocles with his
five companion Phocians, I sent on in front to make their way rapidly
across the ravine, and to explore the forest on the opposite side.
Jonah's trumpet was soon heard sounding its call, and very shortly
afterwards Bichri and Aminocles were seen entering the wood beyond
the hollow. Without suspecting that there was any cause for alarm,
I ordered the guide (who was still being watched narrowly by my
sailors) to advance, and we began our descent. Some of us had already
reached the bottom, and the main body were making their way as best
they could down the troublesome incline, when the guide came to
a sudden halt. He was about fifty paces ahead, just beginning to
re-ascend the hollow. As soon as he stopped, a whistle was distinctly
heard from the woods in front, and Himilco called out:
"Look out, captain--look out! there's mischief brewing."
I shouted with all my might to the guide to move on more briskly,
and the sailor who had been put in charge of him was in the act of
pushing him forward, when the savage made a sudden dive, felled the
sailor to the ground, in two or three bounds cleared the intervening
space, and disappeared in the adjoining thicket.
"I told you so," said Himilco; "I knew well enough that the Iberian
scoundrels would be at their old games again."
[Illustration: AN AVALANCHE OF STONES.
_To face page 220._]
While he spoke, Jonah's trumpet sounding an alarm told only too
plainly that the column was being attacked in the rear, and in
front a frightful chorus of yells and war-cries was followed
instantaneously by an avalanche of stones. One of my poor sailors
fell at my side with his skull smashed, and all the native bearers
who had entered the ravine threw down their loads and fled
precipitately.
"Form a line!" shouted Hannibal to his men; and in spite of the
storm of stones that was falling around him, the intrepid leader
mounted a projecting rock, and brandishing his sword, vigorously
rallied his force. A party of sailors made a body-guard about the two
women, and Chamai, pale with rage and excitement, rushed with his
sword drawn to Hannibal's side.
"What do you think of this?" said Himilco to me, pathetically, as he
picked up a great stone that had fallen within a hand's breadth of
his side; "these Tarshish almonds seem to be falling pretty thick."
And as if in answer to his words, a second storm yet heavier than
the first came pelting down amongst us, and knocked over several of
our men; but this time it came from behind, from the quarter of the
ravine that we had just quitted, and showed us that we were assailed
as much in our rear as in front.
"O, if only we had some cavalry and some chariots," began Hannibal;
"how easy to turn both flanks like the Khetas[40] did with the
Assyrians.[41] We would send our cavalry to the right, and our
chariots to the left, and a free passage for our own centre should
soon be forced."
[40] The Hittites of the Bible. Kheta was the general name given
by the Egyptians to the Semitic tribes.
[41] B.C. 1070.
"But considering we have no cavalry and no chariots," I said,
interrupting him, "we must defend ourselves how we can."
Without taking any notice of what I had said, he was proceeding to
expatiate upon the advantages and disadvantages of our position, when
a huge stone struck his helmet, knocking off the crest and battering
in the headpiece, and enforced upon him more effectually than I had
done the necessity of abandoning theory for practice. For an instant
he staggered with the shock, but quickly recovering himself, he
roared out:
"By Nergal! this won't do. Holy El-Adonai! this is too much. They
must pay the penalty for this. Archers! quick! up the slopes! shoot
every one who attempts to enter the ravine!"
And turning to me, he cried:
"Captain, will you take your sailors back again up the very path
by which you came down, and sweep round to those vagabonds who are
harassing our rear?"
"Men of Judah," he continued, "follow Chamai. Chamai, lead them
yonder to the left. And now, my men, to the right with me. Forward!"
"Forward to the left! long live the King!" shouted Chamai at the full
pitch of his lungs, as he obeyed orders, and led off his company in
the direction contrary to Hannibal.
The archers under Hamilcar formed a circle round the women and the
baggage, and were a guard for the bottom of the ravine; Himilco and
Gisgo, with my party, regained the ridge we had so recently quitted;
and thus on every side we presented a front to the enemy.
No sooner had we scaled the side of the ridge, than my men, cutlass
in hand, began to lay about them vigorously. The half-naked men of
Tarshish, armed only with clumsy bludgeons or wooden-pointed lances,
could make no stand against our sharp weapons, and fell in numbers
beneath our blows; and although crowds of them disappeared behind the
thickets, we did not break our compact mass to go in pursuit, but
pushed on straight ahead. Concealed and protected by the underwood,
many of the foe continued to follow us, and to hurl javelins at
us from piles that had been secreted ready for the purpose. When,
however, we came to any open patch, clear of trees, a detachment of
our men would make a dash into the brushwood in the hope of capturing
some of the stragglers; but the savages were generally much too fleet
of foot to allow themselves to be caught, and only about fifteen
altogether were secured in this way. To these no quarter was given.
[Illustration: NO QUARTER.
_To face page 222._]
Although we had advanced two stadia, we found no traces of Hanno
and Jonah. I did not consider it advisable to go further, and made
my men halt and form a circle round a large oak that stood alone
in a little glade; but Himilco, whose vengeance seemed insatiable,
ventured on for about another stadium, with Gisgo and fifteen
sailors. It was somewhat more than an hour before they returned.
They had caught and killed two of the Iberians, but what created a
far greater interest for us, they had found Hanno's writing-case all
covered with blood, lying in a copse with the dead bodies of nine
or ten of our adversaries, and the mutilated corpse of one of our
own sailors. The trampled soil, the pools of blood, and the carcases
of the savages strewn all about rendered it only too probable that
after a desperate struggle the scribe and poor Jonah had succumbed to
numbers, and that they had not only been massacred, but their bodies
had been carried away.
[Illustration]
It was with saddened hearts that we made our way back to the spot
where we had been first surprised, repelling our enemies all along
as they persisted in harassing us. As soon as I reached the ridge,
and had satisfied myself that the women and the troop around them
were all safe, I closed in my ranks and told up my losses. Six of my
men had fallen. Meanwhile I was beginning to feel very uneasy about
both Hannibal and Chamai, but my anxiety was of no long duration;
they soon appeared together on the opposite height of the chasm:
Bichri, too, was with them, and the troops were in good order. They
had nearly forty prisoners; and in the midst of the ranks I could see
Aminocles marching along with a child in his arms, whilst amongst the
captives I could distinguish a woman, two men wearing kitonets, and
another dressed in a long Syrian robe. Hannibal was in front, and no
sooner did he catch sight of me than he waved his sword over his head
with a triumphant gesture, while Chamai, still more excited, with his
head bare and his forehead covered with blood, began running rapidly
towards me. I made pretence of looking another way as he stopped to
kiss Abigail in passing, but in a minute or two he was at my side,
his countenance beaming with joy. All out of breath, he exclaimed:
"Close quarters! but we have pretty well done for them now!"
Seeing the deep gash in his forehead and his blood-stained sword, I
observed that he bore evident traces of a smartish tussle with the
Iberians.
"Iberians!" he said, contemptuously; "who cares for Iberians? No; it
is our Tyrians that have done the mischief. However, we have nabbed
the scoundrel Hazael; and Aminocles has recovered his boy; he was
only just in time to save the child's life."
"And Bodmilcar? what of him?" I asked, all excitement at the
information.
"Ah! we have just missed him," he said; "Hannibal got near enough
to slice him pretty sharply in the ribs, and if it had not been for
this unlucky wound of mine, we should have had him here now; but his
people contrived to rescue him, and to carry him off to the wood."
Half-frantic with agitation, and impatient to exact vengeance on
my hated adversary, I forgot all about our perilous position, my
scattered ingots, and the fate of my unfortunate scribe, and declared
to Chamai that without the loss of an hour we must go in pursuit,
and get Bodmilcar dead or alive. Across the ravine, off I started,
bidding who would to follow.
Himilco had shown Chryseis the writing-case, stained as it was with
blood, and a very few words had sufficed to make her realise what
were the fears we entertained upon the scribe's behalf. She said
nothing, but while Abigail grasped her waist and wept tears of
sympathy, she walked steadily along, her hands tightly clenched, and
giving no other outward sign of emotion than a slight convulsive
movement of the shoulders. Chamai, whom I had omitted to inform of
the too likely fate of Hanno and Jonah, hurriedly asked Himilco what
had become of them, but the pilot only answered by a significant
shake of the head, and by pointing to the woods behind.
[Illustration]
As I drew near to Hannibal, he advanced rapidly to greet me. He
seemed in high spirits, and although he was evidently affected by the
intelligence we gave him about Hanno, he endeavoured to disguise his
feelings by saying that we must all submit to the chances of war.
"But what's to be done next?" he added, quickly.
I told him that I was determined at all hazards to go in pursuit of
Bodmilcar, who must not be suffered to escape.
"Easier said than done," replied Hannibal. "Bodmilcar not only had
a large force of Phœnician criminals and deserters, but when he
attacked us he had a regular swarm of savages, all armed either with
clubs or javelins. At any rate, he can keep his distance. I know not
whether he is alive or dead; but I know this, that the fellows have
found out that it is not to their advantage to tackle us in close
quarters. However, we are too few to surround them, and to pursue
them is only to expose ourselves to another ambush."
"What is to be done, then?" I asked, gnashing my teeth with vexation.
"You must get to the top of the hill before night," he answered,
decidedly; "you must reach the open plain; you must not run the risk
of another surprise. Once on the plateau you are secure; you can rest
your men and give them food; they are knocked up. And you will have
time to interrogate your prisoners."
Chagrined as I was, I could not resist the conviction that Hannibal's
advice was judicious, and, however reluctantly, gave up all thought
of immediate pursuit. I directed that the prisoners should be
fastened together by a rope passed round their necks, and that forty
men should be told off under Himilco for a guard, with orders to kill
the first man that showed the least sign of resistance.
"You may trust me for that," said the pilot, with a vindictive grin;
"they have only left me one eye, but that is a sharp one."
When the captives had been securely bound, I had all the packages
and silver collected that had been left strewn about by the runaway
porters.
"There will be a double load for each of these scoundrels to carry,"
I remarked; "I shall take good care not to trust Iberians with my
property again till I have seen them well fettered."
The baggage was gathered without the occurrence of any renewed
attack, and Gisgo returned from the wood brandishing a stout cudgel
that he had cut from the bough of an oak.
"Here's something to make them stir their legs a bit!" he said, as he
saw the men loaded with their burdens.
"Now then, get on, you brutes!" Himilco screamed in Iberian; "and the
first rogue that shirks his work is a dead man!"
Placing the prisoners in the middle, we proceeded cautiously to
continue our ascent; and while we were prosecuting our toilsome
march, I asked Bichri to give me full particulars about the encounter
with Bodmilcar.
"As accurately as I can," he said, "I will. On leaving you we
advanced without obstruction some hundred paces into the wood, when
in a moment we found ourselves with a host of Iberians in our front,
and as many in our rear, pelting us with stones and darts. We ran
full speed to a spot where the trees were not so thick, and planting
our backs against a projecting rock, we stood on our defence; but
almost directly afterwards we espied a troop of soldiers dashing down
towards us. They were Bodmilcar and his miscreants. There seemed no
hope for us: in a few minutes we must have been overpowered; but,
happily, Hannibal and Chamai made their appearance, and a desperate
fray ensued. I saw Bodmilcar fall to the ground; Chamai had all but
secured him, when he was cut down by a cutlass, and the Tyrians
seized their opportunity to carry off their chief, the barbarians
covering their retreat, and hurling an incessant shower of missiles.
But we were rescued."
I had listened with eager attention to Bichri's story, and as he came
to a pause, I asked:
"But how about Hazael, and the woman and the child?"
"Patience, and you shall hear," he said. "We resolved to go in
pursuit of our foe, who, we had no doubt, was seriously wounded,
and we had got into the thick of the forest, when we came upon a
pile of wood with a child lying bound on the top of it. Fourteen or
fifteen soldiers were standing round, and Hazael, with a long knife
in his hand was on the very point of slaying the child, while two men
were forcibly dragging off a woman, who had evidently thrown herself
across its body. The very instant that Aminocles caught sight of the
victim, he shrieked aloud 'My son, my son!' and dashed like a madman
into the group; we all rushed after him, and Hazael, seeing that he
was in danger, made a lunge at the child with his knife and took to
his heels. However, I was too quick for him, and soon had him back
again. Meanwhile Aminocles and my archers had made short work with
the other men, and the boy, who had fainted, was set free by cutting
the cords that fastened him, and was found to have sustained no very
serious injury. The woman, too, who had been endeavouring to ward off
the blow of the knife, was recognised by one of the Phocians as the
wife whom he had lost. Altogether, considering we have captured the
eunuch, saved the child, and restored a man his wife, I do not know
that we have done a bad day's work."
[Illustration: ON THE VERY POINT OF SLAYING THE CHILD.
_To face page 228._]
But changing his tone, Bichri added, mournfully:
"And yet how it saddens all to think about poor Hanno and our big
friend Jonah. I loved them both, poor fellows! I wonder what has
become of old Gebal. Is he gone too?"
I said that I had very little doubt the monkey had been on his
usual perch upon the trumpeter's shoulder, and so most probably had
shared his fate. Bichri drew a long sigh, which seemed to convey the
impression that he was almost as much concerned at the loss of the
monkey as he was moved by the fate of his comrades.
We had now reached the plateau. It was a dreary plain, dotted at
rare intervals with a few trees and tufts of thistles, and as far as
I could estimate, about twelve stadia from the Bœtis. Our supply
of fresh water being nearly exhausted, we were obliged to be very
frugal with it at our evening meal; but as soon as this was
finished, and Hannibal had posted his sentinels and had all lights
extinguished, I summoned Hazael before me. I took my seat, supported
on either side by my officers and pilots, making Bichri, Aminocles
and his son, and the Phocian with his wife, likewise be present.
[Illustration: THE DESPICABLE SYRIAN.
_To face page 229._]
The prisoner was brought forward, pale and trembling; his hands were
tied behind his back, and his embroidered robe was torn and soiled
with dust and blood.
"You know me?" I roared out to him as he approached.
"Yes, my lord," he faltered out in a quivering voice, without lifting
his eyes from the ground.
"And you know your conduct towards me?" I roared again.
The culprit made no answer.
"Do you suppose I took you with me that you should plot against me in
Egypt, at Utica, at Gades?"
He still gave no reply.
"What made you dare to try and kill that child?" I said.
"I was under orders," he whined out; "Bodmilcar made me. He wanted to
sacrifice to Moloch to secure his favour. I dared not disobey him; he
has had me in his power all along. It is not I, it is Bodmilcar that
has wronged you."
"O, that matters not," I answered. "Curses on Bodmilcar! Would you
save your life? One way, one only way is open to you still."
The despicable Syrian prostrated himself till his face was on the
earth, and groaned out:
"Spare me! spare my life! ask what you will! trample on my neck! make
me your slave for ever! but spare my life!"
Chamai, who was standing beside me with a bandage on his forehead,
turned his head away in disgust.
"Spare your life!" I repealed; "why, if I did my duty I should make
your life a sacrifice this very minute to the souls of the brave
heroes who have lost their lives through you!" And after a pause,
I said: "But, listen to me! do what I require, and I will give you
more than your life; when we are back at Gades, I will give you your
liberty."
"O, I will do anything; but swear, swear that you will spare my
life!" implored the abject wretch, still grovelling with his forehead
in the dust.
"Yes, hearken!" I ejaculated. "By Ashtoreth! goddess of heaven, I
swear it!"
Relieved of his immediate terror, the pusillanimous craven started
to his feet, and in a tone quite brisk in contrast with his previous
whinings began to ask what it was that I required him to do.
"You must first inform us of the strength of Bodmilcar's force."
"One hundred and sixty Phœnicians. Six hundred or perhaps seven
hundred Iberians."
"You must next tell us the place of rendezvous he had appointed, in
case his attack should fail."
Hazael hesitated. Chamai said that if he revealed this, he would
deserve a score of hangings for his treachery. Without noticing the
interruption, I said again:
"You must tell us his place of rendezvous."
Again no answer.
"Except you tell, you shall be hanged this very minute."
And to show him that I was in earnest I called for a rope. Himilco
produced a strong cable-end that he always wore round his waist under
his kitonet. Hazael quivered and turned pale.
"Stop, stop! don't hang me! I _will_ tell!"
"Out with it, then; quick!"
"At the Wolf's knoll."
"So far, so good. But where is that?"
"In the wood, two stadia off."
"But which way?"
"Behind us; over there; there to the right."
"Well then, come and show us the way."
And weary as I was, almost worn out by fatigue, I could not resist
the desire to go upon the simplest chance of meeting the adversary
that I hated so bitterly. I called out to my men that I wanted fifty
volunteers to go with me and hunt out Bodmilcar from his lurking
place. Many more than I had called answered to my appeal, eager to
offer their services, and I could only request Hannibal to select
those best fitted for the expedition, and bid the others take good
care of the women and the baggage, and see that the captives were
well secured.
Aminocles begged for permission to remain behind with his little son,
and asked that his countryman Demaretes might likewise be allowed
to stay with his newly-rescued wife; he acknowledged that they were
indebted to me for the recovery of their dear ones, promised that
they would fight doubly hard another time, but pleaded that they
might be excused now. Of course I had no hesitation in yielding to
his request.
Before setting out I said, incidentally, that we might perchance be
fortunate enough to recover the bodies either of Hanno or Jonah, or
both. Chryseis rose instantly to her feet, and, pale with agitation,
placed herself at my side. To my inquiry whither she was going, she
replied in a steady voice:
"To seek the body of my betrothed. If it be the will of the gods, I
will consign it to a tomb."
"Come, then, you shall," I said, deeply affected by her sorrow, her
resignation, and her courage; "and may Ashtoreth protect us all!"
Hannibal gave the order to march. Bichri, ever indefatigable, went to
the head of the column, leading Hazael by the cord which bound his
wrists; Gisgo, with his hatchet on his shoulder, kept close to the
eunuch on the other side; and Himilco, with his sword drawn, followed
on behind. We advanced in silence towards the woods, choosing such
hollows in the ground as the moonlight left in shadow, and in a
short time were within sight of the dark masses of foliage that
bounded the moonlit plain. Making our way as stealthily as we could
through the thickets, we came to a mound near the edge of the steep
that we had scaled in the morning. It was an abrupt elevation of the
soil, and was described to us by Hazael as being the place known as
the Wolf's knoll, and which Bodmilcar had fixed as the rally-point of
his people. When we halted there was not a light to be seen, not a
sound to be heard, nothing to break the gloom or the stillness of the
forest.
"Before we give the signal for attack," said Hannibal, under his
breath, "we ought to know what they are doing."
"I know my way," said the eunuch; "let me go and look, that I may
bring you word."
"Thanks," said Himilco; "you are very good--we will not trouble you."
After this sarcastic rebuff to his very transparent pretext for
eluding us, Hazael was relapsing into his former silence, when Bichri
suggested that he should himself take the eunuch and go and ascertain
the actual position of affairs, adding that if he made a movement to
escape, he would plunge his knife hilt-deep into his body.
Hannibal gave his consent, and the two disappeared in the thicket,
Bichri pushing on his prisoner before him. In less than half an hour
there was a crushing of the brushwood, and they were before us again.
"What news?" we asked.
"The rascal has deceived us," said Bichri; "we went all round the
mound, not a man, however, was to be seen."
"No, no, no!" sobbed the eunuch; "I have not deceived you. I swear I
heard Bodmilcar say, 'Wolf's knoll.' Cut out my tongue if I lie! I
swear it."
"Stop your oaths, liar!" I exclaimed impatiently. "Lucky for you
I pledged you your life; but be on your guard, or, by Ashtoreth,
another time----"
"It may be," said Hannibal, "the villains have been lurking about,
and, having discovered your approach, have decamped. The eunuch may
have told the truth. Anyhow, nothing can be done. I am dead-beat."
Himilco and Hamilcar both declared that they, too, were quite knocked
up, so that I determined to make our way back, and seek the repose of
which we were so much in need.