After leaving Hannibal, Malchus did not rejoin his comrades, but mounted
the hills behind the town and sat down there, looking over the sea, and
thinking over the vast plan which Hannibal's words had laid before him,
and to which his father had once alluded in his presence. Malchus
had been brought up by Hamilcar to regard Rome as the deadly enemy of
Carthage, but he had not till now seen the truth which Hannibal had
grasped, that it was a struggle not for empire only between the two
republics, but one of life and death--that Carthage and Rome could not
coexist, and that one or other of them must be absolutely destroyed.
This, indeed, was the creed of the Barcine party, and was, apart from
the minor questions of internal reforms, the great point on which they
differed from Hanno and the trading portion of the community, who were
his chief supporters. These were in favour of Carthage abandoning her
colonies and conquests, and devoting herself solely to commerce and the
acquisition of wealth. Believing that Rome, who would then have open
to her all Europe and Asia to conquer, would not grudge to Carthage the
northern seaboard of Africa, they forgot that a nation which is rich and
defenceless will speedily fall a victim to the greed of a powerful
and warlike neighbour, and that a conqueror never needs excuses for an
attack upon a defenceless neighbour.
Hitherto Malchus had thought only of a war with Rome made up of sea
fights and of descents upon Sicily and Sardinia. The very idea of
invading Italy and striking at Rome herself had never even entered his
mind, for the words of his father had been forgotten in the events
which followed so quickly upon them. The prospect which the words opened
seemed immense. First Northern Spain was to be conquered, Gaul to be
crossed, the terrible mountains of which he had heard from travellers
were next to be surmounted, and finally a fight for life and death to
be fought out on the plains of Italy. The struggle would indeed be a
tremendous one, and Malchus felt his heart beat fast at the thought that
he was to be an actor in it. Surely the history of the world told of no
greater enterprise than this. Even the first step which was to be taken,
a mere preliminary to this grand expedition, was a most formidable one.
Saguntum stood as an outpost of Rome. While Carthage had been advancing
from the south Rome had been pressing forward from the east along
the shores of the Mediterranean, and had planted herself firmly at
Marseilles, a port which gave her a foothold in Gaul, and formed a base
whence she could act in Spain. In order to check the rising power of
the Carthaginians there she had entered into a firm alliance with the
Saguntines, whose country occupied what is now the district of Valencia.
By the terms of the last treaty between the two republics each was
forbidden to make war upon tribes in alliance with their rivals, and
Saguntum being thus under the jurisdiction of Rome, an attack upon it
would be almost equivalent to a declaration of war.
The position of the city was one of great strength. It stood on an
almost isolated rock at the foot of a spur of the mountains which
formed an amphitheatre behind it. Around it extended a rich and fertile
country, the sea was less than a mile from its walls, and the Romans
could thus quickly send succour to their allies. The rock on which the
town stood was well nigh inaccessible, falling sheer down from the foot
of the walls, and was assailable only on the western side, where the
rocks sloped gradually down to the plain. Here the walls were extremely
strong and lofty, and were strengthened by a great tower which dominated
the whole slope. It would be difficult to form approaches, for the rock
was bare of soil and afforded no cover of any kind.
Hitherto the Carthaginian generals had scrupulously respected the
territory of the Saguntines, but now that the rest of Spain was subdued
it was necessary to reduce this advanced post of Rome--this open door
through which Rome, now mistress of the sea, could at any moment pour
her legions into the heart of Spain.
The Saguntines were not ignorant of the danger which threatened them.
They had again and again sent urgently to Rome to demand that a legion
should be stationed there for their protection. But Rome hesitated at
despatching a legion of troops to so distant a spot, where, in case of a
naval reverse, they would be isolated and cut off.
Hannibal had not far to look for an excuse for an attack upon Saguntum.
On the previous year, while he had been engaged in his campaign
against the Carpatans, the Saguntines, taking advantage of his critical
position, had made war upon the town of Torbola, an ally of Carthage.
Torbola had implored the assistance of Hannibal, and he was now
preparing to march against Saguntum with his whole force without waiting
for the arrival of spring. His preparations had been silently made. The
Saguntines, although uneasy, had no idea of any imminent danger, and
the Carthaginian army collected in and around Carthagena were in entire
ignorance that they were about to be called upon to take the field.
“What say you, Malchus?” Hannibal asked that evening. “It is time now
that I gave you a command. As my near relative it is fitting that you
should be in authority. You have now served a campaign, and are eligible
for any command that I may give you. You have shown yourself prompt in
danger and worthy to command men. Which would you rather that I should
place under you--a company of these giant Gauls, of the steady Iberians,
of the well disciplined Libyans, or the active tribesmen of the desert?
Choose which you will, and they shall be yours.”
Malchus thought for some time.
“In the day of battle,” he said at last, “I would rather lead Gauls,
but, in such a march as you have told me you are meditating, I would
rather have a company of Numidian footmen to act as scouts and feel
the way for the army. There would not, perhaps, be so much glory to be
obtained, but there would be constant work and excitement, and this will
be far better than marching in the long column of the army.”
“I think your choice is a good one,” Hannibal replied. “Such a corps
will be needed to feel the way as we advance, to examine the roads and
indicate that by which the column had best move, and to guard against
ambushes and surprises. Tomorrow I will inspect the Numidian footmen
and will put them through their exercises. We will have foot races and
trials of skill with the bow, and I will bid their officers pick me out
two hundred of the most active and vigourous among them; these you
shall have under your command. You can choose among your comrades of the
guards one whom you would like to have as your lieutenant.”
“I will take Trebon,” Malchus said; “we fought side by side through the
last campaign. He is prompt and active, always cheerful under fatigue,
and as brave as a lion. I could not wish a better comrade.”
“So be it,” Hannibal replied, “henceforth you are captain of the
advanced company of the army. Remember, Malchus, that the responsibility
is a great one, and that henceforward there must be no more boyish
tricks. Your company will be the eyes of the army, and upon your
vigilance its safety, when we once start upon our expedition, will in
no slight degree depend. Remember, too, that you have by your conduct to
justify me in choosing my young kinsman for so important a post.”
The next day the Numidians were put through their exercises, and by
nightfall the two hundred picked men were chosen from their ranks and
were placed by Hannibal under the command of Malchus. Trebon was greatly
pleased when he found himself appointed as lieutenant of the company.
Although of noble family his connections were much less influential
than those of the majority of his comrades, and he had deemed himself
exceptionally fortunate in having been permitted to enter the chosen
corps of the Carthaginian cavalry, and had not expected to be made an
officer for years to come, since promotion in the Carthaginian army was
almost wholly a matter of family influence.
“I am indeed obliged to you, Malchus,” he said as he joined his friend
after Hannibal had announced his appointment to him. “The general told
me that he had appointed me at your request. I never even hoped that
such good fortune would befall me. Of course I knew that you would
speedily obtain a command, but my people have no influence whatever.
The general says that your company are to act as scouts for the army,
so there will be plenty of opportunity to distinguish ourselves.
Unfortunately I don't see much chance of fighting at present. The
Iberian tribesmen had such a lesson last autumn that they are not likely
for a long time to give us further trouble.”
“Do not make yourself uneasy on that score, Trebon,” Malchus said, “I
can tell you, but let it go no further, that ere long there will be
fighting enough to satisfy even the most pugnacious.”
One evening Malchus had left the club early. Full as he was of the
thoughts of the tremendous struggle which was soon to begin between the
great antagonists, he wearied of the light talk of his gay comrades. The
games of chance, to which a room in the club was allotted, afforded him
no pleasure; nor had he any interest in the wagering which was going
on as to the merits of the horses which were to run in the races on the
following day. On leaving the club he directed his footsteps towards the
top of the hill on which Carthagena stood, and there, sitting alone
on one of the highest points, looked over the sea sparkling in the
moonlight, the many vessels in the harbour and the lagoons stretching
inland on each side of the city.
He tried to imagine the course that the army was to follow, the terrible
journey through the snow covered passes of that tremendous range of
mountains of which he had heard, the descent into the plains of Italy,
and the first sight of Rome. He pictured to himself the battles which
would have to be fought by the way, and above all, the deadly conflict
which would take place before Rome could be carried by assault, and the
great rival of Carthage be humbled to the dust. Then he pictured the
return of the triumphant expedition, the shouting multitudes who would
acclaim Hannibal the sole arbitrator of the destinies of Carthage,
and in his heart rejoiced over the changes which would take place--the
overthrow of the faction of Hanno, the reform of abuses, the
commencement of an era of justice, freedom, and prosperity for all.
For more than three hours he sat thus, and then awoke to the fact that
the night was cold and the hour late. Drawing his bernous tightly round
him he descended into the city, which was now for the most part wrapped
in sleep. He was passing through the native quarter when a door opened
and several men came out. Scarcely knowing why he did so Malchus drew
back into a doorway until they had moved on ahead of him, and then
followed them at some little distance. At any other time he would have
thought nothing of such an incident, but his nerves were highly strung
at the moment, and his pause was dictated more by an indisposition to
encounter anything which might disturb the current of his thoughts than
by any other motive.
In the moonlight he could see that two of the five men ahead of him
were members of the Carthaginian horse guard, for the light glittered
on their helmets; the other three were, by their attire, natives. Two
of the latter soon separated from the others, and on reaching the better
part of the town the two Carthaginians turned down a side street, and in
the still night Malchus heard the parting words to their neighbour, “At
the same place tomorrow night.” The remaining native kept straight along
the road which Malchus was following. Still onward he went, and
Malchus, to his surprise, saw him go up to one of the side entrances to
Hannibal's palace. He must have knocked very quietly, or someone must
have been waiting to admit him, for without a sound the door was opened
and the man entered.
Malchus went round to the principal entrance, and after a little
badinage from the officer on guard as to the lateness of the hour at
which he returned, made his way to his apartment.
He was puzzled by what he had seen. It was strange that two of the
Carthaginian guard, men necessarily belonging to noble families, should
have been at a native gathering of some sort in the upper town. Strange,
too, that a man probably an attendant or slave belonging to the palace
should also have been present. The more he thought of it the more he was
puzzled to account for it, and before he went to sleep he came to the
resolution that he would, if possible, on the following night discover
the object of such a gathering.
Next evening, therefore, he returned from the Syssite early, exchanged
his helmet for a skullcap, and, wrapping himself in his cloak, made his
way to the house from which he had seen the men come forth. It stood at
the corner of the street. Thick hangings hung across the openings for
the windows, and prevented even a ray of light from finding its way out.
Listening attentively Malchus could hear a low hum of voices within. As
there were still people about he moved away for half an hour.
On his return the street was deserted. Malchus put his hand through
a window opening into the side street and felt that the hanging was
composed of rushes tightly plaited together. With the point of his
dagger he very cautiously cut a slit in this, and applying his eye to it
was able to obtain a glimpse of the apartment within. On low stools by
a fire two Carthaginians were sitting, while four natives were seated on
the rushes which covered the floor. Malchus recognized the Carthaginians
at once, for they were members of the troop in which he had served.
Neither of them were men popular among their fellows, for they belonged
to families closely related to Hanno. They had always, however,
professed the greatest admiration for Hannibal, and had declared that
for their part they altogether repudiated the doings of the party to
which their family belonged.
The conversation was carried on in low tones, a precaution absolutely
necessary in the day when glass windows were unknown, unless the
discourse was upon general subjects. Malchus listened attentively, but
although he thought he caught the words Hanno and Hannibal repeated
several times, he was unable to hear more. At the end of the half hour
the conference was apparently at an end, for all rose to their feet.
One of the Carthaginians put a bag, which was evidently heavy, into
the hands of one of the natives, and the party then went out. Malchus
stepped to the corner and caught the words, “Tomorrow night, then,
without fail.”
The party then separated, the Carthaginians passing straight on, the
natives waiting until they had gone some little distance ahead before
they followed. Malchus remained for some little time in the side street
before he sallied out and took his way after them. After he saw two of
the natives leave the other, he quickened his steps and passed the
man, who proceeded alone towards the palace, a short distance before he
arrived there. As he did so he glanced at his face, and recognized him
as one of the attendants who waited at Hannibal's table. Malchus did
not turn his head, however, but kept straight on his way and entered the
palace as usual.
“Malchus,” the captain of the guard laughed as he went in, “assuredly
I shall have to tell Hamilcar of your doings. Last night you entered an
hour after every one had retired to rest, tonight you are back in better
time, but assuredly you have not been to the Syssite in that hunting
cap. This savours of a mystery. Do not pretend to me that you have
been looking after your company of Numidians at this time of the night,
because, did you swear it by Astarte, I should not believe you.”
“No; I think I could invent a better story than that if I were put to
it,” Malchus said with a laugh; “but as I am not obliged to invent one
at all, I will leave you to do so for me. In truth I have been about
some private business, but what that business is is a profound secret.”
“A secret of state, no doubt,” the officer rejoined. “Well, I will say
nothing this time; but do not let it occur again, or I shall think that
some Iberian maiden has captured that susceptible heart of yours.”
After Malchus had reached his chamber he sat down for some time in
deep thought. It was clear to him that something was wrong. This secret
meeting of the two Carthaginians with natives, one of whom was employed
in Hannibal's household, could mean no good. Money had passed, too, and,
judging from the size and apparent weight of the bag, no inconsiderable
amount. What could it mean? It was but a few months before that
Hasdrubal had fallen beneath the dagger of a native servant. Could this
be a plot against the life of Hannibal?
The two Carthaginians were connected with Hanno, and might well be
agents employed to rid him of his great rival. And yet he had heard
nothing which would justify his bringing so grave an accusation against
these men. The money which he had seen exchanged might be for the price
of a horse or of a slave, and he might only make himself ridiculous
were he to speak to Hannibal or his father as to what had occurred. He
decided, therefore, that any action he might take must be on his own
account. If the words he had overheard meant anything, and if a plot
were really on hand, it was to be carried out on the following night.
Malchus determined to take steps to meet it.
The next day he took Trebon into his counsels and told him of the
mysterious meetings which he had accidentally discovered. There was free
access to Hannibal's palace; officers were constantly coming in and out,
and soldiers arriving and leaving with messages and orders. Malchus,
had, therefore, had no difficulty in passing into his apartment, one
by one, ten picked men of his company. They had orders to remain there
perfectly quiet, and Trebon also took post with them, Malchus telling
him to make some excuse or other to prevent any attendant or slave from
entering the apartment while he was absent.
There was a concert that evening; the palace was crowded with guests.
From time to time Malchus stole away to his room, where the Numidians
were seated on the ground silent and immovable as so many bronze
statues. At other times he kept near Hannibal, watching closely the
movements of every native who passed near him; and ready to spring
forward instantly if he saw any signs of an evil intention. However, he
did not much apprehend, that even if his suspicions were correct and
a plot was on foot against Hannibal, any attempt would be made to
assassinate him in the midst of a crowded assembly, where there would
be no possibility of escape for the perpetrators of such a deed. At
last the guests began to depart, and an hour later all was quiet in the
palace. Laying aside his sandals, Malchus stole noiselessly over the
marble pavements until he approached the entrance which he had twice
seen opened so late. A slave was lying close to it.
Unobserved Malchus stole away again to his chamber and bade the
Numidians follow him. Noiselessly the troop of barefooted Arabs moved
shadowlike through the lofty halls and corridors. Two of them he placed
at the entrance to the chamber where Hannibal slept, with orders
to allow no one to pass until he returned, then with the others he
proceeded to the entrance. Few lights only were burning in the passages,
and it was not until they were close at hand that the slave perceived
the approaching figures. He leaped to his feet, but before he could cry
out Malchus stepped forward and said:
“Silence, if you value your life. You know me; I am Malchus the son of
Hamilcar. Now, tell me the truth, or tomorrow the torture shall wring it
from you. Who placed you here, and why?”
“Carpadon, one of the chief attendants, ordered me to remain here to
admit him on his return. I knew not there was harm in it,” the slave
said.
“Is it the first time you have kept watch for such a purpose?”
“No, my lord, some six or seven times he has gone out late.”
“Do you know the cause of his absence?”
“No, my lord, it would not become a slave to question one of the chief
attendants of my lord Hannibal as to why he goes or comes.”
The man's manner was so natural, and his surprise at the interest which
one of the rank of Malchus showed in the doings of an attendant so
genuine, that Malchus was convinced he knew nothing of any enterprise in
which the man who had placed him there might be engaged.
“Very well,” he said, “I will believe what you tell me. Now, do you
resume your place at the door, and open it as usual at his signal. Say
no word and make no sign which may lead him to know of our presence
here. Mind, my eye will be upon you, and your life will pay for any
treachery.”
Malchus with four of his men now took post on one side of the door,
standing well back in the shadow so that their presence would not be
noticed by anyone entering. Trebon with the remaining four men took up a
similar position on the other side of the doorway.
Two hours passed. At length a low tap followed by two others was heard
at the door. The slave at once opened it. Carpadon entered, and with a
sudden movement threw one arm round the slave's neck and with the other
stabbed him to the heart. Then he opened the door wide, and said in a
low tone:
“Enter, all is safe.”
In a moment a dark mass of men poured in at the door. The matter was
more serious than Malchus had expected. He had looked for the entry
perhaps of three or four men, and had intended to close in behind them
and cut them off; but here were a score at least, and how many more
might be outside he knew not. He therefore gave the signal by shouting
“Carthage,” and at once with his followers fell upon one flank of the
natives, for such their dress showed them to be, while Trebon attacked
them on the other. There was a shout of surprise and alarm at the
unexpected onslaught, and several were cut down at once. The others,
drawing their swords, began to defend themselves, trying at the same
time to retreat to the door, through which, however, many others were
still pressing in. For a few minutes a severe fight went on, and the
numbers and desperation of Carpadon's followers began to tell, and, in
spite of the efforts of Malchus and the Numidians, they would have been
forced to fall back and allow the others to pass out, had not help been
at hand.
The shouting and clashing of weapons had awakened the palace, and the
officer of the guard with ten of his men, some of them bearing torches,
came running at full speed from their post at the chief entrance. As the
guard came up and stood gazing uncertain what to do, or among whom the
conflict was raging, Malchus for a moment drew out from the fray.
“Seize and disarm all the natives,” he said; “the Numidians are here by
my orders.”
The instant the soldiers understood the situation they fell to, and
the natives, whose retreat was cut off by the Numidians, were speedily
disarmed; those nearer to the door had, the instant they saw the torches
approaching, taken to flight.
A moment later Hannibal, Hamilcar, and many other officers resident at
the palace came running up.
“What means this fray, Malchus?”
“It means an attempt upon your life, Hannibal, which I have been
fortunate enough to discover and defeat.”
“Who are these men?” Hamilcar asked.
“So far as I know they are natives,” Malchus replied. “The chief of
the party is that man who lies bleeding there; he is one of your
attendants.”
One of the soldiers held a torch close to the man's face.
“It is Carpadon,” Hannibal said. “I believed him honest and faithful.”
“He is the tool of others, Hannibal; he has been well paid for this
night's work.”
Hannibal gave orders for the prisoners to be strictly guarded, and then,
with Hamilcar and Malchus, returned to his private study. The lamps were
lighted by the attendants, who then withdrew.
“Now, Malchus, tell us your story,” Hannibal said. “It seems strange to
me that you should have said nought to your father or me of what you
had learned, and left us to take such measures as might seem fit to us,
instead of taking the matter into your own hands.”
“Had I had certainties to go upon I should assuredly have done so, but,
as you will see when I tell you all I had learned, I had nothing but
suspicions, and those of the vaguest, and for aught I knew I might be
altogether in the wrong.”
Malchus then gave the full details of the manner in which his suspicions
had been first excited, and in which on the previous night he had taken
steps to ascertain whether there were any foundation for them.
“You see,” he concluded, “there was no sort of certainty, nothing to
prove that the money was not paid for the purchase of a horse or slave.
It was only the one fact that one of the party was a servant here that
rendered what I discovered serious. Had it not been for the fate of
Hasdrubal I should never have given the matter a second thought; but,
knowing that he was assassinated by a trusted servant, and seeing two
men whose families I knew belonged to Hanno's faction engaged in secret
talk with one of your attendants, the suspicion struck me that a similar
deed might again be attempted. The only words I had to go upon were,
'Tomorrow night, then, without fail.' This was not enough for me to
bring an accusation against two men of noble family; and, had I told
you the tale without the confirmation it has now received, you would
probably have treated it but lightly. I resolved, therefore, to wait
and see, taking such precaution that no harm could come of my secrecy. I
concealed in my room ten of my Numidians, with my lieutenant Trebon--an
ample force whatever might betide.
“If, as I suspected, this man intended, with two or three others, to
steal into your chamber and slay you while you slept, we could at once
have stopped the attempt; should he come with a larger force, we could,
as is proved, resist them until the guard arrived on the spot. If, on
the other hand, night passed off quietly and my suspicions proved to be
altogether erroneous, I should escape the ridicule which would certainly
have been forthcoming had I alarmed you without cause.”
“You have acted very wisely and well, my son,” Hamilcar said, “and
Carthage owes you the life of our beloved Hannibal. You indeed reasoned
with great wisdom and forethought. Had you informed us of what you had
discovered we should have taken precautions which would doubtless have
effected the object; but they would probably have become known to the
plotters, and the attempt would have been postponed and attempted some
other time, and perhaps with success. What say you, Hannibal, have I not
reason to be proud of this young son of mine?”
“You have indeed, Hamilcar, and deeply am I indebted to him. It is not
my life I care for, although that now is precious to me for the sake
of my beloved Imilce, but had I fallen now all the plans which we have
thought of together would have been frustrated, and the fairest chance
which Carthage ever had of fighting out the quarrel with her rival would
have been destroyed. Truly it has been a marvellous escape, and it seems
to me that the gods themselves must have inspired Malchus to act as he
did on such slight grounds as seeing two Carthaginians of the guard in
company with three or four natives at a late hour of the evening.”
“What do you think will be best to do with the traitors who have plotted
against your life, Hannibal? Shall we try and execute them here, or send
them to Carthage to be dealt with?”
Hannibal did not answer for a minute.
“I think, Hamilcar, the best plan will be to keep silent altogether as
to the danger I have run. The army would be furious but would at the
same time be dispirited were it known in Carthage that two of her nobles
had been executed for an attempt on my life. It would only cause a fresh
outbreak of animosity and an even deadlier feud than before between
Hanno's friends and ours. Therefore, I say, let the men taken tonight be
executed in the morning without question asked, and let no word be said
by them or by us that they were bribed by Carthaginians. All in the
palace now know that a party of natives have broken in, and will guess
that my life was their object; there is no need that they should know
more. As to the two men, I will call them before me tomorrow, with none
but you present, and will let them know that I am aware that they are
the authors of this attempt, and will bid them resign their places in
the guard and return at once to Carthage.”
“It grieves me that they should go unpunished,” Hamilcar said; “but
doubtless your plan is the wisest.”
“Then,” Hannibal said, rising, “we will to bed again. Malchus, acquaint
Trebon of our determination that silence is to be kept; tell him that I
shall bear him in mind, and not forget his share in this night's work.
As for you, Malchus, henceforth you are more than my cousin; you have
saved my life, and I shall never forget it. I shall tell Imilce in the
morning of the danger which has passed, for it is sure to come to her
ears, and she will know better than I do how to thank you.”
Accordingly in the morning Hannibal's orders were carried out; the
twelve natives taken prisoners were beheaded without any of the usual
tortures which would have been inflicted upon a similar occasion.
No less than fourteen others had been killed in the fight. The two
Carthaginian nobles were sent for by Hannibal. They came prepared to
die, for they knew already by rumour that the attempt had failed, and
doubted not when the summons reached them that Carpadon had denounced
them as his accomplices. But they went to their certain doom with the
courage of their class--pale, perhaps, but otherwise unmoved. Hannibal
was alone with Hamilcar when they entered.
“That assassination is not an altogether unknown crime in Carthage,” he
said quietly, “I was well aware, but I did not before think that nobles
in the Carthaginian horse would stoop to it. I know that it was you who
provided the gold for the payment of the men who made an attempt upon my
life, that you personally paid my attendant Carpadon to hire assassins,
and to lead them to my chamber. Were I to denounce you, my soldiers
would tear you in pieces. The very name of your families would be held
accursed by all honest men in Carthage for all time. I do not ask you
whether I have given you cause for offence, for I know that I have not
done so; you acted simply for the benefit of Hanno. Whether you were
instructed by him I do not deign to ask. I shall not harm you. The tale
of your infamy is known to but four persons, and none others will ever
know it. I am proud of the honour of the nobles of Carthage, and would
not that the scum of the people should bandy the name of your families
on their lips as guilty of so foul an act of treason. You will, of
course, at once resign your positions in the Carthaginian horse. Make
what pretext you will--illness or private affairs. Tomorrow sail for
Carthage, and there strive by efforts for the good of your country to
efface the remembrance of this blow which you would have struck her.”
So saying, with a wave of the hand he dismissed them.
They went without a word, too astonished at his clemency, too humiliated
by their own disgrace even to utter a word of thanks. When they were
fairly beyond the palace they looked at each other as men awakened from
a dream.
“What a man!” one of them exclaimed. “No wonder the soldiers adore him!
He has given us our lives--more, he has saved our names from disgrace.
Henceforth, Pontus, we, at least, can never again take part against
him.”
“It is almost too much to bear,” the other said; “I feel that I would
rather that he had ordered us to instant execution.”
“Ay, for our own sakes, Pontus, but not for those of others. For myself
I shall retire to the country; it seems to me that never again shall I
be able to mix with others; they may know nothing of it, but it will be
ever on my mind. How they would shrink back in horror were what we have
done whispered to them! Truly, were it not for my family, I would prefer
death with the worst torture to life as it will be now.”
The excitement in the army was intense when it became known that a
body of Iberians had attempted to break into Hannibal's palace with the
design of murdering him, and many of the soldiers, seizing their arms,
hurried towards the city, and had not an officer ridden with the news to
Hannibal, they would assuredly have fallen upon the native inhabitants,
and a general massacre would have taken place.
Hannibal at once mounted and rode out to meet the soldiers. He was
received with enthusiastic acclamations; at length he raised his arm to
restore silence, and then addressed the troops, telling them how deeply
he valued the evidence of their affection, but that he prayed them to
return to their camps and lay by their arms.
“We must not,” he said, “confound the innocent with the guilty. Those
who were concerned in the attempt have paid the penalty with their
lives; it is not because a handful of Spaniards have plotted against me
that you are to swear hatred against the whole race; were you to punish
the innocent for the guilty you would arouse the fury of the Iberians
throughout the whole peninsula, and all our work would have to be done
over again. You know that above all things I desire the friendship and
goodwill of the natives. Nothing would grieve me more than that, just as
we are attaining this, our efforts should be marred by a quarrel between
yourselves and the people here. I pray you, therefore, as a personal
favour to me, to abstain from all tumult, and go quietly back to your
camp. The attack upon my palace was made only by some thirty or forty of
the scum of the inhabitants, and the attempt was defeated by the wisdom
and courage of my young cousin Malchus, whom you must henceforth regard
as the saviour of my life.”
The soldiers at once acceded to the request of their general, and after
another outburst of cheering they returned quietly to their camp.
The result of this affair was to render Malchus one of the most
popular personages in the army, and the lad was quite abashed by the
enthusiastic reception which the soldiers gave him when he passed among
them. It removed, too, any feeling of jealousy which might have existed
among his former comrades of the Carthaginian horse, for although it
was considered as a matter of course in Carthage that generals should
appoint their near relatives to posts of high command, human nature was
then the same as now, and men not possessed of high patronage could not
help grumbling a little at the promotion of those more fortunate than
themselves. Henceforth, however, no voice was ever raised against the
promotion of Malchus, and had he at once been appointed to a command of
importance none would have deemed such a favour undeserved by the youth
who had saved the life of Hannibal.