BEYOND THE SUNSET.
The party, which was increased by some manumitted slaves of Greek
origin, sailed for Utica in the early autumn of the year, and reached
that port after a quick and prosperous voyage. Their first destination
was the court of King Gulussa. It so happened that their arrival
coincided with a meeting of the three brothers. One of the wilder tribes
on the desert border had invaded the kingdom, and it was necessary to
make arrangements for an expedition of more than usual proportions.
Micipsa had brought with him his two sons, and a younger lad, Jugurtha
by name, his son by a wife of inferior rank, of whom we have heard
before, and of whom the world was to hear a great deal more before many
years had passed.
Gulussa and his brother kings gave a most complimentary welcome to their
guests. But when Cleanor, who was naturally the spokesman of the party,
unfolded his scheme, they took no pains to conceal their incredulity.
"It would be a thousand pities," said Gulussa, "if you were to throw
away your lives on a romantic folly of this kind. Why not stop here,
where you have something ready to your hands, not quite so splendid as
these dreams of yours, but, believe me, a hundred times more solid and
real. Now, listen to what I have got to say. We--that is, my brothers
and I--have been talking matters over since you came, and we have made
up our minds to make you an offer that it may be really worth your while
to accept. Enter our service; you are both skilful soldiers. My father,
than whom there never was a better judge of men, thought very highly of
you, Cleanor; the name of Scipio would be commendation enough, even if
we did not know how worthily it is borne by your friend. Details we can
settle afterwards, but you may depend upon it, that you will never have
to find fault with our liberality. Don't answer at once," Gulussa went
on, as Cleanor was beginning to reply, "but think the matter over
carefully, and let us know your decision, say, three days hence."
The princes spared no pains to make their guests' sojourn at court
agreeable to them. A great hunting party was arranged for each day, and
the two young men were furnished with magnificent mounts and allotted
the best places. At the banquet which followed they occupied seats of
honour. Meanwhile the ladies of the party were welcomed in the royal
harem, received the most flattering attention from the queens and
princesses, and were loaded with handsome presents.
"We might do worse than stay, Cleanor," said Scipio to his friend, for
his unimaginative temper could not help comparing these present
splendours with the remote prospects of Cleanor's scheme, not a little
to the disadvantage of the latter.
Cleanor shook his head.
"How long do you think it would last? I don't say anything about the
chances that our hosts might not always be as friendly as they are now.
They are a fickle race. But let that pass. Yet how long will this
Numidian kingdom stand? I remember what the old king said when I was in
attendance on him before he died. He was sure that Rome would swallow it
up before long. There is sure to be some quarrel sooner or later, and
then who can doubt which of the two will go to the wall. And there is
another thing. If the kingdom lasts, will it always be in the same
hands? Have you noticed that lad Jugurtha? I remember that the old king
warned me specially against him. 'That viper,' he called him; and as
King Gulussa said the other day, Masinissa was an excellent judge of
character. The brothers are elderly men, and, to judge from their looks,
not very strong. Micipsa's two sons, who by rights should come after
him, are feeble creatures; Jugurtha is his father's favourite, and he
will come to the top of the tree sooner or later. And Jugurtha hates us;
you first,--perhaps because you are a Roman, and his hatred for the
Romans is a proverb,--and me next. No, it would not be well, I am sure,
in any case to stop here; and to stop with a chance of finding ourselves
under Jugurtha's thumb would be madness."
Scipio could not but acknowledge the force of these arguments, and gave
way. At the appointed time the friends announced their decision to the
kings. Gulussa shrugged his shoulders.
"Well," he said, "you must have your own way. If you should come
back--very few do come back, I am told--and I am still alive, you will
find me as ready to be your friend as ever. Meanwhile let us do what we
can for you. The queen tells me that you have brought your wives that
are to be with you. Let us have the honour of providing your marriage
feast, and remain with us afterwards for as long as you like and may
find convenient. If you are bent on this wild voyage of yours you must
go prepared."
The friends gladly accepted this hospitable invitation. Preparations
were at once commenced for performing the marriage ceremonies with due
solemnity. While these were going on, Cleanor made his way to the coast
to find a captain and crew who would be willing to take part in his
adventure.
His first care was to discover Syphax, the old sailor with whom, as you
may remember, he had made his voyage to Sicily. The old man listened
with eager interest to his exposition of his plans, but shook his head
when the question whether he would go was put to him.
"Ah!" he said, "if you had only come to me with this scheme twenty years
ago! But what am I saying? old fool that I am! Twenty years ago you
were little more than a baby in arms. I mean that I am too old. I am not
fit for anything more now than pottering about with my fishing-lines.
And there is my old wife. She couldn't go, poor thing; she hasn't set
her foot outside the hut for the last ten years, and I certainly could
not go without her. But there's my son Mago. He can't settle down in the
new state of things, for Rome is likely to be a much harder master than
Carthage ever was. Mago is your man; let me send for him."
Mago came, and Cleanor talked his plans over with him, and found him all
that he wanted. The general scheme, and such particulars as the capacity
of the vessel required, the stores, the cargo of articles for trade with
native tribes, were settled between them, and Mago was left to carry out
the details, while Cleanor returned to the court of King Gulussa.
Two months later,--for I shall not weary my readers with describing the
marriage festivities,--the good ship _Pallas_ lay ready for sea in the
harbour of Utica. The piers and quays were filled with a dense crowd of
spectators, for the fame of this adventurous voyage had spread through
the city, and brought together a multitude of curious sight-seers. Loud
and hearty were the cheers that went up as a soft breeze from the east
slowly filled the sails, and the _Pallas_--her prow appropriately
adorned with the figure of the goddess friend of Ulysses, prince of
adventurous heroes--forged her way round the end of the western pier and
shaped a course towards the setting sun.
Sail on, swift ship, to the region that lies beyond the darkness of the
west. You leave behind you a world over which the shadows of civil
strife and desolating war are gathering. Who knows what lies before
you--Islands of the Blest, where nature smiles for ever, her fair face
untouched by frost or storm, and where man still keeps primeval faith
and innocence; or, perhaps, to a world that is but a meaner copy of that
from which you are fleeing? Yet sail on, happy at least for the hour
that is, in the unfaltering confidence of youth and hope.
* * * * *
NOTE.
I have departed, for convenience sake in the construction of my story,
from historical truth in the date of Masinissa's death. This took place
before the beginning of the Third Punic War. For the same reason, the
Macedonian pretender is postdated. He had certainly disappeared from the
scene before the autumn immediately preceding the fall of Carthage (when
my hero is supposed to visit him).
If my readers fail to form a clear idea of the topography of Carthage,
I must beg them not to blame me. This is a problem which no one has yet
been able to solve.
Chelys is an imaginary place; the young Scipio an imaginary person.
A. C.
THE END.
PRINTED BY BLACKIE AND SON, LIMITED, GLASGOW.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Punctuation and spelling standardized when a predominant preference was
found in this book; otherwise unchanged. Simple typographical errors
remedied; most retained.
Decorative designs and publisher's logo not indicated here.
Page 305, last line, quotation marks: "a treasure" changed to
'a treasure'.
Page 310, last line, "he promise" changed to "he promises".
Page 339, last line, "You will tell we" changed to "You will tell me".
End of Project Gutenberg's Lords of the World, by Alfred John Church