CHAPTER XIII.
IN THE ROMAN CAMP.
There had been, as has been seen, not a few fluctuations of fortune inthe conflicts which had followed after the landing of Mancinus. Oneresult of this had been that a considerable number of prisoners had beentaken on both sides. Both sides, also, were anxious for an exchange. TheCarthaginians did not care to have any more useless men to feed thancould be helped; the Romans feared, and not without reason, that theirfriends and comrades would be barbarously treated. Carthage had alwayshad an evil reputation in this respect, and was only too likely tojustify it, if ever she should be driven to extremities.
The envoy who conducted the negotiations on behalf of the city was amember of the Senate named Maharbal. He had made himself conspicuous asa leader of the peace, otherwise the pro-Roman, party, and was supposed,therefore, to be acceptable to Scipio. Cleanor accompanied him in thecapacity of interpreter. The interviews would be conducted in Greek, alanguage which Scipio spoke fluently. As for Latin, there was no one inCarthage who was able to speak more than a few words of it; nor wasthere in the Roman camp any more knowledge of the Punic tongue. Therecould not be a greater proof of the irreconcilable hostility of the twonations than this mutual ignorance.
Cleanor's visit was paid at a very interesting time, for the Roman campwas undergoing, at the hands of the new commander, a very thoroughprocess of cleansing. It had fallen, under the management of hisincompetent predecessors, into a most deplorable condition. In the firstplace it swarmed with disreputable camp-followers. There was a crowd ofsutlers, traders who sold to the soldiers various luxuries at the mostextravagant prices, and bought from them their plunder for ridiculouslysmall sums of ready money. There was a still greater multitude ofsoldiers' servants. Even a private trooper must have a slave to groomhis horse; and an infantry soldier thought it a hardship if he had toclean and polish his own arms. As some of the officers had a wholeestablishment of attendants, there was a second army of servantsactually more numerous than the first army of fighting men.
Scipio made short work with these useless and mischievous encumbrances.No sutler or dealer was allowed to remain in the camp, or even in theneighbourhood, unless he held the general's license. Even then he wasnot allowed to sell any articles but such as were contained in a verybrief list authorized by the general, and at prices which had receivedhis sanction. The purchase of articles from the soldiers was absolutelyforbidden. Indeed, the trade ceased of itself, for plunder was rigidlyprohibited. Any soldier who went further from the camp than the buglecould be heard made himself liable to be treated as a deserter. Thereform in the matter of the soldiers' servants was no less radical. Twowere allowed to a tribune, one to a centurion, and four, who were to beowned and employed in common, to a century or company of infantry and atroop of cavalry. All these were to be able-bodied men, who had learntmilitary drill; and they were liable on occasion to serve in the ranks.
Scipio, still acting on the principle which had made him announce hisarrival to the Carthaginians, kept nothing secret from the envoy and hisescort; he took pains, on the contrary, that they should see and learneverything that was to be seen or learnt. He invited them to be presentat a general assembly of the army, which was summoned during their stayin the camp to hear an address from himself. Maharbal knew, as has beensaid, next to nothing of Latin, and Cleanor did not know enough toenable him to follow Scipio throughout. Nevertheless, they could seethat the effect of the speech was remarkable. The orator held hisaudience, so to speak, in the hollow of his hand. He was not speakingsmooth things to his army; on the contrary, he told them that they wererobbers rather than soldiers. He laid down for them for the future amost rigid discipline; he gave them no hope of indulgence. But he washeard with profound attention and without a murmur of dissent orcomplaint.
The next morning Cleanor saw the banished multitude embark. A strangerspectacle, a more motley crowd, and a more curious miscellany ofproperty was never beheld. One man was disconsolately watching while ascore of wine casks, full of some poisonous liquid which he had hoped anAfrican sun would sell for him, was hoisted on board; another had withhim a troop of performing dogs; a third was conducting a troop ofsinging and dancing girls, whose rouged cheeks and tawdry finery lookedmelancholy enough in the merciless light. The exiles were not by anymeans silent; they cursed and quarrelled in a perfect Babel oflanguages; but they did not dare to linger. A _cordon_ of soldiers keptthem rigidly within the boundaries of the place of embarkation. Vesselafter vessel took on board its cargo with a marvellous regularity andspeed. Before evening the camp had been brought back to a primitiveseverity and simplicity which were worthy of the best times of theRepublic.
In the matter of the exchange Maharbal found the Roman general liberalto the point of generosity. He was not careful to exact a very closecorrespondence in the dignity or the number of the prisoners to be givenup and received. When every Roman had been accounted for, a considerablebalance of Carthaginians still remained in Scipio's hands. The envoyoffered to redeem them at the price which had been customary in formerwars, two pounds and a half of silver per man. Scipio smilingly refusedto receive it. "Your Hannibal," he said, "used to empty our treasury,for it was seldom but he had more prisoners to give than to receive. Youmust let me have the satisfaction of feeling that for once I am able tobe generous."
It was easy to transact business on such terms. When all was settledthe general invited the Carthaginian and his interpreter, whom he hadgreeted in a most friendly fashion, to share his evening meal. He hadthoughtfully arranged that the two young officers who were his_aides-de-camp_, and as such were commonly guests at his table, shouldnot be present. He felt that their company would not be agreeable toMaharbal and still less to the young Greek. The only other guest was aperson whom Cleanor especially was delighted to meet. This was thehistorian Polybius, who had already acquired a considerable reputationas a soldier, a statesman, and a man of letters. Cleanor, during hissojourn at Athens, had heard his character as a politician hotlydebated; that he was an honest man no one doubted. Personally he wasprejudiced against him as a partisan of Rome. But he found it impossibleto resist the charm of his conversation.
The hours passed only too quickly in such delightful company, and whenthe time came to separate, Cleanor felt that he had not said a tenthpart of what he wanted to say to his new acquaintance. As they weremaking their farewells, Polybius, who had heard from Scipio an outlineof the young Greek's story, found an opportunity of saying a few kindlywords.
"I could wish," he whispered, with a friendly pressure of the hand,"that things were otherwise with you. Mind, I don't blame you, or doubtbut that you are quite loyal to conscience in what you do. But, believeme, you are on the wrong side. Is there anyone in Carthage whom you cancompare in anything that makes the worth of a man with our noble Scipio?I know something of what you feel, though I have not the same cause, forI also am a Greek and have lost my country; but the gods give thesovereignty to whom they will, and who are we to fight against them?Farewell for the present! but I am sure that we shall meet again, andunder happier circumstances."
"I thank you for saying so," replied Cleanor; "but the future looks verydark to me."
And, indeed, as he made his way back to the city, listening with buthalf his mind to Maharbal's enthusiastic praises of the courtesy andliberality of the Roman commander, he felt his spirits sink into adeeper depression than he had ever known before.
Lords of the World: A story of the fall of Carthage and Corinth Page 15