by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VII: A WOLF HUNT
The summer's work had been a hard one and the young soldiers of theCarthaginian cavalry rejoiced when they marched into Carthagena again,with the prospect of four months' rest and gaiety. When in the fieldtheir discipline was as strict and their work as hard as that of theother corps, but, whereas, when they went into winter quarters, the restof the army were placed under tents or huts, this corps d'elite were forthe time their own masters.
Two or three times a week they drilled and exercised their horses, butwith these exceptions they were free to do as they chose. Scarce onebut had relations or friends in Carthagena with whom they took up theirabode, and those who were not so fortunate found a home at the greatmilitary club, of which, ranking as they did with the officers of othercorps, they were all members.
Hamilcar and Malchus had rooms assigned to them in the splendid mansionof Hannibal, which was the centre of the life and gaiety of the place,for Hannibal had, before starting on his campaign in the spring, marriedImilce, the daughter of Castalius, a Spaniard of noble blood, and hishousehold was kept up with a lavish magnificence, worthy alike of hisposition as virtual monarch of Spain and of his vast private wealth.Fetes were given constantly for the amusement of the people. At thesethere were prizes for horse and foot racing, and the Numidian cavalryastonished the populace by the manner in which they maneuvered theirsteeds; bowmen and slingers entered the lists for prizes of value givenby the general; and the elephants exhibited proof of their docility andtraining.
In the bay there were races between the galleys and triremes, andemulation was encouraged among the troops by large money prizes to thecompanies who maneuvered with the greatest precision and activity. Forthe nobles there were banquets and entertainments of music. The risinggreatness of Carthagena had attracted to her musicians and artists fromall parts of the Mediterranean. Snake charmers from the far Soudan andjugglers from the distant East exhibited their skill. Poets recitedtheir verses, and bards sung their lays before the wealth and beauty ofCarthagena. Hannibal, anxious at once to please his young wife andto increase his popularity, spared no pains or expense in theseentertainments.
Gay as they were Malchus longed for a more stirring life, and with fiveor six of his comrades obtained leave of absence for a month, to go ona hunting expedition in the mountains. He had heard, when upon thecampaign, the issue of the plot in which he had been so nearly engaged.It had failed. On the very eve of execution one of the subordinates hadturned traitor, and Giscon and the whole of those engaged in it had beenarrested and put to a cruel death.
Malchus himself had been denounced, as his name was found upon the listof the conspirators, and an order had been sent to Hannibal that heshould be carried back a prisoner to Carthage. Hannibal had called thelad before him, and had inquired of him the circumstances of the case.Malchus explained that he had been to their meeting but once, beingtaken there by Giscon, and being in entire ignorance of the objects ofthe plot, and that he had refused when he discovered them to proceedin the matter. Hannibal and Hamilcar blamed him severely for allowinghimself at his age to be mixed up in any way in public affairs; but theyso represented the matter to the two Carthaginian commissioners with thearmy, that these had written home to say, that having inquired into theaffair they found that beyond a boyish imprudence in accompanying Gisconto the place where the conspirators met, Malchus was not to blame in thematter.
The narrow escape that he had had was a lesson which was not lost uponMalchus. Hamilcar lectured him sternly, and pointed out to him that theaffairs of nations were not to be settled by the efforts of a handful ofenthusiasts, but that grievances, however great, could only be rightedwhen the people at large were determined that a change should be made.
"There would be neither order nor stability in affairs, Malchus, ifparties of desperate men of one party or another were ever striving forchange, for revolution would be met by counter revolution. The affairsof nations march slowly; sudden changes are ever to be deprecated. Ifevery clique of men who chance to be supported by a temporary wave ofpublic opinion, were to introduce organic changes, there would be nostability in affairs. Capital would be alarmed; the rich and powerful,seeing their possessions threatened and their privileges attacked by theaction of the demagogues of the hour, would do as did our forefathers ofTyre, when the whole of the aristocracy emigrated in a body to Carthage,and Tyre received a blow from which she has never recovered."
For some time after this event Malchus had felt that he was in disgrace,but his steadiness and good conduct in the campaign, and the excellentreports which his officers gave of him, had restored him to favour; andindeed his father and Hannibal both felt that a lad might well be ledaway by an earnest enthusiast like Giscon.
The hunting party took with them a hundred Iberian soldiers used to themountains, together with six peasants acquainted with the country andaccustomed to the chase. They took several carts laden with tents, wine,and provisions. Four days' journey from Carthagena took the party intothe heart of the mountains, and here, in a sheltered valley throughwhich ran a stream, they formed their camp.
They had good sport. Sometimes with dogs they tracked the bears to theirlair, sometimes the soldiers made a wide sweep in the hills, and, havinginclosed a considerable tract of forest, moved forward, shouting andclashing their arms until they drove the animals inclosed down through avalley in which Malchus and his companions had taken post.
Very various was the game which then fell before their arrows andjavelins. Sometimes a herd of deer would dart past, then two bearswith their family would come along growling fiercely as they went, andlooking back angrily at the disturbers of their peace. Sometimes a packof wolves, with their red tongues hanging out, and fierce, snarlingbarks, would hurry along, or a wild boar would trot leisurely past,until he reached the spot where the hunters were posted. The wolves anddeer fell harmlessly before the javelins of the Carthaginians, but thebears and wild boars frequently showed themselves formidable opponents,and there were several desperate fights before these yielded to thespears and swords of the hunters.
Sometimes portions of the animals they had killed were hung up at nightfrom the bough of a tree at a distance from the camp, to attract thebears, and one or two of the party, taking their post in neighbouringtrees, would watch all night for the coming of the beasts. The snowwas now lying thick on the tops of the mountains, and the wolves wereplentiful among the forests.
One day Malchus and two of his companions had followed a wounded deerfar up among the hills, and were some miles away from the camp when thedarkness began to set in.
"I think we had better give it up," Malchus said; "we shall find itdifficult as it is to find our way back; I had no idea that it was solate."
His companions at once agreed, and they turned their faces towards thecamp. In another half hour it was perfectly dark under the shadow of thetrees, but the moon was shining, and its position afforded them a meansof judging as to the direction where the camp lay. But even with suchassistance it was no easy matter making their way. The country was roughand broken; ravines had to be crossed, and hills ascended. After pushingon for two hours, Halcon, the eldest of the party, said:
"I am by no means sure that we are going right after all. We have hada long day's work now, and I do not believe we shall find the camptonight. I think we had better light a fire here and wrap ourselves inour cloaks. The fire will scare wild beasts away, and we shall be easilyable to find the camp in the morning."
The proposal was at once accepted; sticks were collected, and, withflint and steel and the aid of some dried fungus which they carried intheir pouches, a fire was soon lit, and some choice portions of a deerwhich they had killed early in the day were soon broiling on sticks overit.
"We must keep watch by turns," Halcon said; "it will not do to letthe fire burn low, for likely enough we may be visited by bears beforemorning."
After eating their meal and chatting for some time, Halcon and hiscompanions lay down to rest,
Malchus volunteering to keep the firstwatch. For some time he sat quietly, occasionally throwing logs on thefire from the store which they had collected in readiness. Presentlyhis attitude changed, he listened intently and rose to his feet. Severaltimes he had heard the howls of wolves wandering in the woods, but henow made out a long, deep, continuous howling; he listened for a minuteor two and then aroused his companions.
"There is a large pack of wolves approaching," he said, "and by thedirection of the sound I judge they are hunting on the traces of ourfootsteps. That is the line by which we came down from yonder brow, andit seems to me that they are ascending the opposite slope."
"Yes, and by the sound there must be a very large pack of them," Halconagreed; "pile up the fire and set yourselves to gather more wood asquickly as possible; these beasts in large packs are formidable foes."
The three men set to work, vigourously cutting down brushwood andlopping off small boughs of trees with their swords.
"Divide the fire in four," Halcon said, "and pile the fuel in thecentre; they will hardly dare to pass between the fires."
The pack was now descending the slope, keeping up a chorus of howls andshort yelps which sent a shiver of uneasiness through Malchus. As thewolves approached the spot the howling suddenly ceased.
"They see us," Halcon said; "keep a sharp lookout for them, but do notthrow away a shot, we shall need all our arrows before daylight."
Standing perfectly quiet, the friends could hear the pattering soundmade by the wolves' feet upon the fallen leaves; but the moon had sunknow, and they were unable to make out their figures.
"It seems to me," Malchus said in a whisper, "that I can see specks offire gleaming on the bushes."
"It is the reflection of the fire in their eyes," Halcon replied. "See!they are all round us! There must be scores of them."
For some time the wolves approached no closer; then, encouraged by thesilence of the little group standing in the centre of the fire, two orthree gray forms showed themselves in the circle of light. Three bowstwanged. Two of the wolves fell, and the third, with a howl of pain,fled in the darkness. There was a sound of snarling and growling; a cryof pain, a fierce struggle, and then a long continued snarling.
"What are they doing?" Malchus asked with a shudder.
"I believe they are eating their wounded comrade," Halcon replied. "Ihave heard such is the custom of the savage brutes. See, the carcassesof the other two have disappeared already."
Short as had been the time which had elapsed since they had fallen,other wolves had stolen out, and had dragged away the bodies of the twowhich had been killed. This incident, which showed how extreme was thehunger of the wolves, and how noiseless were their motions, redoubledthe vigilance of the party.
Malchus threw a handful of brushwood on to each of the fires.
"We must be careful of the fuel," Halcon said. "I would we had thoughtof this before we lay down to sleep. If we had collected fuel enough forour fires we should have been safe; but I doubt much if our supply willlast now till morning."
As the hours went on the attitude of the wolves became more and morethreatening, and in strong bodies they advanced close up to the fires.Every time that they did so armfuls of fuel were thrown on, and as theflames leaped up brightly they each time fell back, losing several oftheir numbers from the arrows of the little party. But the pile offuel was now sinking fast, and except when the wolves advanced it wasnecessary to let the fires burn down.
"It must want four hours yet of daylight," Halcon said, as he threw onthe last piece of wood. "Look round as the fire blazes up and see if youcan make out any tree which may be climbed. I would that we had taken tothem at first instead of trusting to our fires."
Unfortunately they had chosen a somewhat open space of ground for theirencampment, for the brushwood grew thick among the trees.
"There is a tree over there," Malchus said, pointing to it, "with abough but six feet from the ground. One spring on to that and we aresafe."
"Very well," Halcon assented; "we will attempt it at once before thefire burns low. Put your swords into your sheaths, sling your bows andarrows behind you, and take each a burning brand. These will be betterweapons in such a case than swords or spears. Now, are you ready? Now!"
Waving the burning brands over their heads, the three Carthaginiansdashed across the intervening space towards the tree.
It seemed as if the wolves were conscious that their prey wereattempting to escape them; for, with a fierce howl, they sprang from thebushes and rushed to meet them; and, undeterred by the blazing brands,sprang upon them.
Malchus scarce knew what passed in the short, fierce struggle. One wolfsprang upon his shield and nearly brought him to the ground; but thesharp boss pierced its body, and he flung it from him, at the samemoment that he dashed the brand full in the face of another. A thirdsprang upon his shoulder, and he felt its hot breath in his face.Dropping his brand, he drove his dagger deep into its side. Then hehurled his heavy shield among the mass of wolves before him, took abound into their midst, and grasping the bough, swung himself into thetree and sat there with his legs drawn up as a score of wolves leaped uptowards him with open mouths.
He gave a cry of horror. His two friends were down, and a confused massof struggling bodies alone showed where they had fallen. For an instanthe hesitated, debating whether he should leap down and strive to rescuethem; but a glance below showed him that he would be pulled down longbefore he could reach the spot where they had fallen.
Shifting himself along the arm until he reached the trunk, he rose tohis feet and sent his arrows vengefully into the midst of the strugglingmass of wolves until he had but three or four shafts left. These hereserved as a last resource.
There was nothing to do now, and he sat down on the branch, and burstinto tears over the fate of his comrades. When he looked up again allwas quiet. The fierce pack had devoured not only his comrades, but theirown fallen companions, and now sat in a circle with their red tongueshanging out and their eyes fixed upon him. As the fire gradually diedout their form disappeared; but he could hear their quick breathing, andknew that they were still on the watch.
Malchus climbed the tree until he reached a fork where he could sit atease, and there waited for morning, when he hoped that his foes woulddisappear. But as the gray light dawned he saw them still on the watch;nor, as the dawn brightened into day, did they show any signs of moving.
When he saw they had no intention of leaving the place, Malchus began toconsider seriously what he had best do. He might still be, for aughthe knew, miles away from the camp, and his friends there would haveno means of knowing the position in which he was placed. They wouldno doubt send out all the soldiers in search of the party; but in thatbroken wilderness of forest and mountain, it was the merest chancewhether they would find the spot where he was prisoner. Still, itappeared to him that this was the only possibility of his rescue. Thetrees grew thickly together, and he could easily have climbed from thatin which he was stationed to the next, and might so have made his wayfor some distance; but as the wolves were watching him, and could seeas well by night as by day, there was no advantage in shifting hisposition.
The day passed slowly. The wolves had for the most part withdrawn frombeneath the tree, but a few kept their station there steadily, andMalchus knew that the rest were only lying beneath the bushes round;for he could hear their frequent snarling, and sometimes a gray head wasthrust out, and a pair of eager eyes looked hungrily towards him. Fromtime to time Malchus listened breathlessly in hopes of hearing thedistant shouts of his comrades; but all was still in the forest, andhe felt sure that the wolves would hear anyone approaching before heshould.
Once or twice, indeed, he fancied that by their pricked ears andattitude of attention they could hear sounds inaudible to him; but thealarm, if such it was, soon passed away, and it might have been thatthey were listening only to the distant footsteps of some stag passingthrough the forest. Night came again with its long, dreary hou
rs.Malchus strapped himself by his belt to the tree to prevent himself fromfalling and managed to obtain a few hours of uneasy sleep, waking upeach time with a start, in a cold perspiration of fear, believing thathe was falling into the hungry jaws below. In the morning a fiercedesire to kill some of his foes seized him, and he descended to thelowest branch.
The wolves, seeing their prey so close at hand, thronged thickly underit, and strove to leap up at him. Lying down on the bough, and twistinghis legs firmly under it to give him a purchase, Malchus thrust hissword nearly to the hilt between the jaws, which snapped fiercely as awolf sprang to within a few inches of the bough. Several were killed inthis way, and the rest, rendered cautious, withdrew to a short distance.Suddenly an idea struck Malchus. He took off his belt and formed itinto a running noose, and then waited until the wolves should summon upcourage to attack again. It was not long. Furious with hunger, which theprey they had already devoured was only sufficient to whet, the wolvesagain approached and began to spring towards the bough.
Malchus dropped the noose over one of their necks, and with an effort,hauled it to the bough, and despatched it with his dagger. Then he movedalong the bough and hung it on a branch some ten feet from the ground,slashing open with his dagger its chest and stomach. Having done this hereturned to his place. Six wolves were one after the other so hauledup and despatched, and as Malchus expected, the smell of their bloodrendered the pack more savage than ever. They assembled round thefoot of the tree, and continued to spring at the trunk, making vainendeavours to get at the supply of food which hung tantalizingly at soshort a distance beyond their reach.
So the day passed as before without signs of rescue. When it becamedark Malchus again descended to the lowest trunk, and fired his threeremaining arrows among the wolves below him. Loud howls followed eachdischarge, followed by a desperate struggle below. Then he tumbled fromtheir position the six dead wolves to the ground below, and then asnoiselessly as possible made his way along a bough into an adjoiningtree, and so into another, till he had attained some distance from thespot where the wolves were fighting and growling over the remains oftheir companions, far too absorbed in their work for any thought of him.
Then he dropped noiselessly to the ground and fled at the top ofhis speed. It would be, he was sure, some time before the wolves hadcompleted their feast; and even should they discover that he was missingfrom the tree, it would probably be some time before they could hit uponhis scent, especially, as, having just feasted on blood, their sense ofsmell would for a time be dulled. His previsions were accurate. Severaltimes he stopped and listened in dread lest he should hear the distanthowl, which would tell him that the pack was again on his scent. All wasquiet, save for the usual cries and noises in the forest. In two hourshe saw a distant glow of light, and was soon in the encampment of hisfriends.
"Why, Malchus!" his comrades exclaimed as he entered the tent, "wherehave you been these two days? Why, you are splashed with blood. Whereare Halcon and Chalcus?"
"Dead," Malchus said--"devoured by wolves."
A cry of horror broke from the three young guardsmen.
"'Tis too true," Malchus went on; "but give me food and wine. I haveneither eaten nor drunk for the last two days, and I have gone through aterrible time. Even now I seem to see all round me countless cruel eyes,and hungry open mouths with their red tongues."
Seeing that Malchus was utterly worn and exhausted his companionshastened to place food and drink before him before asking any furtherquestions.
Malchus drank a cup of wine and took a mouthful of bread; but he was toofaint and exhausted at present to eat more. He had supported wellthe terrible strain for the last forty-eight hours, and as he had runthrough the forest he had not noticed how it had told upon him; but nowthat he was safe among his friends he felt as weak as a child. Fora time he lay upon the lion skin on which he had thrown himself uponentering the tent, unable to reply to his comrades' questions. Then, asthe cordial began to take effect, he roused himself and forced himselfto eat more. After that he told his friends what had happened.
"You have indeed had an escape, Malchus; but how was it you did not taketo the trees at once?"
"I did not think of it," Malchus said, "nor, I suppose, did the others.Halcon was our leader, and we did as he told us. He thought the fireswould keep them off. Who could have thought the beasts would haveventured to attack us!"
"I have always heard they were terrible," one of the others said; "but Ishould have thought that three armed men would have been a match for anynumber of them."
"It would have been as much as thirty could have done to withstandthem," Malchus replied; "they did not seem to care for their lives, butsought only to slay. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. I wouldrather march alone to the assault of a walled city than face thoseterrible beasts."
In the morning the whole party started for the scene of the encounter.
Malchus had some difficulty in discovering it; but at last, aftersearching a long time he came upon it.
The ground beneath the tree was everywhere trampled and torn by thewolves in their struggles, and was spotted with patches of dry blood.The helmets, shields and arms of Halcon and Chalcus lay there, but nota remnant of their bones remained, and a few fragments of skin and someclosely gnawed skulls alone testified to the wolves which had fallenin the encounter. The arms were gathered up, and the party returnedto their camp, and the next day started for Carthagena for, after thatexperience, none cared for any further hunting.
It was some weeks before Malchus completely recovered from the effectsof the strain he had undergone. His nights were disturbed and restless.He would constantly start from his couch, thinking that he heard thehowl of the wolves, and any sudden noise made him start and turn pale.Seeing how shaken his young kinsmen was, and what he had passed through,Hannibal sent him several times in ships which were going across toAfrica for stores. He did not venture to send him to Carthage; foralthough his influence with the commissioners had been sufficient toannul the order of the council for the sending of Malchus as a prisonerthere, it was probable that were he to return he would be seized and putto death--not for the supposed crime he had committed, but to gratifythe hatred of Hanno against himself and his adherents.
The sea voyages soon restored Malchus to his accustomed health. Trainedand disciplined as his body had been by constant exercise, his nerveswere not easily shaken, and soon recovered their tone, and when, earlyin March, he rejoined his regiment, he was able to enter with zest andenergy into the preparations which Hannibal was making for the siege ofSaguntum. Difficult as this operation would be, the preparationswhich were being made appeared enormous. Every week ships brought overreinforcements of troops, and the Iberian contingents were largelyincreased.
One day Malchus entered an apartment where his father and Hannibal weretalking earnestly together with a large map spread out before them. Hewould have retired at once, but Hannibal called him in.
"Come in, Malchus, I would have no secrets from you. Although you areyoung I know that you are devoted to Carthage, that you are brave anddetermined. I see in you what I was myself at your age, but nine yearsago, and it may be that some day you will be destined to continue thework which I am beginning. You, too, have commenced early, your traininghas been severe. As your father's son and my cousin your promotion willnaturally be rapid. I will, therefore, tell you my plans. It is clearthat Rome and Carthage cannot both exist--one or the other must bedestroyed. It is useless to strike at extremities, the blow must bedealt at the heart. Unfortunately our fleet is no longer superior tothat of Rome, and victories at sea, however important, only temporarilycripple an enemy.
"It is by land the blow must be struck. Were the sea ours, I should say,land troops in southern Italy, and continue to pour over reinforcementsuntil all the fighting men of North Africa are at the gates of Rome. Butwithout the absolute command of the sea this cannot be done. ThereforeI intend to make Spain our base, and to march through Southern Gaul ove
rthe Alps into Italy, and there to fight the Romans on their own ground.Already I have agents at work among the Gauls and the northern tribes ofItaly, who will, I trust, join me in the war against our common enemy.The enterprise is a great one, but it is not impossible; if it succeeds,Rome will be destroyed and Carthage will reign, without a rival,mistress of the world. The plan was Hasdrubal's, but it has fallen to meto carry it out."
"It is a grand plan indeed," Malchus exclaimed enthusiastically--"aglorious plan, but the difficulties seem tremendous."
"Difficulties are made to be overcome by brave men," Hannibal said."The Alps are the greatest barrier, but my agents tell me that thedifficulties are not insuperable even for elephants. But before we startwe have Spain to subdue. Saguntum is under the protection of Rome, andmust be crushed, and all the country north of the Ebro conquered andpacified. This done the passage of reinforcements to my army in Italywill be easy. The Gauls will favour us, the mountains tribes willbe crushed or bought over, so that the route for the advance ofreinforcements, or for our retreat, if too hardly pressed, will bealways open. But all this is for yourself alone.
"My plans must not yet be known. Already our enemies in Carthage aregaining in strength. Many of our adherents have been put to death andthe estates of others confiscated; but the capture of Saguntum willrestore our supremacy, and the enthusiasm which it will incite among thepopulace will carry all before it. The spoils which will be taken therewill be sufficient to silence every murmur in Carthage. Now leave us,Malchus, we have much to talk over and to arrange, and I have given youplenty to think about for the present."