by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XXI: THE GAULISH SLAVE
On arriving at the mansion of Gracchus, Sempronius led Malchus to theapartment occupied by Flavia. Her face lighted with satisfaction.
"You have done well, my Sempronius," she said; "I shall not forget yourready gratification of my wish. So this is the young Carthaginian? Myfriends will all envy me at having so handsome a youth to attend uponme. Do you speak our tongue?" she asked graciously.
"A few words only," Malchus answered. "I speak Greek."
"It is tiresome," Flavia said, addressing Sempronius, "that I do notknow that language; but Julia has been taught it. Tell him, Sempronius,that his duties will be easy. He will accompany me when I walk abroad,and will stand behind me at table, and will have charge of my pets. Theyoung lion cub that Tiberius procured for me is getting troublesomeand needs a firm hand over him; he nearly killed one of the slavesyesterday."
Sempronius translated Flavia's speech to Malchus.
"I shall dress him," Flavia said, "in white and gold; he will lookcharming in it."
"It is hardly the dress for a slave," Sempronius ventured to object.
"I suppose I can dress him as I please. Lesbia, the wife of Emilius,dresses her household slaves in blue and silver, and I suppose I have asmuch right as she has to indulge my fancies."
"Certainly, Lady Flavia," Sempronius said reverentially. "I only thoughtthat such favours shown to the Carthaginian might make the other slavesjealous."
Flavia made no answer, but waved her fan to Sempronius in token ofdismissal. The young Roman, inwardly cursing her haughty airs, took hisleave at once, and Flavia handed Malchus over to the charge of the chiefof the household, with strict directions as to the dress which was to beobtained for him, and with orders to give the animals into his charge.
Malchus followed the man, congratulating himself that if he must serveas a slave, at least he could hardly have found an easier situation. Thepets consisted of some bright birds from the East, a Persian greyhound,several cats, a young bear, and a half grown lion. Of these the lionalone was fastened up, in consequence of his attack upon the slave onthe previous day.
Malchus was fond of animals, and at once advanced boldly to the lion.The animal crouched as if for a spring, but the steady gaze of Malchusspeedily changed its intention, and, advancing to the full length of itschain, it rubbed itself against him like a great cat. Malchus strokedits side, and then, going to a fountain, filled a flat vessel with waterand placed it before it. The lion lapped the water eagerly. Since itsassault upon the slave who usually attended to it, none of the othershad ventured to approach it. They had, indeed, thrown it food, but hadneglected to supply it with water.
"We shall get on well together, old fellow," Malchus said. "We are bothAfrican captives, and ought to be friends."
Finding from the other slaves that until the previous day the animalhad been accustomed to run about the house freely and to lie in Flavia'sroom, Malchus at once unfastened the chain and for some time played withthe lion, which appeared gentle and good tempered. As the master ofthe household soon informed the others of the orders he had receivedrespecting Malchus, the slaves saw that the newcomer was likely, fora time at least, to stand very high in the favour of their capriciousmistress, and therefore strove in every way to gain his goodwill.
Presently Malchus was sent for again, and found Julia sitting on thecouch by the side of her mother, and he at once acknowledged to himselfthat he had seldom seen a fairer woman. She was tall, and her figure wasfull and well proportioned. Her glossy hair was wound in a coil at theback of her head, her neck and arms were bare, and she wore a garmentof light green silk, and embroidered with gold stripes along the bottom,reaching down to her knees, while beneath it a petticoat of Tyrianpurple reached nearly to the ground.
"Is he not good looking, Julia?" Flavia asked. "There is not a slave inRome like him. Lesbia and Fulvia will be green with envy."
Julia made no reply, but sat examining the face of Malchus with as muchcomposure as if he had been a statue. He had bowed on entering, as hewould have done in the presence of Carthaginian ladies, and now stoodcomposedly awaiting Flavia's orders.
"Ask him, Julia, if it is true that he is a cousin of Hannibal and thecaptain of his guard. Such a youth as he is, I can hardly believeit; and yet how strong and sinewy are his limbs, and he has an air ofcommand in his face. He interests me, this slave."
Julia asked in Greek the questions that her mother had dictated.
"Ask him now, Julia," Flavia said, when her daughter had translated theanswer, "how he came to be captured."
Malchus recounted the story of his being blown by a gale into the Romanports; then, on her own account, Julia inquired whether he had beenpresent at the various battles of the campaign. After an hour'sconversation Malchus was dismissed. In passing through the hall beyondhe came suddenly upon a female who issued from one of the femaleapartments. They gave a simultaneous cry of astonishment.
"Clotilde!" Malchus exclaimed, "you here, and a captive?"
"Alas! yes," the girl replied. "I was brought here three months since."
"I have heard nothing of you all," Malchus said, "since your fatherreturned with his contingent after the battle of Trasimene. We knew thatPostumius with his legion was harrying Cisalpine Gaul, but no particularhas reached us."
"My father is slain," the girl said. "He and the tribe were defeated.The next day the Romans attacked the village. We, the women and the oldmen, defended it till the last. My two sisters were killed. I was takenprisoner and sent hither as a present to Flavia by Postumius. I havebeen wishing to die, but now, since you are here, I shall be content tolive even as a Roman slave."
While they were speaking they had been standing with their handsclasped. Malchus, looking down into her face, over which the tears werenow streaming as she recalled the sad events at home, wondered at thechange which eighteen months had wrought in it. Then she was a girl,now she was a beautiful woman--the fairest he had ever seen, Malchusthought, with her light brown hair with a gleam of gold, her deep grayeyes, and tender, sensitive mouth.
"And your mother?" he asked.
"She was with my father in the battle, and was left for dead on thefield; but I heard from a captive, taken a month after I was, that shehad survived, and was with the remnant of the tribe in the well nighinaccessible fastnesses at the head of the Orcus."
"We had best meet as strangers," Malchus said. "It were well that nonesuspect we have met before. I shall not stay here long--if I am notexchanged. I shall try to escape whatever be the risks, and if you willaccompany me I will not go alone."
"You know I will, Malchus," Clotilde answered frankly. "Whenever yougive the word I am ready, whatever the risk is. It should break my heartwere I left here alone again."
A footstep was heard approaching, and Clotilde, dropping Malchus' hands,fled away into the inner apartments, while Malchus walked quietly on tothe part of the house appropriated to the slaves. The next day, havingassumed his new garments, and having had a light gold ring, as a badgeof servitude, fastened round his neck, Malchus accompanied Flavia andher daughter on a series of visits to their friends.
The meeting with Clotilde had delighted as much as it had surprisedMalchus. The figure of the Gaulish maiden had been often before his eyesduring his long night watches. When he was with her last he had resolvedthat when he next journeyed north he would ask her hand of the chief,and since his journey to Carthage his thoughts had still more oftenreverted to her. The loathing which he now felt for Carthage hadconverted what was, when he was staying with Allobrigius, little morethan an idea, into a fixed determination that he would cut himself loosealtogether from corrupt and degenerate Carthage, and settle among theGauls. That he should find Clotilde captive in Rome had never enteredhis wildest imagination, and he now blessed, as a piece of the greatestgood fortune, the chance, which had thrown him into the hands of theRomans, and brought him into the very house where Clotilde was a slave.Had it not been for that he would n
ever again have heard of her. Whenhe returned to her ruined home he would have found that she had beencarried away by the Roman conquerors, but of her after fate no wordcould ever have reached him.
Some weeks passed, but no mode of escape presented itself to his mind.Occasionally for a few moments he saw Clotilde alone, and they wereoften together in Flavia's apartment, for the Roman lady was proudof showing off to her friends her two slaves, both models of theirrespective races.
Julia had at first been cold and hard to Malchus, but gradually hermanner had changed, and she now spoke kindly and condescendingly to him,and would sometimes sit looking at him from under her dark eyebrows withan expression which Malchus altogether failed to interpret. Clotilde wasmore clear sighted. One day meeting Malchus alone in the atrium she saidto him: "Malchus, do you know that I fear Julia is learning to love you.I see it in her face, in the glance of her eye, in the softening of thatfull mouth of hers."
"You are dreaming, little Clotilde," Malchus said laughing.
"I am not," she said firmly; "I tell you she loves you."
"Impossible!" Malchus said incredulously. "The haughty Julia, thefairest of the Roman maidens, fall in love with a slave! You aredreaming, Clotilde."
"But you are not a common slave, Malchus, you are a Carthaginian nobleand the cousin of Hannibal. You are her equal in all respects."
"Save for this gold collar," Malchus said, touching the badge of slaverylightly.
"Are you sure you do not love her in return, Malchus? She is verybeautiful."
"Is she?" Malchus said carelessly. "Were she fifty times more beautifulit would make no difference to me, for, as you know as well as I do, Ilove some one else."
Clotilde flushed to the brow. "You have never said so," she said softly.
"What occasion to say so when you know it? You have always known it,ever since the day when we went over the bridge together."
"But I am no fit mate for you," she said. "Even when my father wasalive and the tribe unbroken, what were we that I should wed a greatCarthaginian noble? Now the tribe is broken, I am only a Roman slave."
"Have you anything else to observe?" Malchus said quietly.
"Yes, a great deal more," she went on urgently. "How could you presentyour wife, an ignorant Gaulish girl, to your relatives, the haughtydames of Carthage? They would look down upon me and despise me."
"Clotilde, you are betraying yourself," Malchus said smiling, "for youhave evidently thought the matter over in every light. No," he said,detaining her, as, with an exclamation of shame, she would have fledaway, "you must not go. You knew that I loved you, and for every timeyou have thought of me, be it ever so often, I have thought of you ascore. You knew that I loved you and intended to ask your hand from yourfather. As for the dames of Carthage, I think not of carrying you there;but if you will wed me I will settle down for life among your people."
A footstep was heard approaching. Malchus pressed Clotilde for a momentagainst his breast, and then he was alone. The newcomer was Sempronius.He was still a frequent visitor, but he was conscious that he had latelylost rather than gained ground in the good graces of Julia. Averse ashe had been from the first to the introduction of Malchus into thehousehold, he was not long in discovering the reason for the changein Julia, and the dislike he had from the first felt of Malchus haddeepened to a feeling of bitter hatred.
"Slave," he said haughtily, "tell your mistress that l am here."
"I am not your slave," Malchus said calmly, "and shall not obey yourorders when addressed in such a tone."
"Insolent hound," the young Roman exclaimed, "I will chastise you," andhe struck Malchus with his stick. In an instant the latter sprang uponhim, struck him to the ground, and wrenching the staff from his handlaid it heavily across him. At that moment Flavia, followed by herdaughter, hurried in at the sound of the struggle. "Malchus," sheexclaimed, "what means this?"
"It means," Sempronius said rising livid with passion, "that your slavehas struck me--me, a Roman patrician. I will lodge a complaint againsthim, and the penalty, you know, is death."
"He struck me first, Lady Flavia," Malchus said quietly, "because Iwould not do his behests when he spoke to me as a dog."
"If you struck my slave, Sempronius," Flavia said coldly, "I blame himnot that he returned the blow. Although a prisoner of war, he is, as youwell know, of a rank in Carthage superior to your own, and I wonder notthat, if you struck him, he struck you in return. You know that you hadno right to touch my slave, and if you now take any steps against him Iwarn you that you will never enter this house again."
"Nor will I ever speak a word to you," Julia added.
"But he has struck me," Sempronius said furiously; "he has knocked medown and beaten me."
"Apparently you brought it upon yourself," Flavia said. "None butourselves know what has happened; therefore, neither shame nor disgracecan arise from it. My advice to you is, go home now and remain thereuntil those marks of the stick have died out; it will be easy for you toassign an excuse. If you follow the matter up, I will proclaim amongmy friends how I found you here grovelling on the ground while you werebeaten. What will then be said of your manliness? Already the repeatedexcuses which have served you from abstaining to join the armies inthe field have been a matter for much comment. You best know whether itwould improve your position were it known that you had been beaten by aslave. Why, you would be a jest among young Romans."
Sempronius stood irresolute. His last hopes of winning Julia wereannihilated by what had happened. The tone of contempt in which bothmother and daughter had spoken sufficiently indicated their feelings,and for a moment he hesitated whether he would not take what revenge hecould by denouncing Malchus. But the thought was speedily put aside. Hehad been wrong in striking the domestic slave of another; but the factthat Malchus had been first attacked, and the whole influence of thehouse of Gracchus, its relations, friends, and clients exerted in hisbehalf, would hardly suffice to save him. Still the revenge would bebought dearly in the future hostility of Flavia and her friends, andin the exposure of his own humiliating attitude. He, therefore, with agreat effort subdued all signs of anger and said:
"Lady Flavia, your wish has always been law to me, and I would ratherthat anything should happen than that I should lose your favour andpatronage, therefore, I am willing to forget what has happened, the moreso as I own that I acted wrongly in striking your slave. I trust thatafter this apology you will continue to be the kindly friend I havealways found you."
"Certainly, Sempronius," Flavia said graciously, "and I shall not forgetyour ready acquiescence in my wishes."
It was the more easy for Sempronius to yield, inasmuch as Malchus had,after stating that he had been first struck, quietly left the apartment.For some little time things went on as before. Malchus was now athome in Rome. As a slave of one of the most powerful families, as wasindicated by the badge he wore on his dress, he was able, when hisservices were not required, to wander at will in the city. He made thecircuit of the walls, marked the spots which were least frequented andwhere an escape would be most easily made; and, having selected a spotmost remote from the busy quarter of the town, he purchased a long rope,and carrying it there concealed it under some stones close to one of theflights of steps by which access was obtained to the summit of the wall.
The difficulty was not how to escape from Rome, for that, now that hehad so much freedom of movement, was easy, but how to proceed when hehad once gained the open country. For himself he had little doubt thathe should be able to make his way through the territories of the alliesof Rome, but the difficulty of travelling with Clotilde would be muchgreater.
"Clotilde," he said one day, "set your wits to work and try and think ofsome disguise in which you might pass with me. I have already preparedfor getting beyond the walls; but the pursuit after us will be hot, anduntil we reach the Carthaginian lines every man's hand will be againstus."
"I have thought of it, Malchus; the only thing that I can see is for meto sta
in my skin and dye my hair and go as a peasant boy."
"That is what I, too, have thought of, Clotilde. The disguise would bea poor one, for the roundness of your arms and the colour of your eyeswould betray you at once to any one who looked closely at you. However,as I can see no better way, I will get the garments and some for myselfto match, and some stuff for staining the skin and hair."
The next day Malchus bought the clothes and dye and managed to bringthem into the house unobserved, and to give to Clotilde those intendedfor her.
The lion, under the influence of the mingled firmness and kindness ofMalchus, had now recovered his docility, and followed him about thehouse like a great dog, sleeping stretched out on a mat by the side ofhis couch.
Sempronius continued his visits. Malchus was seldom present when hewas with Flavia, but Clotilde was generally in the room. It was now theheight of summer, and her duty was to stand behind her mistress with alarge fan, with which she kept up a gentle current of air over Flavia'shead and drove off the troublesome flies. Sometimes she had to continuedoing so for hours, while Flavia chatted with her friends.
Sempronius was biding his time. The two slaves were still high inFlavia's favour, but he was in hopes that something might occur whichwould render her willing to part with them. He watched Julia narrowlywhenever Malchus entered the room, and became more and more convincedthat she had taken a strong fancy for the Carthaginian slave, and theidea occurred to him that by exciting her jealousy he might succeed inobtaining his object. So careful were Malchus and Clotilde that he hadno idea whatever that any understanding existed between them. This,however, mattered but little; nothing was more likely than thatthese two handsome slaves should fall in love with each other, and hedetermined to suggest the idea to Julia.
Accordingly one day when he was sitting beside her, while Flavia wastalking with some other visitors, he remarked carelessly, "Your mother'stwo slaves, the Carthaginian and the Gaul, would make a handsomecouple."
He saw a flush of anger in Julia's face. For a moment she did not reply,and then said in a tone of indifference:
"Yes, they are each well favoured in their way."
"Methinks the idea has occurred to them," Sempronius said. "I have seenthem glance at each other, and doubt not that when beyond your presencethey do not confine themselves to looks."
Julia was silent, but Sempronius saw, in the tightly compressed lips andthe lowering brow with which she looked from one to the other, that theshaft had told.
"I have wondered sometimes," he said, "in an idle moment, whetherthey ever met before. The Carthaginians were for some time among theCisalpine Gauls, and the girl was, you have told me, the daughter of achief there; they may well have met."
Julia made no reply, and Sempronius, feeling that he had said enough,began to talk on other subjects. Julia scarcely answered him, and atlast impatiently waved him away. She sat silent and abstracted until thelast of the visitors had left, then she rose from her seat and walkedquietly up to her mother and said abruptly to Clotilde, who was standingbehind her mistress: "Did you know the slave Malchus before you methere?"
The suddenness of the question sent the blood up into the cheeks of theGaulish maiden, and Julia felt at once that the hints of Sempronius werefully justified.
"Yes," Clotilde answered quietly, "I met him when, with Hannibal, hecame down from the Alps into our country."
"Why did you not say so before?" Julia asked passionately. "Mother, theslaves have been deceiving us."
"Julia," Flavia said in surprise, "why this heat? What matters it to uswhether they have met before?"
Julia did not pay any attention, but stood with angry eyes waiting forClotilde's answer.
"I did not know, Lady Julia," the girl said quietly, "that the affairsof your slaves were of any interest to you. We recognized each otherwhen we first met. Long ago now, when we were both in a differentposition--"
"And when you loved each other?" Julia said in a tone of concentratedpassion.
"And when we loved each other," Clotilde repeated, her head thrown backnow, and her bearing as proud and haughty as that of Julia.
"You hear that, mother? you hear this comedy that these slaves have beenplaying under your nose? Send them both to the whipping post."
"My dear Julia," Flavia exclaimed, more and more surprised at her anger,"what harm has been done? You astonish me. Clotilde, you can retire.What means all this, Julia?" she went on more severely when they werealone; "why all this strange passion because two slaves, who by somechance have met each other before, are lovers? What is this Gaulishgirl, what is this Carthaginian slave, to you?"
"I love him, mother!" Julia said passionately.
"You!" Flavia exclaimed in angry surprise; "you, Julia, of the house ofGracchus, love a slave! You are mad, girl, and shameless."
"I say so without shame," Julia replied, "and why should I not? He is anoble of Carthage, though now a prisoner of war. What if my father isa consul? Malchus is the cousin of Hannibal, who is a greater man thanRome has ever yet seen. Why should I not wed him?"
"In the first place, it seems, Julia," Flavia said gravely, "becausehe loves someone else. In the second place, because, as I hear, he islikely to be exchanged very shortly for a praetor taken prisoner atCannae, and will soon be fighting against us. In the third place,because all Rome would be scandalized were a Roman maiden of thepatrician order, and of the house of Gracchus, to marry one of theinvaders of her country. Go to, Julia, I blush for you! So this is thereason why of late you have behaved so coldly to Sempronius. Shame onyou, daughter! What would your father say, did he, on his return fromthe field, hear of your doings? Go to your chamber, and do not let mesee you again till you can tell me that you have purged this madnessfrom your veins."
Without a word Julia turned and left the room. Parental discipline wasstrong in Rome, and none dare disobey a parent's command, and althoughJulia had far more liberty and license than most unmarried Roman girls,she did not dare to answer her mother when she spoke in such a tone.
Flavia sat for some time in thought, then she sent for Malchus. He hadalready exchanged a few words with Clotilde, and was therefore preparedfor her questions.
"Malchus, is it true that you love my Gaulish slave girl?"
"It is true," Malchus replied quietly. "When we met in Gaul, two yearssince, she was the daughter of a chief, I a noble of Carthage. I lovedher; but we were both young, and with so great a war in hand it was nota time to speak of marriage."
"Would you marry her now?"
"Not as a slave," Malchus replied; "when I marry her it shall be beforethe face of all men--I as a noble of Carthage, she as a noble Gaulishmaiden."
"Hannibal is treating for your exchange now," Flavia said. "There aredifficulties in the way, for, as you know, the senate have refused toallow its citizens who surrender to be ransomed or exchanged; but thefriends of the praetor Publius are powerful and are bringing all theirinfluence to bear to obtain the exchange of their kinsman, whom Hannibalhas offered for you. I will gladly use what influence I and my familypossess to aid them. I knew when you came to me that, as a prisoner ofwar, it was likely that you might be exchanged."
"You have been very kind, my Lady Flavia," Malchus said, "and I esteemmyself most fortunate in having fallen into such hands. Since you knownow how it is with me and Clotilde, I can ask you at once to let meransom her of you. Any sum that you like to name I will bind myself, onmy return to the Carthaginian camp, to pay for her."
"I will think it over," Flavia said graciously. "Clotilde is useful tome, but I can dispense with her services, and will ask you no exorbitantamount for her. If the negotiations for your exchange come to aught, youmay rely upon it that she shall go hence with you."
With an expression of deep gratitude Malchus retired. Flavia, in thusacceding to the wishes of Malchus, was influenced by several motives.She was sincerely shocked at Julia's conduct, and was most desirous ofgetting both Malchus and Clotilde away, for she knew that her daughterwa
s headstrong as she was passionate, and the presence of Clotilde inthe house would, even were Malchus absent, be a source of strife andbitterness between herself and her daughter.
In the second place, it would be a pretty story to tell her friends,and she should be able to take credit to herself for her magnanimity inparting with her favourite attendant. Lastly, in the present state ofaffairs it might possibly happen that it would be of no slightadvantage to have a friend possessed of great power and influence in theCarthaginian camp. Her husband might be captured in fight--it was notbeyond the bounds of possibility that Rome itself might fall into thehands of the Carthaginians. It was, therefore, well worth while making afriend of a man who was a near relation of Hannibal.
For some days Julia kept her own apartment. All the household knew thatsomething had gone wrong, though none were aware of the cause. A generalfeeling of uneasiness existed, for Julia had from a child in her fits oftemper been harsh with her slaves, venting her temper by cruelly beatingand pinching them. Many a slave had been flogged by her orders at sucha time, for her mother, although herself an easy mistress, seldominterfered with her caprices, and all that she did was good in the eyesof her father.
At the end of the week Flavia told Malchus that the negotiations for hisrelease had been broken off, the Roman senate remaining inflexiblein the resolve that Romans who surrendered to the enemy should not beexchanged. Malchus was much disappointed, as it had seemed that the timeof his release was near; however, he had still his former plan of escapeto fall back upon.
A day or two later Julia sent a slave with a message to Sempronius, andin the afternoon sallied out with a confidential attendant, who alwaysaccompanied her when she went abroad. In the Forum she met Sempronius,who saluted her.
"Sempronius," she said coming at once to the purpose, "will you do me afavour?"
"I would do anything to oblige you, Lady Julia, as you know."
"That is the language of courtesy," Julia said shortly; "I mean wouldyou be ready to run some risk?"
"Certainly," Sempronius answered readily.
"You will do it the more readily, perhaps," Julia said, "inasmuch asit will gratify your revenge. You have reason to hate Malchus, theCarthaginian slave."
Sempronius nodded.
"Your suspicion was true, he loves the Gaulish slave; they have beenquestioned and have confessed it. I want them separated."
"But how?" Sempronius asked, rejoicing inwardly at finding that Julia'swishes agreed so nearly with his own.
"I want her carried off," Julia said shortly. "When once you have gother you can do with her as you will; make her your slave, kill her,do as you like with her, that is nothing to me--all I want is that sheshall go. I suppose you have some place where you could take her?"
"Yes," Sempronius said, "I have a small estate among the Alban Hillswhere she would be safe enough from searchers; but how to get her there?She never goes out except with Lady Flavia."
"She must be taken from the house," Julia said shortly; "pretty slaveshave been carried off before now, and no suspicion need light upon you.You might find some place in the city to hide her for a few days, andthen boldly carry her through the gates in a litter. None will think ofquestioning you."
"The wrath of Lady Flavia would be terrible," Sempronius saiddoubtfully.
"My mother would be furious at first," Julia said coldly; "but get her anew plaything, a monkey or a Numidian slave boy, and she will soon forgetall about the matter."
"But how do you propose it should be done?" Sempronius asked.
"My slave shall withdraw all the bolts of the back entrance to thehouse," Julia said; "do you be there at two in the morning, when allwill be sound asleep; bring with you a couple of barefooted slaves. Mywoman will be at the door and will guide you to the chamber where thegirl sleeps; you have only to gag her and carry her quietly off."
Sempronius stood for a moment in doubt. The enterprise was certainlyfeasible. Wild adventures of this kind were not uncommon among thedissolute young Romans, and Sempronius saw at once that were he detectedJulia's influence would prevent her mother taking the matter up hotly.Julia guessed his thoughts.
"If you are found out," she said, "I will take the blame upon myself,and tell my mother that you were acting solely at my request."
"I will do it, Julia," he agreed; "tonight at two o'clock I will beat the back door with two slaves whom I can trust. I will have a placeprepared to which I can take the girl till it is safe to carry her fromthe city."
CHAPTER XXII: THE LION
Malchus was sleeping soundly that night when he was awakened by a lowangry sound from the lion.
He looked up, and saw by the faint light of a lamp which burned in thehall, from which the niche like bed chambers of the principal slavesopened, that the animal had risen to its feet. Knowing that, docile asit was with those it knew, the lion objected to strangers, the thoughtoccurred to him that some midnight thief had entered the house for thepurpose of robbery. Malchus took his staff and sallied out, the lionwalking beside him.
He traversed the hall and went from room to room until he entered theportion of the house inhabited by Flavia and the female slaves. Here hewould have hesitated, but the lion continued its way, crouching as itwalked, with its tail beating its sides with short quick strokes.
There was no one in the principal apartment. He entered the corridor,from which as he knew issued the bed chambers of the slaves. Here hestopped in sudden surprise at seeing a woman holding a light, while twomen were issuing from one of the apartments bearing between them abody wrapped up in a cloak. Sempronius stood by the men directing theirmovements. The face of the person carried was invisible, but the lightof the lamp fell upon a mass of golden brown hair, and Malchus knew atonce that it was Clotilde who was being carried off.
Malchus sprang forward and with a blow of his staff levelled one of theslaves to the ground; Sempronius with a furious exclamation drew hissword and rushed at him, while the other slave, dropping his burden,closed with Malchus and threw his arms around him. For a moment Malchusfelt powerless, but before Sempronius could strike there was a deeproar, a dark body sprang forward and hurled itself upon him, levellinghim to the ground with a crushing blow of its paw, and then seized himby the shoulder and shook him violently. The slave who held Malchusloosed his hold and fled with a cry of affright, the female slavedropped the light and fled also. Clotilde had by this time gained herfeet.
"Quick, love!" Malchus said; "seize your disguise and join me at theback gate. Sempronius is killed; I will join you as quickly as I can."
By this time the household was alarmed, the shout of Malchus and theroar of the lion had aroused everyone, and the slaves soon came hurryingwith lights to the spot. Malchus checked them as they came running out.
"Fetch the net," he said. The net in question had been procured afterthe lion had before made an attack upon the slave, but had not sincebeen required.
Malchus dared not approach the creature now, for though he was notafraid for himself, it was now furious, and might, if disturbed, rushamong the others and do terrible destruction before it could be secured.The net was quickly brought, and Malchus, with three of the mostresolute of the slaves, advanced and threw it over the lion, which waslying upon the prostrate body of Sempronius. It sprang to its feet, butthe net was round it, and in its struggle to escape it fell on its side.Another twist of the net and it was helplessly inclosed; the fourmen lifted the ends and carried it away. Cutting a portion of the netMalchus placed the massive iron collar attached to the chain round itsneck and then left it, saying to the others:
"We can cut the rest of the net off it afterwards."
He then hurried back to the scene of the struggle. Flavia was alreadythere.
"What is all this, Malchus," she asked. "Here I find Sempronius deadand one of his slaves senseless beside him; they tell me when he firstarrived you were here."
"I know nothing of it, lady," Malchus replied, "save that the lionaroused me by growling, a
nd thinking that robbers might have entered thehouse, I arose and searched it and came upon three men. One I levelledto the ground with my staff; doubtless he is only stunned and will beable to tell you more when he recovers. I grappled with another, andwhile engaged in a struggle with him the third attacked me with a sword,and would have slain me had not the lion sprang upon him and felled him.The other man then fled--this is all I know about it."
"What can it all mean?" Flavia said. "What could Sempronius with twoslaves be doing in my house after midnight? It is a grave outrage, andthere will be a terrible scandal in Rome tomorrow--the son of a praetorand a friend of the house!"
She then ordered the slaves to raise the body of Sempronius and carryit to a couch, and to send at once for a leech. She also bade them throwwater on the slave and bring him to consciousness, and then to bring himbefore her to be questioned.
"Where is my daughter?" she said suddenly; "has she not been roused byall this stir?" One of the female slaves stole into Julia's apartment,and returned saying that her mistress was sound asleep on her couch.
An expression of doubt crossed Flavia's face, but she only said, "Donot disturb her," and then thoughtfully returned to her room. It was notuntil an hour later that the prisoner was sufficiently recovered to bebrought before Flavia. He had already heard that his master was killed,and, knowing that concealment would be useless, he threw himself onthe ground before Flavia, and owned that he and another slave had beenbrought by Sempronius to carry off a slave girl.
Acting on his instructions they had thrust a kerchief into her mouth,and wrapped a cloak round her, and were carrying her off when a manrushed at him, and he supposed struck him, for he remembered nothingmore. He then with many tears implored mercy, on the ground that he wasacting but on his master's orders. At this moment the praetor himselfarrived, Flavia having sent for him immediately she had ascertained thatSempronius was dead. He was confused and bewildered at the suddenness ofhis loss.
"I thought at first," Flavia said, "that he must have been engaged insome wild scheme to carry off Julia, though why he should do so I couldnot imagine, seeing that he had my approval of his wooing; but Julia isasleep, not having been a wakened by the noise of the scuffle. It musthave been one of the slave girls."
"Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I did not see Clotilde." She struck abell, and her attendant entered.
"Go," she said, "and summon Clotilde here."
In a few minutes the slave returned, saying that Clotilde was not to befound.
"She may have been carried off by the other slave," Flavia said, "butMalchus was there, and would have pursued. Fetch him here."
But Malchus too was found to be missing.
"They must have fled together," Flavia said. "There was an understandingbetween them. Doubtless Malchus feared that this affair with your sonmight cause him to be taken away from here. Perhaps it is best so, andI trust that they may get away, though I fear there is little chance,since no slaves are allowed to leave the city without a pass, and evendid they succeed in gaining the open country they would be arrestedand brought back by the first person who met them. But that is not thequestion for the present."
"What think you, my friend, what are we to do in this terriblebusiness?"
"I know not," the praetor said with a groan.
"The honour of both our families is concerned," Flavia said calmly."Your son has been found in my house at night and slain by my lion. Allthe world knows that he was a suitor for Julia's hand. There's but onething to be done; the matter must be kept secret. It would not do to tryand remove Sempronius tonight, for the litter might be stopped by thewatch; it must be taken boldly away in daylight. Send four slaves whomyou can trust, and order them to be silent on pain of death. I will tellmy household that if a word is breathed of what has taken place tonight,I will hand whoever disobeys me over to the executioners. When you havegot your son's body home you can spread a rumour that he is sick of thefever. There will be no difficulty in bribing the leech. Then in a fewdays you will give out that he is dead, and none will be any the wiser."
The praetor agreed that this was the best plan that could be adopted,and it was carried out in due course, and so well was the secret keptthat no one in Rome ever doubted that Sempronius had fallen a victim tofever.
Julia's anger in the morning, when she heard that the Gaulish slave girland the Carthaginian were missing, was great, and she hurried to hermother's room to demand that a hue and cry should be at once madefor them, and a reward offered for their apprehension. She had, wheninformed of the scenes which had taken place in the night, and of thedeath of Sempronius, expressed great astonishment and horror, and indeedthe news that her accomplice had been killed had really shocked her. Thesentiment, however, had faded to insignificance in the anger which shefelt when, as the narrative continued, she heard of the escape of thetwo slaves.
A stormy scene took place between her and her mother, Julia boldlyavowing that she was the author of the scheme which had had so fatal atermination. Flavia, in her indignation at her daughter's conduct,sent her away at once to a small summer retreat belonging to her in thehills, and there she was kept for some months in strict seclusion underthe watchful guardianship of some old and trusted slaves.
Malchus, having seen the lion fastened up, had seized the bundlecontaining his disguise, and hurried away to the gate where Clotilde wasawaiting him.
"How long you have been!" she said with a gasp of relief.
"I could not get away until the lion was secured," he said, "for Ishould have been instantly missed. Now we will be off at once." Both hadthrown large dark cloaks over their garments, and they now hurried alongthrough the deserted streets, occasionally drawing aside into bylanes asthey heard the tramp of the city watch.
At last, after half an hour's walking, they reached the wall. Malchusknew the exact spot where he had hidden the rope, and had no difficultyin finding it. They mounted the steps and stood on the battlements. Thesentries were far apart, for no enemy was in the neighbourhood of Rome.Malchus fastened the rope round Clotilde, and lowered her down over thebattlements. When he found that she had reached the ground he madefast the end of the rope and slid down till he stood beside her. Theyproceeded with the utmost caution until at some distance from the walls;and then shaped their course until, after a long walk, they came downupon the Tiber below the city.
Day had by this time broken, and Malchus bade Clotilde enter a littlewood to change her garments and dye her skin. He then proceeded to dothe same, and rolling up the clothes he had taken off, hid them undera bush. Clotilde soon joined him again. She wore the dress of a peasantboy, consisting of a tunic of rough cloth reaching to her knees. Herlimbs, face, and neck were dyed a sunny brown, and her hair, whichwas cut quite short, was blackened. Dyes were largely in use by Romanladies, and Malchus had had no difficulty in procuring those necessaryfor their disguises.
"I don't think anyone would suspect you, Clotilde," he said; "even Ishould pass you without notice. What a pity you have had to part withall your sunny hair!"
"It will soon grow again," she said; "and now, Malchus, do not let uswaste a moment. I am in terror while those dark walls are in sight."
"We shall soon leave them behind," Malchus said encouragingly. "Thereare plenty of fishermen's boats moored along the bank here. We shallsoon leave Rome behind us."
They stepped into a boat, loosened the moorings, and pushed off, andMalchus, getting out the oars, rowed steadily down the river until theyneared its mouth. Then they landed, pushed the boat into the streamagain, lest, if it were found fastened up, it might give a clue to anywho were in pursuit of them, and then struck off into the country. Aftertravelling some miles they turned into a wood, where they lay down forseveral hours, and did not resume their course until nightfall.
Malchus had, before starting, entered the kitchen, and had filled a bagwith cold meat, oatmeal cakes, and other food, and this, when examined,proved ample for four days' supply, and he had, therefore, no occasion
to enter the villages to buy provisions. They kept by the seashore untilthey neared Terracina, and then took to the hills, and skirted theseuntil they had left the state of Latium. They kept along at the foot ofthe great range which forms the backbone of Italy, and so passing alongSamnium, came down upon the Volturnus, having thus avoided the Romanarmy, which lay between Capua and Rome.
Their journey had been a rough one, for, by the winding road they hadfollowed along the mountains, the distance they traversed was over onehundred miles. The fatigue had been great, and it was well that Clotildehad had a Gaulish training. After their provisions were exhausted theyhad subsisted upon corn which they gathered in the patches of cultivatedground near the mountain villages, and upon fruits which they picked inthe woods.
Twice, too, they had come upon herds of half wild goats in themountains, and Malchus had succeeded in knocking down a kid with astone. They had not made very long journeys, resting always for a fewhours in the heat of the day, and it was ten days after they had leftRome before, from an eminence, they saw the walls of Capua.
"How can I go in like this?" Clotilde exclaimed in a sudden fit ofshyness.
"We will wait until it is dusk," Malchus said; "the dye is fast wearingoff, and your arms are strangely white for a peasant girl's. I willtake you straight to Hannibal's palace, and you will soon be fitted outgorgeously. There are spoils enough stored up to clothe all the women ofRome."
They sat down in the shade of a clump of trees, and waited till the heatof the day was past; then they rose and walked on until, after darknesshad fallen, they entered the town of Capua. They had no difficulty indiscovering the palace where Hannibal was lodged. They were stopped atthe entrance by the guards, who gave a cry of surprise and pleasure whenMalchus revealed himself. At first they could hardly credit that, in thedark skinned peasant, their own commander stood before them, and as thenews spread rapidly the officers of the corps ran down and saluted himwith a joyous greeting. While this was going on Clotilde shrank back outof the crowd.
As soon as he could extricate himself from his comrades, Malchus joinedher, and led her to Hannibal, who, hearing the unusual stir, was issuingfrom his apartment to see what had occasioned it. The shouts of "Longlive Malchus!" which rose from the soldiers informed him of what hadhappened, and he at once recognized his kinsman in the figure advancingto meet him.
"My dear Malchus," he exclaimed, "this is a joyous surprise. I have beenin vain endeavouring to get you out of the hands of the Romans, but theywere obstinate in refusing an exchange; but knowing your adroitness, Ihave never given up hopes of seeing you appear some day among us. Butwhom have you here?" he asked as he re-entered his room accompanied byMalchus and his companion.
"This is Clotilde, daughter of Allobrigius, the chief of the Orcantribe," Malchus replied, "and my affianced wife. Her father has beendefeated and killed by Postumius, and she was carried as a slave toRome. There good fortune and the gods threw us together, and I havemanaged to bring her with me."
"I remember you, of course," Hannibal said to the girl, "and that Ijoked my young kinsman about you. This is well, indeed; but we must seeat once about providing you with proper garments. There are no femalesin my palace, but I will send at once for Chalcus, who is now captain ofmy guard, and who has married here in Capua, and beg him to bring hitherhis wife; she will I am sure take charge of you, and furnish you withgarments."
Clotilde was soon handed over to the care of the Italian lady, andMalchus then proceeded to relate to Hannibal the various incidents whichhad occurred since he had sailed from Capua for Sardinia. He learned inreturn that the mission of Mago to Carthage had been unsuccessful. Hehad brought over a small reinforcement of cavalry and elephants, whichhad landed in Bruttium and had safely joined the army; but this onlyrepaired a few of the many gaps made by the war, and was useless toenable Hannibal to carry out his great purpose.
"Hanno's influence was too strong," Hannibal said, "and I foresee thatsooner or later the end must come. I may hold out for years here inSouthern Italy, but unless Carthage rises from her lethargy, I mustfinally be overpowered."
"It seems to me," Malchus said, "that the only hope is in rousing theGauls to invade Italy from the north."
"I know nothing of what is passing there," Hannibal said; "but it isclear from the disaster which has befallen our friends the Orcans thatthe Romans are more than holding their own north of the Apennines.Still, if a diversion could be made it would be useful. I suppose youare desirous of taking your bride back to her tribe."
"Such is my wish, certainly," Malchus said. "As I have told you,Hannibal, I have made up my mind never to return to Carthage. It ishateful to me. Her tame submission to the intolerable tyranny of Hannoand his faction, her sufferance of the corruption which reigns in everydepartment, her base ingratitude to you and the army which have doneand suffered so much, the lethargy which she betrays when dangers arethickening and her fall and destruction are becoming more and more sure,have sickened me of her. I have resolved, as I have told you, to casther off, and to live and die among the Gauls--a life rough and simple,but at least free."
"But it seems that the Gauls have again been subjected to Rome,"Hannibal said.
"On this side of the Alps," Malchus replied, "but beyond are greattribes who have never as yet heard of Rome. It is to them thatClotilde's mother belongs, and we have settled that we will first tryand find her mother and persuade her to go with us, and that if sheis dead we will journey alone until we join her tribe in Germany. Butbefore I go I will, if it be possible, try and rouse the Gauls to makeanother effort for freedom by acting in concert, by driving out theRomans and invading Italy. You will, I trust, Hannibal, not oppose myplans."
"Assuredly not, Malchus; I sympathize with you, and were I youngerand without ties and responsibilities would fain do the same. It is asacrifice, no doubt, to give up civilization and to begin life anew,but it is what our colonists are always doing. At any rate it isfreedom--freedom from the corruption, the intrigue, the sloth, and thelittleness of a decaying power like that of Carthage. You will be happyat least in having your wife with you, while the gods only know when Ishall see the face of my beloved Imilce.
"Yes, Malchus, follow your own devices. Carthage, when she flung youin prison and would have put you to a disgraceful death, forfeited allfurther claim upon you. You have rendered her great services, you haverisked your life over and over again in her cause, you have repaidtenfold the debt which you incurred when she gave you birth. You arefree now to carry your sword where you will. I shall deeply regret yourloss, but your father has gone and many another true friend of mine,and it is but one more in the list of those I have lost. Follow yourown wishes, and live in that freedom which you will never attain in theservice of Carthage."
The next day the marriage of Malchus and Clotilde took place. Hannibalhimself joined their hands and prayed the gods to bless theirunion. Three weeks later Hannibal arranged that a body of a hundredCarthaginian horse should accompany Malchus to the north, where he wouldendeavour to raise the Gaulish tribes. They were to cross into Apulia,to travel up the east coast until past the ranges of the Apennines,and then make their way across the plains to the Alps. A dozen officersaccompanied him; these were to aid him in his negotiations withthe chiefs, and in organizing the new forces, should his efforts besuccessful.
To the great joy of Malchus, on the very evening before he startedNessus arrived in the camp. He had, when Malchus was at Rome, beenemployed with the other Carthaginian soldiers on the fortifications.Malchus had once or twice seen him as, with the others, he was marchedfrom the prison to the walls, and had exchanged a few words with him.He had told him that he intended to escape, but could not say when heshould find an opportunity to do so; but that if at any time a monthpassed without his seeing him, Nessus would know that he had gone.
The extra rigour with which the prisoners were guarded had led Nessus tosuspect that a prisoner had escaped, and a month having passed withouthis seeing Malchus, he determine
d on making an attempt at flight. Sorigourous was the watch that there was no possibility of this being donesecretly, and, therefore, one day when they were employed in repairingthe foundations of the wall outside the city Nessus seized theopportunity, when the attention of the guards was for a moment directedin another quarter, to start at the top of his speed. He had chosen thehottest hour of the day for the attempt, when few people were about, andthe peasants had left the fields for an hour's sleep under the shade oftrees.
The Roman guard had started in pursuit, but Nessus had not overrated hispowers. Gradually he left them behind him, and, making straight for theTiber, plunged in and swam the river. He had followed the right bankup to the hills, and on the second evening after starting made hisappearance at Capua. When he heard the plans of Malchus he announced,as a matter of course, that he should accompany him. Malchus pointed outthat, with the rewards and spoils he had obtained, he had now sufficientmoney to become a man of importance among his own people. Nessus quietlywaved the remark aside as if it were wholly unworthy of consideration.
The cavalry who were to accompany Malchus were light armed Numidians,whose speed would enable them to distance any bodies of the enemy theymight meet on their way. With them were thirty lead horses, some of themcarrying a large sum of money, which Hannibal had directed should bepaid to Malchus from the treasury, as his share, as an officer of highrank, of the captured booty. The rest of the horses were laden withcostly arms, robes of honour, and money as presents for the Gaulishchiefs. These also were furnished from the abundant spoils which hadfallen into the hands of the Carthaginians.
Hannibal directed Malchus that, in the event of his failing in hismission, he was not to trouble to send these things back, but was toretain them to win the friendship and goodwill of the chiefs of thecountry to which he proposed to journey. The next morning Malchus tookan affectionate farewell of the general and his old comrades, and then,with Clotilde riding by his side--for the women of the Gauls were aswell skilled as the men in the management of horses--he started at thehead of his party. He followed the route marked out for him without anyadventure of importance. He had one or two skirmishes with parties oftribesmen allied with Rome, but his movements were too rapid for anyforce sufficient to oppose his passage being collected.
After ascending the sea coast the troop skirted the northern slopes ofthe Apennines, passing close to the battlefield of Trebia, andcrossing the Po by a ford, ascended the banks of the Orcus, and reachedClotilde's native village. A few ruins alone marked where it had stood.Malchus halted there and despatched scouts far up the valley. Thesesucceeded in finding a native, who informed them that Brunilda with theremains of the tribe were living in the forests far up on the slopes.The scouts delivered to them the message with which they were charged:that Clotilde and Malchus, with a Carthaginian force, were at Orca. Thefollowing evening Brunilda and her followers came into camp.
Deep was the joy of the mother and daughter. The former had long sincegiven up all hope of ever hearing of Clotilde again, and had devoted herlife to vengeance on the Romans. From her fastness in the mountain shehad from time to time led her followers down, and carried fire and swordover the fields and plantations of the Roman colonists, retiring rapidlybefore the garrisons could sally from the towns and fall upon her. Shewas rejoiced to find that her child had found a husband and protectorin the young Carthaginian, still more rejoiced when she found that thelatter had determined upon throwing in his lot with the Gauls.
All that night mother and daughter sat talking over the events whichhad happened since they parted. Brunilda could give Malchus but littleencouragement for the mission on which he had come. The legion ofPostumius had indeed been defeated and nearly destroyed in a risingwhich had taken place early in the spring; but fresh troops had arrived,dissensions had, as usual, broken out among the chiefs, many of themhad again submitted to the Romans, and the rest had been defeated andcrushed. Brunilda thought that there was little hope at present of theiragain taking up arms.
For some weeks Malchus attempted to carry out Hannibal's instructions;he and his lieutenants, accompanied by small parties of horse, rodethrough the country and visited all the chiefs of Cisalpine Gaul, butthe spirit of the people was broken. The successes they had gained hadnever been more than partial, the Roman garrison towns had always defiedall their efforts, and sooner or later the Roman legions swept downacross the Apennines and carried all before them.
In vain Malchus told them of the victories that Hannibal had won, thatSouthern Italy was in his hands, and the Roman dominion tottering. Inreply they pointed to the garrisons and the legion, and said that, wereRome in a sore strait, she would recall her legion for her own defence,and no arguments that Malchus could use could move them to lay asidetheir own differences and to unite in another effort for freedom. Winterwas now at hand. Malchus remained in the mountains with the Orcans untilspring came, and then renewed his efforts with no greater successthan before. Then he dismissed the Carthaginians, with a letter givingHannibal an account of all he had done, and bade them find their wayback to Capua by the road by which they had come.
Brunilda had joyfully agreed to his proposal that they should crossthe Alps and join her kinsmen in Germany, and the remnant of the tribewillingly consented to accompany them. Accordingly in the month of Maythey set out, and journeying north made their way along the shore ofthe lake now called the Lago di Guarda, and, crossing by the pass ofthe Trentino, came down on the northern side of the Alps, and, afterjourneying for some weeks among the great forests which covered thecountry, reached the part inhabited by the tribe of the Cherusei, towhich Brunilda belonged.
Here they were hospitably received. Brunilda's family were among thenoblest of the tribe, and the rich presents which the ample resources ofMalchus enabled him to distribute among all the chiefs, at once raisedhim to a position of high rank and consideration among them. Althoughaccepting the life of barbarism Malchus was not prepared to give up allthe usages of civilization. He built a house, which, although itwould have been but a small structure in Carthage, was regarded withadmiration and wonder by the Gauls. Here he introduced the usages andcustoms of civilization. The walls, indeed, instead of being hung withsilk and tapestry, were covered with the skins of stags, bears, andother animals slain in the chase; but these were warmer and bettersuited for the rigour of the climate in winter than silks would havebeen. The wealth, knowledge, and tact of Malchus gained him an immenseinfluence in the tribe, and in time he was elected the chief of thatportion of it dwelling near him. He did not succeed in getting hisfollowers to abandon their own modes of life, but he introduced amongthem many of the customs of civilization, and persuaded them to adoptthe military formation in use among the Carthaginians. It was with somereluctance that they submitted to this; but so complete was the victorywhich they obtained over a rival tribe, upon their first encounter whenled by Malchus and his able lieutenant Nessus, that he had no difficultyin future on this score.
The advantages, indeed, of fighting in solid formation, instead ofthe irregular order in which each man fought for himself, were sooverwhelming that the tribe rapidly increased in power and importance,and became one of the leading peoples in that part of Germany. Aboveall, Malchus inculcated them with a deep hatred of Rome, and warned themthat when the time came, as it assuredly would do, that the Romans wouldcross the Alps and attempt the conquest of the country, it behooved theGerman tribes to lay aside all their disputes and to join in a commonresistance against the enemy.
From time to time rumours, brought by parties of Cisalpine Gauls, who,like the Orcans, fled across the Alps to escape the tyranny of Rome,reached Malchus. For years the news came that no great battle had beenfought, that Hannibal was still in the south of Italy defeating all theefforts of the Romans to dislodge him.
It was not until the thirteenth year after Hannibal had crossed the Alpsthat any considerable reinforcement was sent to aid the Carthaginiangeneral. Then his brother Hasdrubal, having raised an army in Spaina
nd Southern Gaul, crossed the Alps to join him. But he was met, ashe marched south, by the consuls Livius and Nero with an army greatlysuperior to his own; and was crushed by them on the river Metaurus,the Spanish and Ligurian troops being annihilated and Hasdrubal himselfkilled.
For four years longer Hannibal maintained his position in the south ofItaly. No assistance whatever reached him from Carthage, but alone andunaided he carried on the unequal war with Rome until, in 204 B.C.,Scipio landed with a Roman force within a few miles of Carthage,captured Utica, defeated two Carthaginian armies with great slaughter,and blockaded Carthage. Then the city recalled the general and the armywhom they had so grossly neglected and betrayed.
Hannibal succeeded in safely embarking his army and in sailing toCarthage; but so small was the remnant of the force which remained tohim, that when he attempted to give battle to Scipio he was defeated,and Carthage was forced to make peace on terms which left her for thefuture at the mercy of Rome. She was to give up all her ships of warexcept ten, and all her elephants, to restore all Roman prisoners,to engage in no war out of Africa--and none in Africa except with theconsent of Rome, to restore to Massinissa, a prince of Numidia who hadjoined Rome, his kingdom, to pay a contribution of two hundred talents ayear for fifty years, and to give a hundred hostages between the ages offourteen and thirty, to be selected by the Roman general.
These terms left Carthage at the mercy of Rome, when the latter,confident in her power, entered upon the third Punic war, the overthrowand the destruction of her rival were a comparatively easy task for her.Hannibal lived nineteen years after his return to Carthage. For eightyears he strove to rectify the administration, to reform abuses, and toraise and improve the state; but his exposure of the gross abuses of thepublic service united against him the faction which had so long profitedby them, and, in B. C. 196, the great patriot and general was driveninto exile.
He then repaired to the court of Antiochus, King of Syria, who was atthat time engaged in a war against Rome; but that monarch would notfollow the advice he gave him, and was in consequence defeated atMagnesia, and was forced to sue for peace and to accept the terms theRomans imposed, one of which was that Hannibal should be delivered intotheir hands.
Hannibal, being warned in time, left Syria and went to Bithynia. ButRome could not be easy so long as her great enemy lived, and made ademand upon Prusias, King of Bithynia, for his surrender. He was aboutto comply with the request when Hannibal put an end to his life, dyingat the age of sixty-four.
No rumour of this event ever reached Malchus, but he heard, fifteenyears after he had passed into Germany, that Hannibal had at lastretired from Italy, and had been defeated at Zama, and that Carthage hadbeen obliged to submit to conditions which placed her at the mercy ofRome. Malchus rejoiced more than ever at the choice he had made. Hissons were now growing up, and he spared no efforts to instill in thema hatred and distrust of Rome, to teach them the tactics of war, and tofill their minds with noble and lofty thoughts.
Nessus had followed the example of his lord and had married a Gaulishmaiden, and he was now a subchief in the tribe. Malchus and Clotildelived to a great age, and the former never once regretted the choicehe had made. From afar he heard of the ever growing power of Rome, andwarned his grandsons, as he had warned his sons, against her, and beggedthem to impress upon their descendants in turn the counsels he had giventhem. The injunction was observed, and the time came when Arminius, adirect descendant of Malchus, then the leader of the Cherusei, assembledthe German tribes and fell upon the legions of Varus, inflicting uponthem a defeat as crushing and terrible as the Romans had ever sufferedat the hands of Hannibal himself, and checking for once and all theefforts of the Romans to subdue the free people of Germany.
THE END