CHAPTER VIII: A PLOT FRUSTRATED
After leaving Hannibal, Malchus did not rejoin his comrades, but mountedthe hills behind the town and sat down there, looking over the sea, andthinking over the vast plan which Hannibal's words had laid before him,and to which his father had once alluded in his presence. Malchushad been brought up by Hamilcar to regard Rome as the deadly enemy ofCarthage, but he had not till now seen the truth which Hannibal hadgrasped, that it was a struggle not for empire only between the tworepublics, but one of life and death--that Carthage and Rome could notcoexist, and that one or other of them must be absolutely destroyed.
This, indeed, was the creed of the Barcine party, and was, apart fromthe minor questions of internal reforms, the great point on which theydiffered from Hanno and the trading portion of the community, who werehis chief supporters. These were in favour of Carthage abandoning hercolonies and conquests, and devoting herself solely to commerce and theacquisition of wealth. Believing that Rome, who would then have opento her all Europe and Asia to conquer, would not grudge to Carthage thenorthern seaboard of Africa, they forgot that a nation which is rich anddefenceless will speedily fall a victim to the greed of a powerfuland warlike neighbour, and that a conqueror never needs excuses for anattack upon a defenceless neighbour.
Hitherto Malchus had thought only of a war with Rome made up of seafights and of descents upon Sicily and Sardinia. The very idea ofinvading Italy and striking at Rome herself had never even entered hismind, for the words of his father had been forgotten in the eventswhich followed so quickly upon them. The prospect which the words openedseemed immense. First Northern Spain was to be conquered, Gaul to becrossed, the terrible mountains of which he had heard from travellerswere next to be surmounted, and finally a fight for life and death tobe fought out on the plains of Italy. The struggle would indeed be atremendous one, and Malchus felt his heart beat fast at the thought thathe was to be an actor in it. Surely the history of the world told of nogreater enterprise than this. Even the first step which was to be taken,a mere preliminary to this grand expedition, was a most formidable one.
Saguntum stood as an outpost of Rome. While Carthage had been advancingfrom the south Rome had been pressing forward from the east alongthe shores of the Mediterranean, and had planted herself firmly atMarseilles, a port which gave her a foothold in Gaul, and formed a basewhence she could act in Spain. In order to check the rising power ofthe Carthaginians there she had entered into a firm alliance with theSaguntines, whose country occupied what is now the district of Valencia.By the terms of the last treaty between the two republics each wasforbidden to make war upon tribes in alliance with their rivals, andSaguntum being thus under the jurisdiction of Rome, an attack upon itwould be almost equivalent to a declaration of war.
The position of the city was one of great strength. It stood on analmost isolated rock at the foot of a spur of the mountains whichformed an amphitheatre behind it. Around it extended a rich and fertilecountry, the sea was less than a mile from its walls, and the Romanscould thus quickly send succour to their allies. The rock on which thetown stood was well nigh inaccessible, falling sheer down from the footof the walls, and was assailable only on the western side, where therocks sloped gradually down to the plain. Here the walls were extremelystrong and lofty, and were strengthened by a great tower which dominatedthe whole slope. It would be difficult to form approaches, for the rockwas bare of soil and afforded no cover of any kind.
Hitherto the Carthaginian generals had scrupulously respected theterritory of the Saguntines, but now that the rest of Spain was subduedit was necessary to reduce this advanced post of Rome--this open doorthrough which Rome, now mistress of the sea, could at any moment pourher legions into the heart of Spain.
The Saguntines were not ignorant of the danger which threatened them.They had again and again sent urgently to Rome to demand that a legionshould be stationed there for their protection. But Rome hesitated atdespatching a legion of troops to so distant a spot, where, in case of anaval reverse, they would be isolated and cut off.
Hannibal had not far to look for an excuse for an attack upon Saguntum.On the previous year, while he had been engaged in his campaignagainst the Carpatans, the Saguntines, taking advantage of his criticalposition, had made war upon the town of Torbola, an ally of Carthage.Torbola had implored the assistance of Hannibal, and he was nowpreparing to march against Saguntum with his whole force without waitingfor the arrival of spring. His preparations had been silently made. TheSaguntines, although uneasy, had no idea of any imminent danger, andthe Carthaginian army collected in and around Carthagena were in entireignorance that they were about to be called upon to take the field.
"What say you, Malchus?" Hannibal asked that evening. "It is time nowthat I gave you a command. As my near relative it is fitting that youshould be in authority. You have now served a campaign, and are eligiblefor any command that I may give you. You have shown yourself prompt indanger and worthy to command men. Which would you rather that I shouldplace under you--a company of these giant Gauls, of the steady Iberians,of the well disciplined Libyans, or the active tribesmen of the desert?Choose which you will, and they shall be yours."
Malchus thought for some time.
"In the day of battle," he said at last, "I would rather lead Gauls,but, in such a march as you have told me you are meditating, I wouldrather have a company of Numidian footmen to act as scouts and feelthe way for the army. There would not, perhaps, be so much glory to beobtained, but there would be constant work and excitement, and this willbe far better than marching in the long column of the army."
"I think your choice is a good one," Hannibal replied. "Such a corpswill be needed to feel the way as we advance, to examine the roads andindicate that by which the column had best move, and to guard againstambushes and surprises. Tomorrow I will inspect the Numidian footmenand will put them through their exercises. We will have foot races andtrials of skill with the bow, and I will bid their officers pick me outtwo hundred of the most active and vigourous among them; these youshall have under your command. You can choose among your comrades of theguards one whom you would like to have as your lieutenant."
"I will take Trebon," Malchus said; "we fought side by side through thelast campaign. He is prompt and active, always cheerful under fatigue,and as brave as a lion. I could not wish a better comrade."
"So be it," Hannibal replied, "henceforth you are captain of theadvanced company of the army. Remember, Malchus, that the responsibilityis a great one, and that henceforward there must be no more boyishtricks. Your company will be the eyes of the army, and upon yourvigilance its safety, when we once start upon our expedition, will inno slight degree depend. Remember, too, that you have by your conduct tojustify me in choosing my young kinsman for so important a post."
The next day the Numidians were put through their exercises, and bynightfall the two hundred picked men were chosen from their ranks andwere placed by Hannibal under the command of Malchus. Trebon was greatlypleased when he found himself appointed as lieutenant of the company.Although of noble family his connections were much less influentialthan those of the majority of his comrades, and he had deemed himselfexceptionally fortunate in having been permitted to enter the chosencorps of the Carthaginian cavalry, and had not expected to be made anofficer for years to come, since promotion in the Carthaginian army wasalmost wholly a matter of family influence.
"I am indeed obliged to you, Malchus," he said as he joined his friendafter Hannibal had announced his appointment to him. "The general toldme that he had appointed me at your request. I never even hoped thatsuch good fortune would befall me. Of course I knew that you wouldspeedily obtain a command, but my people have no influence whatever.The general says that your company are to act as scouts for the army,so there will be plenty of opportunity to distinguish ourselves.Unfortunately I don't see much chance of fighting at present. TheIberian tribesmen had such a lesson last autumn that they are not likelyfor a long time to give us further
trouble."
"Do not make yourself uneasy on that score, Trebon," Malchus said, "Ican tell you, but let it go no further, that ere long there will befighting enough to satisfy even the most pugnacious."
One evening Malchus had left the club early. Full as he was of thethoughts of the tremendous struggle which was soon to begin between thegreat antagonists, he wearied of the light talk of his gay comrades. Thegames of chance, to which a room in the club was allotted, afforded himno pleasure; nor had he any interest in the wagering which was goingon as to the merits of the horses which were to run in the races on thefollowing day. On leaving the club he directed his footsteps towards thetop of the hill on which Carthagena stood, and there, sitting aloneon one of the highest points, looked over the sea sparkling in themoonlight, the many vessels in the harbour and the lagoons stretchinginland on each side of the city.
He tried to imagine the course that the army was to follow, the terriblejourney through the snow covered passes of that tremendous range ofmountains of which he had heard, the descent into the plains of Italy,and the first sight of Rome. He pictured to himself the battles whichwould have to be fought by the way, and above all, the deadly conflictwhich would take place before Rome could be carried by assault, and thegreat rival of Carthage be humbled to the dust. Then he pictured thereturn of the triumphant expedition, the shouting multitudes who wouldacclaim Hannibal the sole arbitrator of the destinies of Carthage,and in his heart rejoiced over the changes which would take place--theoverthrow of the faction of Hanno, the reform of abuses, thecommencement of an era of justice, freedom, and prosperity for all.
For more than three hours he sat thus, and then awoke to the fact thatthe night was cold and the hour late. Drawing his bernous tightly roundhim he descended into the city, which was now for the most part wrappedin sleep. He was passing through the native quarter when a door openedand several men came out. Scarcely knowing why he did so Malchus drewback into a doorway until they had moved on ahead of him, and thenfollowed them at some little distance. At any other time he would havethought nothing of such an incident, but his nerves were highly strungat the moment, and his pause was dictated more by an indisposition toencounter anything which might disturb the current of his thoughts thanby any other motive.
In the moonlight he could see that two of the five men ahead of himwere members of the Carthaginian horse guard, for the light glitteredon their helmets; the other three were, by their attire, natives. Twoof the latter soon separated from the others, and on reaching the betterpart of the town the two Carthaginians turned down a side street, and inthe still night Malchus heard the parting words to their neighbour, "Atthe same place tomorrow night." The remaining native kept straight alongthe road which Malchus was following. Still onward he went, andMalchus, to his surprise, saw him go up to one of the side entrances toHannibal's palace. He must have knocked very quietly, or someone musthave been waiting to admit him, for without a sound the door was openedand the man entered.
Malchus went round to the principal entrance, and after a littlebadinage from the officer on guard as to the lateness of the hour atwhich he returned, made his way to his apartment.
He was puzzled by what he had seen. It was strange that two of theCarthaginian guard, men necessarily belonging to noble families, shouldhave been at a native gathering of some sort in the upper town. Strange,too, that a man probably an attendant or slave belonging to the palaceshould also have been present. The more he thought of it the more he waspuzzled to account for it, and before he went to sleep he came to theresolution that he would, if possible, on the following night discoverthe object of such a gathering.
Next evening, therefore, he returned from the Syssite early, exchangedhis helmet for a skullcap, and, wrapping himself in his cloak, made hisway to the house from which he had seen the men come forth. It stood atthe corner of the street. Thick hangings hung across the openings forthe windows, and prevented even a ray of light from finding its way out.Listening attentively Malchus could hear a low hum of voices within. Asthere were still people about he moved away for half an hour.
On his return the street was deserted. Malchus put his hand througha window opening into the side street and felt that the hanging wascomposed of rushes tightly plaited together. With the point of hisdagger he very cautiously cut a slit in this, and applying his eye to itwas able to obtain a glimpse of the apartment within. On low stools bya fire two Carthaginians were sitting, while four natives were seated onthe rushes which covered the floor. Malchus recognized the Carthaginiansat once, for they were members of the troop in which he had served.Neither of them were men popular among their fellows, for they belongedto families closely related to Hanno. They had always, however,professed the greatest admiration for Hannibal, and had declared thatfor their part they altogether repudiated the doings of the party towhich their family belonged.
The conversation was carried on in low tones, a precaution absolutelynecessary in the day when glass windows were unknown, unless thediscourse was upon general subjects. Malchus listened attentively, butalthough he thought he caught the words Hanno and Hannibal repeatedseveral times, he was unable to hear more. At the end of the half hourthe conference was apparently at an end, for all rose to their feet.One of the Carthaginians put a bag, which was evidently heavy, intothe hands of one of the natives, and the party then went out. Malchusstepped to the corner and caught the words, "Tomorrow night, then,without fail."
The party then separated, the Carthaginians passing straight on, thenatives waiting until they had gone some little distance ahead beforethey followed. Malchus remained for some little time in the side streetbefore he sallied out and took his way after them. After he saw two ofthe natives leave the other, he quickened his steps and passed theman, who proceeded alone towards the palace, a short distance before hearrived there. As he did so he glanced at his face, and recognized himas one of the attendants who waited at Hannibal's table. Malchus didnot turn his head, however, but kept straight on his way and entered thepalace as usual.
"Malchus," the captain of the guard laughed as he went in, "assuredlyI shall have to tell Hamilcar of your doings. Last night you entered anhour after every one had retired to rest, tonight you are back in bettertime, but assuredly you have not been to the Syssite in that huntingcap. This savours of a mystery. Do not pretend to me that you havebeen looking after your company of Numidians at this time of the night,because, did you swear it by Astarte, I should not believe you."
"No; I think I could invent a better story than that if I were put toit," Malchus said with a laugh; "but as I am not obliged to invent oneat all, I will leave you to do so for me. In truth I have been aboutsome private business, but what that business is is a profound secret."
"A secret of state, no doubt," the officer rejoined. "Well, I will saynothing this time; but do not let it occur again, or I shall think thatsome Iberian maiden has captured that susceptible heart of yours."
After Malchus had reached his chamber he sat down for some time indeep thought. It was clear to him that something was wrong. This secretmeeting of the two Carthaginians with natives, one of whom was employedin Hannibal's household, could mean no good. Money had passed, too, and,judging from the size and apparent weight of the bag, no inconsiderableamount. What could it mean? It was but a few months before thatHasdrubal had fallen beneath the dagger of a native servant. Could thisbe a plot against the life of Hannibal?
The two Carthaginians were connected with Hanno, and might well beagents employed to rid him of his great rival. And yet he had heardnothing which would justify his bringing so grave an accusation againstthese men. The money which he had seen exchanged might be for the priceof a horse or of a slave, and he might only make himself ridiculouswere he to speak to Hannibal or his father as to what had occurred. Hedecided, therefore, that any action he might take must be on his ownaccount. If the words he had overheard meant anything, and if a plotwere really on hand, it was to be carried out on the following night.Malchus determined to
take steps to meet it.
The next day he took Trebon into his counsels and told him of themysterious meetings which he had accidentally discovered. There was freeaccess to Hannibal's palace; officers were constantly coming in and out,and soldiers arriving and leaving with messages and orders. Malchus,had, therefore, had no difficulty in passing into his apartment, oneby one, ten picked men of his company. They had orders to remain thereperfectly quiet, and Trebon also took post with them, Malchus tellinghim to make some excuse or other to prevent any attendant or slave fromentering the apartment while he was absent.
There was a concert that evening; the palace was crowded with guests.From time to time Malchus stole away to his room, where the Numidianswere seated on the ground silent and immovable as so many bronzestatues. At other times he kept near Hannibal, watching closely themovements of every native who passed near him; and ready to springforward instantly if he saw any signs of an evil intention. However, hedid not much apprehend, that even if his suspicions were correct anda plot was on foot against Hannibal, any attempt would be made toassassinate him in the midst of a crowded assembly, where there wouldbe no possibility of escape for the perpetrators of such a deed. Atlast the guests began to depart, and an hour later all was quiet in thepalace. Laying aside his sandals, Malchus stole noiselessly over themarble pavements until he approached the entrance which he had twiceseen opened so late. A slave was lying close to it.
Unobserved Malchus stole away again to his chamber and bade theNumidians follow him. Noiselessly the troop of barefooted Arabs movedshadowlike through the lofty halls and corridors. Two of them he placedat the entrance to the chamber where Hannibal slept, with ordersto allow no one to pass until he returned, then with the others heproceeded to the entrance. Few lights only were burning in the passages,and it was not until they were close at hand that the slave perceivedthe approaching figures. He leaped to his feet, but before he could cryout Malchus stepped forward and said:
"Silence, if you value your life. You know me; I am Malchus the son ofHamilcar. Now, tell me the truth, or tomorrow the torture shall wring itfrom you. Who placed you here, and why?"
"Carpadon, one of the chief attendants, ordered me to remain here toadmit him on his return. I knew not there was harm in it," the slavesaid.
"Is it the first time you have kept watch for such a purpose?"
"No, my lord, some six or seven times he has gone out late."
"Do you know the cause of his absence?"
"No, my lord, it would not become a slave to question one of the chiefattendants of my lord Hannibal as to why he goes or comes."
The man's manner was so natural, and his surprise at the interest whichone of the rank of Malchus showed in the doings of an attendant sogenuine, that Malchus was convinced he knew nothing of any enterprise inwhich the man who had placed him there might be engaged.
"Very well," he said, "I will believe what you tell me. Now, do youresume your place at the door, and open it as usual at his signal. Sayno word and make no sign which may lead him to know of our presencehere. Mind, my eye will be upon you, and your life will pay for anytreachery."
Malchus with four of his men now took post on one side of the door,standing well back in the shadow so that their presence would not benoticed by anyone entering. Trebon with the remaining four men took up asimilar position on the other side of the doorway.
Two hours passed. At length a low tap followed by two others was heardat the door. The slave at once opened it. Carpadon entered, and with asudden movement threw one arm round the slave's neck and with the otherstabbed him to the heart. Then he opened the door wide, and said in alow tone:
"Enter, all is safe."
In a moment a dark mass of men poured in at the door. The matter wasmore serious than Malchus had expected. He had looked for the entryperhaps of three or four men, and had intended to close in behind themand cut them off; but here were a score at least, and how many moremight be outside he knew not. He therefore gave the signal by shouting"Carthage," and at once with his followers fell upon one flank of thenatives, for such their dress showed them to be, while Trebon attackedthem on the other. There was a shout of surprise and alarm at theunexpected onslaught, and several were cut down at once. The others,drawing their swords, began to defend themselves, trying at the sametime to retreat to the door, through which, however, many others werestill pressing in. For a few minutes a severe fight went on, and thenumbers and desperation of Carpadon's followers began to tell, and, inspite of the efforts of Malchus and the Numidians, they would have beenforced to fall back and allow the others to pass out, had not help beenat hand.
The shouting and clashing of weapons had awakened the palace, and theofficer of the guard with ten of his men, some of them bearing torches,came running at full speed from their post at the chief entrance. As theguard came up and stood gazing uncertain what to do, or among whom theconflict was raging, Malchus for a moment drew out from the fray.
"Seize and disarm all the natives," he said; "the Numidians are here bymy orders."
The instant the soldiers understood the situation they fell to, andthe natives, whose retreat was cut off by the Numidians, were speedilydisarmed; those nearer to the door had, the instant they saw the torchesapproaching, taken to flight.
A moment later Hannibal, Hamilcar, and many other officers resident atthe palace came running up.
"What means this fray, Malchus?"
"It means an attempt upon your life, Hannibal, which I have beenfortunate enough to discover and defeat."
"Who are these men?" Hamilcar asked.
"So far as I know they are natives," Malchus replied. "The chief ofthe party is that man who lies bleeding there; he is one of yourattendants."
One of the soldiers held a torch close to the man's face.
"It is Carpadon," Hannibal said. "I believed him honest and faithful."
"He is the tool of others, Hannibal; he has been well paid for thisnight's work."
Hannibal gave orders for the prisoners to be strictly guarded, and then,with Hamilcar and Malchus, returned to his private study. The lamps werelighted by the attendants, who then withdrew.
"Now, Malchus, tell us your story," Hannibal said. "It seems strange tome that you should have said nought to your father or me of what youhad learned, and left us to take such measures as might seem fit to us,instead of taking the matter into your own hands."
"Had I had certainties to go upon I should assuredly have done so, but,as you will see when I tell you all I had learned, I had nothing butsuspicions, and those of the vaguest, and for aught I knew I might bealtogether in the wrong."
Malchus then gave the full details of the manner in which his suspicionshad been first excited, and in which on the previous night he had takensteps to ascertain whether there were any foundation for them.
"You see," he concluded, "there was no sort of certainty, nothing toprove that the money was not paid for the purchase of a horse or slave.It was only the one fact that one of the party was a servant here thatrendered what I discovered serious. Had it not been for the fate ofHasdrubal I should never have given the matter a second thought; but,knowing that he was assassinated by a trusted servant, and seeing twomen whose families I knew belonged to Hanno's faction engaged in secrettalk with one of your attendants, the suspicion struck me that a similardeed might again be attempted. The only words I had to go upon were,'Tomorrow night, then, without fail.' This was not enough for me tobring an accusation against two men of noble family; and, had I toldyou the tale without the confirmation it has now received, you wouldprobably have treated it but lightly. I resolved, therefore, to waitand see, taking such precaution that no harm could come of my secrecy. Iconcealed in my room ten of my Numidians, with my lieutenant Trebon--anample force whatever might betide.
"If, as I suspected, this man intended, with two or three others, tosteal into your chamber and slay you while you slept, we could at oncehave stopped the attempt; should he come with a larger force, we could,as
is proved, resist them until the guard arrived on the spot. If, onthe other hand, night passed off quietly and my suspicions proved to bealtogether erroneous, I should escape the ridicule which would certainlyhave been forthcoming had I alarmed you without cause."
"You have acted very wisely and well, my son," Hamilcar said, "andCarthage owes you the life of our beloved Hannibal. You indeed reasonedwith great wisdom and forethought. Had you informed us of what you haddiscovered we should have taken precautions which would doubtless haveeffected the object; but they would probably have become known to theplotters, and the attempt would have been postponed and attempted someother time, and perhaps with success. What say you, Hannibal, have I notreason to be proud of this young son of mine?"
"You have indeed, Hamilcar, and deeply am I indebted to him. It is notmy life I care for, although that now is precious to me for the sakeof my beloved Imilce, but had I fallen now all the plans which we havethought of together would have been frustrated, and the fairest chancewhich Carthage ever had of fighting out the quarrel with her rival wouldhave been destroyed. Truly it has been a marvellous escape, and it seemsto me that the gods themselves must have inspired Malchus to act as hedid on such slight grounds as seeing two Carthaginians of the guard incompany with three or four natives at a late hour of the evening."
"What do you think will be best to do with the traitors who have plottedagainst your life, Hannibal? Shall we try and execute them here, or sendthem to Carthage to be dealt with?"
Hannibal did not answer for a minute.
"I think, Hamilcar, the best plan will be to keep silent altogether asto the danger I have run. The army would be furious but would at thesame time be dispirited were it known in Carthage that two of her nobleshad been executed for an attempt on my life. It would only cause a freshoutbreak of animosity and an even deadlier feud than before betweenHanno's friends and ours. Therefore, I say, let the men taken tonight beexecuted in the morning without question asked, and let no word be saidby them or by us that they were bribed by Carthaginians. All in thepalace now know that a party of natives have broken in, and will guessthat my life was their object; there is no need that they should knowmore. As to the two men, I will call them before me tomorrow, with nonebut you present, and will let them know that I am aware that they arethe authors of this attempt, and will bid them resign their places inthe guard and return at once to Carthage."
"It grieves me that they should go unpunished," Hamilcar said; "butdoubtless your plan is the wisest."
"Then," Hannibal said, rising, "we will to bed again. Malchus, acquaintTrebon of our determination that silence is to be kept; tell him that Ishall bear him in mind, and not forget his share in this night's work.As for you, Malchus, henceforth you are more than my cousin; you havesaved my life, and I shall never forget it. I shall tell Imilce in themorning of the danger which has passed, for it is sure to come to herears, and she will know better than I do how to thank you."
Accordingly in the morning Hannibal's orders were carried out; thetwelve natives taken prisoners were beheaded without any of the usualtortures which would have been inflicted upon a similar occasion.No less than fourteen others had been killed in the fight. The twoCarthaginian nobles were sent for by Hannibal. They came prepared todie, for they knew already by rumour that the attempt had failed, anddoubted not when the summons reached them that Carpadon had denouncedthem as his accomplices. But they went to their certain doom with thecourage of their class--pale, perhaps, but otherwise unmoved. Hannibalwas alone with Hamilcar when they entered.
"That assassination is not an altogether unknown crime in Carthage," hesaid quietly, "I was well aware, but I did not before think that noblesin the Carthaginian horse would stoop to it. I know that it was you whoprovided the gold for the payment of the men who made an attempt upon mylife, that you personally paid my attendant Carpadon to hire assassins,and to lead them to my chamber. Were I to denounce you, my soldierswould tear you in pieces. The very name of your families would be heldaccursed by all honest men in Carthage for all time. I do not ask youwhether I have given you cause for offence, for I know that I have notdone so; you acted simply for the benefit of Hanno. Whether you wereinstructed by him I do not deign to ask. I shall not harm you. The taleof your infamy is known to but four persons, and none others will everknow it. I am proud of the honour of the nobles of Carthage, and wouldnot that the scum of the people should bandy the name of your familieson their lips as guilty of so foul an act of treason. You will, ofcourse, at once resign your positions in the Carthaginian horse. Makewhat pretext you will--illness or private affairs. Tomorrow sail forCarthage, and there strive by efforts for the good of your country toefface the remembrance of this blow which you would have struck her."
So saying, with a wave of the hand he dismissed them.
They went without a word, too astonished at his clemency, too humiliatedby their own disgrace even to utter a word of thanks. When they werefairly beyond the palace they looked at each other as men awakened froma dream.
"What a man!" one of them exclaimed. "No wonder the soldiers adore him!He has given us our lives--more, he has saved our names from disgrace.Henceforth, Pontus, we, at least, can never again take part againsthim."
"It is almost too much to bear," the other said; "I feel that I wouldrather that he had ordered us to instant execution."
"Ay, for our own sakes, Pontus, but not for those of others. For myselfI shall retire to the country; it seems to me that never again shall Ibe able to mix with others; they may know nothing of it, but it will beever on my mind. How they would shrink back in horror were what we havedone whispered to them! Truly, were it not for my family, I would preferdeath with the worst torture to life as it will be now."
The excitement in the army was intense when it became known that abody of Iberians had attempted to break into Hannibal's palace with thedesign of murdering him, and many of the soldiers, seizing their arms,hurried towards the city, and had not an officer ridden with the news toHannibal, they would assuredly have fallen upon the native inhabitants,and a general massacre would have taken place.
Hannibal at once mounted and rode out to meet the soldiers. He wasreceived with enthusiastic acclamations; at length he raised his arm torestore silence, and then addressed the troops, telling them how deeplyhe valued the evidence of their affection, but that he prayed them toreturn to their camps and lay by their arms.
"We must not," he said, "confound the innocent with the guilty. Thosewho were concerned in the attempt have paid the penalty with theirlives; it is not because a handful of Spaniards have plotted against methat you are to swear hatred against the whole race; were you to punishthe innocent for the guilty you would arouse the fury of the Iberiansthroughout the whole peninsula, and all our work would have to be doneover again. You know that above all things I desire the friendship andgoodwill of the natives. Nothing would grieve me more than that, just aswe are attaining this, our efforts should be marred by a quarrel betweenyourselves and the people here. I pray you, therefore, as a personalfavour to me, to abstain from all tumult, and go quietly back to yourcamp. The attack upon my palace was made only by some thirty or forty ofthe scum of the inhabitants, and the attempt was defeated by the wisdomand courage of my young cousin Malchus, whom you must henceforth regardas the saviour of my life."
The soldiers at once acceded to the request of their general, and afteranother outburst of cheering they returned quietly to their camp.
The result of this affair was to render Malchus one of the mostpopular personages in the army, and the lad was quite abashed by theenthusiastic reception which the soldiers gave him when he passed amongthem. It removed, too, any feeling of jealousy which might have existedamong his former comrades of the Carthaginian horse, for although itwas considered as a matter of course in Carthage that generals shouldappoint their near relatives to posts of high command, human nature wasthen the same as now, and men not possessed of high patronage could nothelp grumbling a little at the promotion o
f those more fortunate thanthemselves. Henceforth, however, no voice was ever raised against thepromotion of Malchus, and had he at once been appointed to a command ofimportance none would have deemed such a favour undeserved by the youthwho had saved the life of Hannibal.