第 37 节
作者:淋雨      更新:2021-02-21 13:47      字数:9322
  of the whip。
  Then there was a delirium of joy! People repeated that there were six
  thousand Barbarians killed; the others would not hold out; and the war
  was finished; they embraced one another in the streets; and rubbed the
  faces of the Pataec Gods with butter and cinnamomum to thank them。
  These; with their big eyes; their big bodies; and their arms raised as
  high as the shoulder; seemed to live beneath their freshened paint;
  and to participate in the cheerfulness of the people。 The rich left
  their doors open; the city resounded with the noise of the timbrels;
  the temples were illuminated every night; and the servants of the
  goddess went down to Malqua and set up stages of sycamore…wood at the
  corners of the cross…ways; and prostituted themselves there。 Lands
  were voted to the conquerors; holocausts to Melkarth; three hundred
  gold crowns to the Suffet; and his partisans proposed to decree to him
  new prerogatives and honours。
  He had begged the Ancients to make overtures to Autaritus for
  exchanging all the Barbarians; if necessary; for the aged Gisco; and
  the other Carthaginians detained like him。 The Libyans and Nomads
  composing the army under Autaritus knew scarcely anything of these
  Mercenaries; who were men of Italiote or Greek race; and the offer by
  the Republic of so many Barbarians for so few Carthaginians; showed
  that the value of the former was nothing and that of the latter
  considerable。 They dreaded a snare。 Autaritus refused。
  Then the Ancients decreed the execution of the captives; although the
  Suffet had written to them not to put them to death。 He reckoned upon
  incorporating the best of them with his own troops and of thus
  instigating defections。 But hatred swept away all circumspection。
  The two thousand Barbarians were tied to the stelae of the tombs in
  the Mappalian quarter; and traders; scullions; embroiderers; and even
  women;the widows of the dead with their childrenall who would;
  came to kill them with arrows。 They aimed slowly at them; the better
  to prolong their torture; lowering the weapon and then raising it in
  turn; and the multitude pressed forward howling。 Paralytics had
  themselves brought thither in hand…barrows; many took the precaution
  of bringing their food; and remained on the spot until the evening;
  others passed the night there。 Tents had been set up in which drinking
  went on。 Many gained large sums by hiring out bows。
  Then all these crucified corpses were left upright; looking like so
  many red statues on the tombs; and the excitement even spread to the
  people of Malqua; who were the descendants of the aboriginal families;
  and were usually indifferent to the affairs of their country。 Out of
  gratitude for the pleasure it had been giving them they now interested
  themselves in its fortunes; and felt that they were Carthaginians; and
  the Ancients thought it a clever thing to have thus blended the entire
  people in a single act of vengeance。
  The sanction of the gods was not wanting; for crows alighted from all
  quarters of the sky。 They wheeled in the air as they flew with loud
  hoarse cries; and formed a huge cloud rolling continually upon itself。
  It was seen from Clypea; Rhades; and the promontory of Hermaeum。
  Sometimes it would suddenly burst asunder; its black spirals extending
  far away; as an eagle clove the centre of it; and then departed again;
  here and there on the terraces the domes; the peaks of the obelisks;
  and the pediments of the temples there were big birds holding human
  fragments in their reddened beaks。
  Owing to the smell the Carthaginians resigned themselves to unbind the
  corpses。 A few of them were burnt; the rest were thrown into the sea;
  and the waves; driven by the north wind; deposited them on the shore
  at the end of the gulf before the camp of Autaritus。
  This punishment had no doubt terrified the Barbarians; for from the
  top of Eschmoun they could be seen striking their tents; collecting
  their flocks; and hoisting their baggage upon asses; and on the
  evening of the same day the entire army withdrew。
  It was to march to and fro between the mountain of the Hot Springs and
  Hippo…Zarytus; and so debar the Suffet from approaching the Tyrian
  towns; and from the possibility of a return to Carthage。
  Meanwhile the two other armies were to try to overtake him in the
  south; Spendius in the east; and Matho in the west; in such a way that
  all three should unite to surprise and entangle him。 Then they
  received a reinforcement which they had not looked for: Narr' Havas
  appeared with three hundred camels laden with bitumen; twenty…five
  elephants; and six thousand horsemen。
  To weaken the Mercenaries the Suffet had judged it prudent to occupy
  his attention at a distance in his own kingdom。 From the heart of
  Carthage he had come to an understanding with Masgaba; a Gaetulian
  brigand who was seeking to found an empire。 Strengthened by Punic
  money; the adventurer had raised the Numidian States with promises of
  freedom。 But Narr' Havas; warned by his nurse's son; had dropped into
  Cirta; poisoned the conquerors with the water of the cisterns; struck
  off a few heads; set all right again; and had just arrived against the
  Suffet more furious than the Barbarians。
  The chiefs of the four armies concerted the arrangements for the war。
  It would be a long one; and everything must be foreseen。
  It was agreed first to entreat the assistance of the Romans; and this
  mission was offered to Spendius; but as a fugitive he dared not
  undertake it。 Twelve men from the Greek colonies embarked at Annaba in
  a sloop belonging to the Numidians。 Then the chiefs exacted an oath of
  complete obedience from all the Barbarians。 Every day the captains
  inspected clothes and boots; the sentries were even forbidden to use a
  shield; for they would often lean it against their lance and fall
  asleep as they stood; those who had any baggage trailing after them
  were obliged to get rid of it; everything was to be carried; in Roman
  fashion; on the back。 As a precaution against the elephants Matho
  instituted a corps of cataphract cavalry; men and horses being hidden
  beneath cuirasses of hippopotamus skin bristling with nails; and to
  protect the horses' hoofs boots of plaited esparto…grass were made for
  them。
  It was forbidden to pillage the villages; or to tyrannise over the
  inhabitants who were not of Punic race。 But as the country was
  becoming exhausted; Matho ordered the provisions to be served out to
  the soldiers individually; without troubling about the women。 At first
  the men shared with them。 Many grew weak for lack of food。 It was the
  occasion of many quarrels and invectives; many drawing away the
  companions of the rest by the bait or even by the promise of their own
  portion。 Matho commanded them all to be driven away pitilessly。 They
  took refuge in the camp of Autaritus; but the Gaulish and Libyan women
  forced them by their outrageous treatment to depart。
  At last they came beneath the walls of Carthage to implore the
  protection of Ceres and Proserpine; for in Byrsa there was a temple
  with priests consecrated to these goddesses in expiation of the
  horrors formerly committed at the siege of Syracuse。 The Syssitia;
  alleging their right to waifs and strays; claimed the youngest in
  order to sell them; and some fair Lacedaemonian women were taken by
  New Carthaginians in marriage。
  A few persisted in following the armies。 They ran on the flank of the
  syntagmata by the side of the captains。 They called to their husbands;
  pulled them by the cloak; cursed them as they beat their breasts; and
  held out their little naked and weeping children at arm's length。 The
  sight of them was unmanning the Barbarians; they were an embarrassment
  and a peril。 Several times they were repulsed; but they came back
  again; Matho made the horsemen belonging to Narr' Havas charge them
  with the point of the lance; and on some Balearians shouting out to
  him that they must have women; he replied: 〃I have none!〃
  Just now he was invaded by the genius of Moloch。 In spite of the
  rebellion of his conscience; he performed terrible deeds; imagining
  that he was thus obeying the voice of a god。 When he could not ravage
  the fields; Matho would cast stones into them to render them sterile。
  He urged Autaritus and Spendius with repeated messages to make haste。
  But the Suffet's operations were incomprehensible。 He encamped at
  Eidous; Monchar; and Tehent successively; some scouts believed that
  they saw him in the neighbourhood of Ischiil; near the frontiers of
  Narr' Havas; and it was reported that he had crossed the river above
  Tebourba as though to return to Carthage。 Scarcely was he in one place
  when he removed to another。 The routes that he followed always
  remained unknown。 The Suffet preserved his advantages without offering
  battle; and while pursued by the Barbarians seemed to be leading them。
  These marches and counter march