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