登陆注册
15401800000086

第86章

Matho wished to ascend in the first that was ready.Spendius stopped him.

Some men bent over a capstan; the great beam rose, became horizontal, reared itself almost vertically, and being overweighted at the end, bent like a huge reed.The soldiers, who were crowded together, were hidden up to their chins; only their helmet-plumes could be seen.At last when it was twenty cubits high in the air it turned several times to the right and to the left, and then was depressed; and like a giant arm holding a cohort of pigmies in its hand, it laid the basketful of men upon the edge of the wall.They leaped into the crowd and never returned.

All the other tollenos were speedily made ready.But a hundred times as many would have been needed for the capture of the town.They were utilised in a murderous fashion: Ethiopian archers were placed in the baskets; then, the cables having been fastened, they remained suspended and shot poisoned arrows.The fifty tollenos commanding the battlements thus surrounded Carthage like monstrous vultures; and the Negroes laughed to see the guards on the rampart dying in grievous convulsions.

Hamilcar sent hoplites to these posts, and every morning made them drink the juice of certain herbs which protected them against the poison.

One evening when it was dark he embarked the best of his soldiers on lighters and planks, and turning to the right of the harbour, disembarked on the Taenia.Then he advanced to the first lines of the Barbarians, and taking them in flank, made a great slaughter.Men hanging to ropes would descend at night from the top of the wall with torches in their hands, burn the works of the Mercenaries, and then mount up again.

Matho was exasperated; every obstacle strengthened his wrath, which led him into terrible extravagances.He mentally summoned Salammbo to an interview; then he waited.She did not come; this seemed to him like a fresh piece of treachery,--and henceforth he execrated her.If he had seen her corpse he would perhaps have gone away.He doubled the outposts, he planted forks at the foot of the rampart, he drove caltrops into the ground, and he commanded the Libyans to bring him a whole forest that he might set it on fire and burn Carthage like a den of foxes.

Spendius went on obstinately with the siege.He sought to invent terrible machines such as had never before been constructed.

The other Barbarians, encamped at a distance on the isthmus, were amazed at these delays; they murmured, and they were let loose.

Then they rushed with their cutlasses and javelins, and beat against the gates with them.But the nakedness of their bodies facilitating the infliction of wounds, the Carthaginians massacred them freely; and the Mercenaries rejoiced at it, no doubt through jealousy about the plunder.Hence there resulted quarrels and combats between them.Then, the country having been ravaged, provisions were soon scarce.They grew disheartened.Numerous hordes went away, but the crowd was so great that the loss was not apparent.

The best of them tried to dig mines, but the earth, being badly supported, fell in.They began again in other places, but Hamilcar always guessed the direction that they were taking by holding his ear against a bronze shield.He bored counter-mines beneath the path along which the wooden towers were to move, and when they were pushed forward they sank into the holes.

At last all recognised that the town was impregnable, unless a long terrace was raised to the same height as the walls, so as to enable them to fight on the same level.The top of it should be paved so that the machines might be rolled along.Then Carthage would find it quite impossible to resist.

The town was beginning to suffer from thirst.The water which was worth two kesitahs the bath at the opening of the siege was now sold for a shekel of silver; the stores of meat and corn were also becoming exhausted; there was a dread of famine, and some even began to speak of useless mouths, which terrified every one.

From the square of Khamon to the temple of Melkarth the streets were cumbered with corpses; and, as it was the end of the summer, the combatants were annoyed by great black flies.Old men carried off the wounded, and the devout continued the fictitious funerals for their relatives and friends who had died far away during the war.Waxen statues with clothes and hair were displayed across the gates.They melted in the heat of the tapers burning beside them; the paint flowed down upon their shoulders, and tears streamed over the faces of the living, as they chanted mournful songs beside them.The crowd meanwhile ran to and fro; armed bands passed; captains shouted orders, while the shock of the rams beating against the rampart was constantly heard.

The temperature became so heavy that the bodies swelled and would no longer fit into the coffins.They were burned in the centre of the courts.But the fires, being too much confined, kindled the neighbouring walls, and long flames suddenly burst from the houses like blood spurting from an artery.Thus Moloch was in possession of Carthage; he clasped the ramparts, he rolled through the streets, he devoured the very corpses.

Men wearing cloaks made of collected rags in token of despair, stationed themselves at the corners of the cross-ways.They declaimed against the Ancients and against Hamilcar, predicted complete ruin to the people, and invited them to universal destruction and license.The most dangerous were the henbane-drinkers; in their crisis they believed themselves wild beasts, and leaped upon the passers-by to rend them.Mobs formed around them, and the defence of Carthage was forgotten.The Suffet devised the payment of others to support his policy.

In order to retain the genius of the gods within the town their images had been covered with chains.Black veils were placed upon the Pataec gods, and hair-cloths around the altars; and attempts were made to excite the pride and jealousy of the Baals by singing in their ears:

同类推荐
  • The Flying U Ranch

    The Flying U Ranch

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 转经行道愿往生净土法事赞

    转经行道愿往生净土法事赞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 帝王世纪

    帝王世纪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 古挽歌

    古挽歌

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 易数钩深图

    易数钩深图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 拐个王爷去私奔

    拐个王爷去私奔

    都是那个臭何青,居然和老姐联手摆了她一道,害她云府四小姐居然要趁夜逃家……她才不会说是自己私心想跑出来玩的,为什么跑到哪里都会看到他那张酷酷的脸呢?只是……王爷?他——荷叶山庄少庄主,暗夜部的领导人,还是王爷?天,还有什么是她不知道的?原来一切的江湖风云后竟有着不为人知的阴谋。封王?封妃?可是人家不想做王妃呢!
  • 我的灵界伙伴

    我的灵界伙伴

    七年了,一个叫“宇”的男生总是出现在我的梦里。回到童年生活过的地方,我那消失七年的记忆突然恢复。才发现他早已不在人世……“筱凡,我一直在这里等你!”“宇,对不起……”“没关系!你忘记了么?我们在这棵树下发过誓的,要做一辈子的好朋友!就算阴阳相隔,依然阻止不了我们成为好朋友!”
  • 夜之向日葵

    夜之向日葵

    本已逝去的人生又再度开始,然而面临的状况却超出预想的范围,轻松而又富有戏剧性的人生就此展开。
  • 逆世武圣

    逆世武圣

    星武大陆,辽阔无垠。每个人都有资格成为武者,萧泉却开始了他不一样的修武之路。破虚空,碎苍穹;看萧泉如何逆天战地,纵横星武,武破九霄……
  • 花开花落爱着你

    花开花落爱着你

    她,夏慕希,为了喜欢的人考上他所在的大学,走在学校里居然被陌生男子杀了,醒来后一个天使告诉她,她自己是被故意杀害的。谁来告诉她这是怎么回事?苍天啊,你怎么这样对我,我还不想死啊!
  • 暮雪年华

    暮雪年华

    致青春:《暮雪年华》讲述的是转校生马子晖来到新环境爱上了林雪晴,认识了一生的挚友白禹辰……
  • 冤家路长

    冤家路长

    南莫林的爱情宗旨是:万花丛中过,片叶不沾身。俞小雨的爱情宗旨是:愿得一心人,白首不相离。当这两个爱情理念天南地北的人撞到一起后会产生什么样的化学反应呢?
  • 番大悲神咒

    番大悲神咒

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 纵横都市之巅峰人生

    纵横都市之巅峰人生

    叶凌宇本是一个普通的大学生,只因接触一款捕鱼游戏从此他的人生不再平凡什么古武世家什么修真功法统统都是菜,一款逆天的捕鱼游戏叶凌宇从此踏上辉煌的巅峰人生。神魔鬼仙统统靠边站!!!
  • 总裁的猎爱游戏:老公太霸道

    总裁的猎爱游戏:老公太霸道

    一夜酒醉,缱绻纠缠,换来意外身孕。签下协议,成就了无爱婚姻,旧爱归来,她笑看他们缠绵悱恻。当她拼尽全力,无法挽救胎中腹儿,她含泪一笑,签下离婚协议,转身离去。几年后重逢,她的身边有着他人,他猛然醒悟,她的身影已进心底。面对他的纠缠,她说:睿明轩,我们已经离婚了。他却笑着说:亲爱的老婆,离婚协议我没有签……