by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XVII: THE ESCAPE
For the next two days Malchus was visited only by the Numidian who broughthis food. The third night, as he was lying on his straw, wondering howlong Hanno would be before he decided his fate, he started to hisfeet as he heard, apparently close at hand, his name whispered. It wasrepeated, and he now perceived that it came from above.
"Yes," he said in a low tone, looking upwards, "I am Malchus. Who speaksto me?"
"It is I, Nessus," the voice replied. "Thanks to the gods, I have foundmy lord."
"How did you get here, Nessus? I feared that you were drowned."
"I swam to shore," the Arab said, "and then watched outside the gatehere. I saw several prisoners brought in, and doubted not that you wereamong them. I was at the port when the ship came in, and found thatshe brought no passenger. Then I came up here again, soon found friendsamong the Arab regiment in the garrison; these obtained me employmentin the stables of the elephants. Each night, when all has been still, Ihave crept here, and have whispered your name down each of the gratings.Tonight you have heard me. Now that I know where you are, I will set towork to contrive your escape. Is the passage from your cell here wideenough to admit your being drawn up?"
"Yes," Malchus replied; "it would be a close fit, but with a rope youcould get me up through it."
"I will set to work to loosen these bars at once," Nessus said; "but thedifficulty is not to get you out from here, but to get you beyond thegates of the citadel. The watch is extremely strict, and the gatesare not opened until nine o'clock. Before that your escape would bediscovered, and it will be impossible for you to pass out undetected. Imust find a hiding place where you can lie concealed until the searchis over, and the vigilance of the sentries is relaxed; but it will be noeasy matter. And now let us speak no more; it is dangerous to breathe,much less to speak here."
Not another word was spoken for hours. Malchus could hear a lowcontinuous scraping noise as Nessus with his dagger worked away upon thestone into which the grating fitted. At last Nessus spoke again. "I havenearly finished, my lord, the greater part of the grating is loose, andin half an hour I can complete the work. Daylight will soon be breakingand I must go. Tomorrow night I will return with a rope. I hope today tofind some place where you may be concealed."
Malchus with renewed hope threw himself upon the straw, and lay thereuntil about noon when he was again summoned to the presence of hisjudges. They were the same whom he had seen previously.
"Malchus, son of Hamilcar," Hanno said, "you are now brought before usto hear the crime with which you are charged. We have here before us thewritten list of the names of the members of the conspiracy, headedby Giscon, which had for its aim the murder of many of the senate ofCarthage and the overthrow of her constitution. We have also here theconfession of several of the conspirators confirming this list, andsaying that you were one of the party."
"I do not deny," Malchus said firmly, "that I did once visit the placein which those you speak of met, and that my name was then entered onthe roll; but when I went there I was wholly ignorant of the purposesof the association, and as soon as I learned their aims and objects Iwithdrew from them, and did not again visit their place of meeting."
"You could not well do that," Hanno said, "since it is writ down thatyou sailed very shortly afterwards for Spain."
"I own that I did so," Malchus replied, "but I told Giscon on the veryday that I accompanied him to the meeting that I would go there no more.Moreover, your commissioners with Hannibal's army have already inquiredinto the circumstances, and they, in consideration of the fact that Iwas then little more than sixteen years old, that I was led ignorantlyinto the plot, and at once separated myself from it, absolved me fromblame."
"The commissioners had no authority to do so," Hanno replied; "they wereordered to send you to Carthage, and failed to carry out their ordersonly because Hannibal then, as always, set himself above the authorityof the republic. As you have confessed that you were a member of thisconspiracy, no further trial is needed, and this court awards to youthe same punishment which was meted to all the others concerned in theconspiracy--you will tomorrow be put to death by the usual punishment ofthe press."
Malchus abstained from all reply, for it struck him at once that werehe to defy and anger his judges they might order him to be instantlyexecuted. He therefore without a word turned and accompanied his jailerto his cell. He waited impatiently for night, and the hours seemed longindeed before he heard the whisper of Nessus above. Directly the Arabreceived the reply, assuring him that Malchus was still there, he againset to work.
In an hour the grating was removed and the rope lowered. Malchusfastened it under his arms, knotting it in front, and then whispered toNessus that he was ready. The Arab drew him slowly and steadily up untilhis head was in the entrance of the narrow passage. Malchus had graspedthe rope as high as possible above his head and hung by his hands,thereby drawing the shoulders upwards, and reducing their width asmuch as possible. He then managed to swing himself so that his body wasdiagonally across the opening, and when thus placed he found to his joythat the passage was large enough for him to pass through without muchdifficulty.
Slowly and steadily Nessus drew him up until his shoulders wereabove the level of the ground, when Malchus, placing his hands on thepavement, sprang noiselessly out. The grating was replaced, and withouta word being spoken they glided from the temple. Not a word was saiduntil they had gone some little distance.
"You have saved my life again, Nessus," Malchus said, laying his handupon his shoulder. "Another twelve hours and it would have been toolate. I was to have been put to death in the morning."
Nessus gave a fierce exclamation and placed his hand on his knife.
"Had they slain my lord," he said, "I would have avenged you. I wouldhave dogged your enemies night and day till, one by one, my knife shouldhave found its way to their hearts!"
"Have you found a hiding place, Nessus?"
"There is but one place of safety, my lord, that I can think of. I havetalked it over with two or three faithful friends, and they agree thatso rigid will be the search that it will be well nigh impossible foranyone within the walls of the citadel to escape detection. The spiesof Hanno are everywhere, and men fear within these walls even to whisperwhat they think. At any rate, no more secure hiding place could be foundthan that which we have decided upon."
"And where is that, Nessus?"
"It is in the reservoirs. With four water skins and some planks wehave prepared a raft. My two friends are waiting for us at one of theentrances. They will have fitted the raft together, and all will be inreadiness. They are not likely to search for you there."
"The idea is excellent, Nessus."
The reservoirs of Carthage were of enormous extent, and some of theseremain to this day and are the wonder and admiration of travellers. Theywere subterranean, and were cut from the solid rock, the stone extractedfrom them being used for the walls of the buildings of the city. Pillarswere left at intervals to support the roof, and it was calculated thatthese underground lakes--for they were no less--contained sufficientwater to supply the wants of the great city for at least six months.These vast storing places for water were an absolute necessity in aclimate like that of Northern Africa, where the rain falls but seldom.Without them, indeed, Carthage would have been at the mercy of the firstarmy which laid siege to it.
The greatest pains were devoted to the maintenance of the water supply.The rainfall from the roofs of the temples and houses was conductedto the reservoirs, and these stores were never drawn upon on ordinaryoccasions, the town being supplied with water brought by aqueducts fromlong distances among the hills. Here and there openings were cut in therock which formed the roof of the reservoirs, for the admission of air,and at a few points steps from the surface led down to the water. Irongates guarded the entrance to these.
Nessus and his friends had the evening before unfastened one of thesegates. The lock was old and little used, as the
gate was placed ratherto prevent children and others going down to the water than for anyother purpose, and the Arabs had found little difficulty in picking therough lock.
Malchus followed Nessus down the steps until he reached the edge of thewater, some fifty feet below the surface. Here stood two Arabs bearingtorches. At the foot of the steps floated the raft, formed, as Nessushad said, of four inflated sheepskins connected by a framework ofplanks. Across these a bullock's hide had been stretched, forming aplatform. On this were some rugs, a skin of wine, and a pile of flatcakes and fruit, together with half a dozen torches.
"Thanks, my friends!" Malchus said to the Arabs. "Some day I may be ableto prove that I am grateful to you."
"The friends of Nessus are our friends," one of the Arabs repliedsimply; "his lord is our master."
"Here is a paddle, my lord," Nessus said. "I propose that you shouldpaddle straight away as far as you can see a torch burning here; thenthat you should fasten the raft to a pillar. Every other night I willcome with provisions here and show a light. If you see the light burnsteadily it is safe for you to approach, and I come only to bring foodor news; if you see the torch wave to and fro, it is a warning that theyintend to search the reservoirs. I do not think it likely they will doso; still it is best to be prepared, and in that case you must paddlefar away in the recesses. They might search for a long time before theyfind you. I trust that your imprisonment here will not be long, but thatwe may hit upon some plan of getting you out of the citadel. I wouldgladly go with you to share your solitude, but I must remain outside toplan some way of escape."
With a short farewell to his faithful follower Malchus took his placeon the raft, having lit a torch and fastened it upright upon it. Thenhe paddled slowly away, keeping between the lines of heavy columns. Hisrate of progress was slow, and for half an hour he kept the torchin sight. By this time he felt sure that he must be approaching theboundary of the reservoir. He therefore moored his raft against a pillarand waved his torch backwards and forwards. The signal was answered bya similar movement of the distant light, which then disappeared. Malchusnow extinguished his own torch, placed the means of relighting it withwhich Nessus had furnished him close to his hand, and then, wrappinghimself in a rug, lay down to sleep.
When he awoke it was day. The light was streaming down on to the waterfrom an opening two or three hundred yards away, while far in thedistance he could see a faint light which marked the place of thesteps at which he had embarked. In the neighbourhood of the opening thecolumns stood up clear and gray against the dark background. A littlefurther off their outlines were dim and misty; and wherever else helooked an inky darkness met his eye, save one or two faint bands ofmisty light, which marked the position of distant openings.
The stillness which reigned in this vast cavern was almost oppressive.Sometimes a faint rustling whisper, the echo of some sound in thecitadel above, passed among the columns; and the plaintive squeak of abat was heard now and then, for numbers of these creatures were flittingnoiselessly in the darkness, their forms visible for an instant as theypassed and repassed between Malchus and the light. He wondered vaguelywhat they could find to eat here, and then remembered that he had heardthat at nightfall numbers of bats could be seen flying up from theopenings to the reservoirs to seek food without, returning to theirhiding places when morning approached.
Malchus amused himself by thinking over the fury and astonishment ofHanno and his colleagues on hearing that their prisoner had disappeared,and he pictured to himself the hot search which was no doubt going onthroughout the citadel. He thought it improbable in the extreme that anysearch would be made in the reservoir. Nessus would refasten the gateafter passing through it again, and the idea that he could be floatingon the subterranean lake could hardly occur to them.
Then he turned over in his mind the various devices by which it mightbe possible to get beyond the walls of the citadel. The anxiety ofHanno and those acting with him to prevent the manner in which they hadkidnapped and sentenced to death the messenger and kinsman of Hannibalfrom becoming known in the city, would be so great that extraordinaryvigilance would be used to prevent any from leaving the citadel. Theguards on the walls would be greatly increased; none would be allowed topass the gate without the most rigourous examination; while every nookand corner of the citadel, the temples, the barracks, storehouses, andstables, would be searched again and again. Even should a search be madein the reservoir, Malchus had little fear of discovery; for even shoulda boat come towards the spot where he was lying, he would only haveto pass the raft round to the opposite side of the great pillar, sometwelve feet square, against which he was lying.
When the light faded out he again lay down to sleep. As before, he sleptsoundly; for, however great the heat above, the air in the subterraneanchambers was always fresh and cool, and he could well bear the rugswhich Nessus had provided. The next day passed more slowly, for he hadless to think about. After the daylight had again faded he began to lookforward expectantly for the signal, although he knew that many hoursmust still elapse before Nessus would be able to make his way to theplace of meeting.
So slowly did the hours pass, indeed, that he began at last to fear thatsomething must have happened--perhaps that Nessus had been in some wayrecognized, and was now in the dungeons below the temple of Moloch.At last, however, to his joy Malchus saw the distant light; it burnedsteadily, and he at once set out to paddle towards it. He did not lighthis torch--it would have taken time, and he knew that, quietly as hepaddled, the sound would be borne along the surface of the water toNessus. At last he arrived at the steps. Nessus was there alone; besidehim was a basket of fresh provisions.
"Well, Nessus, what news?"
"All is well, my lord; but Hanno is moving heaven and earth to findyou. The gates of the citadel were kept closed all day yesterday; andalthough today they have again been opened, the examination of thosewho pass out is so strict that no disguise would avail to deceive thescrutiny of the searchers. One or other of the men who attended you inthe prison is always at the gate. The barracks have been searched fromend to end, the troops occupying them being all turned out while theagents of the law searched them from top to bottom. The same has beendone with the stables; and it is well that we did not attempt to hideyou above ground, for assuredly if we had done so they would have foundyou, however cunningly we had stowed you away. Of course the name ofthe prisoner who has escaped is known to none, but the report that animportant prisoner had escaped from the state prisons beneath the templehas created quite an excitement in the city, for it is said that such anevent never took place before. At present I can hit on no plan whateverfor getting you free."
"Then I must be content to wait for a while, Nessus. After a time theirvigilance is sure to relax, as they will think that I must have gotbeyond the walls."
"Are there any to whom you would wish me to bear news that you arehere?"
This was a question which Malchus had debated with himself over and overagain. It appeared to him, however, that Hanno's power was so greatthat it would be dangerous for anyone to come forward and accuse him.No doubt every one of the leading men of the Barcine party was strictlywatched; and did Hanno suspect that any of them were in communicationwith the escaped prisoner, he would take instant steps against them. Hethought it better, therefore, that none should be acquainted with thesecret until he was free. He therefore replied in the negative to thequestion of Nessus.
"I must wait till I am free. Any action now might bring down thevengeance of Hanno upon others. He would find no difficulty in inventingsome excuse for dealing a blow at them. You think there is no possibilityof escape at present?"
"I can think on no plan, my lord. So strict is the search that when theelephants went down today to the fountains for water every howdah wasexamined to see that no one was hidden within it."
"It will be necessary also, Nessus, if you do hit upon some plan forgetting me out, to arrange a hiding place in the city."
"That will be easy
enough," Nessus replied. "My friends have manyrelations in the Arab quarter, and once free, you might be concealedthere for any time. And now I will wait no longer, for last night visitswere made in all the barracks and stables by the agents of the law,to see that every man was asleep in his place. Therefore I will returnwithout delay. In two days I will be here again; but should anythingoccur which it is needful to tell you I will be here tomorrow night."
Malchus watched for the light on the following evening with but fainthope of seeing it, but at about the same hour as before he saw itsuddenly appear again. Wondering what had brought Nessus before histime, he paddled to the stairs.
"Well, Nessus, what is your news?"
"We have hit upon a plan of escape, my lord. As I told you my friend andI are in the stable with the elephants, our duties being to carry in theforage for the great beasts, and to keep the stables in order. We havetaken one of the Indian mahouts into our confidence, and he has promisedhis aid; the elephant of which he is in charge is a docile beast, andhis driver has taught him many tricks. At his signal he will put up histrunk and scream and rush here and there as if in the state which iscalled must, when they are dangerous of approach. The mahout, who is acrafty fellow, taught him to act thus, because when in such a state oftemper the elephants cannot be worked with the others, but remain in thestables, and their drivers have an easy time of it.
"On the promise of a handsome reward the mahout has agreed that tomorrowmorning, before the elephants are taken out, you shall be concealed inthe bottom of the howdah. He will manage that the elephant is the firstin the procession. When we get out into the courtyard he will slylyprick the beast, and give him the signal to simulate rage; he will thenso direct him that, after charging several times about the court, heshall make a rush at the gate. You may be sure that the guards therewill step aside quickly enough, for a furious elephant is not a creatureto be hindered.
"When he is once down to the foot of the hill the driver will direct himto some quiet spot. That he will find easily enough, for at his approachthere will be a general stampede. When he reaches some place where noone is in sight he will halt the elephant and you will at once dropoff him. I shall be near at hand and will join you. The elephant willcontinue his course for some little distance, and the mahout, feigningto have at last recovered control over him, will direct him back to thecitadel."
"The idea is a capital one," Malchus said, "and if carried out willsurely succeed. You and I have often seen during our campaigns elephantsin this state, and know how every one flies as they come along screamingloudly, with their trunks high, and their great ears out on each sideof their heads. At any rate it is worth trying, Nessus, and if by anychance we should fail in getting through the gate, the mahout would, ofcourse, take his elephant back to the stable, and I might slip out thereand conceal myself till night, and then make my way back here again."
"That's what we have arranged," Nessus said. "And now, my lord, I willleave you and go back to the stables, in case they should search themagain tonight. If you will push off and lie a short distance away fromthe steps I will be here again half an hour before daybreak. I willbring you a garb like my own, and will take you direct to the stablewhere the animal is kept. There will be no one there save the mahoutand my two friends, so that it will be easy for us to cover you in thehowdah before the elephants go out. There is little chance of anyonecoming into the stables before that, for they have been searched sofrequently during the last two days that Hanno's agents must by thistime be convinced that wherever you are hidden you are not there.Indeed, today the search has greatly relaxed, although the vigilanceat the gate and on the walls is as great as ever; so I think that theydespair of finding you, and believe that you must either have made yourescape already, or that if not you will sooner or later issue from yourhiding place and fall into their hands."
Malchus slept little that night, and rejoiced when he again sawNessus descending the steps. A few strokes of his paddle sent the raftalongside. Nessus fastened a cord to it to prevent it from driftingaway.
"We may need it again," he said briefly. Malchus placed his own clothesupon it and threw over his shoulders the bernous which Nessus hadbrought. He then mounted the steps with him, the gate was closed and thebolt shot, and they then made their way across to the stables. It wasstill perfectly dark, though a very faint light, low in the eastern sky,showed that ere long the day would break.
Five minutes' walking and they arrived at the stables of the elephants.These, like those of the horses and the oxen which drew the cumbrous warmachines, were formed in the vast thickness of the walls, and were whatare known in modern times as casemates. As Nessus had said, the Indianmahout and the other two Arabs were the only human occupants of thecasemate. The elephant at once showed that he perceived the newcomer tobe a stranger by an uneasy movement, but the mahout quieted him.
While they were waiting for morning, Nessus described, more fully thanhe had hitherto had an opportunity of doing, the attack made upon him onboard the ship.
"I was," he said, "as my lord knows, uneasy when I found that theyhad recognized you, and when we were within a day's sail of Carthage Iresolved to keep a lookout--therefore, although I wrapped myself in mycloak and lay down, I did not go to sleep. After a while I thoughtI heard the sound of oars, and, standing up, went to the bulwark tolisten. Suddenly some of the sailors, who must have been watching me,sprang upon me from behind, a cloak was thrown over my head, a rope wastwisted round my arms, and in a moment I was lifted and flung overboard.
"I did not cry out, because I had already made up my mind that it wasbetter not to arouse you from sleep whatever happened, as, had you runout, you might have been killed, and I thought it likely that theirobject would be, if you offered no resistance, to take you a prisoner,in which case I trusted that I might later on hope to free you. As mylord knows, I am a good swimmer. I let myself sink, and when well belowthe surface soon got rid of the rope which bound me, and which was,indeed, but hastily twisted round my arms. I came up to the surface asnoiselessly as possible, and after taking a long breath dived and swamunder water as far as I could. When I came up the ship was so far awaythat there was little fear of their seeing me; however, I dived againand again until in perfect safety.
"I heard a boat rowed by many oars approach the vessel. I listened for atime and found that all was quiet, and then laid myself out for the longswim to shore, which I reached without difficulty. All day I kept my eyeon the vessel, which remained at anchor. As I could not tell to whichlanding place you might be brought I went up in the evening and tookmy post on the road leading up here, and when towards morning a partyentered, carrying one with them on a stretcher, I had little doubt thatit was you.
"I was sure to find friends among the Arabs either belonging to theregiment stationed in Byrsa or those employed in the storehouses orstables; so the next morning I entered the citadel and soon met thesemen, who belonged to my tribe and village. After that my way was plain;my only fear was that they might kill you before I could discover theplace in which you were confined, and my heart sank the first night whenI found that, though I whispered down every one of the gratings, I couldobtain no reply.
"I had many answers, indeed, but not from you. There might be many cellsbesides those with openings into the temple, and were you placed in oneof these I might never hear of you again. I had resolved that if thenext night passed without my being able to find you, I would inform someof those known to be friends of Hannibal that you were a prisoner, andleave it in their hands to act as they liked, while I still continued myefforts to communicate with you. You may imagine with what joy I heardyour reply on the following night."
"I must have been asleep the first night," Malchus said, "and did nothear your voice."
"I feared to speak above a whisper, my lord; there are priests all nightin the sanctuary behind the great image."
Day had by this time broken, and a stir and bustle commenced in frontof the long line of casemates; the elephan
ts were brought out fromtheir stables and stood rocking themselves from side to side while theirkeepers rubbed their hides with pumice stone. Nessus was one of thosewho was appointed to make the great flat cakes of coarse flour whichformed the principal food of the elephants. The other Arabs busiedthemselves in bringing in fresh straw, which Malchus scattered evenlyover the stall; heaps of freshly cut forage were placed before eachelephant.
In a short time one of the Arabs took the place of Nessus in preparingthe cakes, while Nessus moved away and presently went down into thetown to await the coming of Malchus. By this arrangement if thesuperintendent of the stables came round he would find the proper numberof men at work, and was not likely to notice the substitution of Malchusfor Nessus, with whose face he could not yet have become familiar. Bythis time numbers of the townsmen were as usual coming up to the citadelto worship in the temple or to visit friends dwelling there. Malchuslearned that since his escape had been known each person on entrancereceived a slip of brass with a stamp on it which he had to give up onleaving.
All employed in the citadel received a similar voucher, without whichnone could pass the gate. The time was now come when the elephants wereaccustomed to be taken down to the fountains in the town below, and thecritical moment was at hand. The mahout had already begun to prepare hiselephant for the part he was to play. It had been trumpeting loudly andshowing signs of impatience and anger. The animal was now made to kneelby the door of its stable, where Malchus had already lain down at thebottom of the howdah, a piece of sacking being thrown over him by theArabs. The two Arabs and the mahout carried the howdah out, placed it onthe elephant, and securely fastened it in its position.
These howdahs were of rough construction, being in fact little more thanlarge open crates, for the elephants after being watered went to theforage yard, where the crates were filled with freshly cut grass oryoung boughs of trees, which they carried up for their own use to thecitadel.
The mahout took his position on its neck, and the elephant then rose toits feet. The symptoms of bad temper which it had already given werenow redoubled. It gave vent to a series of short vicious squeals, ittrumpeted loudly and angrily, and, although the mahout appeared to bedoing his best to pacify it, it became more and more demonstrative. Thesuperintendent of the elephants rode up.
"You had better dismount and take that brute back to the stable," hesaid; "he is not safe to take out this morning." As he approached theelephant threw up his trunk, opened his mouth, and rushed suddenly athim. The officer fled hastily, shouting loudly to the other mahouts tobring their animals in a circle round the elephant, but the mahout gavehim a sudden prod with his pricker and the elephant set off with greatstrides, his ears out, his trunk in the air, and with every sign ofan access of fury, at the top of his speed. He rushed across the greatcourtyard, the people flying in all directions with shouts of terror; hemade two or three turns up and down, each time getting somewhat nearerto the gate.
As he approached it for the third time the mahout guided him towards it,and, accustomed at this hour to sally out, the elephant made a suddenrush in that direction. The officer on guard shouted to his men toclose the gate, but before they could attempt to carry out the orderthe elephant charged through, and at the top of his speed went down theroad.
