"It is the old man who reared him! he calls him 'my child!' it will

make him mad! enough! enough!" And hustling away the three priests and
their victim he went out with them and with a great kick shut the door

behind him.
Hamilcar strained his ears for some minutes in constant fear of seeing

them return. He then thought of getting rid of the slave in order to
be quite sure that he would see nothing; but the peril had not wholly

disappeared, and, if the gods were provoked at the man's death, it
might be turned against his son. Then, changing his intention, he sent

him by Taanach the best from his kitchens--a quarter of a goat, beans,
and preserved pomegranates. The slave, who had eaten nothing for a

long time, rushed upon them; his tears fell into the dishes.
Hamilcar at last returned to Salammbo, and unfastened Hannibal's

cords. The child in exasperation bit his hand until the blood came. He
repelled him with a caress.

To make him remain quiet Salammbo tried to frighten him with Lamia, a
Cyrenian ogress.

"But where is she?" he asked.
He was told that brigands were coming to put him into prison. "Let

them come," he rejoined, "and I will kill them!"
Then Hamilcar told him the frightful truth. But he fell into a passion

with his father, contending that he was quite able to annihilate the
whole people, since he was the master of Carthage.

At last, exhausted by his exertions and anger, he fell into a wild
sleep. He spoke in his dreams, his back leaning against a scarlet

cushion; his head was thrown back somewhat, and his little arm,
outstretched from his body, lay quite straight in an attitude of

command.
When the night had grown dark Hamilcar lifted him up gently, and,

without a torch, went down the galleystaircase. As he passed through
the mercantile house he took up a basket of grapes and a flagon of

pure water; the child awoke before the statue of Aletes in the vault
of gems, and he smiled--like the other--on his father's arm at the

brilliant lights which surrounded him.
Hamilcar felt quite sure that his son could not be taken from him. It

was an impenetrable spot communicating with the beach by a
subterranean passage which he alone knew, and casting his eyes around

he inhaled a great draught of air. Then he set him down upon a stool
beside some golden shields. No one at present could see him; he had no

further need for watching; and he relieved his feelings. Like a mother
finding her first-born that was lost, he threw himself upon his son;

he clasped him to his breast, he laughed and wept at the same time, he
called him by the fondest names and covered him with kisses; little

Hannibal was frightened by this terrible tenderness and was silent
now.

Hamilcar returned with silent steps, feeling the walls around him, and
came into the great hall where the moonlight entered through one of

the apertures in the dome; in the centre the slave lay sleeping after
his repast, stretched at full length upon the marblepavement. He

looked at him and was moved with a sort of pity. With the tip of his
cothurn he pushed forward a carpet beneath his head. Then he raised

his eyes and gazed at Tanith, whose slendercrescent was shining in
the sky, and felt himself stronger than the Baals and full of contempt

for them.
The arrangements for the sacrifice were already begun.

Part of a wall in the temple of Moloch was thrown down in order to
draw out the brazen god without touching the ashes of the altar. Then

as soon as the sun appeared the hierodules pushed it towards the
square of Khamon.

It moved backwards sliding upon cylinders; its shoulders overlapped
the walls. No sooner did the Carthaginians perceive it in the distance

than they speedily took to flight, for the Baal could be looked upon
with impunity only when exercising his wrath.

A smell of aromatics spread through the streets. All the temples had
just been opened simultaneously, and from them there came forth

tabernacles borne upon chariots, or upon litters carried by the
pontiffs. Great plumes swayed at the corners of them, and rays were

emitted from their slender pinnacles which terminated in balls of
crystal, gold, silver or copper.

These were the Chanaanitish Baalim, offshoots of the supreme Baal, who
were returning to their first cause to humble themselves before his

might and annihilate themselves in his splendour.
Melkarth's pavilion, which was of fine purple, sheltered a petroleum

flare; on Khamon's, which was of hyacinth colour, there rose an ivory
phallus bordered with a circle of gems; between Eschmoun's curtains,

which were as blue as the ether, a sleeping python formed a circle
with his tail, and the Pataec gods, held in the arms of their priests,

looked like great infants in swaddling clothes with their heels
touching the ground.

Then came all the inferior forms of the Divinity: Baal-Samin, god of
celestial space; Baal-Peor, god of the sacred mountains; Baal-Zeboub,

god of corruption, with those of the neighbouring countries and
congenerous races: the Iarbal of Libya, the Adramelech of Chaldaea,

the Kijun of the Syrians; Derceto, with her virgin's face, crept on
her fins, and the corpse of Tammouz was drawn along in the midst of a

catafalque among torches and heads of hair. In order to subdue the
kings of the firmament to the Sun, and prevent their particular

influences from disturbing his, diversely coloured metal stars were
brandished at the end of long poles; and all were there, from the dark

Neblo, the genius of Mercury, to the hideous Rahab, which is the
constellation of the Crocodile. The Abbadirs, stones which had fallen

from the moon, were whirling in slings of silver thread; little
loaves, representing the female form, were born on baskets by the

priests of Ceres; others brought their fetishes and amulets; forgotten
idols reappeared, while the mystic symbols had been taken from the

very ships as though Carthage wished to concentrate herself wholly
upon a single thought of death and desolation.

Before each tabernacle a man balanced a large vase of smoking incense
on his head. Clouds hovered here and there, and the hangings,

pendants, and embroideries of the sacredpavilions might be
distinguished amid the thick vapours. These advanced slowly owing to

their enormous weight. Sometimes the axles became fast in the streets;
then the pious took advantage of the opportunity to touch the Baalim

with their garments, which they preserved afterwards as holy things.
The brazenstatue continued to advance towards the square of Khamon.

The rich, carrying sceptres with emerald balls, set out from the
bottom of Megara; the Ancients, with diadems on their heads, had

assembled in Kinisdo, and masters of the finances, governors of
provinces, sailors, and the numerous horde employed at funerals, all

with the insignia of their magistracies or the instruments of their
calling, were making their way towards the tabernacles which were

descending from the Acropolis between the colleges of the pontiffs.
Out of deference to Moloch they had adorned themselves with the most

splendid jewels. Diamonds sparkled on their black garments; but their
rings were too large and fell from their wasted hands,--nor could

there have been anything so mournful as this silent crowd where
earrings tapped against pale faces, and gold tiaras clasped brows

contracted with stern despair.
At last the Baal arrived exactly in the centre of the square. His

pontiffs arranged an enclosure with trellis-work to keep off the
multitude, and remained around him at his feet.

The priests of Khamon, in tawny woollen robes, formed a line before
their temple beneath the columns of the portico; those of Eschmoun, in

linen mantles with necklaces of koukouphas' heads and pointed tiaras,
posted themselves on the steps of the Acropolis; the priests of

Melkarth, in violet tunics, took the western side; the priests of the
Abbadirs, clasped with bands of Phrygian stuffs, placed themselves on

the east, while towards the south, with the necromancers all covered
with tattooings, and the shriekers in patched cloaks, were ranged the

curates of the Pataec gods, and the Yidonim, who put the bone of a