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Salammbo-Part18_Gustave Flaubert(1821-1880)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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a little three-headed statuette, as blue as sapphire, and placed it

before him. It was the image of Truth, the very genius of his speech.



Then he replaced it in his bosom, and all, as if seized with sudden

wrath, cried out:



"They are good friends of yours, are the Barbarians! Infamous traitor!

You come back to see us perish, do you not? Let him speak!--No! no!"



They were taking their revenge for the constraint to which political

ceremonial had just obliged them; and even though they had wished for



Hamilcar's return, they were now indignant that he had not anticipated

their disasters, or rather that he had not endured them as well as



they.

When the tumult had subsided, the pontiff of Moloch rose:



"We ask you why you did not return to Carthage?"

"What is that to you?" replied the Suffet disdainfully.



Their shouts were redoubled.

"Of what do you accuse me? I managed the war badly, perhaps! You have



seen how I order my battles, you who conveniently allow Barbarians--"

"Enough! enough!"



He went on in a low voice so as to make himself the better listened

to:



"Oh! that is true! I am wrong, lights of the Baals; there are intrepid

men among you! Gisco, rise!" And surveying the step of the altar with



half-closed eyelids, as if he sought for some one, he repeated:

"Rise, Gisco! You can accuse me; they will protect you! But where is



he?" Then, as if he remembered himself: "Ah! in his house, no doubt!

surrounded by his sons, commanding his slaves, happy, and counting on



the wall the necklaces of honour which his country has given to him!"

They moved about raising their shoulders as if they were being



scourged with thongs. "You do not even know whether he is living or

dead!" And without giving any heed to their clamours he said that in



deserting the Suffet they had deserted the Republic. So, too, the

peace with Rome, however advantageous it might appear to them, was



more fatal than twenty battles. A few--those who were the least rich

of the Council and were suspected of perpetual leanings towards the



people or towards tyranny--applauded. Their opponents, chiefs of the

Syssitia and administrators, triumphed over them in point of numbers;



and the more eminent of them had ranged themselves close to Hanno, who

was sitting at the other end of the hall before the lofty door, which



was closed by a hanging of hyacinth colour.

He had covered the ulcers on his face with paint. But the gold dust in



his hair had fallen upon his shoulders, where it formed two brilliant

sheets, so that his hair appeared whitish, fine, and frizzled like



wool. His hands were enveloped in linen soaked in a greasy perfume,

which dripped upon the pavement, and his disease had no doubt



considerably increased, for his eyes were hidden beneath the folds of

his eyelids. He had thrown back his head in order to see. His



partisans urged him to speak. At last in a hoarse and hideous voice he

said:



"Less arrogance, Barca! We have all been vanquished! Each one supports

his own misfortune! Be resigned!"



"Tell us rather," said Hamilcar, smiling, "how it was that you steered

your galleys into the Roman fleet?"



"I was driven by the wind," replied Hanno.

"You are like a rhinoceros trampling on his dung: you are displaying



your own folly! be silent!" And they began to indulge in

recriminations respecting the battle of the Aegatian islands.



Hanno accused him of not having come to meet him.

"But that would have left Eryx undefended. You ought to have stood out



from the coast; what prevented you? Ah! I forgot! all elephants are

afraid of the sea!"



Hamilcar's followers thought this jest so good that they burst out

into loud laughter. The vault rang with it like the beating of



tympanums.

Hanno denounced the unworthiness of such an insult; the disease had



come upon him from a cold taken at the siege of Hecatompylos, and

tears flowed down his face like winter rain on a ruined wall.



Hamilcar resumed:

"If you had loved me as much as him there would be great joy in



Carthage now! How many times did I not call upon you! and you always

refused me money!"



"We had need of it," said the chiefs of the Syssitia.

"And when things were desperate with me--we drank mules' urine and ate



the straps of our sandals; when I would fain have had the blades of




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