the inhabitants were beginning to fire the engines. All had fought

desperately. But, the tumult which was going on in the direction of



the bridge increasing in an incomprehensible fashion, Matho had struck

across the mountain by the shortest road, and as the Barbarians were



fleeing over the plain he had encountered nobody.

Facing him were little pyramidal masses rearing themselves in the



shade, and on this side of the river and closer to him were motionless" target="_blank" title="a.静止的；固定的">motionless

lights on the surface of the ground. In fact the Carthaginians had



fallen back behind the bridge, and to deceive the Barbarians the

Suffet had stationed numerous posts upon the other bank.



Matho, still advancing, thought that he could distinguish Punic

engines, for horses' heads which did not stir appeared in the air



fixed upon the tops of piles of staves which could not be seen; and

further off he could hear a great clamour, a noise of songs, and



clashing of cups.

Then, not knowing where he was nor how to find Spendius, assailed with



anguish, scared, and lost in the darkness, he returned more

impetuously by the same road. The dawn as growing grey when from the



top of the mountain he perceived the town with the carcases of the

engines blackened by the flames and looking like giant skeletons



leaning against the walls.

All was peaceful amid extraordinary silence and heaviness. Among his



soldiers on the verge of the tents men were sleeping nearly naked,

each upon his back, or with his forehead against his arm which was



supported by his cuirass. Some were unwinding bloodstained bandages

from their legs. Those who were doomed to die rolled their heads about



gently; others dragged themselves along and brought them drink. The

sentries walked up and down along the narrow paths in order to warm



themselves, or stood in a fierce attitude with their faces turned

towards the horizon, and their pikes on their shoulders. Matho found



Spendius sheltered beneath a rag of canvas, supported by two sticks

set in the ground, his knee in his hands and his head cast down.



They remained for a long time without speaking.

At last Matho murmured: "Conquered!"



Spendius rejoined in a gloomy voice: "Yes, conquered!"

And to all questions he replied by gestures of despair.



Meanwhile sighs and death-rattles reached them. Matho partially opened

the canvas. Then the sight of the soldiers reminded him of another



disaster on the same spot, and he ground his teeth: "Wretch! once

already--"



Spendius interrupted him: "You were not there either."

"It is a curse!" exclaimed Matho. "Nevertheless, in the end I will



get at him! I will conquer him! I will slay him! Ah! if I had been

there!--" The thought of having missed the battle rendered him even



more desperate than the defeat. He snatched up his sword and threw it

upon the ground. "But how did the Carthaginians beat you?"



The former slave began to describe the manoeuvres. Matho seemed to see

them, and he grew angry. The army from Utica ought to have taken



Hamilcar in the rear instead of hastening to the bridge.

"Ah! I know!" said Spendius.



"You ought to have made your ranks twice as deep, avoided exposing the

velites against the phalanx, and given free passage to the elephants.



Everything might have been recovered at the last moment; there was no

necessity to fly."



Spendius replied:

"I saw him pass along in his large red cloak, with uplifted arms and



higher than the dust, like an eagle flying upon the flank of the

cohorts; and at every nod they closed up or darted forward; the throng



carried us towards each other; he looked at me, and I felt the cold

steel as it were in my heart."



"He selected the day, perhaps?" whispered Matho to himself.

They questioned each other, trying to discover what it was that had



brought the Suffet just when circumstances were most unfavourable.

They went on to talk over the situation, and Spendius, to extenuate



his fault, or to revive his courage, asserted that some hope still

remained.



"And if there be none, it matters not!" said Matho; "alone, I will

carry on the war!"



"And I too!" exclaimed the Greek, leaping up; he strode to and fro,

his eyes sparkling, and a strange smile wrinkled his jackal face.



"We will make a fresh start; do not leave me again! I am not made for

battles in the sunlight--the flashing of swords troubles my sight; it



is a disease, I lived too long in the ergastulum. But give me walls to

scale at night, and I will enter the citadels, and the corpses shall



be cold before cock-crow! Show me any one, anything, an enemy, a

treasure, a woman,--a woman," he repeated, "were she a king's

• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• descend [di´send] v.下来，下降 (初中英语单词)


• elsewhere [,elsweə] ad.在别处；向别处 (初中英语单词)


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


• multitude [´mʌltitju:d] n.大群(批)；众多 (初中英语单词)


• surrender [sə´rendə] vt.&n.交出；引渡；放弃 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• mixture [´mikstʃə] n.混合；混合比；混合物 (初中英语单词)


• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• resist [ri´zist] v.抵抗；对抗；抵制 (初中英语单词)


• extreme [ik´stri:m] a.尽头的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• armour [´ɑ:mə] (=armor) n.甲胄，盔甲 (初中英语单词)


• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)


• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• pursuit [pə´sju:t] n.追踪；追击；事务 (初中英语单词)


• helmet [´helmit] n.钢盔 (初中英语单词)


• shield [ʃi:ld] n.盾牌；防御 v.保护 (初中英语单词)


• derive [di´raiv] v.得出；衍生 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• horizon [hə´raizən] n.地平线；范围；视野 (初中英语单词)


• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)


• deceive [di´si:v] vt.欺骗，欺诈 (初中英语单词)


• distinguish [di´stiŋgwiʃ] v.区分；识别；立功 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• peaceful [´pi:sfəl] a.和平的；平静的 (初中英语单词)


• extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)


• sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)


• canvas [´kænvəs] n.帆布；油画(布) (初中英语单词)


• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)


• cavalry [´kævəlri] n.骑兵(部队) (高中英语单词)


• internal [in´tə:nl] a.内部的；国内的 (高中英语单词)


• continually [kən´tinjuəli] ad.不断地，频繁地 (高中英语单词)


• fatigue [fə´ti:g] n.&vt.(使)疲劳(劳累) (高中英语单词)


• motionless [´məuʃənləs] a.静止的；固定的 (高中英语单词)


• compact [´kɔmpækt] n.契约 a.挤满的 (高中英语单词)


• tumult [´tju:mʌlt, ´tu:-] n.喧哗；激昂；烦乱 (高中英语单词)


• squadron [´skwɔdrən] n.(骑兵)中队；团体 (高中英语单词)


• incense [´insens, in´sens] n.香(气) vt.激怒 (高中英语单词)


• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)


• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)


• vengeance [´vendʒəns] n.报复，复仇 (高中英语单词)


• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)


• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• revive [ri´vaiv] v.(使)苏醒；(使)振奋 (高中英语单词)


• strode [strəud] stride的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• vigorously [´vigərəsli] ad.精力旺盛地；健壮地 (英语四级单词)


• chisel [´tʃizəl] n.凿子 v.凿；欺骗；干涉 (英语四级单词)


• uneven [ʌn´i:vən] a.崎岖的；不匀的 (英语四级单词)


• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)


• partially [´pɑ:ʃəli] ad.部分地；局部地 (英语四级单词)


• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)


• contracted [kən´træktid] a.收缩了的；缩略的 (英语六级单词)


• dashing [´dæʃiŋ] a.勇猛的；生气勃勃的 (英语六级单词)


• ferocious [fə´rəuʃəs] a.凶猛的；残忍的 (英语六级单词)


• mallet [´mælit] n.槌子；木槌 (英语六级单词)


• applied [ə´plaid] a.实用的，应用的 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• heaviness [´hevinis] n.重；重量 (英语六级单词)