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As soon as night fell, Spendius went and roused the Libyans, and said to them: "When the Ligurians, Greeks, Balearians, and men of Italy are paid, they will return. But as for you, you will remain in Africa, scattered through your tribes, and without any means of defence! It will be then that the Republic will take its revenge! Mistrust the journey!

And with lingering tones he imitated Salammbo's voice, while his outspread hands were held like two light hands on the strings of a lyre. To all the consolations offered by Spendius, he repeated the same words; their nights were spent in these wailings and exhortations. Matho sought to drown his thoughts in wine. After his fits of drunkenness he was more melancholy still.

Hamilcar, while listening to him, kept turning round on his finger a big gold ring, the same which had stamped the seal of Carthage upon the sword-belt. He let it fall to the ground; Spendius immediately picked it up; his servile habits came back to him in the presence of his master. The others quivered with indignation at such baseness.

Sometimes he would interrupt himself, and utter a hoarse cry from the depths of his throat; Matho's mule would quicken his pace, and others would hasten after them, and then Spendius would begin again though still torn with agony. This subsided at last on the evening of the fourth day.

The Great Council would perhaps have given way but for a last exaction, more outrageous than the rest; they demanded maidens, chosen from illustrious families, in marriage for their chiefs. It was an idea which had emanated from Spendius, and which many thought most simple and practicable.

"How?" repeated the other, panting. "Swear to execute all my commands and to follow me like a shadow!" Then Matho, raising his arm towards the planet of Chabar, exclaimed: "By Tanith, I swear!" Spendius resumed: "To-morrow after sunset you will wait for me at the foot of the aqueduct between the ninth and tenth arcades. Bring with you an iron pick, a crestless helmet, and leathern sandals."

He ground his teeth and raised his broad hand above Spendius. The Greek did not reply. An earthen lamp was burning gently against the tent-pole, where the zaimph shone amid the hanging panoply. Suddenly Matho put on his cothurni, buckled on his brazen jacket of mail, and took his helmet. "Where are you going?" asked Spendius. "I am returning! Let me alone! I will bring her back!

Matho commanded his own companions, together with the Iberians, Lusitanians, and the men of the West, and of the islands; all those who spoke Greek had asked for Spendius on account of his cleverness. Great was the stupefaction when the army was seen suddenly in motion; it stretched along beneath the mountain of Ariana on the road to Utica beside the sea.

At this declaration, which was rapidly uttered in five different languages, Greek, Latin, Gallic, Libyan and Balearic, the captains, half laughing and half surprised, replied: "Speak! Speak!" Spendius hesitated; he trembled; at last, addressing the Libyans who were the most numerous, he said to them: "You have all heard this man's horrible threats!"

He took the cup, and was carrying it to his lips when a Gaul, the same that had been hurt by Gisco, struck him on the shoulder, while in a jovial manner he gave utterance to pleasantries in his native tongue. Spendius was not far off, and he volunteered to interpret them. "Speak!" said Matho. "The gods protect you; you are going to become rich. When will the nuptials be?" "What nuptials?"