tterly
disaffected; their earnings are wrung from them by the tax gatherers.
Justice is denied them by the judges, who are the mere creatures of the
committee of five. The suffetes are mere puppets in their hands. Our
vessels lie unmanned in our harbours, because the funds which should pay
the sailors are appropriated by our tyrants to their own purposes. How
can a Carthaginian who loves his country remain silent?"

"All you say is true, Giscon," the general said gravely, "though I
should be pressed to death were it whispered in Carthage that I said so;
but at present we can do nothing. Had the great Hamilcar Barca lived I
believe that he would have set himself to work to clear out this Augean
stable, a task greater than that accomplished by our great hero, the
demigod Hercules; but no less a hand can accomplish it. You know how
every attempt at revolt has failed; how terrible a vengeance fell on
Matho and the mercenaries; how the down trodden tribes have again and
again, when victory seemed in their hands, been crushed into the dust.

"No, Giscon, we must suffer the terrible ills which you speak of until
some hero arises--some hero whose victories will bind not only the army
to him, but will cause all the common people of Carthage--all her allies
and tributaries--to look upon him as their leader and deliverer.

"I have hopes, great hopes, that such a hero may be found in my nephew,
Hannibal, who seems to possess all the genius, the wisdom, and the
talent of his father. Should the dream which he cherished, and of which
I was but now speaking to you, that of leading a Carthaginian army
across the Ebro, over the Apennines, through the plains of lower Gaul,
and over the Alps into Italy, there to give battle to the cohorts of
Rome on their own ground,--should this dream be verified I say, should
success attend him, and Rome be humbled to the dust, then Hannibal would
be in a position to become the dictator of Carthage, to overthrow the
corrupt council, to destroy this tyranny--misnamed a republic--and to
establish a monarchy, of which he should be the first sovereign, and
under which Carthage, again the queen of the world, should be worthy
of herself and her people. And now let us speak of it no more. The very
walls have ears, and I doubt not but even among my attendants there are
men who are spies in the pay of the council. I see and lament as much
as any man the ruin of my country; but, until I see a fair hope of
delive