ay be here in the morning, though the column will be still a day's
march away. By daylight we shall have no difficulty in finding the
traces of the army."

Malchus took the Arab's advice, and the next morning followed on the
traces of the army, which were plainly enough to be seen in the broken
bushes, the trampled ground, and in various useless articles dropped or
thrown away by the troops. They were forced to advance with caution, for
they feared meeting any of the natives who might be hanging on the rear
of the army.

After three days' travelling with scarce a pause they came upon the army
just as the rear guard was crossing the Isere, and Malchus received a
joyous welcome from his friends, who had supposed him drowned at the
passage of the Rhone. His account of his adventure was eagerly listened
to, and greatly surprised were they when they found that he had been a
prisoner in the camp of Scipio, and had been rescued by the fidelity and
devotion of Nessus. Hannibal asked many questions as to the strength
of Scipio's army, but Malchus could only say that, not having seen it
except encamped, he could form but a very doubtful estimate as to its
numbers, but considered it to be but little superior to that of the
Carthaginian.

"I do not think Scipio will pursue us," Hannibal said. "A defeat here
would be as fatal to him as it would be to us, and I think it more
likely that, when he finds we have marched away north, he will return to
his ships and meet us in Italy."

Malchus learned that everything had progressed favourably since the army
had crossed the Rhone, the natives having offered no further opposition
to their advance. A civil war was going on in the region the army had
now entered, between two rival princes, brothers, of the Allobroges.
Hannibal was requested to act as umpire in the quarrel, and decided in
favour of the elder brother and restored order. In return he received
from the prince whom he reseated on his throne, provisions, clothing,
and other necessaries for the army, and the prince, with his troops,
escorted the Carthaginians some distance up into the Alps, and prevented
the tribes dwelling at the foot of the mountains from attacking them.

The conquest of Catalonia, the passage of the Pyrenees, and the march
across the south of Gaul, had occupied many months. Summer had come and
gone, autumn had passed, and winter was at hand. It was the eighteenth
of October when Hannibal led his army up the n