, and it behooves us all to be steady and deliberate in
our action."

A flight of arrows was, however, sent after the traitors, and most of
them rolled lifeless down the slope again.

Hannibal's first care was to extricate his cavalry from the gorge. This
was performed with great difficulty, and they were drawn up in good
order on the narrow piece of level ground between the gorge in which the
river ran and the mountains bordering the side of the pass.

The light troops now ascended the hills on both sides, and speedily
became engaged with the enemy. The confusion in the bed of the torrent
was tremendous. Great numbers of men and animals were killed by the
rocks and missiles from above, but more of the soldiers were trampled to
death by the frightened horses. The heavy infantry in the rear remained
steady, and repulsed every effort of the main body of the enemy to break
in upon the column.

As night fell the combat ceased, but Hannibal and the troops in advance
of the column passed the night under arms at the foot of a certain white
rock standing above the ravine, and which still marks the exact site of
the conflict. The natives had suffered heavily both from their conflict
with the light troops upon the hillside, and from the repulse of their
assaults upon the rear guard, and in the morning they did not venture
to renew the attack, and the column moved forward out of the ravine
and continued its march, the natives from time to time dashing down to
attack it.

The elephants were placed on the flank of the line of march, and the
appearance of these strange beasts so terrified the enemy that they
desisted from their attack, and by evening the army encamped on the
summit of the pass.

The snow had already fallen deeply, the army were worn out and
dispirited by the exertions and dangers through which they had passed,
and had suffered great losses in men and animals in the nine days which
had elapsed since they first entered the mountains. Hannibal gave them
two days' rest, in which time they were joined by many stragglers who
had fallen behind, and by beasts of burden which, in the terror and
confusion of the attack, had got rid of their loads and had escaped, but
whose instinct led them to follow the line of march.

At the end of the second day Hannibal assembled his troops and addressed
them in a stirring speech. He told them that the worst part of their
journey was now over. He pointed to them the plains of Italy