g their
freedom. Look at all the large towns in the plains; until lately each of
them held a Roman garrison. In the first place, they offer an incentive
to the attack of a covetous foe; in the second, they bind their
owners to them. The inhabitants of a town cling to their houses and
possessions, and, if conquered, become mere slaves to their captors; we
who live in dwellings which cost but a few weeks of work, whose worldly
goods are the work of our own hands, or the products of the chase,
should never be conquered; we may be beaten, but if so, we can retire
before our enemies and live in freedom in the forest or mountains, or
travel beyond the reach of our foes.

"Had not your army come and freed us from Rome I was already meditating
moving with my tribe across the great mountains to the north and
settling among Brunilda's people in the German forests, far beyond the
reach of Rome. What though, as she tells me, the winters are long
and severe, the people ignorant of many of the comforts which we have
adopted from our neighbours; at least we should be free, and of all
blessings none is to compare with that."

"I agree with you," Malchus said, thinking of the plots and
conspiracies, the secret denunciations, the tyranny and corruption
of Carthage, "it is good to be great, but it is better to be free.
However," he added more cheerfully, "I trust that we are going to free
you from all future fear of Rome, and that you will be able to enjoy
your liberty here without having to remove to the dark forests and long
winter of the country north of the Alps."

So passed the winter. Early in the spring a messenger arrived from
Hannibal bidding Malchus rejoin him, and calling upon Allobrigius to
prepare to take the field against the Romans. Similar messages had been
sent to all the Gaulish tribes friendly to Carthage, and early in March
Hannibal prepared to cross the Apennines and to advance against Rome.

The position occupied by the two Roman armies barred the only two roads
by which it was believed that Hannibal could march upon Rome, but
as soon as the spring commenced Hannibal started by a path, hitherto
untrodden by troops, across the Apennines. In the march the troops
suffered even greater hardships than those which they had undergone
in the passage of the Alps, for during four days and three nights they
marched knee deep in water, unable for a single moment to lie down.

While ever moving backwards and forwards among h