nd
the hills, having been thrown away in their flight by the natives
when the horsemen burst out of the wood in pursuit. Of the slaves and
attendants several had been killed, but the greater portion had, when
Hamilcar left the grove with the troops, climbed up into trees, and
remained there concealed until the rout of the assailants.

It was found in the morning that over one hundred and fifty of the three
hundred Carthaginian troops had fallen, and that four hundred of the
natives had been slain either in the grove or in the pursuit by cavalry.

The following day two envoys arrived from the hostile tribe offering the
submission of their chief.

As pursuit in the hills would be useless Hamilcar offered them
comparatively easy terms. A heavy fine in horses and cattle was to be
paid to the republic, and ten of the principal members of the tribe were
to be delivered up as hostages for their future good behaviour. The
next day the hostages were brought into the camp with a portion of the
ransom; and Hamilcar, having thus accomplished the mission he had been
charged to perform, marched away with his troops to Carthage.

As they approached the coast the whole character of the scenery changed.
The desert had been left behind them, and they entered a fertile tract
of country which had been literally turned into a garden by the skill
and industry of the Carthaginian cultivators, at that time celebrated
throughout the world for their knowledge of the science of agriculture.
The rougher and more sterile ground was covered with groves of olive
trees, while rich vineyards and orchards of fig and other fruit trees
occupied the better soil. Wherever it was possible little canals leading
water from reservoirs and dammed up streams crossed the plains, and
every foot of the irrigated ground was covered with a luxuriant crop.

The villages were scattered thickly, and when the troops arrived within
a day's march of Carthage they came upon the country villas and mansions
of the wealthy inhabitants. These in the richness of their architecture,
the perfection and order of their gardens, and the beauty and taste of
the orchards and grounds which surrounded them, testified alike to the
wealth and taste of their occupants.

Fountains threw their water into the air, numerous waterfalls splashed
with a cool, soothing sound over artificial rocks. Statues wrought
by Greek sculptors stood on the terraces, shady walks offered a cool
retreat duri