my in Spain, he may do all and more than all that Hamilcar
and Hasdrubal have done for us. If we fail, we are lost; Hanno will
be supreme, the official party will triumph, man by man we shall be
denounced and, destroyed by the judges, and, worse than all, our hopes
of saving Carthage from the corruption and tyranny which have so long
been pressing her into the dust are at an end. It is a good omen of
success that you have returned from your expedition at such a critical
moment. All has gone well with you, I hope. You know the fate that
awaits an unsuccessful general here."

"Ay, I know," Hamilcar said bitterly; "to be judged by a secret tribunal
of civilians, ignorant of even the rudimentary laws of war, and bent
not upon arriving at the truth, but of gratifying their patrons and
accomplices; the end, disgrace and execution.

"No, my success has been complete, although not brilliant. I have
obtained the complete submission of the Atarantes, and have brought with
me ten of their principal chiefs as hostages; but my success narrowly
escaped being not only a failure but a disaster. I had in vain striven
to come to blows with them, when suddenly they fell upon me at night,
and in the desperate combat which followed, well nigh half my force
fell; but in the end we inflicted a terrible chastisement upon them and
completely humbled their pride."

"So long as you succeeded in humbling them and bringing home hostages
for their good behaviour, all is well; the lives of a few score of
soldiers, more or less, matters little to Carthage. We have but to send
out an order to the tribes and we can replace them a hundred fold in a
week; `tis only a failure which would be fatal. Carthage has suffered
such terrible disasters at the hands of her tributaries that she
trembles at the slightest rising, for its success might be the signal
for another general insurrection. If you have humbled the Atarantes, all
is well.

"I know the council have been anxiously expecting news of your
expedition. Our opinion here has been from the first that, from the
small force they placed at your command, they purposely sent you to
disaster, risking the chance of extended trouble in order to obtain
a ground of complaint by which they could inflame the minds of the
populace against our party. But now, I recommend you to take some
refreshment at once after your journey. The inner council of the club
will meet in an hour, and their deliberations are likely to