d
crossing the Po by a ford, ascended the banks of the Orcus, and reached
Clotilde's native village. A few ruins alone marked where it had stood.
Malchus halted there and despatched scouts far up the valley. These
succeeded in finding a native, who informed them that Brunilda with the
remains of the tribe were living in the forests far up on the slopes.
The scouts delivered to them the message with which they were charged:
that Clotilde and Malchus, with a Carthaginian force, were at Orca. The
following evening Brunilda and her followers came into camp.

Deep was the joy of the mother and daughter. The former had long since
given up all hope of ever hearing of Clotilde again, and had devoted her
life to vengeance on the Romans. From her fastness in the mountain she
had from time to time led her followers down, and carried fire and sword
over the fields and plantations of the Roman colonists, retiring rapidly
before the garrisons could sally from the towns and fall upon her. She
was rejoiced to find that her child had found a husband and protector
in the young Carthaginian, still more rejoiced when she found that the
latter had determined upon throwing in his lot with the Gauls.

All that night mother and daughter sat talking over the events which
had happened since they parted. Brunilda could give Malchus but little
encouragement for the mission on which he had come. The legion of
Postumius had indeed been defeated and nearly destroyed in a rising
which had taken place early in the spring; but fresh troops had arrived,
dissensions had, as usual, broken out among the chiefs, many of them
had again submitted to the Romans, and the rest had been defeated and
crushed. Brunilda thought that there was little hope at present of their
again taking up arms.

For some weeks Malchus attempted to carry out Hannibal's instructions;
he and his lieutenants, accompanied by small parties of horse, rode
through the country and visited all the chiefs of Cisalpine Gaul, but
the spirit of the people was broken. The successes they had gained had
never been more than partial, the Roman garrison towns had always defied
all their efforts, and sooner or later the Roman legions swept down
across the Apennines and carried all before them.

In vain Malchus told them of the victories that Hannibal had won, that
Southern Italy was in his hands, and the Roman dominion tottering. In
reply they pointed to the garrisons and the legion, and said that,