, at first made her
hesitate. But she recalled Schahabarim's orders and advanced; the python
turned downwards, and resting the centre of its body upon the nape of
her neck, allowed its head and tail to hang like a broken necklace with
both ends trailing to the ground. Salammbo rolled it around her sides,
under her arms and between her knees; then taking it by the jaw she
brought the little triangular mouth to the edge of her teeth, and half
shutting her eyes, threw herself back beneath the rays of the moon. The
white light seemed to envelop her in a silver mist, the prints of her
humid steps shone upon the flag-stones, stars quivered in the depth of
the water; it tightened upon her its black rings that were spotted with
scales of gold. Salammbo panted beneath the excessive weight, her
loins yielded, she felt herself dying, and with the tip of its tail the
serpent gently beat her thigh; then the music becoming still it fell off
again.

Taanach came back to her; and after arranging two candelabra, the lights
of which burned in crystal balls filled with water, she tinged the
inside of her hands with Lawsonia, spread vermilion upon her cheeks, and
antimony along the edge of her eyelids, and lengthened her eyebrows with
a mixture of gum, musk, ebony, and crushed legs of flies.

Salammbo seated on a chair with ivory uprights, gave herself up to the
attentions of the slave. But the touchings, the odour of the aromatics,
and the fasts that she had undergone, were enervating her. She became so
pale that Taanach stopped.

"Go on!" said Salammbo, and bearing up against herself, she suddenly
revived. Then she was seized with impatience; she urged Taanach to make
haste, and the old slave grumbled:

"Well! well! Mistress!--Besides, you have no one waiting for you!"

"Yes!" said Salammbo, "some one is waiting for me."

Taanach drew back in surprise, and in order to learn more about it,
said:

"What orders to you give me, Mistress? for if you are to remain away--"

But Salammbo was sobbing; the slave exclaimed:

"You are suffering! what is the matter? Do not go away! take me! When
you were quite little and used to cry, I took you to my heart and
made you laugh with the points of my breasts; you have drained them,
Mistress!" She struck herself upon her dried-up bosom. "Now I am old! I
can do nothing for you! you no longer love me! you hide your griefs from
me, you despise the nurse!" And tears of tenderness and vexation flowed