Kitabı oku: «The Adventures of Captain Mago», sayfa 5

Seated upon the throne was the monarch himself, a man of moderate stature and slight build, advanced in years, but nevertheless retaining unimpaired every symptom of agility and vigour. His straight, uncurled beard was perfectly white, but his hair was dressed in the ordinary fashion of his countrymen. His costume was very simple; neither frontlet nor coronet adorned his brow; no bracelets encircled his wrists; no rings were upon his toes; he wore a plain white tunic with a purple border, and instead of the high-heeled shoes usually worn by kings, he had on his feet a pair of mountaineer's sandals. There was nothing in his attire to distinguish him from ordinary men; only by the penetrating glance of his clear blue eye could he be marked out as one that was born to reign.

My people having ranged themselves in a line behind me, I stepped forward and prostrated myself at the foot of the dais; then rising, I stood with folded hands, waiting for the King to speak. He began by bidding me welcome, and proceeded to ask whether our voyage hither had been prosperous, and made numerous inquiries after the welfare of the kings of Tyre and Sidon and their subjects. Expressing his satisfaction at the tenor of my answers, he called for King Hiram's letters to himself. I handed the sealed papyrus to one of the officers, who presented it open to the King. The King perused it deliberately, and turning to me with a kindly smile, said:

"Mago, son of Maherbaal, I rejoice to see you. Who are these that you bring with you?"

One by one, I introduced my companions.

The King expressed his approval at seeing Chamai and Bichri amongst my followers, and said:

"I like my younger people to travel; it gives them courage, as well as wisdom and experience. I am glad, too, that your soldiers are under the command of Hannibal; he is an able leader; I remember him well. And now," he continued, "Jehoshaphat the recorder shall prepare you a catalogue of the materials which I require you to procure and I leave it to your own discretion to purchase, in addition, whatever else you may meet with that is curious or rare. It remains for me to inquire what are the supplies you need before you start."

I explained that I was anxious that forty experienced men should be added as recruits to Chamai's force, and that a sufficient store of corn and wine and oil, and other things that would not be the worse for keeping, might be provided to maintain us on our voyage.

"Just and fair are your demands," replied the King. "Joab shall choose you out forty men, whom Chamai and Hannibal may command, and my treasurer shall hand you over the money needed for their pay. Ira shall take you to the storehouses, and you shall be at liberty to select what stores you please; he will provide you also with asses to convey them to the ships. You have only to say what you require, and it is yours."

Again I prostrated myself before the King in token of my gratitude, and requested him graciously to accept the presents that I had been commissioned to deliver. He seemed highly gratified, and inquired with the liveliest interest about the history of each gift, as it was shown him; he then rose, and bade us follow him into an adjoining room, where wine was prepared for us. He insisted upon drinking from the cup which I had just given him, and when he had taken his seat again upon his throne, which had been brought in after him, he honoured me still further by asking me about the various countries I had visited. His curiosity seemed wakened by my replies, and amongst other things, he asked me whether peacocks and asses were not found in the West. I informed him that they came from Ophir, whither, subject to his permission, I contemplated making a voyage upon my return.

"You are a dauntless man," he said, "to talk about a second voyage before you have accomplished a first. I admire your courage, and confess that Hiram has done well in choosing you for this undertaking. I want now to show you the site of the temple that it is in my heart to rear."

With a tread elastic as a young man's, the King conducted us from the palace to an adjacent hill upon which was a threshing-floor. The name of the hill was Moriah.

"I have just bought this threshing-floor and some oxen, for fifty shekels of silver, of Araunah the Jebusite," he said; adding, "to my mind, the spot is adapted equally for a temple or for a fortress."

Hanno remarked, "I have heard it said that the King has taken more fortresses than he has built, and that his sword is the best stronghold of his people."

"You are a flatterer, scribe," said the King, smiling; "nevertheless, I believe that bold hearts do more to defend their country than any masses of piled-up stone."

"Then I am no flatterer," rejoined the scribe; "I do but echo the King's own sentiments. Happy the people whose pride and confidence are in their King!"

"If you use such silvery speech to women," replied the King, "you must ultimately marry a princess."

Hanno coloured: the King laughed, and turning to me said that I had an excellent scribe.

"Ah, my lord and King," said Hanno, "we are going where eloquence can avail us nothing. The winds and waves of the Great Sea will not listen to the smooth speech of Canaan. The barbarians of the West will demand a language of a rougher, sterner sort. Compliments will not move the men of Tarshish."

The King was evidently much pleased with Hanno, and told him that he should be gratified if he would bring him back a written description of whatever he might see in the course of his voyage; he further inquired whether he had any of his own compositions with him. Upon this, Hanno handed him a little scroll inscribed with some verses he had written in praise of a lady. After the King, himself a poet of the highest order, had admired the flow of the lines, and commended the beauty of the handwriting, he presented Hanno with a copy of some of his own poetry.

"There is another poetry," said Hanno, "of a severer style, which the King has written in the valley of Rephaim, and on many another battle-field: I fear he cannot give us that."

In an instant David took the sword from his armour-bearer's hand. "Here," he said, "is the pen that wrote it. Take it; it may give you the power to write verses of the character that, in the valley of the giants, I have made to the honour of my God."

"The King's word is a prophecy," said Hanno, kissing the blade; "be it my care that it comes to pass!"

We had now to take our leave of the kind and courteous King, and I went with Ira direct to the storehouses, whilst Hannibal, Chamai, and Bichri followed Joab.

The chief storehouse is a long brick building approached by a paved pathway lined with sycamines; it is built in the Phœnician style over a water-tank, and is flanked by the stables for the royal chariots and the meadows for the horses and other cattle. Hanno had prepared a list, of which a duplicate copy was written for the King: the items were a hundred measures of grain, fifty measures of oil, fifty measures of wine, equal quantities of cheese, figs, and dried grapes, and two thousand shekels of dry salt meat: to these were added salt, beans, lentils, and dates, Ira undertaking that asses, with drivers, should be ready to convey them all to the ships on the following morning.

King David is renowned for generosity; and on our return to Ira's house we found that several of the royal servants had arrived before us, bringing various presents for us all. For myself there was a shield, a lance, a dagger, and an Egyptian battle-axe; for Hannibal, a sword and a mace of Chaldean manufacture; for Bichri, a bow and quiver and an archer's belt; while for Hanno there was another sword, in addition to the one he had already received.

Towards evening Hannibal returned, bringing word that he had completed his number of men; Jehoshaphat also came to bring me the King's final letters of instruction.

On rising the next morning I found the street outside the house crowded with asses and their drivers, the beasts being laden with the heavy packs containing our supplies; we had therefore nothing further to do than to take leave of our host. I gave him two phials of royal perfume for his wives, and without further delay we took our departure for Joppa.

Our return journey was unmarked by any special incident. From time to time Bichri gave us proof of his dexterity by using his new bow to shoot partridges and other birds while they were on the wing, and Hanno (with his sword passed through his girdle in Jewish fashion) was as gay as ever, beguiling the time with cheerful songs.

"Every one owns King David as a prophet," he repeated more than once; "and as I have David's sword, I should think I might conquer the world."

"I hope you do not intend to kill King Pharaoh," said I, rather startled at his martial enthusiasm.

"Pshaw!" he replied; "my mistress is Ashtoreth, queen of sea and sky! She can laugh to scorn Pharaoh and Bodmilcar, both alike!"

Bichri interrupted us by bringing a partridge he had just brought down. "Can you tell me, captain," he asked, "whether there are any vines in Tarshish?"

"To the great regret of our Phœnician colonists," I answered, "there are no vines at all."

"It may be a good thing then," he rejoined, "that I have brought some cuttings with me. The climate is warm, even as our own, and who can tell whether ere long they shall not be producing wine as good as ours?"

"An excellent venture of yours, archer," I replied; "I wish your foresight all success."

The tower of Joppa and the masts of our vessels were hardly visible in the distance before we espied Abigail advancing towards us. Chamai alighted from his horse, and received her with a warm embrace.

"What news?" said I, hurrying forward.

Learning that all was well, I left the young people together, and made my own way down immediately to the beach. The first person that I saw was Barzillai, who informed me that the eunuch had not been into the village since my departure, and that no one had attempted to hold any communication with the Ionian lady. Very shortly afterwards, Hamilcar and all the rest, including Bodmilcar, came to greet me on my return, and we proceeded at once to embark the supplies that we had brought. I put all the fresh recruits on board my own galley, thus making up my full complement of 210 men; namely, 50 rowers, 70 sailors, 80 soldiers, and 10 officers.

While the drivers were assisting my own people to unlade the asses, one of them, a man of gigantic size and stature, stalked up to me, swinging his arms, and stood looking at me with a fixed and steady gaze. His appearance was remarkable; his short bull-neck was imbedded, as it were, between his immense broad shoulders, and he had long shaggy hair that hung close over his brow and was met by a thick beard that grew almost up to his eyes.

"Do you want me?" I asked.

In a stentorian voice he answered, "I am Jonah, of the village of Eltekeh, in the tribe of Dan."

"Well, what of that?" I said.

"I want to go with you: I want to go where the wild beasts are."

"But what for; what can you do if you get there?"

"I want to go," again he growled.

"But you can do nothing; what is the use of taking you?"

"I want to go," he still persisted.

Puzzled in my mind, I asked him whether he could in any way make himself of use on board a ship.

"I am strong," he said; "I am a descendant of Samson; I can carry an ox upon my shoulders, and I can blow a trumpet;" and as he spoke he struck himself heavily in the chest.

Hannibal, who all this while had been scanning the man with the eye of a connoisseur, observed: "I don't think we shall find a cuirass big enough to fit the fellow; but he looks as if he mightn't be a bad trumpeter;" and turning towards him, he said: "Now look here, man; I have a good trumpeter already; but if Captain Mago will allow it, I should like to have a trumpet-match, and see which of you can blow the best."

Of course I had no objection to allege, and Hannibal's trumpeter was summoned to the spot. A huge clarion was fetched from the stores and handed to Jonah, and thus the rivals were brought face to face in the middle of a circle of curious listeners.

"Blow away, my men," said Hannibal, "as hard as you like!"

Both raised their instruments to their lips, and simultaneously gave forth a series of strong, clear notes, which waxed louder and louder, as the performers, with necks outstretched and inflated cheeks, seemed to grow warm to the work. After a considerable time, during which neither appeared to have much superior power, the eyes of Hannibal's trumpeter began to start painfully from their sockets, and he showed symptoms of evident fatigue; whilst Jonah, although the veins of his neck were swollen as large as one's finger, continued to give forth notes that almost split our ears, and which seemed still louder in contrast to the enfeebled strain of his competitor. At last, when full fifteen minutes had elapsed, Hannibal's herald gave one prolonged and plaintive note, and sunk down upon a stone, breathless and exhausted. Jonah, without exhibiting any sign of distress, stood with his hand upon his hip, and raising his trumpet high into the air, gave vent to a loud triumphal flourish.

"Enough, enough!" we shouted one and all.

"Bring out the very largest scarlet tunic that we have on board," said Hannibal; "the fellow has gained his day."

"Then may I go?" asked Jonah.

Hannibal made him understand that I had given my consent, and told him to put on the tunic. While he was endeavouring to fasten the garment, which seemed ready to burst out at every seam, Himilco walked round him, and surveyed him with a puzzled air.

"I should like to see inside the rascal," he said; "I have never heard such lungs."

"I am thirsty," roared the giant.

A great cup of wine was handed to him; he drained it at a gulp.

"Do you call that a draught?" he asked. "I should give as much to my little children; can't you let me drink from a pitcher or a cask?"

Himilco refilled the cup, and handed it back to Jonah. With an air of wonder, that almost amounted to terror, he muttered to himself, "An extraordinary fellow, but it will cost us something to keep him!"

When we had embarked all our goods, we took leave of Barzillai and his wife. The Ionian bade a most affectionate farewell to Milcah, who had treated her with the greatest kindness and hospitality. Abigail was the last to leave the shore, and when she did so, it was with a look, long and lingering, towards her native mountains.

By the following evening we had rounded the point of Pelusium, easily distinguished from the surrounding lowland by its rising grove of palms. The sea was rough, and to many on board the consequent sickness was very trying. Towards noon next day we came in sight of the troubled waters caused by the outflow of the Nile.

CHAPTER V
PHARAOH ARRIVES TOO LATE

We shortly hove in sight of what is known as the Tanitic mouth of the Nile, beyond which, in the distance, could be discerned the tall obelisks of the City of Tanis. The deposit brought down by the river itself, combined with the action of the wind and surf upon the two headlands of the bay, has a perpetual tendency to block up this outlet of the Nile; and when the Cabiros, which had been sent on ahead to explore the bar, returned with the intelligence that the water was too shallow to permit a safe passage to the Melkarth, I determined to push on a little further to the Mendezian mouth, which is considerably wider, and which leads, moreover, direct to Memphis. Night was coming on, so that I would not venture to stem the somewhat rapid current of the river in the dark, but brought my ships to anchor within a bowshot of the shore.

Hazael came to me and asked permission to pass the night with his friend Bodmilcar. I was equally surprised at his request, and at the submissive manner in which he made it; but after ascertaining that the Ionian was in her cabin, and that Abigail was with Chamai on deck, I allowed him to go.

Remembering that we had arrived at a land of strangers, with whom hitherto we had held no communication, I doubled the watch, and gave Hannibal special directions to keep a sharp look-out. The order in which our ships were arranged was this: on the right, furthest to the south, was the Cabiros; the Ashtoreth was moored to some piles about half a bowshot behind; the Melkarth and the Dagon were stationed on the opposite bank, where the water was deeper. One of the small barques was with me, the other with the Melkarth.

Anchored higher up the river were several Egyptian vessels, and a considerable number was drawn up upon the shore. I wondered why there should be so many at a spot where there was no regular anchorage, but I subsequently learnt that Pharaoh was about to send forth a squadron for the purpose of putting down a revolt that had broken out at Pelusium. Two officers, accompanied by a troop of soldiers, some armed with battle-axes, and some with bows, had already boarded my ship to inquire who we were and what we wanted, and had retired satisfied with my explanation. As the shades of night deepened, we could observe the lights of two galleys cruising about in the open channel, and shortly afterwards another Egyptian came on board and ordered my own lights to be extinguished, a direction which was instantly obeyed.

The night was intensely warm, and the scorching east wind, laden with the sand of the desert, blew from time to time in dry and unrefreshing gusts. The sky was overcast, and although the night was not black it was so dark that little could be distinguished except the gleam from the fires of a large camp pitched on the right bank, and the inconstant lights of the distant villages on either shore. Close in front of us were still burning the torches of the two galleys I have mentioned; but besides these, there was only the occasional flicker from some little boat that moved upon the stream.

Towards midnight, five or six hours after our anchoring, I resigned my watch to Himilco, intending to take some rest. On my way to my berth I cast my eye towards the right bank, and through the gloom I could see indistinctly that there was a crowd of vessels there; but everything was silent, and I went below.

I had not been asleep for more than a half-an-hour when I was roughly aroused by Himilco.

"We are adrift!" he exclaimed.

In an instant I was upon my feet, and rushed to examine our moorings. They were cut asunder.

"All hands on deck! lights! light the lamps!" I cried with all my might; and at the same time I noticed lights appearing on the left, and heard a distant voice hailing the Ashtoreth with the cry, "Our moorings have been cut, and we are all adrift." I shouted in reply that they should come over to us; it was only too evident that another of our ships was in the same dilemma as ourselves.

Meantime my crew had come on deck, and had lighted several signals. I ordered the rowers to their benches, and made them backwater gently so as to keep us steady until the other ship should join us. At the distance of about four bowshots behind, I made out the Cabiros hoisting her lights, and could hear the voices of the crew in great excitement. Almost immediately there was a splash of oars, and the Dagon came alongside of us. I shouted to Hasdrubal, who was standing on board:

"Where's the Melkarth?"

Getting no satisfactory reply, I immediately ordered the three ships on to the left bank. The Dagon went straight across the river; I followed, taking an oblique course, and the Cabiros, hastening ahead, went a little way south, and then turned back due north, keeping as close as possible to the shore.

During the time we were getting across, Hannibal had just put all his men under arms, as it occasioned us much surprise that while there was this commotion amongst ourselves the Egyptians had made no sign nor sound; their lights were out, and their cruisers no longer to be seen. The Cabiros rejoined us, and reported that she had seen nothing; nor even after we had descended the river a couple of stadia was a single Egyptian vessel visible, and it was not until we were within hearing of the roar of the waves at the river's mouth that we almost ran against some black mass that loomed through the darkness.

"Back to your moorings, Phœnicians! no leaving the river at night!" shouted a voice, in Egyptian.

"We don't want, I can tell you," I replied, "to be running away like a set of thieves. We have been cut adrift, and one of our ships has disappeared."

"Then get fresh moorings," was the answer: "you must wait till morning. By Pharaoh's orders, you cannot leave to-night."

There was no help for it but to obey; and sending some men on shore in the small boat with torches, we succeeded in finding an anchorage. But scarcely had we settled in our places, when our attention was arrested by a voice from the middle of the river gasping out in Phœnician, "Help! help!"

We put off a boat in the direction of the sound; the cry was repeated still closer to us, and in a few minutes the boat returned alongside, and one of my sailors, dripping with water, was hoisted on to the deck of the Ashtoreth. He was in a pitiable condition, his face all bleeding, and his head gashed open in several places.

"Treason, treason! we are betrayed by Bodmilcar!" was all he could utter, as he staggered and fell senseless on the deck. I ordered him to be laid upon a piece of carpet, whilst Abigail chafed his face with ointment, and Himilco put some wine to his lips. I had ascertained quite enough to put me on my guard, and consequently had our lights extinguished, permitting only one lamp and one torch to each ship: and I gave directions to the watch to keep a keen look-out.

Meanwhile the poor fellow had recovered his consciousness, and Hanno, Hannibal, Himilco, Chamai, and myself, pressed round him to gather what he had to say. One of our sailors supported his head to facilitate his power of speech, and Abigail and the Ionian knelt beside him, with the wine and ointment.

"I went this evening," began the man, "to visit a friend of mine on board the Melkarth. You know the crew are nearly all Tyrians. Bodmilcar has tampered with them all. He has had an interview with Pharaoh's general, and told him that you are spies in league with the insurgents at Pelusium; he said, too, that you had a slave on board your ship, whom he was bringing to Pharaoh, but who had escaped. His people urged me to join the conspiracy, and when I refused they all threatened to kill me. I jumped overboard. An Egyptian boat pursued me. I was twice struck on the head by an oar. I dived beneath the water. I suppose they thought I had sunk; as they gave up the pursuit. Orders have been given to seize us all to-morrow. We are to be attacked in the morning, and carried off to Pharaoh. I can tell no more."

The exertion of telling all this had been too much for the brave fellow, and he fainted away again. My first impulse was to rush to my cabin for the King's letters, but to my amazement they had all disappeared; they had evidently been stolen during my absence at Jerusalem. We were overwhelmed with consternation. Hanno was the first to speak:

"All is plain enough," he said; "Bodmilcar is the thief. Hazael, you know, has the King's signet ring; and the rascals have opened the papers, altered their purport, and closed them again with the royal seal. Bodmilcar has carried them and presented them; he represents himself as leader of the expedition, and denounces you as a traitor. He gets believed: and what is the result? why, sure as fate, we shall be made prisoners, and only too likely we shall be put to death. Abigail, of course, will be sent to Pharaoh."

"Not while I have a sword to defend her," said Chamai, stamping with rage.

"Yes," continued Hanno, coolly; "no doubt Abigail will be handed over to Pharaoh, and the fair Chryseis will be awarded to Bodmilcar as a recompense for his service."

Hanno groaned aloud, and Hannibal furiously twirled his moustache.

"I have no doubt, Hanno," I said, "that all your conjectures are right. But it's rather soon to despair. Perhaps you haven't been with us old mariners long enough to learn our seamen's song about the Egyptians?"

I began to whistle an air, and Himilco, with a merry laugh, broke out with the gay refrain:

 
"The bull-head tribe, with all their skill,
Must catch the man they fain would kill."
 

The effect was instantaneous. My whole party almost smothered me in their delight. Hanno threw himself at my knees and grasped one of my hands; Abigail seized the other, and covered it with kisses; Hannibal caught hold of my cuirass on one side; Chamai lugged at me on the other. Altogether, I was in a fair way of being strangled. The Ionian, who partially comprehended my meaning, could only express her gratitude by the bright glance of her soft eyes.

As soon as I had extricated myself from the embraces of the enthusiastic group, I pointed out to them a confused mass of Egyptian boats, now just visible in the dawn.

"If there were only half-a-dozen of those fresh-water tortoise-shells," said I, "our three ships could soon show them the way to the bottom of the Nile; but there is such a lot of them! Besides, they have forces on land, and the river isn't wide enough for us to get out of their reach. Bodmilcar, too, will lend them a helping hand, and he is an old stager; his ship, it is true, is not much in fighting trim, but it is manned with Tyrians. However, we mustn't give up! Patience! Trust yourselves to me!"

"Yours we are to the death!" cried Hanno; while Hannibal, with his teeth set, growled out, that if any one disobeyed my orders it should be the worse for him. Chamai, almost beside himself with excitement, clasped Abigail in his arms, and vowed he would bring her the head and spoils of the first foe he should meet, even if it were Pharaoh himself.

Hamilcar and Hasdrubal, with his pilot Gisgo, now came on board for my orders.

"I never trusted that Tyrian," said Hamilcar; "and I am glad to have the chance of fighting it out with him; and my men are as delighted as myself."

"Ha, ha! Himilco," laughed Gisgo the earless, "we shall have some sport now."

"Yes, old Celt," replied Himilco, "we will teach the rascals to swim."

I shook hands heartily with all three men, and they returned to their ships. It was now broad daylight, and casting my eye towards the river, I reconnoitred the enemy's position. Below-stream the Egyptian galleys were under way; opposite to us, on the left bank, were about forty small boats, each manned with four rowers and five soldiers, and a troop of nearly a hundred bowmen were assembling hastily on the right-hand shore. Looking up-stream, I could count as many as six galleys about two stadia away; two large heavy ships, with hanging decks, were sailing down the left bank; and mid-channel I recognised the towering sides and rounded prow of the Melkarth, her oars shipped, and her sails furled, being towed by a low, open rowing-boat. The camp, of which we had noticed the fires in the darkness, was much too far off to be visible by daylight. The shore on either side was perfectly flat and treeless, but covered with fields of clover and of corn that was nearly ripe, as the harvest-time was drawing nigh. On the left bank, about two bowshots from the water, a steep dyke, surmounted by a causeway, had been thrown up as a protection during the annual inundation. Far away to the south, the white buildings of a city could be distinguished; and in the north could be seen the yellowish-whitey waters of the river bar, with the broad green surface of the sea beyond.

We were hardly six stadia from the mouth of the river; the strong east wind and the current were both in our favour, and once out at sea we should have little to fear. I determined, therefore, to make an attack upon the Egyptians before the Melkarth could get ahead of us, for I knew that once in front of us, her very bulk would be a formidable obstacle to our retreat, and that she could overwhelm us with a storm of missiles; while the superior height of her deck would not only prevent our men from boarding her, but, on the contrary, would give her men every facility for boarding us.

My first manœuvre was to slip my moorings, and to take up my position in the middle of the channel, so as to be out of reach of the archers on the shore. The Dagon had shifted her prow to the north, and lay half a bowshot below me; the Cabiros was to my left, her prow southward. The sails were all furled, the rowers were ordered to backwater very gently so as to just keep the vessels in their places, and each pilot took his stand by the side of the helmsman. Hannibal posted his archers fore and aft, and grouped his soldiers round the mast. Hanno and I mounted the prow, and my trumpeter followed. The gigantic Jonah remained with Hannibal; he could not be persuaded either to put on a cuirass or to take a lance, but stood, clarion in hand, watching all our preparations with a curious eye.

The scorpions had already been supplied with missiles, and each vessel was provided with a number of earthenware pots filled with sulphur and pitch. We improvised, also, a quantity of fire-ships, formed of small planks, into which spikes were driven, to which were fastened well-greased goat-skins charged with combustibles.

We had not long to wait. Very soon were heard the shrill notes of the small Egyptian trumpets, and the decks of the ships were seen manned with troops. I could discern the smooth brown faces of the soldiers, and make out that they were armed with battle-axes and large triangular shields; and I could see that the archers, with their legs bare, and poignards in their girdles, were ranged along the sides of the ships. The rowers, more than half-naked (clothed merely by a strip around their loins), plied their paddles, according to their custom, standing. On board the Melkarth, Bodmilcar was easily distinguished; he was in a state of great excitement and activity, and apparently giving some explanation to an Egyptian officer, a man dressed in green and wearing a large wig, with his face and arms painted with cinnabar, in accordance with the common fashion of their men of rank.