The impropriator of my pilot's ears had now advanced to me, and commenced negotiating in person. He sold me a quantity of sulphur, and appeared to be conducting his transaction in a friendly and equitable manner; but just as I was about, as usual, to embark my purchase, he declared that in addition to the stipulated price, he must have a cuirass like Hannibal's. I told him peremptorily that he could not have anything beyond the contract, whereupon he caught hold of the cuirass that Hannibal was wearing, and tried to drag it from him by main force. Hannibal, however, was too strong for him, and repelled him with a blow so violent that he stumbled and fell to the ground. In a moment, doubtless at a preconcerted signal, we were assailed by a shower of stones and lances. I was quite prepared; my measures of defence had all been arranged, and at a sign from me, the Cabiros set her catapults at work, and discharged a volley of missiles over our head into the throng of the enemy, whilst Hannibal and Chamai, each with his own troop, charged right and left.
But Gisgo was beforehand with any of us. Before the chief could regain his feet, the pilot rushed at him, and with the help of Himilco (who drew his sword, and hurried to his assistance) he had split open the chief's skull, and laid two of his staff-bearers dead, or as good as dead, by his side.
My fighting-men meanwhile succeeded in driving back the foremost Siculians half a stadium from the water's edge, and as soon as our boats were loaded and ready to start, I sounded the signal for retreat. Finding themselves no longer pursued, the Siculians faced about and followed us back at a safe distance, trying to harass us by stones and javelins; but I made my people embark a few at a time, and when there were only about fifteen of us remaining, just enough for one boat's load, I was congratulating myself that we had been so little molested; but at that very instant a large party of the Siculians made a dash towards us, and if it had not been that the Cabiros skilfully protected us by her engines, we must inevitably have fallen into their hands. As it was, we all managed to embark; and although they pursued us with hideous yells as far as they could into the water, we got right away, the Cabiros slipping her moorings and following us without sustaining any injury.
One of our Phocians had been killed, and another seriously wounded, and eight of our own people had received slight cuts and contusions; but we had obtained fifteen hundred shekels of coral, mother-of-pearl, and sulphur, so that on the whole I considered we had come out of the affair without much to regret. I rejoiced that my prudence and resolution had spared us from falling into any ambush of the treacherous foe.
Gisgo was in high spirits; he considered himself amply avenged, and came on board the Ashtoreth to show me his trophies; he brought two rods that he had captured, to each of which he had affixed a pair of bleeding ears, freshly cut from the skulls of his fallen adversaries. With regard to his own ears, nothing could convince him but that he had found them amongst the string of others, and the pair he selected was ever afterwards preserved most carefully in his leather purse.
During the night we passed through the group of the Ægades, which lie off Lilybœum, and where the Phœnicians have established a naval station. After hailing one of the guard-ships, we directed our course south-west, hoping that we might, with a calm sea and a light wind from the east, succeed by the following afternoon in reaching the fine bay which encloses, on the one hand, the roadstead of Utica, the metropolis and arsenal of our Libyan settlements, and on the other the harbour of Bozrah, its newly-built rival.
Eager to catch sight of the first important place at which they were to rest awhile, my people next morning were up betimes. Hannibal was especially interested; he had long wished to visit both Utica and Carthage, and asked me if it were true that Carthage had formerly been called Bozrah, and had not been known as Carthage for more than twenty years.
I replied that his impression about Carthage was quite correct; it had originally been Bozrah, which means "the citadel;" but Utica had been in existence for more than a century. He would find it a noble city; its Cothôn, or war-port, contained sixty dry-docks, above each of which was erected a magazine, and the whole place landwards was rendered impregnable by a triple wall.
Before disembarking, I satisfied myself that my prisoners were all in good condition, and after they had been well washed I ordered them to be supplied with double rations. The Rasennæ generally are very superstitious, and my captives were no exceptions. My proceedings with regard to them caused them much misgiving; they imagined that the extra food and cleansing implied that their last hour was come, and that they were about to be offered in sacrifice to the gods. Every moment in the dim light of the hold they fancied they could hear the winged Turms coming to conduct their souls to the shades, and they even went so far as to persuade themselves and each other that they could make out the shrieks of the tortured who were being scourged below. I was glad to relieve them of their fears. When I made them aware that the object of my preparations was to make them ready for sale in a fine city, where they would be employed according to their abilities; would be well fed and well clothed; and where, if they conducted themselves meritoriously, they would have a claim to the spoils of war, they were full of glee, and fell to their double portions of meat with a double relish. One only regret they acknowledged; they mourned their removal from their Hestia, or hearth-goddess, but they soon consoled themselves with the reflection that as the gods are everywhere, they might fairly hope to find a Hestia in their new country.