To face [page 248].
I made them a number of presents, and much to Himilco's annoyance (for he knew our supply was rapidly diminishing), I gave them some wine. This exhilarated them very much for a time, although their shouting and screaming ended in some bickerings amongst themselves; to us, however, they were civil, and in spite of a little roughness, we found their manners so kind, that it was impossible to be in any way alarmed at them. When they went away they promised to return in the evening, and bring their whole population and some goods in return for our presents, but we saw nothing more of them until the next morning, when they came followed by a whole retinue of men, women, and children, but all of them quite empty-handed. Rushing into the camp with great excitement, they overwhelmed us with their embraces, and asked such countless questions that I was quite bewildered; they insisted upon helping us to arrange our camp, but introduced disorder wherever they went: loud in their praises of what they saw, they were scrupulously honest, and did not attempt to purloin the smallest article, but their inquisitiveness and their meddling rendered them a perpetual nuisance. They tried Hannibal's temper sorely, by handling his cuirass and helmet; the more he pushed them off the more they laughed and enjoyed his annoyance. Chryseis and Abigail had a hard matter to keep them from stripping them, in their curiosity to examine their clothes. Judge Gebal did not fail to provide them boundless amusement, and they roared with laughter as Bichri and Dionysos made their mischievous little quadruped show off his antics. Some of my people regretted that we had lost the attraction of Jonah's trumpet, but there was a sufficient variety of objects without that to give them abundance of diversion.
Amidst all this, however, I did not suffer myself to forget either of the two grand objects of my voyage, the discovery of new lands and the acquisition of rare commodities; and accordingly I took much pains to examine the people about the situation and configuration, both of their own islands and of the land we had just left. They seemed a very intelligent race, and I found that they were adventurous, frequently accomplishing long distances in their canoes of hide. According to their information we were now on the largest and most important of a group of twelve small islands,[42] but that the great island Prydhayn was so large that it took them no less than two months to circumnavigate it in their canoes, from which I drew the inference that it must be as large as Tarshish. I requested the men to bring me whatever food they had for sale, and they never failed subsequently in keeping me well supplied with fish and venison. Seeing at once that they were not an agricultural people, I made no demands for corn and vegetables; but as some time afterwards a small quantity of barley and some other edible grain arrived from Prydhayn, I conjectured that some of the natives are beginning to have some notion of husbandry.
I was much struck by the number of trinkets that the Cymri wore about their persons; and observing that the metal of which many of them were made was singularly white, I was curious to know what it was and where it could be procured. To my surprise, and I may add to my delight, I was informed that the island on which we were encamped yielded it in great abundance, and I lost no time in investigating the veins of ore. Accompanied by a few men, I set out upon a search which was rewarded by the discovery that the entire island was one vast mine of tin.
A scheme suggested itself to my mind which I resolved to carry out. With the wood obtained either here or from the neighbouring large island, I determined to build a new ship to replace the shattered Dagon; and during the time that it was being constructed I purposed gathering such a store of metal as would form a cargo far surpassing anything of the kind which Phœnicia had witnessed before. Every one around me most heartily approved of my project.
In return for a few trifling knick-knacks, and for some fragments of the old copper sheathing of the Dagon, the natives willingly acquiesced in our working their mines, and in letting us portions of their territory for as long as we pleased to retain it; in fact, they seemed to wish that we would settle permanently amongst them; they volunteered their assistance in every way, and our camp was quite over-stocked with the produce of their hunting and fishing, whilst for the presents we made them they were profuse in their expressions of pleasure and gratitude. In spite of their restlessness, inquisitiveness, and love of talking, I have no hesitation in pronouncing them the most favourable specimens of savages we had hitherto seen.
Our arrangements were soon made. Hamilcar, with Bichri and twenty archers, started on board the Cabiros to explore the islands and the coast of Prydhayn; Hasdrubal and Gisgo undertook the supervision of the working of the mines; I remained with Himilco in the camp to devote myself to the construction of our new ship; and, first of all, in order to protect our men against the rainy and rigorous climate, I had some substantial huts erected, as being more suitable than the tents. For Hannibal and Chamai there was no definite employment, and they spent most of their time in hunting and fishing, and in joining in the sports of the islanders, whom they began to instruct in military drill; and never had they found more apt or devoted learners.
One day Hannibal and Chamai made their appearance among us with their chins closely shorn, and no hair left on the face except a moustache on the upper lip; they had fraternised so far with the savages as to conform to their fashion.