A number of booths made of branches of trees had been erected on the shore, and some Phœnician dealers were purchasing plunder from the soldiers, and supplying them with wine in return. Himilco, Gisgo, and several others expressed a great wish to go ashore, and although I knew that they would only be drinking and bragging of their adventures, I could not find it in my heart to refuse them. I only stipulated that they should not go out of hearing. A couple of hours later, being curious to know what was going on in the little mart that looked so bright with its many lamps, I took Bichri and Jonah, and rowed to land. Just as I stepped on shore, I observed two galleys pass down stream, as if about to anchor below us; they were followed by a gaoul, which kept very close to the opposite bank; but as the river was very wide, and it was quite dusk, I could not distinguish its form. Knowing, moreover, that there was a great deal of slave-trafficking going on with the Assyrians, I did not give the circumstance more than a casual attention.
To face [page 327].
I found Himilco and Gisgo in animated conversation with the Chaldean soldiers, who evidently regarded all their tales about enormous stags, stinking fish-oil, and the sun shining on the wrong side, as mere romances, if not downright lies. One of them avowed that no power on earth would ever make him believe that any people could accept Jonah for their god, a mere human being like themselves. To this Bichri replied, somewhat contemptuously, that he could not see but that Jonah was every whit as good as Nisroch; and Gisgo added that he could believe anything after seeing how the Assyrians allowed themselves to be bullied by Belochus and his general Belesys.
Furious at the insults offered alike to his god and to his rulers, the Chaldean threatened to break every bone in Gisgo's skin; whereupon Gisgo replied that he was quite ready to accept a challenge, and that he would fight it out in any way he pleased; like the people of Prydhayn or Ar-Mor, if he chose.
"You had better not be fighting with us," said Himilco; "we conquer wherever we go; Sicilians, Garamantines, Suomi, Germani, we have thrashed them all. We have been to the river Illiturgis, and to the Pyrenees, and to the Chariot of the Gods, and to the Fortunate Islands, where we got as much gold as we liked. Everything succeeds with us; and the best thing you can do is to leave us alone."
The man looked aghast at the string of names which Himilco repeated out so volubly, and, in a half-apologetic tone, replied:
"You Sidonians are wonderful travellers. I am a Kardook, and thought I had done something marvellous in coming here from my far-off mountains. The world is much larger than I reckoned."