"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.
The soldiers that manned the small boats were nearly as slightly clad as the rowers; they carried poignards in their girdles, and were armed with axes and staves pointed at both ends, in the use of which the Egyptians are notoriously skilful. Although all appeared in considerable commotion, not one of the vessels made any attempt to advance, and there seemed a general state of expectation.