"And were not the Cabiri considerate for me?" interposed Himilco; "the salt sea made me thirsty, and they sent me a goat-skin full of luscious wine."
Without noticing him, the chief continued:
"Assuredly the Phœnician deities maintain a careful watch to guard their children. I shall not soon forget how I saw their mighty chariot roll above the waves to your assistance."
It was now Himilco's turn to look astonished.
"Chariot upon the waters!" he exclaimed; "what was it like?"
"It was high, and round, and parti-coloured, and had great sea-monsters drawing it over the raging sea."
He spoke with a kind of awe; but it struck me that he might perchance have seen Bodmilcar's gaoul, and that the lightning's glare had given it the variegated effect which he had noticed. I suggested this, in an undertone, to Himilco, who only said:
"If Bodmilcar were the sea-god, I should like to have the chance of getting into the sea-god's chariot and ringing the sea-god's neck."
While we had been talking, I had observed Hamilcar and several others closely scrutinising something that the waves had cast upon the beach. Curious to see what was interesting them, I joined them, and found some fragments of a ship.
"This is no Phœnician work," said Hamilcar, pointing to a bolt still hanging to one of the planks.