The elephants were terrified by the flames and fled.  The ground sloped upwards, javelins were thrown at them, and they turned back;—­and with great blows of ivory and trampling feet they ripped up the Carthaginians, stifled them, flattened them.  The Barbarians descended the hill behind them; the Punic camp, which was without entrenchments was sacked at the first rush, and the Carthaginians were crushed against the gates, which were not opened through fear of the Mercenaries.

Day broke, and Matho’s foot-soldiers were seen coming up from the west.  At the same time horsemen appeared; they were Narr’ Havas with his Numidians.  Leaping ravines and bushes they ran down the fugitives like greyhounds pursuing hares.  This change of fortune interrupted the Suffet.  He called out to be assisted to leave the vapour bath.

The three captives were still before him.  Then a Negro (the same who had carried his parasol in the battle) leaned over to his ear.

“Well?” replied the Suffet slowly.  “Ah! kill them!” he added in an abrupt tone.

The Ethiopian drew a long dagger from his girdle and the three heads fell.  One of them rebounded among the remains of the feast, and leaped into the basin, where it floated for some time with open mouth and staring eyes.  The morning light entered through the chinks in the wall; the three bodies streamed with great bubbles like three fountains, and a sheet of blood flowed over the mosaics with their powdering of blue dust.  The Suffet dipped his hand into this hot mire and rubbed his knees with it:  it was a cure.

When evening had come he stole away from the town with his escort, and made his way into the mountain to rejoin his army.

He succeeded in finding the remains of it.

Four days afterward he was on the top of a defile at Gorza, when the troops under Spendius appeared below.  Twenty stout lances might easily have checked them by attacking the head of their column, but the Carthaginians watched them pass by in a state of stupefaction.  Hanno recognised the king of the Numidians in the rearguard; Narr’ Havas bowed to him, at the same time making a sign which he did not understand.

The return to Carthage took place amid all kinds of terrors.  They marched only at night, hiding in the olive woods during the day.  There were deaths at every halting-place; several times they believed themselves lost.  At last they reached Cape Hermaeum, where vessels came to receive them.

Hanno was so fatigued, so desperate—­the loss of the elephants in particular overwhelmed him—­that he demanded poison from Demonades in order to put an end to it all.  Moreover he could already feel himself stretched upon the cross.