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salammbo-第66部分
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The war; by keeping him at a distance; had hitherto prevented him; and
since the return to before Carthage; it seemed to him that the
inhabitants suspected his enterprise。 But soon they diminished the
sentries on the aqueduct。 There were not too many people for the
defence of the walls。
The former slave practised himself for some days in shooting arrows at
the flamingoes on the lake。 Then one moonlight evening he begged Matho
to light a great fire of straw in the middle of the night; while all
his men were to shout at the same time; and taking Zarxas with him; he
went away along the edge of the gulf in the direction of Tunis。
When on a level with the last arches they returned straight towards
the aqueduct; the place was unprotected: they crawled to the base of
the pillars。
The sentries on the platform were walking quietly up and down。
Towering flames appeared; clarions rang; and the soldiers on vedette;
believing that there was an assault; rushed away in the direction of
Carthage。
One man had remained。 He showed black against the background of the
sky。 The moon was shining behind him; and his shadow; which was of
extravagant size; looked in the distance like an obelisk proceeding
across the plain。
They waited until he was in position just before them。 Zarxas seized
his sling; but whether from prudence or from ferocity Spendius stopped
him。 〃No; the whiz of the bullet would make a noise! Let me!〃
Then he bent his bow with all his strength; resting the lower end of
it against the great toe of his left foot; he took aim; and the arrow
went off。
The man did not fall。 He disappeared。
〃If he were wounded we should hear him!〃 said Spendius; and he mounted
quickly from story to story as he had done the first time; with the
assistance of a rope and a harpoon。 Then when he had reached the top
and was beside the corpse; he let it fall again。 The Balearian
fastened a pick and a mallet to it and turned back。
The trumpets sounded no longer。 All was now quiet。 Spendius had raised
one of the flag…stones and; entering the water; had closed it behind
him。
Calculating the distance by the number of his steps; he arrived at the
exact spot where he had noticed an oblique fissure; and for three
hours until morning he worked in continuous and furious fashion;
breathing with difficulty through the interstices in the upper flag…
tones; assailed with anguish; and twenty times believing that he was
going to die。 At last a crack was heard; and a huge stone ricocheting
on the lower arches rolled to the ground;and suddenly a cataract; an
entire river; fell from the skies onto the plain。 The aqueduct; being
cut through in the centre; was emptying itself。 It was death to
Carthage and victory for the Barbarians。
In an instant the awakened Carthaginians appeared on the walls; the
houses; and the temples。 The Barbarians pressed forward with shouts。
They danced in delirium around the great waterfall; and came up and
wet their heads in it in the extravagance of their joy。
A man in a torn; brown tunic was perceived on the summit of the
aqueduct。 He stood leaning over the very edge with both hands on his
hips; and was looking down below him as though astonished at his work。
Then he drew himself up。 He surveyed the horizon with a haughty air
which seemed to say: 〃All that is now mine!〃 The applause of the
Barbarians burst forth; while the Carthaginians; comprehending their
disaster at last; shrieked with despair。 Then he began to run about
the platform from one end to the other;and like a chariot…driver
triumphant at the Olympic Games; Spendius; distraught with pride;
raised his arms aloft。
CHAPTER XIII
MOLOCH
The Barbarians had no need of a circumvallation on the side of Africa;
for it was theirs。 But to facilitate the approach to the walls; the
entrenchments bordering the ditch were thrown down。 Matho next divided
the army into great semicircles so as to encompass Carthage the
better。 The hoplites of the Mercenaries were placed in the first rank;
and behind them the slingers and horsemen; quite at the back were the
baggage; chariots; and horses; and the engines bristled in front of
this throng at a distance of three hundred paces from the towers。
Amid the infinite variety of their nomenclature (which changed several
times in the course of the centuries) these machines might be reduced
to two systems: some acted like slings; and the rest like bows。
The first; which were the catapults; was composed of a square frame
with two vertical uprights and a horizontal bar。 In its anterior
portion was a cylinder; furnished with cables; which held back a great
beam bearing a spoon for the reception of projectiles; its base was
caught in a skein of twisted thread; and when the ropes were let go it
sprang up and struck against the bar; which; checking it with a shock;
multiplied its power。
The second presented a more complicated mechanism。 A cross…bar had its
centre fixed on a little pillar; and from this point of junction there
branched off at right angles a short of channel; two caps containing
twists of horse…hair stood at the extremities of the cross…bar; two
small beams were fastened to them to hold the extremities of a rope
which was brought to the bottom of the channel upon a tablet of
bronze。 This metal plate was released by a spring; and sliding in
grooves impelled the arrows。
The catapults were likewise called onagers; after the wild asses which
fling up stones with their feet; and the ballistas scorpions; on
account of a hook which stood upon the tablet; and being lowered by a
blow of the fist; released the spring。
Their construction required learned calculations; the wood selected
had to be of the hardest substance; and their gearing all of brass;
they were stretched with levers; tackle…blocks; capstans or tympanums;
the direction of the shooting was changed by means of strong pivots;
they were moved forward on cylinders; and the most considerable of
them; which were brought piece by piece; were set up in front of the
enemy。
Spendius arranged three great catapults opposite the three principle
angles; he placed a ram before every gate; a ballista before every
tower; while carroballistas were to move about in the rear。 But it was
necessary to protect them against the fire thrown by the besieged; and
first of all to fill up the trench which separated them from the
walls。
They pushed forward galleries formed of hurdles of green reeds; and
oaken semicircles like enormous shields gliding on three wheels; the
workers were sheltered in little huts covered with raw hides and
stuffed with wrack; the catapults and ballistas were protected by rope
curtains which had been steeped in vinegar to render them
incombustible。 The women and children went to procure stones on the
strand; and gathered earth with their hands and brought it to the
soldiers。
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