The Sword of Carthage by Heppner Vaughn

Author:Heppner, Vaughn [Heppner, Vaughn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-05-13T00:00:00+00:00

FOOTNOTES FOR CHAPTER TWELVE

(1) The Atlas Mountain breed has become extinct, likely hunted to extinction to fill the Roman Coliseums. It was a small Forest Elephant as presently found in the Congo, smaller than the Indian Elephant and much smaller than the African Plains Elephant.

13.

Adys

The Battle of Ecnomus should have been the end of it. Carthage had strained every resource assembling its grand fleet. She was mistress of the Western Sea, and once she sent forth her massed might, she had never known loss on the watery domain… until now. The empire rested on her commercial dominance of the North African emporiums and on tribute paid by her subject allies. Ecnomus had sent tremors throughout the empire and shaken the confidence of our rulers. Now Regulus’ legions marched through our back door. The Romans cut off the caravan routes to the cities of the Libyphoenician coast, Aspis, Hadrumentum, Leptis Minor and Acholla, and those too of the farther Tripolitan coast, Sabratha, Oea and Leptis Magna. If the Romans thought to offer these cities immunity from us, and independence, Hadrumentum and the others might well revolt. For years, my uncle had argued that we taxed our allies too heavily. Added to our recent conquests far up along the Bagradas valley in Numidia, for the privilege of greater Punic estates, we stood on the threshold of disaster. The invader had to be smashed before the desert sheiks noticed our impotence and took to their saddles or before our allies shrugged off our yoke.

None of these strategic realities moved our army.

But when the Romans laid siege to Adys, thirty miles southeast of Tunis, the wealthy cried in outrage. Many had homes in Adys and feared for their property. The Romans were notoriously savage during a sack, hacking even pet hounds and cats in half, never mind the smashing of babies’ heads and the repeated raping of women. Nobles petitioned The Hundred, who sent inquiries to the generals. The generals conferred in secret. Two days later, the army stirred. Cavalry threw up dust clouds. Marching soldiery followed. The elephants lumbered beside the wagons, a mile and a half of creaking wheels and lowing oxen.

Both Cimon and I rode Sarus, with a Numidian mahout driving him. Prince Maharbal led a small troop of Iberian horse. The troop was made up of Maharbal’s Ilergetes and other south Iberian mercenaries.

None of our elephants had towers, headpieces or knives strapped to their tusks. Each had a driver and one or two javelinmen on back. We had eighty beasts altogether, four times Pyrrhus’ numbers.

“His elephants were better,” said Cimon, “bigger, armored and trained to charge. Spearmen and archers, sir, that’s what we need, and towers. An elephant’s only half a beast without one.”

Riding an elephant was much different then riding a horse. With the elephant’s broad back, I had expected it to be easier, but the reverse was true. The elephant’s back tore at my thighs and groin because I had to split my legs so widely to sit. I wasn’t used to stretching my legs that far.

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