Hannibal's Elephant Girl. Charley Brindley

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      I tripped over a coiled rope and fell. My knee hit the deck, hard. Tin Tin’s hand was over my mouth in an instant, keeping me from crying out. I rubbed my knee as we stared wide-eyed toward the front of the ship. The voice stopped. My heart galloped as if Turanyu himself had gone wild inside my chest. I pulled Tin Tin’s hand away and gulped air, fearing all the while they would hear my pounding heart.

      Who are they, and what are they talking about?

      Our ship lay perfectly still in the dead black waters of the Middle Sea; nothing moved anywhere. We were so far from shore, we couldn’t see land in any direction.

      Other than my ragged breathing, not a sound could be heard. Even the rigging that seemed always to creak and moan lay silent.

      “…but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away.”

      Tin Tin looked at me, grinning—the words had begun again. It was a man’s husky voice, talking to someone but apparently taking no notice of us. I whispered a silent thanks to our Great Queen Elissa, long ago passed away but still watching over us.

      I heard soft footfalls on the opposite side of the ship, coming forward. I gripped Tin Tin’s hand and nodded that way. She pulled me to the mast, and we ducked behind it, pressing ourselves flat against the polished wood. The mast was thicker than my body and made from the trunk of a single fir tree.

      The voice at the bow stopped, then we heard the newcomer. “Lord Hannibal.”

      “Yes, Captain Xipan.”

      Tin Tin whispered to me, “Is Hannibal.”

      “And the captain, too,” I said.

      “Shall we set the slaves to work with the oars, sir?” the captain asked.

      I eased up on my tiptoes to see Hannibal look out over the flat sea.

      After a moment, he glanced up at the crescent moon. “It is well past midnight and near to dawn,” Hannibal said, turning back to the captain. “Let the slaves rest. If there is no wind with the sunrise, then we shall set them to work.”

      The captain did not answer; only slapped a hand to his chest in confirmation of Hannibal’s order. Captain Xipan hurried back toward the companionway leading below decks.

      “Captain.” Hannibal raised his voice.

      The captain stopped, turning back to Hannibal.

      “If the water boy is awake, send him to me.”

      The captain saluted as before and continued toward the hatch.

      I looked at Tin Tin Ban Sunia and saw the smile on her face. I rolled my eyes to the sky. Yes, we both knew who would next appear on deck.

      Tin Tin, always the braver of the two of us, took my hand to lead me forward. Soon we knelt, only a few heartbeats away from Hannibal.

      “Old man,” Hannibal said, “let me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your scepter of the god and your…”

      We could see Hannibal clearly now, standing before his table in the moonlight. He wore his red tunic with the fine double stitching. Upon the table sat a small olive oil lamp illuminating a scroll, partially unrolled. He bent low, peered at the scroll for a moment, then straightened up to address his companion; it was Turanyu, his warhorse!

      “…and your wrath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her.” Hannibal, with a flourish of his hand, spoke forcefully toward Turanyu, but the horse was obviously dozing, and, just as Obolus often did, he slept while standing.

      Tin Tin giggled, then I did, too.

      “Liada!” Hannibal said.

      I stood up, still giggling, but also frightened.

      “And Tin Tin Ban Sunia, too, I suppose.” He was apparently trying hard to display a feint of anger.

      “It is myself,” Tin Tin said as she squeezed my hand.

      I knew Hannibal could never be angry with Tin Tin, but me, yes, sometimes he was angry with me, and I had seen how he disciplined his men. I remembered quite clearly how he had humbled Sakul with his sword and javelin, and he had caused Sulobo to receive forty lashes across his back. This punishment Sulobo had always blamed on me.

      “Come here,” Hannibal commanded.

      I edged closer to Tin Tin as we walked slowly toward him.

      “What are you doing?”

      At this time, Hannibal was seventeen summers in age, but already a grown man in charge of the elephant training camp at Carthage, where he commanded several thousand men and oversaw the training of a hundred war elephants. Tin Tin was eleven summers, and I was twelve.

      “We…we…” I looked down at my bare feet. “We heard voices.”

      He glanced at Tin Tin.

      “Hear talking noise in dark night.”

      I looked at Tin Tin from the corner of my eye and saw her grinning.

      Hannibal put his fists on his hips. “You girls had better go get some sleep before the sun comes up.”

      Tin Tin slapped her right hand to her flat chest, and I followed suit. I thought Hannibal was about to smile, but he jerked his head to the side. We heard it, too—running footsteps. We saw the water boy coming quickly along the deck, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

      “Lord Hannibal.” He paused to catch his breath. “You sent for me?”

      Tin Tin tilted her head toward me. “Calogo,” she whispered, and I knew without looking she had that mooncalf expression on her face. I liked Calogo, too, but not the way she did.

      Hannibal clasped his hands behind his back and eyed the boy for a moment, making him squirm. “How much water does the elephant drink each day?”

      Calogo didn’t hesitate. “Twelve buckets, sometimes thirteen.”

      Hannibal considered that. “And Turanyu?” He gestured to the sleeping horse.

      The animal turned one ear toward his master but did not open his eyes. He was a magnificent black stallion, with a broad chest and powerful muscles.

      “Not nearly so much. Perhaps three buckets a day.”

      “Hmm. And what happens if we cut their water by half?”

      I watched Calogo look toward Turanyu, then back at Hannibal. “They can give up half their water ration for four days, and they will suffer no harm since they do not have heavy exertion onboard the ship. After four days, they will begin…” Calogo paused for a quick look at me. “They will begin to weaken.”

      “So be it,” Hannibal said. “Give them half-rations of water until I order otherwise. Without the wind, it will be two days and nights rowing to Hippo Regius, СКАЧАТЬ