weary soldiers.

After a day's rest here the march was resumed. During the next three
days the army moved up the valley of the river Isere without difficulty.
The natives met them with wreaths on their heads and branches in their
hands, promising peace, offering hostages, and supplying cattle.
Hannibal mistrusted the sudden friendliness of his late foes, but they
seemed so honest that he accepted some of them as guides through a
difficult region which he was now approaching.

He had reason for his mistrust, for they treacherously led him into a
narrow and dangerous defile, which might have easily been avoided; and
while the army was involved in this straitened pass an attack was
suddenly made by the whole force of the mountaineers. Climbing along the
mountain-sides above the defile, they hurled down stones on the
entangled foe, and loosened and rolled great rocks down upon their
defenceless heads.

Fortunately Hannibal, moved by his doubts, had sent his cavalry and
baggage on first. The attack fell on the infantry, and with a body of
these he forced his way to the summit of one of the cliffs above the
defile, drove away the foe, and held it while the army made its way
slowly on. As for the elephants, they were safe from attack. The very
sight of these huge beasts filled the barbarians with such terror that
they dared not even approach them. There was no further peril, and on
the ninth day of its march the army reached the summit of the Alps.

It was now the end of October. The grass and flowers which carpet that
elevated spot in summer had become replaced by snow. In truth, the
climate of the Alps was colder at that period than now, and snow lay on
the higher passes all through the year. The soldiers were disheartened
by cold and fatigue. The scene around them was desolate and dreary. New
perils awaited their onward course. But no such feeling entered
Hannibal's courageous soul. Fired by hope and ambition, he sought to
plant new courage in the hearts of his men.

"The valley you see yonder is Italy," he said, pointing to the sunny
slope which, from their elevated position, appeared not far away. "It
leads to the country of our friends, the Gauls; and yonder is our way to
Rome." Their eyes followed the direction of his pointing hand, and their
hearts grew hopeful again with the cheerfulness and enthusiasm of his
words.

Two days the army remained there, resting, and waiting for the
stragglers to come up. Then the