g white! That must be the
snow we have heard of--the rain turned solid by cold, and which they say
causes a pain to the naked limbs something like hot iron. Fancy having
to sleep in such stuff!"

Malchus laughed at the complaints of his comrade.

"I confess I am glad we are off at once," he said, "for I was sick of
doing nothing but idling away my time at Carthage; and I suppose it
would be just the same here. How busy are the streets of the town!
Except for the sight of the mountains which we see through the breaks of
the houses, one might believe one's self still at home."

The aspect of Carthagena, indeed, closely resembled that of the mother
city, and the inhabitants were of the same race and blood.

Carthagena had in the first place been formed by a great colony of
Libyans. The inhabitants of that province inhabiting the seaports and
coasts near Carthage were a mixture of Phoenician and native blood. They
were ever impatient of the supremacy of Carthage, and their rebellions
were frequent and often dangerous. After the suppression of these
insurrections, Carthage, sensible of the danger arising from the
turbulence of her neighbours, deported great numbers of them to form
colonies. Vast numbers were sent up into the Soudan, which was then one
of the most important possessions of the republic. The most extensive,
however, of these forced emigrations was the great colony sent to found
Carthagena, which had thus in a very few years, under the fostering
genius of the great Hamilcar, become a great and prosperous city.

Carthage itself had thus suddenly sprung into existence. After many
internal troubles the democracy of Tyre had gained the upper hand in
that city; and finding their position intolerable, the whole of the
aristocracy decided to emigrate, and, sailing with a great fleet under
their queen Dido or Elisa--for she was called by both names--founded
Carthage. This triumph of the democracy in Tyre, as might be expected,
proved the ruin of that city. Very rapidly she fell from the lofty
position she had held, and her place in the world and her proud position
as Queen of the Seas was very speedily taken by Carthage.

The original Libyan colony of Carthagena had been very largely increased
by subsequent emigration, and the populace presented an appearance very
similar to that of the mother city, save that instead of the swarthy
desert tribesmen, with their passive face and air of proud indifference,
mingling w