Malchus turned his head. ‘Tell them who we are, and why we’re here.’
‘We are Carthaginians,’ said Bostar loudly. ‘We come in peace.’ He ignored the sniggers that met this remark. ‘With a message for your chieftain, from our leader, Hannibal Barca.’
‘Never heard of the prick,’ bellowed a hulking figure with a black beard. Hoots of amusement from his comrades followed. Encouraged by this, the warrior shoved his way out of the throng. Long raven tresses spilled out from under his bronze helmet. His black quilted linen tunic could not conceal the massive muscles of his chest and upper arms, and his sinew greaves barely fitted around his trunk-like calves. He was so big that the shield and saunion clutched in his ham fists looked like child’s toys. The warrior gave the Libyans and scutarii a contemptuous glance, before returning his cold gaze to Bostar. ‘Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t just kill you all,’ he snarled.
Snarls of agreement followed his challenge, and the Ausetani moved forward a step.
Bostar tensed, but managed to keep his hands in his lap, on his reins. He watched Sapho sidelong and was relieved when his brother didn’t reach for his sword either.
‘The guide was telling the truth,’ Malchus remarked dryly under his breath. He raised his voice. ‘Tell him that we bring a message, and gifts, for his leader from our general. His chieftain will not be pleased if he does not hear these words for himself.’
Carefully, Bostar repeated his father’s words in Iberian. It was exactly the right thing to say. Confusion and anger mixed on the big man’s face for a moment, but a moment later, he stood back. When one of his companions queried his action, the warrior simply shoved him aside with an irritated grunt. Relief flooded through Bostar. The first hurdle had been crossed. It was like watching a landslide beginning. First one man moved out of the way, then a second and a third, followed by several more, until the process took on a life of its own. Soon the group of Ausetani had split apart, leaving the track that led to the village’s front gate clear apart from the warrior with the black beard. He trotted ahead to carry the news of their arrival.
Without looking to left or right, Malchus urged his horse up the slope.
The rest of the party followed, shadowed closely by the mass of warriors.
Inside, the settlement was like a hundred others Bostar had seen before. A central open area was ringed by dozens of single-storey wooden and brick huts, the outermost of which had been built right up against the palisade. Plumes of smoke rose from the roofs of many. Small children and dogs played in the dirt, oblivious to the drama about to unfold. Hens and pigs scuffled about, searching for food. Women and old people stood in the doorways of their houses, watching impassively. The acrid smell of urine and faeces, both animal and human, laced the air. At the far side of the open space stood a high-backed wooden chair, which was occupied by a man in late middle age, and flanked by ten warriors in mail shirts and crimson-crested helmets. The bearded hulk was there too, busily muttering to the chieftain.
Without hesitation, Malchus headed for this group. Reaching it, he dismounted, indicating that his sons should do the same. At once three Libyan spearmen darted forward to take the horses’ reins. Malchus made a deep bow towards the chief. Bostar quickly copied him. It was prudent to treat the Ausetani leader with respect, he thought. The man was head of a tribe, after all. Yet he looked an untrustworthy ruffian. The chieftain’s red linen tunic might be woven from quality fabric, and the sword and dagger on his belt well made, but the tresses of lank, greasy hair that dangled on to his pockmarked cheeks told a different story. So did his flat, dead eyes, which reminded Bostar of a lizard. Sapho was last of all to bend from the waist. His gesture was shallower than the others had been. His insolence did not go unnoticed; several of the nearby warriors snarled with anger. Bostar glared at his brother, but the harm had been done.
The trio of Carthaginians and the Ausetani leader stared at each other in silence for a moment, each trying to gauge the other. The chieftain spoke first. He aimed his words at Malchus, the embassy’s obvious leader.
‘He says that our message must indeed be important to keep his men from their sport,’ muttered Bostar.
‘He’s playing with us. Trying to put fear in our hearts,’ Malchus murmured contemptuously. ‘He’s not about to kill us out of hand, or his warriors would have done so already. The news of our presence in the area must have reached him before now, and he wants to hear what we have to say for himself. Tell him what we told the other leaders. Lay it on thick about the size of our army.’
Bostar did as he was told, politely explaining how Hannibal and his host would arrive in the next few months, seeking only safe passage to Gaul. There would be well-paid jobs for Ausetani warriors who wished to serve as guides. Any supplies required by the Carthaginians would be purchased. Looting and theft of the locals’ property or livestock would be forbidden, on pain of death. As he spoke, Bostar studied the chief intently but was frustrated in his attempt to gauge what the man was thinking. All he could do was to continue in a confident, self-assured vein. Hope for the best.
Bostar began to wax lyrical about the different groups that made up Hannibal’s immense force, describing the thousands of spearmen and scutarii like those who stood behind him; the slingers and skirmishers who softened up an enemy before the real fighting began; the peerless Numidian cavalry, whose stinging attacks no soldiers in the world could withstand; and the elephants, which were capable of smashing apart troop formations like so much firewood. Bostar was still in mid-flow when the chieftain peremptorily held up his hand, stopping him. ‘And you say this army is how big?’ he demanded.
‘A hundred thousand men. At the very least.’ The instant the words had left his lips, Bostar could see that the Ausetani leader did not believe him. His spirits fell. It was an enormous figure to take in, yet the other tribes visited by the embassy had done so. Perhaps, thought Bostar, it was because they were a lot smaller than the Ausetani. In those villages, the fifty Carthaginian soldiers had seemed altogether more intimidating than they did here. This tribe was a different proposition; reportedly, there were numerous other villages like this one. Combined, the Ausetani might be able to field a force of two or even three thousand warriors, which for Iberia was a considerable achievement. Imagining a host thirty to fifty times larger than that number called for a good imagination.
Sure enough, the chief and his bodyguards exchanged a series of disbelieving looks.
‘Scum,’ Sapho whispered furiously in Carthaginian. ‘They’ll shit themselves when they actually see the army.’
Not knowing what else to do, Bostar ploughed on. ‘Some evidence of our good faith.’ He clicked his fingers and a quartet of scutarii trotted forward, carrying heavy, clinking bags and armfuls of tightly rolled leather. Placing the items in front of the chieftain, they returned to their positions.
The gifts were opened and examined with unseemly speed. Avarice glittered in the faces of every Ausetani watching as mounds of silver coins showered on to the ground. There were loud mutters of appreciation too for the shining weaponry that emerged into view as the leather bundles were unrolled.
Malchus’ attitude was still confident, or appeared to be so. ‘Ask the chief what answer he would have us take back to Hannibal,’ he directed Bostar.
Bostar obeyed.
The Ausetani leader’s face grew thoughtful. For the space of twenty heartbeats, he sat regarding the riches laid out before him. Finally, he asked a short question.
‘He wants to know how much more they can expect when Hannibal arrives,’ Bostar relayed unhappily.
‘Greedy bastard,’ Sapho hissed.
Malchus’ eyebrows drew together in disapproval, yet he did not look surprised. ‘I can promise him the same again, and the dog will probably let us go,’ he said. ‘But I have no idea if Hannibal will agree with my decision. We’ve already handed over a fortune.’ He glanced at his sons. ‘What do you think?’
‘Hannibal will think we are fools, pure and simple,’ muttered Sapho, his nostrils flaring. ‘All the other tribes have accepted our gifts, yet this one got twice as much?’
‘We can’t offer him more or the son of a whore will think we’re a walkover,’ Bostar conceded. He scowled. ‘Hannibal’s goodwill should be more than enough for him!’
‘But I don’t think it will be,’ said Malchus grimly. ‘If that amount of silver and weaponry hasn’t done it, then a vague promise certainly won’t.’
Bostar could see no way out that didn’t involve major loss of face. Although he and his companions were few in number, they were the representatives of a major power, not these cut-throats around them. To accede to the chieftain’s demand would show fear on their part, and by implication, weakness on the part of their general. His eyes narrowed as an idea struck. ‘You could promise him a private meeting with Hannibal,’ he suggested. ‘Suggest that an alliance between his people and Carthage would be beneficial to both parties.’
