Tomorrow sail for Carthage, and there strive by efforts for the good of your country to efface the remembrance of this blow which you would have struck her." So saying, with a wave of the hand he dismissed them.
They went without a word, too astonished at his clemency, too humiliated by their own disgrace even to utter a word of thanks.

When they were fairly beyond the palace they looked at each other as men awakened from a dream.
"What a man!" one of them exclaimed.

"No wonder the soldiers adore him! He has given us our lives--more, he has saved our names from disgrace.
Henceforth, Pontus, we, at least, can never again take part against him." "It is almost too much to bear," the other said; "I feel that I would rather that he had ordered us to instant execution." "Ay, for our own sakes, Pontus, but not for those of others.

For myself I shall retire to the country; it seems to me that never again shall I be able to mix with others; they may know nothing of it, but it will be ever on my mind.

How they would shrink back in horror were what we have done whispered to them! Truly, were it not for my family, I would prefer death with the worst torture to life as it will be now." The excitement in the army was intense when it became known that a body of Iberians had attempted to break into Hannibal's palace with the design of murdering him, and many of the soldiers, seizing their arms, hurried towards the city, and had not an officer ridden with the news to Hannibal, they would assuredly have fallen upon the native inhabitants, and a general massacre would have taken place.
Hannibal at once mounted and rode out to meet the soldiers.