to which the young nobles were accustomed. The march, however,
and the keen bracing air had given them good appetites, and the
novelty and strangeness of the experience gave a zest to the food;
and in spite of the roughness of the meal, all declared that they
had never dined better. Many fires were now lit; and round these,
as the evening closed in, the men gathered in groups, all closely
wrapped in their bernouses, which were worn alike by officers and
men of the whole of the nationalities serving in the Carthaginian
army, serving as a cloak by day and a blanket at night. Presently
a trampling of horses was heard, and Hannibal and his personal
staff rode into the encampment.

He had not started until several hours after them, when, having
given his last orders and made all final arrangements for the
management of affairs during his absence, he had ridden on to join
the army. Dismounting, he went at once on foot among the troops,
chatting gaily with them and inquiring how they fared. After
visiting all the other detachments he came to the bivouac of the
Carthaginian horse, and for an hour sat talking by their fires.

"Ah!" he said as he rose to go, "the others will sleep well enough
tonight; but you sybarites, accustomed to your soft couches and
your luxuries, will fare badly. I remember my first night on the
hard ground, although `tis now sixteen years back, how my limbs
ached and how I longed for morning. Now, let me give you a hint
how to make your beds comfortable. Mind, this is not for the future,
but till your limbs get accustomed to the ground you may indulge
in luxuries. Before you try to go off to sleep note exactly where
your hip bones and shoulders will rest; take your daggers and scoop
out the earth at these points so as to make depressions in which