But those who were behind were murmuring and pressed forward when a
Garamantian passed through the crowd; he was brandishing a sickle; all
understood his thought; their faces purpled, and smitten with shame they
shrieked:
"Yes! yes!"
The man with the curved steel approached Gisco. He took his head, and,
resting it upon his knee, sawed it off with rapid strokes; it fell; to
great jets of blood made a hole in the dust. Zarxas leaped upon it, and
lighter than a leopard ran towards the Carthaginians.
Then when he had covered two thirds of the mountain he drew Gisco's
head from his breast by the beard, whirled his arm rapidly several
times,--and the mass, when thrown at last, described a long parabola and
disappeared behind the Punic entrenchments.
Soon at the edge of the palisades there rose two crossed standards, the
customary sign for claiming a corpse.
Then four heralds, chosen for their width of chest, went out with great
clarions, and speaking through the brass tubes declared that henceforth
there would be between Carthaginians and Barbarians neither faith, pity,
nor gods, that they refused all overtures beforehand, and that envoys
would be sent back with their hands cut off.
Immediately afterwards, Spendius was sent to Hippo-Zarytus to procure
provisions; the Tyrian city sent them some the same evening.
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