The Shasta courier., 1868-04-11

from every degradation the unhappy favorite
of Rome gave her poison.
In the year 1913 Massinissa claimed pro.
vince from Carthage it was surrendered to
him. la the year lS2 he demanded another
about the year la, third, with fifty cities,
which also they surrendered to him. At
last, in l52, his claims became too intolerable
to be borne they declared war against him,
and he defeated them. But their utter ex.
tlrpation had been resolved on by that power
which for many an age seemed the pessonifed
Destiny of the Earth.
Carthage offered to do anything to ward off
the blow. They were promised the possess
sion of their lands and all their property if
they gave up three-hundred children of their
oe ianilies as hostages. They did so.-
Then their insolent masters demanded all
their arms offensive and defensive. These
they gave up their chief men following, in
acknowledgment of their hopelessness, the
long trains of wagons loaded with armor,
to the Roman camp. The Consul, then,
with stern look, said to them:
You must abandon Carthage You must
remove and build you home ten miles
inland. Carthage must be razed to the
foundations ~
This announcement turned all their pru-
despair. The wretched people preferred
slaughter to the leaving of their homes =
They flew to arms, making superhuman
efforts to keep out the pitiless destroyers-
The women sheared off their locks, to be
twined into cords for machines of war.
For two years they defed Rome's utmost
power. The Roman commander was Pub.
Illus Scipio Kmiliamus, who had been adopt
ed into the Scipio family by the son of Pub
lias Scipio Africanus, the conqueror of Han
nibal.
AT last the assailants burst into the CITY,
The battle ragged from house to house. A
Carthagenian of the highest rank had de
serted to Rome, and was leading the attack
against one of the strongest towers in the
doomed city; those within set it on fire, pre-.
ferrlng death In the flames to Roman mercy
As the flames were about to envelop the
whole building, suddenly the wife of the
traltorous general appeared on one of the
pinnacles, with his two little boys in her
hand.
Miserable traitor" she cried, "may the
Gods of Carthage torture you forever
Meanwhile, behold and enjoy if you can the
fruits of your treachery." Thereupon she
flung herself and her children into the flames
For six days the fight and massacre went
on. One hundred thousand were slain. At
last all resistance ceased for seventeen days
the great city, queen of so many seas, founder
of so many colonies, continued to burn
Fifty thousand of the noblest families were
sold as slaves; all the buildings that had
survived the fire were razed to the ground,
and in that memorable year of extrpation,
l46 before Christ, Carthage ceased to be
What feeling does such recital as this
excite the most strongly in our minds? Hor
ror at man Shame of this abused and dis
torted human nature of ours A shudder at
military glory, that bubble blown in blood.
The feeling is a wholesome one. Seek to
deepen it. You will deepen it best by a
steady and minute gaze at the realities of
war.
On the field of Came they found Numi.
dian lying under a Roman. The Numidian
had succeeded in cutting off both the ha:ids
of his foeman, but the Roman had fun him.
self with all his weight and force on the
other, and had managed to beat HIM down /:
but having lost his hands he had torn off the
nose and ears of the Numidian with his
teeth, and in that fit of rage he expired.