Salammbô · Chapter
XIV: The Pass of the Hatchet explained
The Mercenaries make a desperate last stand in a fortified town as Hamilcar, Narr'Havas, and Hanno besiege them.
What happens
The Mercenaries make a desperate last stand in a fortified town as Hamilcar, Narr'Havas, and Hanno besiege them. Hanno is captured and nearly crucified, but Matho spares him temporarily. A fierce battle ensues, culminating in the near annihilation of the Barbarians. Matho, stripped of armor, hurls himself into the enemy pikes but is not killed. Later, Hamilcar tricks the Mercenary leaders into a false peace, seizes ten chiefs including Spendius, and then unleashes a devastating elephant attack on the remaining Barbarians in the pass.
Themes in this chapter
War and Destruction
The chapter depicts the savage climax of the Mercenary War, with mass slaughter, desperate last stands, and the use of war elephants to annihilate the Barbarians.
Power and Corruption
Hanno's cowardly offer to betray Hamilcar for personal survival and Hamilcar's deceptive peace negotiations illustrate the corrupting influence of power and self-interest.
Fate and Divine Retribution
Matho's seemingly invulnerable stance on the rampart (arrows missing him) and his final suicidal charge suggest a fatalistic acceptance of destiny and divine judgment.
Characters to notice
- Matho
Leads the desperate defense of the town, sallies out against Hamilcar's camp, captures Hanno, and later fights naked and berserk before hurling himself into the pikes.
- Hamilcar Barca
Commands the Carthaginian siege, crucifies ten ambassadors, orchestrates the battle, and later deceives the Mercenary leaders into surrendering ten chiefs.
- Hanno
Captured by the Barbarians after a failed attack; offers to betray Hamilcar to save himself, but is stripped and nearly crucified before being spared by Matho.
- Narr'Havas
Commands the Numidians on the right flank; warns Hanno to aid Hamilcar, then leads his cavalry in the battle.
- Spendius
One of the Mercenary ambassadors; pleads with Hamilcar for peace, fawningly picks up the fallen ring, and is ultimately seized as one of the ten chiefs.
- Autaritus
Protests against sacrificing their companions when Hamilcar demands ten hostages.
- Zarxas
Criticizes Spendius for not killing Hamilcar when he had the chance.
Key passages
“Hamilcar pitched his camp on the south side; Narr’ Havas, to his right, occupied the plain of Rhades, and Hanno the shore of the lake; and the three generals were to maintain their respective positions, so as all to attack the walls simultaneously.”
Hamilcar set up camp to the south, with Narr'Havas on the right at the plain of Rhades and Hanno by the lake, planning a coordinated assault on the city walls.
Describes the strategic deployment of Carthaginian forces for the siege.
“Hanno, desiring to humiliate his rival, did not hesitate. He shouted orders to sound the trumpets, and his whole army rushed upon the Barbarians.”
Hanno, eager to outshine Hamilcar, immediately ordered his entire army to attack the Barbarians.
Highlights Hanno's rivalry with Hamilcar and his impulsive decision.
“Then the old Suffet, understanding that he must die, wept. They tore off the clothes that were still left on him—and the horror of his person appeared. Ulcers covered the nameless mass; the fat on his legs hid the nails on his feet; from his fingers there hung what looked like”
Realizing his death was imminent, the old Suffet wept as the Barbarians stripped him, revealing his grotesque, ulcer-ridden body.
Depicts Hanno's physical decay and his moment of despair before crucifixion.
“Spendius fell swooning upon the mat. The Barbarians, as though abandoning him, pressed close together; and there was not a word, not a complaint.”
Spendius fainted onto the mat, and the other Barbarian chiefs huddled together in silent shock, as if disowning him.
Shows Spendius's collapse and the chiefs' reaction to Hamilcar's betrayal.
“The elephants entered into this mass of men; and the spurs on their breasts divided it, the lances on their tusks upturned it like ploughshares; they cut, hewed, and hacked with the scythes on their trunks; the towers, which were full of phalaricas, looked like volcanoes on the march; nothing could be distinguished but a large heap, whereon human flesh, pieces of brass and”
The elephants plowed into the Barbarian ranks, their breast-spurs splitting the crowd, tusk-lances overturning men like plowshares, and trunk-scythes slashing; the towers bristling with flaming missiles seemed like moving volcanoes, leaving only a heap of mangled flesh and metal.
Vividly describes the devastating elephant charge that annihilates the remaining Barbarians.
