"Take him away then! my suffering is too great! begone! kill me like him!" The servants of Moloch were astonished that the great Hamilcar was so weak-spirited.

They were almost moved by it.
A noise of naked feet became audible, with a broken throat-rattling like the breathing of a wild beast speeding along, and a man, pale, terrible, and with outspread arms appeared on the threshold of the third gallery, between the ivory pots; he exclaimed: "My child!" Hamilcar threw himself with a bound upon the slave, and covering the man's mouth with his hand exclaimed still more loudly: "It is the old man who reared him! he calls him 'my child!' it will make him mad! enough! enough!" And hustling away the three priests and their victim he went out with them and with a great kick shut the door behind him.
Hamilcar strained his ears for some minutes in constant fear of seeing them return.

He then thought of getting rid of the slave in order to be quite sure that he would see nothing; but the peril had not wholly disappeared, and, if the gods were provoked at the man's death, it might be turned against his son.

Then, changing his intention, he sent him by Taanach the best from his kitchens--a quarter of a goat, beans, and preserved pomegranates.

The slave, who had eaten nothing for a long time, rushed upon them; his tears fell into the dishes.
Hamilcar at last returned to Salammbo, and unfastened Hannibal's cords.
The child in exasperation bit his hand until the blood came.