Spendius, Autaritus, and Zarxas, four Italiotes, a Negro and two Spartans offered themselves as envoys.

They were immediately accepted.

They did not know, however, by what means they should get away.
But a cracking sounded in the direction of the rocks; and the most elevated of them, after rocking to and fro, rebounded to the bottom.

In fact, if they were immovable on the side of the Barbarians--for it would have been necessary to urge them up an incline plane, and they were, moreover, heaped together owing to the narrowness of the gorge--on the others, on the contrary, it was sufficient to drive against them with violence to make them descend.

The Carthaginians pushed them, and at daybreak they projected into the plain like the steps of an immense ruined staircase.
The Barbarians were still unable to climb them.