Spendius was afraid; he stammered.
Hamilcar, while listening to him, kept turning round on his finger a big gold ring, the same which had stamped the seal of Carthage upon the sword-belt.

He let it fall to the ground; Spendius immediately picked it up; his servile habits came back to him in the presence of his master.
The others quivered with indignation at such baseness.
But the Greek raised his voice and spoke for a long time in rapid, insidious, and even violent fashion, setting forth the crimes of Hanno, whom he knew to be Barca's enemy, and striving to move Hamilcar's pity by the details of their miseries and the recollection of their devotion; in the end he became forgetful of himself, being carried away by the warmth of his temper.
Hamilcar replied that he accepted their excuses.

Peace, then, was about to be concluded, and now it would be a definitive one! But he required that ten Mercenaries, chosen by himself, should be delivered up to him without weapons or tunics.
They had not expected such clemency; Spendius exclaimed: "Ah! twenty if you wish, master!" "No! ten will suffice," replied Hamilcar quietly.
They were sent out of the tent to deliberate.

As soon as they were alone, Autaritus protested against the sacrifice of their companions, and Zarxas said to Spendius: "Why did you not kill him?
his sword was there beside you!" "Him!" said Spendius.

"Him! him!" he repeated several times, as though the thing had been impossible, and Hamilcar were an immortal.
They were so overwhelmed with weariness that they stretched themselves on their backs on the ground, not knowing at what resolution to arrive.
Spendius urged them to yield.