XV.] w
had more than one summit. However, from this point of vantage
the two divinities study the lives and fortunes of mankind, until
Charon—egotistically, as it might seem to some, but here lies the
moral or sarcasm of the story—concludes with remarking on the
small space which he, Charon—or, as we might say, Death—
seems to occupy in the thoughts of those who play their parts on
this stage. Before leaving the earth, the climbers, from fear of
punishment, if not from a sense of propriety, replace in their
original positions the mountains which they had removed in order
to facilitate their ascent and extend their prospect.
The following unusually careful description of a mountain
climb deserves to be quoted from Sallust. The Description
scene of it was a Numidian fort, situated on a of a Mountain
i ..._,. ... Climb.
precipitous rock, which Marius was besieging.
'After spending much time and toil on the attempt, Marius
seriously debated in his mind, whether he should give it up as
hopeless, or wait for the chances of fortune, which had so often
favoured him. Now while he was thinking this over unde-
cidedly for several days and nights, it chanced that a Ligurian, a
common soldier of the auxiliary cohorts, who had left the camp
to fetch water, at no great distance from that side of th^ fort
which faced in the opposite direction to the combatants, noticed
snails crawling among the rocks; and as he was picking first one
or two, and afterwards more of these, gradually, being absorbed
in his occupation, he made his way almost to the top of the
mountain. Now when he found that the place was deserted, he
proceeded to examine it, with the usual desire of the human mind
to investigate the unknown. It happened that just there a great
holm-oak had sprung up among the rocks; this at first inclined
downwards, but afterwards bent round and rose upwards, as is
the way with growing things: so the Ligurian soldier, supporting
himself sometimes on its boughs, sometimes on jutting rocks,
took a survey of the level of the fort, all the Numidians being
intent on watching the combatants. When he had examined
every point which he thought might afterwards be serviceable, he
returned the same way, not in the random manner in which he
had ascended, but testing and scrutinising everything. Thereupon
he at once betook himself to Marius, and after telling him what he