Arnuwanda spoke in clear, stilted Hatti, and the man who had driven the chariot proclaimed a translation in Carthaginian. ‘You may bow in the presence of Arnuwanda, son of Arnuwanda who was nephew to My Sun the King Hattusili, the sixteenth of that name.’

Fabius bowed deeply but waved aside the translation, and replied in Hatti himself. Arnuwanda looked surprised, then grinned.

Aides muttered a hasty translation for the benefit of Carthalo and the rest. ‘The general says he knows Nesili and will address the prince in his own tongue.’

Fabius spoke again.

‘What did the Roman say?’ Carthalo snapped.

‘He asked, “How was your journey?” ’

The two parties merged, cautiously, and began to make their way down towards the Hatti port. Fabius and Arnuwanda continued to speak, translated for the benefit of the Carthaginians.

‘Roman, the journey was dramatic,’ Arnuwanda said. ‘First came the March of the Hatti, as history will know it, across Anatolia to the southern ports. That in itself was an epic adventure that will be remembered as long as mankind lives, in the blessing of Jesus Sharruma. You may know that our cities were always stocked with seal-houses of grain – granaries dedicated for the use of the King’s war-fighting. We planned the route to pass from one city to the rest, meaning to use the seal-houses. We found almost all of them looted, barren. And, rather than acquiring grain, we generally found ourselves acquiring more people, as each town emptied out and the people followed their Lord Jesus Sharruma. So we progressed across the country, stripping it of whatever food we could find – you can imagine how it was, the country was already starving. We left the country strewn with graves like poppy seeds. We did all this in the full gaze of Jesus Sharruma Our Lord, and built shrines, and kept a careful list of those who died, for they will be remembered when the Hatti return to take back the old lands.

‘It was a mighty throng that left New Hattusa; it was a much greater host by the time we reached the southern ports. There we began the process of transport across the sea. This was led by our allies of Hantilios, who as you know are expert seafarers.’

Fabius grunted. ‘I know my history, sir. That city was founded under the protection of the Hatti kings in the first place. It is no wonder its leaders serve you now.’

‘At a price, as you can imagine, good Fabius, I expect our grandsons still to be paying it off in instalments. But Hantilios served us well. Their shipwrights built special vessels for the first landing here on the African shore, which I myself led.’

‘Ah. The famous flat-bottomed boats that drive up the beaches.’

‘An ancient design, revived and reworked.’

‘My men resisted fiercely.’