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    t hat vital hardware to be sent by sea.  He charged back and forth across

    Italy during thirteen long years, hoping for the ships that would

    deliver these vital armaments.  Unfortunately, they never came.  The

    city council of Carthage sent out ship after ship to aid Hannibal.  But

    not one boat ever made it.  The Romans may have been doing poorly

    on land.  But they still controlled the Mediterranean.86

    Eventually, the Romans ordered an up-and-coming young citi-

    zen from a distinguished military family, Scipio Africanus, to confront

    Hannibal's brother--Hasdrubal--back in Spain.87 (You may recall Scipio

    from an earlier episode in this book.  He was the general who marched

    into the Roman Senate toward the end of his life and tore up his

    account books, outraged that  he'd been accused of corruption.)  Scipio

    was as good at defeating Hannibal's brother as Hannibal was at

    trouncing Romans.  When Hasdrubal lost, he moved down the pecking

    order.  And as the defeated Carthaginian's feathers grew unkempt, his

    Spanish allies one by one deserted him.88  In fact, they threw their lot in

    with the new master of the Spanish barnyard--the Romans.  The rule

    that pecking order victories bring you friends had boosted Carthage's

    strength for years.  Now it was beginning to work against her.

    Hearing of the Carthaginian defeats in Spain, Hannibal's Italian

    allies, too, trickled away.  Carthage was sinking on the hierarchical

    ladder.  And none of the tribes wanted to go down with her.

    Finally, Scipio secured all Spain for Rome and turned his

    attention on the Carthaginian mother city.89  In 203 B.C. Hannibal, who

    had held Roman citizens in terror for over a decade, was forced to flee

    for home to take over his native city's defense.  He went with scarcely

    an ally left.

    When it was all over, Carthage was beaten.90  Her trading empire

    was gone.  Her colonies were in Roman hands.  The north African and

    Spanish troops which had long been the mainstay of her military

    power turned their backs.  And Hannibal, who had built an army of

    allies to corner Rome, became a fugitive.91  The town that had ruled the

    Mediterranean roost was friendless and alone.

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