w dead. It was he who
told me that he had seen you with Maternus. Go on."

Again, when I spoke of recognizing Crispinillus by the wayside as I passed
with the mutineers he interjected:

"Yes, he told me he saw you there."

And later, when I spoke of being found with Agathemer after the massacre,
separated from him and led off to the _ergastulum_ at Nuceria he remarked:

"I can't conceive how my brother missed you. Nor could he. He looked for
you among the corpses and went over the survivors twice in search of you."

"I did not see him after the massacre," I declared.

"Mercury protected you," was his comment.

When I finished the story of my giving warning of the plot in the
_ergastulum_ at Nuceria I paused.

"Go on, lad!" he urged. "You have had adventures and you narrate them
tellingly."

I hesitated and then, utterly reckless, I blurted out:

"If I am to go on with my story you might as well know right now, that I
am not only Andivius Hedulio, but also Felix the Horse-Wrangler."

He swore a great oath.

"Boy!" he cried, "I love you! I have admired you since I listened to
Bulla's account of his one failure. At first I was furious at your having
spoiled the best plan I ever laid and the most brilliant chance I ever
had, at your preventing me from making the biggest haul of booty I ever
had hopes of. But, as years passed, my resentment has abated and my
admiration has warmed. I bear you no grudge. I have often thought I should
like to meet you and find out why on earth you desired to thwart me and
how you managed to do it. Go on! Tell me the rest."

I resumed my tale.

When I came to my outlook from the crag and explained my former
acquaintance with Vedia he interrupted.

"Of course, if you knew the lady and she was an old flame of yours, I
don't wonder that you intervened to save her. My lads were so rough and
fierce-looking that they had a worse reputation than they deserved. When
they captured prisoners rich enough to pay any profitable ransom they
treated them with the most scrupulous deference. Business is business and
we were not brigands for fun, but for profit. Also they all dreaded me and
my orders were explicit and emphatic. Your sweetheart would have been as
respected with them as in her own home. But, of course, you couldn't feel
that way. Go on with your story."

I demurred, asserting that I felt sleepy. He assented and we composed
ourselves on the straw. How long I slept or when I wakene