c, and this was their only weapon.
So, leading Marcia, he quickly traversed the halls and courts and
gained the door, which hung ajar and unattended. Outside, a company of
five men were gathered, all mounted. Two were apparently soldiers, a
sort of guard; the rest were servants. Heavy looking packages were
bound, behind them, on their horses' backs, doubtless the money which
Iddilcar had gotten, while two extra animals, saddled and bridled, were
held in waiting.

The heart of Sergius leaped as he noted the fine, small heads and
slender, muscular legs that marked the Asian stock of their mounts.
Iddilcar had provided well for all emergencies; but Sergius felt some
anxiety lest a chance glimpse of his face might lead to detection. The
sky in the east was already beginning to lighten, and there were more
men of the escort than he had anticipated. Speech would be fatal;
therefore he strode quickly out, took the bridle of one of the horses
from the man who held it, and swung himself upon its back. To assist
Marcia could not be done without exciting suspicion, and he ground his
teeth when she tried to follow his example, and one of the servants
laughed and pushed her roughly into the saddle. Then they rode on, and
the others followed, whispering together.

He had muffled his face a trifle too closely, perhaps, and he had
mounted the horse standing, whereas all knew that the Cappadocians were
trained to kneel at the word. Therefore the men of the escort
wondered, though they hardly ventured to suspect.

Marcia felt, rather than noted, their attitude, and Sergius, glancing
toward her, saw that she was trembling. He urged his horse faster
toward the gate that opened upon the Appian Way; boldness and speed
were all that could save them. Suddenly the gate loomed up, gray and
massive, in the mist of the early morning. Several soldiers lounged
forward from the guardhouse, whence came the rattle of dice and the
shrill laughter of a woman. Sergius showed his ring and said nothing,
while Marcia came close to him, shivering, for the morning air was
chill and biting. Their followers had drawn rein, and were gathered in
a little clump several spear-lengths behind.

Meanwhile the soldiers, Spaniards they seemed, were gazing stupidly at
the device on the seal and making irrelevant comments. It was evident
that their night had been spent among the wineskins, and that a new
danger menaced.

Summoning what Punic he knew, Se