y any
followers. Some say it was he who robbed the emperor's own mail a month
ago. He is reported to be here, there, everywhere; but there came at
last reliable information that he lives in a cave in the woods on an
estate that fell to the fiscus (the government department into which all
payments were made, corresponding roughly to a modern treasury
department) at the time when Maximus and his son Sextus were
proscribed."

Pertinax looked bored. He yawned.

"I think I will go in and sweat a while," he remarked.

"Not yet. Let me finish," said Livius. "It was reported to Caesar that
the highwayman Maternus lives in a cave on this Aventine estate, and
that the slaves and tenants on the place, who, of course, all passed to
the new owner when the estate was sold, not only tolerate him but supply
him with victuals and news. Caesar went into one of his usual frenzies,
cursed half the senators by name, and ordered out a cohort from a legion
getting ready to embark at Ostia. He ordered them to lay waste the
estate, burn all the woods and if necessary torture the slaves and
tenants, until they had Maternus. Dead or alive, they were not to dare
to come without him, and meanwhile the rest of the legion was kept
waiting at Ostia, with all the usual nuisance of desertions and
drunkenness and what not else."

"Everybody knows about that," said Pertinax. "As governor of Rome it
was my duty to point out to the emperor the inconvenience of keeping
that legion waiting under arms so near the city. I was snubbed for my
pains, but I did my duty."

"Your duty? There were plenty of people more concerned than you," said
Livius, looking again as if he thought he had detected an intrigue.
"There were the Ostian authorities, for instance, but I did not hear of
their complaining."

"Naturally not," said Pertinax, suppressing irritation. "Every day the
legion lingered there meant money for the enterprising city fathers. I
am opposed to all the petty pouching of commissions that goes on."

"Doubtless. Being governor of Rome, you naturally--"

"I have heard of peculations at the palace," Pertinax interrupted.

"Be that as it may, Commodus ordered out the cohort, sent it marching
and amused himself inventing new ingenious torments for Maternus.
Alternatively, he proposed to himself to have the cohort slaughtered in
the arena, officers and all, if they should fail of their mission; so
it was safe to wager they were going to br