us; "but where is he?"

"On guard," said the man.

"On guard?"

"Yes," said the man, with a chuckle. "We took the whole six of them
prisoners."

"Ah! Where are they then?"

"Shut up fast alone with the wine-press. They won't get out of there
with Lupus looking on."

"Capital!" cried Marcus, forgetting all his sufferings in the triumphant
news. "Here, Serge, what shall we do with them?"

"I'm not going to do anything with them," said the man, gruffly. "I've
had my turn, and it's yours now. You've got to fight the lot."

"Yes," cried the boy, flushing, and his fists began to clench. "But I
say, Serge, I should like to, but I'm a bit tired, and they're still six
to one."

"Yes," said the man, "but that's what I want you to see. It won't hurt
you to know how, even if you're never going to be a soldier. You come
along o' me."

"What, to fight them?" cried Marcus.

"Yes. Aren't afraid, are you?"

"Not a bit," cried the boy, flushing angrily. "Come and see."

The man chuckled as he went off with his young companion to the lower
side of the villa, where stood a low-roofed stone building with heavy
chestnut plank doors, before which crouched a big, shaggy wolf-hound
which pricked up its ears and uttered a deep growl as it lifted up its
bushy tail, and rapped the earth in recognition of the new-comers, but
did not take its eyes from the door beyond which were the prisoners it
had been set to guard.

"Now, boy," said the man, "it was your doing that I taught you a bit of
soldiering, and a nice row there'll be about it some day when he finds
us out; so now I'm just going to show you, if you're not too tired, how
one good Roman can fight six enemies and beat 'em, same as we've often
done in the good old days when I wore my armour and brass helmet with
its plume, not a straw hat and things like these. Ah, boy," said the
man, drawing himself up and shouldering his crook as if it were a spear,
"those were grand old times! I was a better man then than now."

"No, you weren't, Serge, not a bit," cried the boy. "You must have
always been what you are now--a dear good old chap who'd do anything for
me."

The fierce-looking old fellow smiled pleasantly, literally beaming upon
the boy, whom he patted on the shoulder.

"Ah," he said, "but there was no you then. But never mind all that.
Hark!" he continued, softly, as a whispering was heard beyond the door,
"They know we are coming, and they're thinking ab