"I only want your help," Donnotaurus bawled. "Call Arecomus and the ostlers. They can make short work of it." At this point Agathemer found his voice, and he spoke steadily, coolly and firmly, even with a bit of a drawl. "Don't do anything you will have to be sorry for," he said. "Better not make any mistake." At his utterance the two couriers were manifestly even more uncomfortable than before. But Donnotaurus only bawled louder to the host. "I don't arrest travellers," the host protested, "I feed 'em. Arecomus don't arrest travellers, he horses 'em. Anyhow, there's no magistrate here; talking of arresting is folly. "And I wish you'd quit your foolishness, Donnotaurus. This is the third row you've started here within six months. You're giving my inn a bad name and ruining my trade. You're my best customer, yourself, but you are more nuisance than all the rest of my customers put together. I'd rather you'd move out of the neighborhood or keep away from my inn than go on with such nonsense. I don't want anybody arrested on my premises or threatened with arrest. And you've nothing to go on in this case, anyhow." Donnotaurus appeared at a loss, but obstinate and about to insist, when the doors opened and there entered a bevy of staff officers, all green and gold and blue and silver, clustered about a huge man in the full regalia of a general, his crimson plumes nodding above his golden helmet, his crimson cloak dangling about his golden cuirass, his gilt kilt-straps gleaming over his crimson tunic-skirt. There was no mistaking that incredible expanse of face, seemingly as big as the body of an ordinary man, those bleary gray eyes under the shaggy eyebrows, their great baggy lower lids, the heavy cheeks and the vast sweep of russet beard. It was Pescennius Niger himself! As he was later proclaimed Emperor and narrowly missed overcoming his competitors and emerging master of the world, the mere encounter has a certain interest. Its details, I think, even more. Up to us he strode. "What's all this?" he demanded in his big, authoritative voice. Agathemer and I stood up and saluted. I expected Agathemer, who knew the value of speaking first, to anticipate Donnotaurus, but he let Donnotaurus give his version of the affair. "I'm competent to decide this," said Pescennius, "and I shall." And he eyed us, asking: "What have you two to say?" "In the first place," said Agathemer, "I ask you to examine our papers." He took from the seat of his chair, where he had placed it as he stood up, our despatch bag, opened it, and displayed its contents; the package of despatches, our credentials, and the diploma entitling us to change of horses, with the endorsement of each change-master from Centumcellae onwards. Pescennius examined these meditatively.