"I'll join your cavalcade, if you have no objection," the stranger said. Hirnio and I expressed our entire willingness to have his company. Hirnio asked him: "Are you in any way related to Murmex Frugi?" "He was my father," Murmex replied, simply. "Was!" Hirnio repeated. "The word strikes ominously on my ear. Someone from this neighborhood, I forget who, was in Nersae since the roads became fit for travelling this spring and returned from there, or perhaps some wayfarer from Nersae stopped with someone hereabouts. At any rate we heard he had seen Murmex Frugi still hale and sound, even at his advanced age." "My father," said Murmex, "was still hale and sound on the Kalends of May and for a day or two thereafter. He fell ill with a cough and fever, and died after only two nights' illness, on the Nones of May, barely more than a month ago." "He lived to a green old age," said Hirnio, "and must have enjoyed every moment of his life." "He seemed to," said Murmex. "And I conjecture," I put in, "that he was proud of his son." "He seemed so," Murmex admitted, "but he was never a tenth as proud of me as I of him." "It is an honor," I said, "to be the son of the greatest gladiator of our fathers' days, of the man esteemed the best swordsman Italy ever saw live out his term of service and live to retire on his savings." "It is," Murmex said, as simply as before. Here we were interrupted by a yell from Tanno, as he leaned out of his litter. "Are we going to take root here," he bawled, "like Phaethon's sisters? We were supposed to be journeying to Rome. We appear to be bound for Hades; we shall certainly reach it if we continue sinking into your Sabine mud!" "Martius agreed to wait for me, if I was late," I shouted back to him. "I agreed to wait for him; I keep my word. If you choose, we'll get out of your way and let you pass on. We can catch up with you." "Bah!" he roared. "No going it alone on a Sabine road for me! I'm tied to you hand and foot. But this waiting in the rain is no fun! Did you notice that man on horseback we passed on the road?" "I did," I called back. "Do you know who he is?" "Never set eyes on him before," I replied. "Do you know what he is?" "No," I answered, "I do not. What is he, according to your conjecture?" "I'm not depending on any conjectures," Tanno bellowed, "I know to a certainty." "Then tell us," I called. "Not here!" cried Tanno. "I'll tell you later." He pulled his head inside his litter. We again stared up the crossroad. Nothing was in sight. "It seems to me," Hirnio again addressed Murmex, "that not only your father was a Nersian, but also Pacideianus and that I have heard that he also was living in retirement at Nersae." "He is yet," rejoined Murmex, laconically. "Then you know him?" Hirnio queried. "My mother," said Murmex, "is his sister."