"Yes," said von Harben. "Gabula has been very faithful. I should hate to part with him." Mallius led the way to a long shed-like building beneath the inner face of the rampart. Here were two litters and a number of strapping black bearers. As Mallius appeared eight of these sprang to their stations in front and behind one of the litters and carried it from the shed, lowering it to the ground again before their master. "And tell me, if you have visited Rome recently, does my litter compare favorably with those now used by the nobles?" demanded Mallius. "There have been many changes, Mallius Lepus, since the Rome of which your historian, Sanguinarius, wrote. Were I to tell you of even the least of them, I fear that you would not believe me." "But certainly there could have been no great change in the style of litters," argued Mallius, "and I cannot believe that the patricians have ceased to use them." "Their litters travel upon wheels now," said von Harben. "Incredible!" exclaimed Mallius. "It would be torture to bump over the rough pavements and country roads on the great wooden wheels of ox-carts. No, Erich von Harben, I am afraid I cannot believe that story." "The city pavements are smooth today and the countryside is cut in all directions by wide, level highways over which the litters of the modern citizens of Rome roll at great speed on small wheels with soft tires--nothing like the great wooden wheels of the ox-carts you have in mind, Mallius Lepus." The officer called a command to his carriers, who broke into a smart run. "I warrant you, Erich von Harben, that there be no litters in all Rome that move at greater speed than this," he boasted. "How fast are we traveling now?" asked von Harben. "Better then eighty-five hundred paces an hour," replied Mallius. "Fifty thousand paces an hour is nothing unusual for the wheeled litters of today," said von Harben. "We call them automobiles." "You are going to be a great success," cried Mallius, slapping von Harben upon the shoulder. "May Jupiter strike me dead if the guests of Septimus Favonius do not say that I have made a find indeed. Tell them that there be litter-carriers in Rome today who can run fifty thousand paces in an hour and they will acclaim you the greatest entertainer as well as the greatest liar Castrum Mare has ever seen." Von Harben laughed good-naturedly, "But you will have to admit, my friend, that I never said that there were litter-bearers who could run fifty thousand paces an hour," he reminded Mallius. "But did you not assure me that the litters traveled that fast? How then may a litter travel unless it is carried by bearers? Perhaps the litters of today are carried by horses. Where are the horses that can run fifty thousand paces in an hour?" "The litters are neither carried nor drawn by horses or men, Mallius," said von Harben.