"You may count me in on the party, too," said Maximus Praeclarus, "if Cassius Hasta will remain my friend in Castrum Mare." "That I promise, Maximus Praeclarus," said Cassius Hasta. "When do we leave?" demanded Metellus, shaking his chain. "I can leave the moment that these shackles are struck from me," said the ape-man, "and that they must do when they turn me into the arena to fight." "There will be many legionaries to see that you do not escape, you may rest assured of that," Cassius Hasta reminded him. "Maximus Praeclarus will tell you that I have twice escaped from the legionaries of Sublatus," said Tarzan. "That he has," declared Praeclarus. "Surrounded by the Emperor's guard, he escaped from the very throne-room of Sublatus and he carried Caesar above his head through the length of the palace and out into the avenue beyond." "But if I am to take you with me, it will be more difficult," said the ape-man, "and I would take you because it would please me to frustrate the plans of Sublatus and also because two of you, at least, could be helpful to me in finding Erich von Harben in the city of Castrum Mare." "You interest me," said Cassius Hasta. "You almost make me believe that you can accomplish this mad scheme." _Chapter Fourteen_ A great sun, rising into a cloudless sky, ushered in the nones of August. It looked down upon the fresh-raked sands of the deserted arena; upon the crowds that lined the Via Principalis that bisected Castra Sanguinarius. Brown artisans and tradesmen in their smart tunics jostled one another for places of vantage along the shady avenue. Among them moved black barbarians from the outer villages, sporting their finest feathers and most valued ornaments and skins, and mingling with the others were the slaves of the city, all eagerly waiting for the pageant that would inaugurate the triumph of Sublatus. Upon the low rooftops of their homes the patricians reclined upon rugs at every point where the avenue might be seen between or beneath the branches of trees. All Castra Sanguinarius was there, technically to honor Caesar, but actually merely to be entertained. The air buzzed with talk and laughter; hawkers of sweetmeats and trinkets elbowed through the crowd crying their wares; legionaries posted at intervals the full distance from the palace to the Colosseum kept the center of the avenue clear. Since the evening of the preceding day the throng had been gathering. During the cold night they had huddled with close-drawn cloaks. There had been talk and laughter and brawls and near-riots, and many would-be spectators had been haled off to the dungeons where their exuberance might be permitted to cool against cold stone.