say at the narrowest part of the pass, where it curves and begins to
descend on this side of the mountain--they were attacked by robbers who
made use of Maternus' war-cry. The robbers were beaten off, although
they wounded two men of the guard and got away with half-a-dozen horses
and a slave-girl."

"That means nothing--Pardon me a moment while I see what my man has been
doing. What is it, Stilchio? Are you mad? You have contracted to
deliver fifty bales at yesterday's price? You want to ruin me? Oh.
You are quite sure? Very well: A good man, that--went out and met the
caravan--bought low--sold high, and the price is falling. But as I was
saying, your story is simply a string of coincidences. All the robbers
use Maternus' war-cry, because of the terror his name inspires; they
probably had not heard he had been crucified."

"Well, that was what the caravan folk thought, until they passed the
place of execution and saw no body there."

"The robbers possibly themselves removed it and were seeking to avenge
Maternus."

"Much more likely somebody was bribed to let him escape! We all know
Maternus was scourged, for that was done in Antioch; but they did not
scourge him very badly, for fear he might die on the way to the place of
execution. There is no doubt he was crucified, but he was only tied,
not nailed. It would have been perfectly simple to substitute some
other criminal that first night--somebody who looked a little like him;
they would give the substitute poppy juice to keep him from crying out
to passers-by."