d I do not know:
I was roused by the opening of the trap-door and by the light which
entered from above. Food was lowered to us; pork-stew, still warm, in a
two-handled, wide-mouthed jug; bread; olives, not wholly spoiled; and a
small kidskin of thin, sour wine. Galvius received the dole and
safeguarded the containers: the ropes were drawn up, the trap-door reset
and we were again in utter darkness.

To my astonishment I felt entirely myself and very hungry. We drank and
ate deliberately and again drank. Galvius was a careful husbander of the
wine, and we drank mostly water from the spring.

Afterwards, nestled in the not unendurably damp straw, chilly, but not
shivering, we sat or lay side by side and he urged me to continue my
story. I began where I had left off, and, going into the smallest details,
brought my history down to the hour of my consignment to our dungeon.

When I paused he sighed, but not gloomily.

"You have had marvellous adventures," he said, "and marvellous luck, both
good and bad. I knew that Marcia had belonged to your uncle. I was
informed of the existence of Ducconius Furfur, of his likeness to
Commodus, of his presence in the Palace, of his utilization as a dummy
Emperor, to set Commodus free to masquerade as Palus, and I heard that he
had been your neighbor.

"Now go back, begin your tale at the beginning. Tell me of your getting
into trouble at the first, of how you escaped in the first place. I have
often wondered how you managed it."

"Give me a respite," I demurred, "my voice is tired. It is your turn to
talk. Tell me how you learned about Ducconius Furfur and about Commodus
masquerading as Palus and about Marcia."

"Why," he said, "I had friends in one or more towns when I first took to
the woods. They gave me tips that helped me to make fine hauls on the
highways. As I prospered I made more friends; they helped me and my
growing success gained more, till I had friends in every town in Italy and
in Rome itself and an organized service of road-messengers. Why, Imperial
couriers often carried letters and packets, destined for me, from one town
to another, or even carried onward letters from me to distant friends or
parcels of my booty.

"In Rome itself I had many agents and chiefly my sister, Galvia
Crispinilla, a professional procuress and poisoner, who knew the worst
secrets of the lives of all Rome's wealthy and noble debauchees, and our
brother, Marcus Galvius Crispinillus, a pr