hrough the rope netting which supported the mattress,
and, just as Ulysses of old had clung to the ram, so he, stretched out
beneath the mattress, would evade the hands of the hunters. And Giton
did not hesitate at obeying this order, but fastened his hands in the
netting for a moment, outdoing Ulysses in his own cunning! For fear of
leaving room for suspicion, I piled covers upon my pallet, leaving the
impression of a single person of my own stature. Meanwhile Ascyltos, in
company with the magistrate's servant, had ransacked all the rooms and
had come at last to mine, where he entertained greater hopes of success,
because he found the doors carefully barred. The public slave loosened
the bolts by inserting the edge of his ax in the chink. I threw myself
at Ascyltos' feet, begging him, by the memory of our friendship and our
companionship in suffering, to show me my "brother," safe and sound, and
furthermore, that my simulated prayers might carry conviction, I added,
"I know very well, Ascyltos, that you have come here seeking my life.
If not, why the axes?

"Well, fatten your grudge, then! Here's my neck! Pour out that blood
you seek to shed under pretext of a search!" Ascyltos repelled this
suspicion, affirming that he sought nothing except his own fugitive and
desired the death of neither man nor suppliant, and least of all did he
wish to harm one whom, now that their quarrel was over, he regarded as
his dearest friend.

CHAPTER THE NINETY-EIGHTH.

The public servant, however, was not derelict in the performance of his
duty for, snatching a cane from the innkeeper, he poked underneath the
bed, ransacking every corner, even to the cracks in the wall. Twisting
his body out of reach, and cautiously drawing a full breath, Giton
pressed his mouth against the very bugs themselves. (The pair had
scarcely left the room) when Eumolpus burst in in great excitement, for
the doors had been broken and could keep no one out. "The thousand
sesterces are mine," he shouted, "I'll follow that crier out and tell him
Giton is in your power, and it will serve you right, too!" Seeing that
his mind was made up, I embraced his knees and besought him not to kill a
dying man. "You might have some reason for being excited," I said, "if
you could produce the missing boy, but you cannot, as the thing stands
now, for he escaped into the crowd and I have not even a suspicion as to
where he has gone! Get the lad back, Eumolp