ess captain sailed away, leaving the aged fugitive
absolutely alone on the beach.

Walking wearily to the sorry hut of an old peasant, which stood near,
Marius told him who he was, and begged for shelter. The old man hid him
in a hole near the river, and covered him with reeds. While he lay there
the horsemen, who had followed the vessel along the shore, came up, and
asked the tenant of the hut where Marius was.

The shivering fugitive, in fear of being betrayed, rose hastily from his
hiding-place and dashed into the stream. Some of the horsemen saw him,
he was pursued, and, covered with mud and nearly naked, the old
conqueror was dragged from the river, placed on a horse, and carried as
a captive to the neighboring town of Miturnae. Here he was confined in
the house of a woman named Fannia till his fate could be determined.

A circular letter had been received by the magistrates from the consuls
at Rome, ordering them to put Marius to death if he should fall into
their hands. This was more than they cared to do on their own
responsibility, and they called a meeting of the town council to decide
the momentous question. The council decided that Marius should die, and
sent a Gaulish slave to put him to death.

It was dark when the executioner entered the house of Fannia. The slave,
little relishing the task committed to his hands, entered the room where
Marius lay. All the trembling wretch could see in the darkness were the
glaring eyes of the old man fixed fiercely on him, while a deep voice
came from the couch, "Fellow, darest thou slay Caius Marius?"

Throwing down his sword, the Gaul fled in terror from those accusing
eyes, crying out, loudly, "I cannot slay Caius Marius!"

The magistrates made no further effort to put their prisoner to death.
They managed that he should escape, and he made his way to the island of
Ischia, which Granius had already reached. Here a friendly ship took
them on board, and they sailed for Africa.

But the perils of the fugitive were not yet at an end. The ship was
forced to stop at Erycina, in Sicily, for water. Here a Roman official
recognized Marius, fell upon the party with a company of soldiers, and
slew sixteen of them. Marius was nearly taken, but managed to escape,
the vessel hastily setting sail. He now reached Africa without further
adventure.

His son and other friends had arrived earlier, and, encouraging news
being told him, he landed near the site of ancient Carthage.