’Presently he wrote that he was preparing an army against Theodosius.  He wrote—­and Pertinax read it over my shoulder in our quarters:  “Tell your Father that my destiny orders me to drive three mules or be torn in pieces by them.  I hope within a year to finish with Theodosius, son of Theodosius, once and for all.  Then you shall have Britain to rule, and Pertinax, if he chooses, Gaul.  To-day I wish strongly you were with me to beat my Auxiliaries into shape.  Do not, I pray you, believe any rumour of my sickness.  I have a little evil in my old body which I shall cure by riding swiftly into Rome.”

’Said Pertinax:  “It is finished with Maximus.  He writes as a man without hope.  I, a man without hope, can see this.  What does he add at the bottom of the roll? ’Tell Pertinax I have met his late Uncle, the Duumvir of Divio, and that he accounted to me quite truthfully for all his Mother’s monies.  I have sent her with a fitting escort, for she is the mother of a hero, to Nicaea, where the climate is warm.’

’"That is proof,” said Pertinax.  “Nicaea is not far by sea from Rome.  A woman there could take ship and fly to Rome in time of war.  Yes, Maximus foresees his death, and is fulfilling his promises one by one.  But I am glad my uncle met him."’

’"You think blackly to-day?” I asked.

’"I think truth.  The Gods weary of the play we have played against them.  Theodosius will destroy Maximus.  It is finished!”

’"Will you write him that?” I said.

’"See what I shall write,” he answered, and he took pen and wrote a letter cheerful as the light of day, tender as a woman’s and full of jests.  Even I, reading over his shoulder, took comfort from it till—­I saw his face!

’"And now,” he said, sealing it, “we be two dead men, my brother.  Let us go to the Temple.”

’We prayed awhile to Mithras, where we had many times prayed before.  After that, we lived day by day among evil rumours till winter came again.

’It happened one morning that we rode to the East shore, and found on the beach a fair-haired man, half frozen, bound to some broken planks.  Turning him over, we saw by his belt-buckle that he was a Goth of an Eastern Legion.  Suddenly he opened his eyes and cried loudly, “He is dead!  The letters were with me, but the Winged Hats sank the ship.”  So saying, he died between our hands.

’We asked not who was dead.  We knew!  We raced before the driving snow to Hunno, thinking perhaps Allo might be there.  We found him already at our stables, and he saw by our faces what we had heard.

’"It was in a tent by the sea,” he stammered.  “He was beheaded by Theodosius.  He sent a letter to you, written while he waited to be slain.  The Winged Hats met the ship and took it.  The news is running through the heather like fire.  Blame me not!  I cannot hold back my young men any more.”

’"I would we could say as much for our men,” said Pertinax, laughing.  “But, Gods be praised, they cannot run away.”