A loud cheer followed these orders, and many an eye gleamed brighter.  Even the coolest among them seemed to see a broad, deep pool of blood into which he need only dip his hand and bring out something worth the catching.  And the fish that were to be had there were not miserable carp, but heavy gold and silver vessels, and coins and magnificent ornaments.  Macrinus then proceeded to inform the higher and lower officers of the course of action he had agreed upon with the emperor and Zminis.  Seven trumpet-blasts from the terrace of the Serapeum would give the signal for the attack to begin.  Then they were to advance, maniple on maniple; but they were not required to keep their ranks—­each man had his own work to do.  The legion was to assemble again at sunset at the Gate of the Sun, at the eastern end of the road, after having swept it from end to end.

By order of the emperor, each man, however, must be particularly careful whom he cut down in any hiding-place, for Caesar wished to give the following Alexandrians—­who had sinned most flagrantly against him—­the benefit of a trial, and they must therefore be taken alive.  He then named the gem-cutter Heron, his son Alexander, and his daughter Melissa, the Alexandrian senator Polybius, his son Diodoros, and the wife of Seleukus.

He described them as well as he was able.  For each one Caesar promised a reward of three thousand drachmas, and for Heron’s daughter twice as much, but only on condition of their being delivered up unhurt.  It would therefore be to their own advantage to keep their eyes open in the houses, and to be cautious.  Whoever should take the daughter of the gem-cutter—­and he described Melissa once more—­would render a special service to Caesar and might reckon on promotion.

The centurion Julius Martialis stayed to hear the end of this discourse, and then hurriedly departed.  He felt just as he had done in the war with the Alemanni when a red-haired German had dealt him a blow on the helmet with his club.  His head whirled and swam as it did then—­only to-day blood-red lights danced before his eyes instead of deep blue and gold.  It was some time before he could collect his thoughts to any purpose; but when he did, he clinched his fists as he recalled Caesar’s malignant cruelty in forcing him away from his family.

Presently his large mouth widened into a satisfied smile.  He was no longer in that company, and need take no part in the horrid butchery.  In any other place he would no doubt have joined in it like the rest, glad of the rich booty; but here, in his own home, where his mother and wife and child dwelt, it seemed a monstrous and accursed deed.  Besides the gemcutter’s family, in whom Martialis took no interest, Caesar seemed to have a special grudge against the lady Berenike, whose husband Seleukus had been master to the centurion’s father; nay, his own wife was still in the service of the merchant.