The Roman has valuable cattle in his shafts, and at the inn down there, there is a shed for horses.

Here in this hole there is hardly a stall for an ass, and nothing but sour wine and mouldy beer.

I don't like the rubbish, and save my coin for Alexandria and white Mariotic; that is strengthening and purifies the blood.

For the present I only wish we were as well off as those horses; they will have plenty of time to recover their breath." "Yes, plenty of time," answered the other with a broad grin, and then he with his companion withdrew into the room to fill his cup.
Klea too could hear that the chariot which had brought her hither, had halted at the farther tavern, but it did not occur to her that the driver had gone in to treat himself to wine with half of Irene's drachma.

The horses should make up for the lost time, and they could easily do it, for when did the king's banquets ever end before midnight?
As soon as Plea saw that the assassins were filling their earthen cups, she slipped softly on tiptoe behind the tavern; the moon came out from behind the clouds for a few minutes, she sought and found the short way by the desert-path to the Apis-tombs, and hastened rapidly along it.