So was Tanno's intendant, so was Hirnio, so was I.The entire caravan was a mere column of horses, cloaks and hats, not a man visible, all the faces hid under the flapping hat-brims, no man recognizable.
Hirnio and I led, next came Tanno in his litter, then his extra bearers, next his intendant on horseback, then my nine tenants, each horsed and leading a pack-mule, last the mounted servants, Tanno's, Hirnio's and mine, similarly leading pack-mules, in all twenty-seven men afoot, sixteen mounted and twelve led mules.
As we strung out Tanno called to me: "Luck for us if we don't blunder into one of those ambushes we heard about at dinner last night.

With all this cavalcade everybody we meet cannot fail to conjecture that so large a party can only be from either Villa Vedia or Villa Satronia, such an escort misbefits anyone not of senatorial rank.

If we do blunder into an ambush either side will know we are not their men and will assume we are of the other party.

No one can recognize anybody in this wet-weather rig.

Any ambush will attack first and investigate afterwards or not at all." Had I heeded his chance words I might, even then, have saved myself.