said Dan . Parnesius stretched his arm out stiffly , thumb pointed to the ground . ` Gladiators ! That sort of game , ' he said . ` There were two days ' Games in his honour when he landed all unexpected at Segedunum on the East end of the Wall . Yes , the day after we had met him we held two days ' Games ; but I think the greatest risk was run , not by the poor wretches on the sand , but by Maximus . In the old days the Legions kept silence before their Emperor . So did not we ! You could hear the solid roar run West along the Wall as his chair was carried rocking through the crowds . The garrison beat round him -- clamouring , clowning , asking for pay , for change of quarters , for anything that came into their wild heads . That chair was like a little boat among waves , dipping and falling , but always rising again after one had shut the eyes . ' Parnesius shivered . ` Were they angry with him ? ' said Dan . ` No more angry than wolves in a cage when their trainer walks among them . If he had turned his back an instant , or for an instant had ceased to hold their eyes , there would have been another Emperor made on the Wall that hour . Was it not so , Faun ? ' ` So it was . So it always will be , ' said Puck . ` Late in the evening his messenger came for us , and we followed to the Temple of Victory , where he lodged with Rutilianus , the General of the Wall .
I had hardly seen the XXXXX before , but he always gave me leave when I wished to take Heather .
Dan East General Maximus Puck Rutilianus Segedunum Wall evening wretches