Caleb was pale when he appeared before Lucius, who had sent for him.
"Caleb," said Lucius, "perhaps you already know ..."
"I know nothing, my lord," said Caleb.
"I am penniless, Caleb. The Emperor Tiberius has confiscated all my
possessions; and even my title to the quadrireme is questionable."
"O my lord, O my lord!" Caleb began to lament. "O my poor, poor,
noble lord! What a terrible fate to befall you! If only you had
consented faithfully to wear the Sabaean amulets! O my poor, poor,
noble lord! What will you do now? You, who always lived in the lap of
luxury! And now! How now? Alas, my poor, poor, noble lord and alas,
poor, poor Caleb! For who, my lord, my poor, poor noble lord, will
now pay my bill?"
And, wailing and lamenting and shaking his head and weeping, Caleb
unfurled the long, long, long papyrus scroll of his bill, which
uncoiled itself from his quivering fingers right down to the floor,
like a rustling snake.
"We'll look into your bill at once, Caleb," said Lucius,
encouragingly. "Call the stewards and Thrasyllus to me."
They came and examined the bill and shook their heads and thought the
expenses of the great Ethiopian hunt terribly high; but Caleb swore
that, because of his growing affection for Lucius, he had charged
less than he did to other noble lords:
"But there is a solution, my lord," said Caleb, drawing Lucius
aside. And he continued, "My lord, if you will make over Cora to me
... I will write off all the expenses of the Ethiopian hunt."
"Caleb," said Lucius, earnestly, "I know that you are fond of
Cora. But I also am very fond of her, Caleb, and I mean to keep her
as my only treasure."
A loud sob came from a corner of the room. And Lucius, turning round,
saw Tarrar sitting on the floor, looking profoundly dejected.
"And me, my lord?" sobbed Tarrar. "Won't you keep me as your little
slave, my lord?"
Lucius smiled and laid his hand on Tarrar's woolly head:
"I am not forgetting you either, Tarrar," he said, "and I shall keep
you too. But, for the rest, Caleb, I shall have to sell the ship and
all my slaves and anything that remains to me. I have some money as
well, however, and I will try to pay you in full. But Cora shall not
appear on the bill."
"Alas, my lord, this is an evil day and the end of the world is
certainly near at hand, notwithstanding that I can see the blue coast
of my dear Saba! I, like yourself, am losing everything: the hope
of getting Cora, who loves you even as you love her, and the hope of
getting my poor money!"
"Come, Caleb, we must not repine. Let us just count the money that
remains to us."
The stewards laid rows of gold coins on the table. And Caleb's bill,
despite the length which his papyrus scroll covered on the floor,
was paid and receipted, after some quibbling between the stewards,
who took exception to certain items, and Caleb, who was quite amenable
to reason. And, when the money had been transferred to the purse which
wound like a fat snake round Caleb's waist, he became cheerful again
and said:
"My lord, my noble lord, for you are still a noble lord, listen to
me. I am profoundly miserable that I can't have Cora. Yes, my lord,
really, I am profoundly miserable. But I am an honest fellow and
at the same time I am a man of business. Listen, my lord, and let
your stewards listen and your trusty Thrasyllus too. Listen, my
lord. You wish to sell the quadrireme with all her contents. But
where, my lord? It can't be done at Alexandria, for any property
of yours would be seized at once. Here, at Cape Dire, oh, there are
only uncivilized Macrobii and no noble lords who could afford to buy
the quadrireme! Listen, my lord, listen. Do you with all these your
servants, free men and witnesses, sign a certificate, oh, my ever
noble lord, a certificate ... dare I say it?"
"Speak out, Caleb!"
"A certificate that the quadrireme, with her rowers and all her
contents, belongs to me; and I swear by the gods of Sabaea and of Egypt,
by the eyes of Cora, whom I love, by the friendship which I, my lord,
your guide and companion in the chase, venture to cherish for you,
I swear, my lord, that I will myself endeavour to dispose of the
quadrireme to a noble lord and pay you honestly, to the last penny,
after deducting my expenses!"
Thus spoke Caleb; and he stood up in the exalted attitude in which
he had taken his oath, with his eyes and hands raised to heaven,
and waited.
Vettius and Rufus thought it rather risky, but Lucius said:
"Caleb's advice is excellent. It is the only thing to do. If I delay,
Tiberius' minions will discover where I am and take the last remnant
of my belongings from me. Caleb, I will do as you say. I will sign
the document certifying that the ship is your property, together
with the slaves, the rowers, the furniture, the jewels, the very
valuable plate...."
But Caleb did not move. He continued to stand in the solemn, rapt
attitude of his oath, with his eyes and hands raised to heaven. And
he now said, slowly:
"I thank you, my lord, for your confidence. It will certainly not be
abused. If I do not render you an equitable account in whatever place
of exile you may be, may the awful jaws of Typhon, whose tongue is a
serpent and whose teeth are blazing flames, swallow me and devour me!"
And Caleb himself trembled at his terrific oath and then fell on his
knees before Lucius--a thing which he, a free Sabaean, had never yet
done--and kissed the foot of the suddenly impoverished noble lord!