He was of the opinion that the three attempts at assassination
which I had escaped were a mere beginning. He was emphatic that I could
not remain on the Imperial estate and survive many days. He advised me
strongly not to return to the villa.
Then he told me that the procurator of the beast-train had sent to Rome by
an Imperial courier, whom he had managed to intercept at a change-station,
a letter setting forth my powers over fierce animals and asking that an
order be sent for my transfer from the horse-breeding estate to the Beast
Barracks attached to the Colosseum, where the animals are housed from
their arrival in Rome, until their display in the arena; that this letter
had come into the hands of the same officials who already had under
consideration the requisition for me made by the procurator in charge of
the Beast Barracks; that somehow these same officials appeared to know
nothing of my identity with the slave who had foiled the conspirators who
were fomenting a mutiny in the _ergastulum_ at Nuceria, and for whose
manumission a request had been made by the aldermen of that town, and
indeed appeared to know nothing of any such request for manumission; that
a requisition for my transfer from the horse-breeding estate to the Beast-
Barracks at Rome had been made out, approved by the higher officials,
sealed, stamped and sent out by an Imperial courier and received that very
afternoon by the procurator of the beast-train, who consequently had
authority to take me to Rome with him as one of the attendants on the
animals of his train, which was now again in order, I having recaged all
the four hundred escaped beasts, except five hyenas, one panther and one
lion which had been killed by stock-owners and their slaves while
attacking stock.
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