As the men took their meagre refreshment, under the watchful eyes of Rufus, Cato lifted his canteen and allowed himself a small amount, which he swilled slowly around his mouth before swallowing. Then he put the canteen away and paced up to the highest point on the island to search for any sign of life to the south, the direction Ajax seemed to have veered towards during the morning. There was a small clump of date palms nearby, and a handful of fallen trunks amid a tangle of old brown fronds. Cato made his way across to them and stepped up on to one of the trunks. From his vantage point he could see an unbroken sprawl of reeds interspersed with dense clumps of trees and undergrowth stretching out in front of him. But no sign of any movement. The stillness depressed him. He had hoped to have marched quickly enough to have caught up with Ajax and his men. Cato was also worried. There had been no word from the section Rufus had sent forward to stay in contact with the enemy. They might be far ahead, or they could have lost their way. Cato turned round to look back on their tracks. Even though he calculated that they had come no more than five miles over the difficult ground, there was no sign of life. The horizon was clear and nothing moved amid the reeds they had passed through.

After another brief look ahead, Cato returned to the column and wearily picked up his shield. ‘The rest is over, Centurion. Get the men back on their feet.’

A brief look of surprise flitted across Rufus’s face before he nodded and faced his men, hands on hips. ‘Up you get, ladies!’

There was a chorus of groans and muttered growls of complaint before Rufus cleared his throat and bellowed at them. ‘Silence! I gave you a bloody order. Get up. It’s time for you to earn your pay. This is what the Emperor’s silver is for, and he pays you handsomely. So shut your mouths and pick up your kit, damn you!’

The men rose stiffly and made ready to continue the march. Rufus turned to Cato. ‘At your command, sir.’

‘Thank you. Forward then.’

Rufus raised his arm and swept it towards the broken trail. ‘Column! Forwards!’