With Cato in the lead once more, they trudged through the tall grass to the far side of the island and back into the still, murky waters surrounding the beds of reeds. The afternoon was the hottest part of the day and the heat beat down on the extended line of soldiers and some dipped their felt helmet liners into the water before cramming them over their heads to provide some comfort from the baking temperature. Towards the middle of the afternoon they came across another body, between the twisting roots of a tree. As before, he bore wounds from the morning’s fight and had been despatched by a sword thrust. Cato examined him briefly before moving on.

There was still no word from the leading section and there was no longer any doubt in his mind that they had run into trouble or got themselves lost. Cato ordered another brief stop to drink some water and for the men to catch their breath while he talked quietly with the centurion.

‘Something’s wrong. Your men should have sent back a report long before now.’

‘I know, sir.’ Rufus untied his neck cloth and dabbed his face. ‘Shall I send someone ahead of the column to try and find them?’

Cato considered the suggestion for a moment. ‘No. There’s no point in risking any more men. If they are still following Ajax, then they’ll stop for the night when he does. We’ll hear from them then. That’s my guess.’

‘And if we don’t?’

‘Then we’ll just keep following this path until we run into them, or Ajax and his men. That’s all.’

‘And what of Centurion Macro, sir?’

‘Macro will catch up with us in good time. We can depend on that at least.’ Cato smiled. ‘He wouldn’t miss a good fight.’ The smiled faded. ‘In this case he wants to be in on the kill more than any other man alive . . . except myself.’

Rufus nodded. He had fought in Crete and knew the tale of Macro’s captivity, and that of Julia, the prefect’s wife-to-be. ‘Then perhaps we should camp early, and give Macro the chance to join forces with us.’

Cato thought it over, then shook his head. ‘Each time we stop and rest, the men are slower to continue the march. Best to wait until the full day is done before calling a halt.’ He moistened his lips. ‘We go on.’