Part 2 (1/2)
”The emperor has good reasons no doubt for his course.”
”He may be instigated by ignorant or malicous advisers.”
”I think it is entirely his own design.”
”The number of those that have been put to death is very large.”
”O yes, some thousands; but plenty more remain. These, however, are out of reach, and that reminds me of my errand here. I bring you the imperial commission.”
Lucullus drew from the folds of his military mantle a scroll of parchment, which he handed to Marcellus. The latter eagerly examined its contents. It appointed him to a higher grade, and commissioned him to search out and arrest the Christians in their hiding-places, mentioning particularly the Catacombs.
Marcellus read it with a clouded brow, and laid it down.
”You do not seem very glad.”
”I confess the task is unpleasant. I am a soldier, and do not like to hunt out old men and weak children for the executioner; yet, as a soldier, I must obey. Tell me something about these Catacombs.”
”The Catacombs? It is a subterranean district that extends to unknown bounds underneath the city. The Christians fly to the catacombs whenever there is danger, and they also are in the habit of burying their dead there. Once there, they are beyond the reach of the utmost power of the state.”
”Who made the Catacombs?”
”No one knows exactly. They have existed for ages. I believe that they were excavated for the sake of getting building sand for cement. At present all our cement comes from there, and you may see workmen bringing it into the city along any of the great roads. They have to go far away for it now, for in the course of ages they have excavated so much beneath us that this city now rests upon a foundation like a honeycomb.”
”Is there any regular entrance?”
”There are innumerable entrances. That is the difficulty. If there were but few, then we might catch the fugitives. But we cannot tell from which direction to advance upon them.”
”Is any district suspected?”
”Yes. About two miles down the Appian Way, near the tomb of Caecilia Metella, the large round tower, you know, bodies have frequently been discovered. It is conjectured that these are the bodies of the Christians which have been obtained from the amphitheater and carried away for burial. On the approach of the guards, the Christians have dropped the bodies and fled. But, after all, this gives no a.s.sistance, for after you enter the Catacombs you are no nearer your aim than before. No human being can penetrate that infinite labyrinth without a.s.sistance from those who live there.”
”Who live there?”
”The fossors, who still excavate sand for the builders. They are nearly all Christians, and are always at work cutting out graves for the dead of the Christians. These men have lived there all their lives, and are not only familiar with the pa.s.sages, but they have a kind of instinct to guide them.”
”Were you ever in the Catacombs?”
”Once, long ago, a fossor guided me. I remained but a short time. My impression was that it was the most terrible place in all the world.”
”I have heard of the Catacombs, but never before knew anything about them. It is strange that they are so little known. Could not these fossors be engaged to lead the guards through this labyrinth?”
”No. They will not betray the Christians.”
”Have they been tried?”
”Certainly. Some comply, and lead the officers of justice through a network of pa.s.sages till they get bewildered. Their torches become extinguished, and they grow terrified. Then they ask to be led back. The fossor declares that the Christians must have fled, and so takes back the soldiers to the starting point.”
”Are none resolute enough to continue on till they find the Christians?”
”If they insist upon continuing the search the fossor will lead them on forever. But he merely leads them through the countless pa.s.sages which intersect some particular district.”