Julius Caesar, the ruler of the Roman Empire

"Good," said Caesar, "very good. With all these assassination rumors about the Ides of March, one can't be too careful. Alright, Rufius, you are to go to the Senate today and speak. That is all... and when you are done, you are to return to this house and we are to pay you enough to start a new life and to give you full freedom and pardon. Aggripus, tell the stable boys to fetch my chariot and to drive Rufius to the Senate. Good luck, Emperor."

Caesar watched Rufius go. "Good idea you had about a double," he said to Aggripus. "You can't be too careful these days."

Aggripus nodded. "The problem is going to be after you are assassinated. You will have to prove you are not the slave you sent in your place."

"That can be done," Caesar said, and lifting a bit of his toga, he showed a small red scar on his right thigh. "Have Calpurnia identify the body. She will know the scar is there, and when she doesn't see it she will expose the fraud."

"Well, your grace," said Aggripus, "I guess that leaves us a pleasant day to while away. Shall we go out in the garden and enjoy some wine?"

Caesar nodded, and together they left the sitting room and exited into the courtyard garden. It was cool in the garden in the morning. The hop vines had yet to flower, and the birds were preening themselves in the flowers. Caesar thought about practicing his orations. He was so busy thinking about the speech he would give after those traitors had assassinated his double that he forgot about the new excavation. Down the hole he fell, down, down into darkness.

Caesar felt his way along through dark and fetid smelling caves. He must have fallen into some sort of abandoned tomb or catacomb. He thought he might have felt bones lying piled in endless shelf-like crypts. Then Caesar noticed a light up ahead. It was a dim glow of torches and there were voices. Caesar walked toward the light and found himself in an underground passage lit by firebrands. The poor ragged folk there stared at him in his crisp white toga. He stared back and smiled benificently as only an Emperor can smile, and continued down the passage. There seemed to be some kind of miserable apartments down here where beggars, ex-slaves, and the poorest sort of plebian freemen kept close by the dead. Caesar tried not to look.

Then the tunnel formed a Y. There was a branch to the left and a branch to the right.

1. Caesar heads left.
2. Caesar heads right.

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