"No; the first thought of Nero will be to assemble all the
Praetorians for his protection; they will search the palace and
the park, expecting attack rather than thinking of pursuit. In the
morning, when they find that all is quiet, and that it is indeed
only us with whom there is trouble, they will doubtless send parties
of searchers over the country; but long before that we shall be a
day's march ahead. My wish is to gain the mountains. I do not want
to head a great rebellion against Rome--disaster would surely
come of it at last, and I should have only led men to their death.
A hundred men is the outside number I will take. With that number
we may live as outlaws among the mountains to the south; we could
move so rapidly that large forces could not follow us, and be
strong enough to repulse small ones. There is plenty of game among
the hills, and we should live as we did at home, chiefly by hunting."