John and Celestine, paralyzed by the spectacle, came to with a jerk.
"It's time to move," John said.
He swung the car around just as, with a rattle and a roar, a score of chariots dashed out of the great gates and the horses came galloping down the road. The ranks of the infantry opened to permit pursuit of the retreating skirmishers. The clumsy vehicles rattled and bumped behind flying hoofs at a rapid clip, the men in them hanging on to the reins and keeping their footing by a miracle. Gay cloaks streamed backward in the wind, and gold gleamed on the horses' harness.
Roman soldiers, armor glistening in the sun! Chariots! Galleys! They came in endless columns, fearless....
John bore down on the accelerator pedal, and the car leaped ahead with a roar, a scattered string of chariots swinging in behind it. He headed down the road and, once the Packard got a proper start, it left its pursuers ridiculously behind. Celestine shrieked and pointed ahead.
"Look!"
A group of Roman soldiers with drawn swords were formed on the road ahead, and more were swarming out of the shrubbery.