midday
A turn of the road , a temporary makeshift , led them around Casilinum , whose little garrison lay close , nor opened their gates to friend or foe . There , at last , in the midst of the level plain that stretched down to the sea , lay Capua , gleaming white and radiant beneath the brush of the now descending sun . Gradually the great sweep of city walls grew lowering and massive . It still lacked an hour of sunset , and the travellers had not urged themselves unduly through the midday course . The foam , yellowed and darkened by dust , had dried upon the horses ' flanks save only where the chafing of the harness kept it fresh and white . Marcia leaned far out of the rheda and gazed eagerly at the nearing town , Caipor seemed scarcely able to restrain his eagerness to dash forward , while Ligurius shaded his eyes with his hand and viewed the spectacle like a general counting the power of his approaching foe . Even at this distance they saw , or began to imagine they saw , some indescribable change , -- not a flurry of motion or excitement , -- they were too far away to note that , had such been present .