A group of swimmers taken at Repulse Bay over the week-end. ("China Mail" photo).
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THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, MAY 14, 1937
..
NE day Paetus, the head of all the gladiators, said to young Bassianus: "Listen! To- morrow the Emperor will fence with thee!"
Bassianus thereupon inquired: "Am I to go to the palace, or will the Emperor come to us in the school?""
"Neither the one nor the other," replied Paetus. "Com- modus will appear in the arena to-morrow as a swordsman like thyself."
"Like myself?" "Why yes or Marcus.
. or like Emilius, The Emperor will be exactly like a real swords- man to-morrow, and will show off his art before the entire public."
Bassianus laughed.
"It's very foolish of thee to laugh," remarked Paetus.
"Oh, I'm not afraid!" replied the young gladiator, and his dark eyes shone with excitement.
"Thou art not afraid, because thou art foolish."
14
Bassianus reflected for a while, then he brightened up again.
If I deal him my Thra- cian double-cut, the Emperor's sword will fly onto the sand Nobody knows the Thracian double-cut but myself
I
learnt it from old Narcissus no opponent has ever counter-
•
fenced it
"It's not a question of thy Thracian double-cut. The Em- peror intends to overcome thee, none having, as yet, been able to stand up against thee."
"Well, let him come," cried Bassianus. "His sword will fly into the sand
Paetus grew angry. "Foolish ass! Remember, it is the Em- peror!"
"Certainly
harm him
and I will not but his sword thou
will roll in the sand canst take my word for it!"
"In that case, the Emperor will have thee crucified an hour later thou canst take my word for it!" answered Paetus scornfully.
Bassianus laughed no more. On the following day,
as he passed through the narrow pas- sage leading to the arena, a man in disguise stepped up to him and whispered in his ear: "Kill the Emperor, and thou shalt re- ceive two hundred thousand · sesterces and freedom to go where thou wouldst!"
The young fencer was startled; he groped in the dark for the sinister figure, but it had freed itself from him and fled.
Bassianus shook his head and stepped out through the low en- trance into the daylight......
The shouts of the crowd greet- ed his ears like the sound of dis- tant thunder,
THE EMPEROR &
1
THE
GLADIATOR
He stood facing the Emperor, whom he saw for the first time at such close quarters.
"Quite a little fellow," thought Bassianus, "as delicately built as my brother Antonius. Poor. An- tonius can never become a gladia- tor." And he smiled.
But the Emperor was looking at him menacingly.
331
"What a white chest he has,' thought Bassianus, "and such
soft shoulders and weak arms!?!
And he smiled.
The signal was given by a blast of tubas.
Commodus sprang forward and made some hasty thrusts of the gword.
his Bassianus stood
ground without even raising his weapon, and
his the blows glanced off shield.
one
The Emperor sprang to side and tried to attack Bassianus in the flank. The young gladia- tor turned almost imperceptibly, and wherever Commodus* sword quivered, it struck Bassianus' shield with a metallic sound.
Then Commodus attacked him. Bassianus thrust out his sword and the Emperor's blade slid past it.
"He" has learnt this method of attack from Paetus," thought Bassianus to himself. He ad- vanced a few steps, tapped with the point of his sword on the Em- peror's golden shield, passed over it and, in a flash, touched Caesar's body quite lightly, almost cares- singly, in four places with his sword, on the neck, under the shoulder, on the chest and at the knee. Commodus felt the cold steel on his bare skin and was afraid. Bassianus smiled kindly at him.
From this moment the Emperor left off glaring at his opponent; his furious expression gave place to a smile. He began to implore him with his eyes.
Suddenly Bassianus remember- ed the man in disguise.
"What if I thrust my sword" through this boy's chest!"" thought he.
But the Emperor looked at him beseechingly..
"One moment, Caesar Bassianus whispered hurriedly. It seemed to him disgraceful and ridiculous to let himself be worst- ed by this floundering fellow.
"He will reward me, he thought, and looked into the Em- peror's disheartened and entreat- ing eyes. “He will very greatly reward me!”
FJ
Once again he hesitated, not wanting to be too ignominiously defeated in the presence of the people who had so often admired his art. They might turn down their thumbs if they thought him too great a bungler. The Em- peror almost fell over backwards as Bassianus, standing firm as a rock, resisted his attack.
"Now, Caesar," he whispered, and held out his sword for Com- modus to strike. And as the blow fell, Bassianus sprang aside with a light, dancing step, feigning to slip, and threw himself onto his shoulders. "He will reward me," he thought
He smiled up at the Emperor, who bent over and glared at him infuriatedly as he thrust his sword into his throat.
Young Bassianus just heard the #roar:
the rejoicing multitude.
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