Caesar Dies

within the palace grounds, but the tunnel by which he reached it continued on and downward to the

stead of killing him, pretended to deliver an insulting message from the senate. Since that time the tunnel had been lined with guards at regular intervals, and when Commodus pass

th and skill; he was undoubtedly the most terrific fighter and consummate athlete Rome had ever seen, and he was as proud of it as Nero once was o

glass cost Hadrian. And I could have a thousand better senators tomorrow than the fools who belch and stammer in the curia, the senate house. But where would y

hers in expedients for drawing his attention to themselves, paused ostentatiously to hold a little conversation with the gu

rd them, as they

ulder. "Write down their names for me, somebody. The senate needs pruning! I will purge it the w

gnetism overawed courtiers and politicians as they did the gladiators whom he slew in the arena. The strain of madness in his blood provided cunning that could mask itself beneath a princely bluster

f the Roman Hercules. The vast majority of Romans were unfit to challenge

ke his nerves; there was an almost superhuman purity about his worship of athletic powers. He outdid the Greeks in that respect. But he allowed the legend of his monstrous orgies in the palace to gain currency, partly because that encouraged the Romans to debauch them

ly detect, and did instantly resent pretense, fraud, trickery, the poor condition of one combatant or the unwillingness of one man to have at another in deadly earnest, had to be not only in the pink of bodily condition but a fighter such as no drunken sensualist could ever hope to be. So it was easy to s

emony, whenever there was no risk of the public coming close enough to detect the fraud, mater

constant leakage from the lips of slaves and gladiators by disseminating artfully concocted news. Those actually in the secret, flattered by the confidence and fearful for their own skins, steadfastly denied the story when it cropped up. Last, but not least, was the law, that made it sacrilege to speak in terms derogatory to the e

me, which was known to very few people, but because of an old legend that the ghost of a certain Pavonius Nasor, murdered centuries ago and ne

the emperor's twin brother, spirited away at birth by midwives, and the stories told to account for that were as remarkably unlikely as the tale itself; as for instance, that a soothsayer had prophesied how Commodus should one d

med to see the joke of the resemblance, never laughed at Commodus' obscenely vivid jibes at his expense, nor once complained of his anomalous position. He appeared to be a man of no ambition other than to get through lif

deceive an onlooker not in the secret. (It was Pavonius Nasor's half-indulgent, rather lazy smile that had

at opened on the tunnel. There was no other means of access to the box. It's wooden sidewalls, finished to resemble gilded eagle's wings, projected over the arena so that it was well scree

saluting as the emperor the man who stared down at them from beneath an awning's shadow between golde

him then, as crushed as if a python had left a job half-finished, and shouted for the ashen sword-sticks. In a minute, with a leather buckler on his left arm, he was parrying the thrusts and blows of six men, driving and so crowding them on one another's toes that onl

ely that he broke the sword-stick. "You have killed him," said a se

ever will, Varronius! He got past Paulus' guard! Would you like to attempt it? Woman! How I loathe you soft, effeminate, sleek senato

d for javelins and hurled them at a target, then at half-a-dozen targets,

insulted a moment ago. If he was conscious of applause from the group of courtiers and g

aid. "Loose t

ones off at practise, what shall we do when the day comes? The last ship- load has arrived from Africa and already you have used up nearly half of them. There is no chance of another cargo arriving in time for

a leopa

to the openings of tunnels in the masonry through which the animals emerged into the sunlight. There were ten such op

imal might come. They knew their Paulus, and were trained, besides, to look at death or danger with a curious, contemptuous calm. But the courtiers

g in its grooves but Commod

" he ex

o mutter savagely obscene abuse. A leopard crept into the sunlight, tried to turn

east comes!" s

-born rascal!" Commodus retorted. "Take t

mercy, and thought better of it, shrugging his fine bronzed shoulders. The leopard left the wall and crept toward the center of the sand, his black and yellow bea

modus. A gladiator

cowards in the senate! Let me s

ng in the use of arms. Varronius took the spear at once, his white hands closing on the shaft with mil

ear!" said Commodus. "Be killed, and there will be

javelin. Varronius strode out to face the leopard, and the lithe beast did not wait to feel the spear-point. It began to stalk its adversary in irregular swift cu

wits more nimble! He will get you! By the Dioscuri, he will get you! I will bet a talent that he gets you-and I hope he does! You hold you

emed to change direction in mid-air, the point missing him by half a hand's breadth. One terrific claw, outreachi

First blood to the braver! W

is eyes fixed on the leopard that had recommenced

ulship already. Who else wa

ard's skin and made a stinging wound along the beast's ribs, turning him the way a spur-prick turns a horse. His snarl made Varronius step back another pace or two, neglecting his chance to att

th a light blade hardly longer than his hand. He threw his toga over his left forearm and stood firm to make a fight for it, his white face rigid and his eyes ablaze. The leopard leaped

a coward, Tullius! If you had ru

e javelin, setting one foot on the l

en you strike, like great Jove with his thunderbolts! Life isn't a game between Maltese kittens; it's a specta

rom foot to foot. He made prodigious leaps; there was no guessing which way he would jump next. He was not like a human being. The leopard, snarling, slunk away, attempting to avoid him, but he crowded it against the wall. He forced it

ess surged in

he gladiators' feet. "Because I pity Rome that could not f

remain away from Rome and live more like a god. I've more than half a mind to let my dummy stay here to amuse you wastrels!" He glanced up at the box, where his substitute lolled and yawned and smiled. "All

rds fetched from the tunnel and arranged them in a similar disorder, so that finally no stretch of fifty yards was left without a man obstruc

nded. "I will crush the f

mmodus admired the team a minute, then examined the new high wheels of the gilded chariot, that was hardly wider than a coffin-a thing that a m

anaged them with one hand. There was magnetism sent along the reins to play with the dynamic energy of four mad stallions as gods

m by a hand's breadth-less! He took delight in driving at them, turning in the last half-second, smiling at a blanched face as he wheeled and wove new figures down another zigzag avenue of men. The frenzy of the team inspired him; the rebellion of the stallions, made mad by the persistent, sudden turns, aro

ticlimax of declining effort, so his mood changed. He became morose-indifferent. He reined in, tossed the reins to an atte

dered them to bring his cloak and overtake him. Then he observed Narcissus, standi

el-mouth; he went so fast (for he knew the emperor's moods) that the attendants found it hard to keep up; most of them were half a dozen paces in the rear. A senator gave Commodus

A long scream broke the silence, thrice repeated, horrible, like something from an unseen world. Instantly Narcissus leaped ahead into the darkness, weaponless but armed by nature with the muscles o

y the attendants were standing helplessly around the body of a man who lay with head and shoulders propped against the wall. Narcissus a

ght?" Commodus demande

illed your s

kille

out of the dar

have him here. He li

ssus

ody on the flagstones,

throttle him to save m

eck. He is certainly

a lamp and came alon

d Commodus. "Here,

him with stupid, passionless, already dimming eyes.

sea, defile your spirit!" Commodus exploded. "Careless, irresponsible, ungrateful fool! You have deprived me of my liberty! You let

s bent down and tried to listen-tried again, mastered impatience

ngs!" he exploded. "He says he sh

istook that for a cue t

azines of Caesar's rage

r. He tore off his loi

sus, because Narcissus

rion's parade voic

ltures! Better have killed me than that poor obliging fool! You cursed, stupid idiots! You have killed my dummy! I must sit as he did and look on. I must swallow stinking air of throne-rooms.

wrist Narcissus twisted, until he struck at Narcissus ag

d, somebody! Is this the mur

it near the culprit's face. The murderer was beyond speech, hardly breathing, with his eyes half- bursting from

ian," sai

voice. The privileges of the Christians were

demanded

neath his tunic. Besides, I think I recognize the man. I think he is the one who waylaid Pertin

ommodus stamped on the face with the flat of h

t to keep me out of the arena? Too long have I endured that rabble! I will

attendants-pointed at th

spineless fools who let the murder happen. Tie them. You, Narcissus-march them back to the ar

rcle of the lamplight as the tunnel-wall would let them

r supper and the immortal Paulus whom an empire worshiped. Remains me

nd smashed it, then, in darkness, strode along the