oughts unless too drunk
to know what I thought or said."

"You are cold sober now, aren't you?" Commodus queried.

"Entirely sober," Egnatius agreed.

"And you are a fencer far above the average?" he pursued.

"I have been told I have no mean skill," said Capito modestly.

"Such being the case," said Commodus, "you and I shall fence. Go with the
attendants and change into fencing kit. You'll find all styles and sizes
of everything needed in the dressing-rooms. First pick out a pair of
cornel-wood swords, entirely to your mind."

When Capito had selected a pair of swords which suited both him and the
Emperor, he went off to change. While he was gone Commodus had the armorer
drill a tiny hole near the point of one sword and insert in it one of
those thorn-like little steel points which are commonly used on the ends
of donkey-goads.

When Capito returned he showed him the two swords. Capito looked up at him
questioningly and amazedly.

"The idea is this," Commodus explained. "I mean to demonstrate my perfect
ability to defend myself, as well as my dangerousness in attack. You are
to use the sword with the goad point set in it; so that, if you succeed in
hitting me, you will tear a long slash in my hide; for I am going to fence
with you in my skin only, stark; mother-naked as I was born. I shall use
the unaltered sword and you will have on your fencing-tunic, so that if I
hit you, it won't hurt you nearly as much as a hit from you will hurt me.

"If you draw blood from me, I'll pay you one hundred thousand sesterces:
if I fail to lay you out on the pavement, totally insensible, in three
bouts, I'll pay you two hundred thousand sesterces. You can pick any
_lanista_ here to judge the fight and tell us when to separate and rest."

Capito, cool enough, indicated Murmex as referee.

"He's not a _lanista_," Commodus objected.

"He's Frugi's pupil," Capito maintained, "and therefore the best _lanista_
here."

"I agree," said Commodus, and he called:

"Who's the physician on duty?"

When the official came forward he said truculently:

"Get your plasters ready and your revivers. You'll have to attend a man
flat on the pavement, insensible and with a bad scalp wound, before much
time has passed."

And actually, though Capito fenced well, he was no match for Commodus.

The bout was worth watching. The adversaries were just the same height and
differed little in weight. Capito seemed more compact and steady; Commod