Part 8 (2/2)

Either Pratinas was well known at the gladiators' school, or something in his speech procured favour. There was a rattling of chains and bolts, and the door swung open. A man of unusual height and ponderous proportions appeared in the opening. That was all which could be seen in the semi-darkness.

”You are Pratinas?” he asked, speaking Latin with a northern accent.

The h.e.l.lene nodded, and replied softly: ”Yes. No noise. Tell Dumnorix to come quietly.”

The two stepped in on to the flags of a courtyard, and the doorkeeper, after rebolting, vanished into the building. Ahen.o.barbus could only see that he was standing in a large stone-paved court, perhaps one hundred and forty feet wide and considerably longer. A colonnade of low whitewashed pillars ran all about: and behind them stretched rows of small rooms and a few larger apartments. There were _tyros_ practising with wooden swords in one of the rooms, whence a light streamed, and a knot of older gladiators was urging them on, mocking, praising, and criticising their efforts. Now and then a burly gladiator would stroll across the court; but the young n.o.ble and his escort remained hidden in shadow.

Presently a door opened at the other end of the courtyard, and some one with a lantern began to come toward the entrance. Long before the stranger was near, Ahen.o.barbus thought he was rising like a giant out of the darkness; and when at last Dumnorix--for it was he--was close at hand, both Roman and Greek seemed veritable dwarfs beside him.

Dumnorix--so far as he could be seen in the lantern light--was a splendid specimen of a northern giant. He was at least six feet five inches in height, and broad proportionately. His fair straight hair tumbled in disorder over his shoulders, and his prodigiously long mustaches seemed, to the awed Ahen.o.barbus, almost to curl down to his neck. His breath came in hot pants like a winded horse, and when he spoke, it was in short Latin monosyllables, interlarded with outlandish Gallic oaths. He wore cloth trousers with bright stripes of red and orange; a short-sleeved cloak of dark stuff, falling down to the thigh; and over the cloak, covering back and shoulders, another sleeveless mantle, clasped under the chin with a huge golden buckle.

At his right thigh hung, from a silver set girdle, by weighty bronze chains, a heavy sabre, of which the steel scabbard banged noisily as its owner advanced.

”Holla! Pratinas,” cried the Gaul, as he came close. ”By the holy oak!

but I'm glad to see you! Come to my room. Have a flagon of our good northern mead.”

”Hist,” said the Greek, cautiously. ”Not so boisterous. Better stay here in the dark. I can't tell who of your men may hear us.”

”As you say,” said Dumnorix, setting down the light at a little distance and coming closer.

”You remember that little affair of last year,” said Pratinas, continuing;--”how you helped me get rid of a witness in a very troublesome law case?”

”Ha! ha!” chuckled the giant, ”I wish I had the sesterces I won then, in my coffer now.”

”Well,” replied Pratinas, ”I don't need to tell you what I and my n.o.ble friend here--Lucius Domitius Ahen.o.barbus--have come for. A little more business along the same line. Are you our man?”

”I should say so,” answered Dumnorix, with a grin worthy of a baboon.

”Only make it worth my while.”

”Now,” said Pratinas, sinking his voice still lower, ”this affair of ours will pay you well; but it is more delicate than the other. A blunder will spoil it all. You must do your best; and we will do the fair thing by you.”

”Go on,” said the Gaul, folding his huge paws on his breast.

”Have you ever been in Praeneste?” questioned Pratinas.

”I matched two _mirmillones_[62] of mine there against two _threces_[63] of another lanista, and my dogs won the prize; but I can't say that I am acquainted with the place,” answered the other.

[62] Gladiators equipped as Gaulish warriors.

[63] Buckler men.

”You should find out, then,” said Pratinas, ”for here lies your work.”

And then he proceeded, with occasional prompting from the better-informed Ahen.o.barbus, to point out the location of Drusus's estate, and the character and habits of the man whom Dumnorix was cheerfully proposing to put out of the way. Dumnorix a.s.sented and bade him go on, with hoa.r.s.e grunts; and when the Greek had concluded, growled out in his barbarous Latin:--

”But why all this pother? Why not let me send a knave or two and knock the fellow some dark night in the head? It will save us both time and trouble.”

”My excellent master of the gladiators,” said Pratinas, as smoothly as ever, ”you must not take it ill, if I tell you that to have a taking off such as you propose would be a very bad thing both for you and the most n.o.ble Ahen.o.barbus. This Drusus is not a helpless wight, without friends, waiting to become the fair prey of any dagger man.[64] He has friends, I have learned, who, if he were to be disposed of in such a rude and bungling manner, would not fail to probe deeply into the whole thing. Flaccus the great banker, notably, would spare no pains to bring the responsibility of the matter home, not merely to the poor wretch who struck the blow, but the persons who placed the weapon in his hands. All of which would be very awkward for Ahen.o.barbus. No, your rough-and-ready plan won't in the least work.”

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