The Gladiator

The mate stared down into the water, noting a dark patch of submerged rocks projecting beyond the point. He straightened up and pointed towards a strip of shingle below the cliffs on the opposite side of the bay. 'I'm going to beach the ship over there. She's not going to stay afloat for much longer, sir, ' he explained. 'If she's beached, then at least she can be salvaged, along with what little is left of the cargo.'

'Fair enough, ' Cato conceded. 'However, I doubt there's any chance of having the ship repaired in this port for a while. Or come to that, any port on this side of the island. What happened here is going to be the same everywhere else.'

'Do you really think so?'Julia said with a surprised expression.

'You saw the wave. What was to stop it carrying on all the way along the coast, and then out to sea? Why, I wouldn't be surprised if it had continued all the way to Syria before it died away completely'

Cato gestured towards the shore. 'That wave and the earthquake. will have destroyed almost everything.' His mind went back to the slave camp they had seen crumble the previous day. 'There will be hundreds dead. Maybe thousands. And it looks like hardly a building has been left standing. Who knows what we'll find when we get ashore. It'll be chaos. Complete chaos.'

'But we have to get the ship repaired, ' Julia insisted. 'So we can return to Rome. If all the other ships are smashed, we have to repair this one.'

'And who will repair it?' Cato asked.' The docks are gone. The shipmakers' workshops have gone, and most of the carpenters will have been caught by the wave and are probably dead.'

Julia thought a moment.' Then what are we going to do?'

Cato wearily ran his fingers through his salt-encrusted hair. We'll go ashore, and try to find out who is left in authority. Perhaps when they hear that your father is with us they might provide some help, and shelter.'

'Shelter?' Macro gave a dry laugh. 'That's a good one. What shelter? As far as I can see, there's only a handful of structures still standing, and most of those are just shacks.'

'True, ' said Cato. 'But I was thinking of shelter in a somewhat wider sense.'

'Eh?'

'Think about it, Macro. The island's been turned upside down. You saw what happened to the slave compound yesterday. Those slaves are loose now. I imagine the same thing has happened on every estate.

Everyone will be looking for food and a safe place to ride out the disaster. Soon they'll be fighting for it. We'll need to find some protection somewhere, or make our own. At least until help arrives, and order is restored.'

Macro looked at him sourly. 'By the gods, you're a cheerful soul, Cato. We've barely escaped from drowning, and already you're looking for the downside.'

'Sorry.'

Macro glanced at Julia. 'Are you sure you want to marry him, miss? Mister the amphora's-always-half-empty.'

She did not reply, but moved in closer to Cato and grasped his arm.

Under the mate's command the Horus edged across the bay towards the strip of beach, and as they drew closer to shore they could see a thin layer of flotsam strewn across the shingle. A handful of bodies sprawled amongst splintered lengths of wood and tangles of vegetation. The ship steered steadily towards the shore, with the mate constantly looking over the side to gauge the depth as they approached. As the cliffs loo med over them, Cato felt a gentle lurch beneath his feet, then the deck was motionless.

'Let fly the sheets!' the mate shouted to his crew. Then, as the sail billowed in the gentle breeze, he drew a sharp breath and gave another order. 'Lower the sail!'

The men untied the ropes fastening the makeshift spar and carefully lowered the spar and sail to the deck. Then, overcome by the exhaustion and strain of the desperate hours of the. previous night, and the following day's shifts bailing the water from the hold, the crew slumped down and rested.

'What do we do now?' asked Julia.

'We?' Macro turned to her. 'I want you to stay here, miss. You and the rest of the crew and passengers. Meanwhile, Cato, your father and I are going into Matala to check on the lie of the land.'

'I'm coming with you.'

'With respect, miss, you aren't. Not until we are sure that it's safe.'

Julia frowned and then looked up at Cato. 'Take me with you.'

'I can't, ' Cato replied. 'Macro is the ranking officer. If he says you stay, then you stay'

'But Cato — '

'He's right, my dear, ' Sempronius intervened. 'You have to stay here. Just for now. We'll be back soon. I promise.'

Julia met her father's gaze and after a moment, nodded. 'All right.

But don't take any risks.'

'We won't, miss, ' said Macro.' Come on, Cato. Let's get our kit from the cabin.'

'Kit?'

'Most of it survived, I checked, ' Macro explained. 'If what you said earlier is anything to go by, I'd be happier if we went armed.'

A short time later, the two centurions and the senator splashed down into the shallows from the end of the boarding plank that had been lowered from the bows. The mate of the Horus had ordered two men to take the main anchor and carry it a short distance up the shingle before wedging its flukes into the beach. He was testing that the anchor was securely fixed as the Romans came ashore and made their way up the shingle to firmer ground.

'All done?' Macro asked.

The mate nodded.' The ship's as safe and secure as she can be.

At least she can't sink.'

'Good. You've done well. Your captain would have been proud of you.'

The mate bowed his head. 'I hope so. He was a good man, sir. Best captain I have sailed with.'

'A sad loss, ' Macro responded flatly. 'Now then, we're heading into the port, or what's left of it, to see what the situation is. Meanwhile, you're to remain here. Make sure the crew stays close to the ship and don't let anyone come aboard.'

'Why?'

'Just do as I say, all right? Hopefully some one has restored some kind of order to Matala. But if they haven't… then I'd rather you 31

made sure that you looked after your people, and the senator's daughter. Understand?'

'Yes, sir.' The mate nodded solemnly 'We have a few weapons in the stern locker. In case of pirates.'

'Let's hope you don't need to use them.' Cato smiled thinly. 'But use your judgement. If there's any sign of trouble, then get everyone back on board and pull up the boarding plank.'

'Yes, sir. Good luck.'

'Luck?' Macro patted the sword hanging at his side. 'I make my own luck.'

The two centurions and the senator set off along the shingle towards the port. Cato glanced back over his shoulder and saw Julia following their progress from the foredeck. She waved her hand hesitantly as she saw him looking back and he resisted the urge to wave back. He was thinking like a soldier again and was already closely watching the cliffs to their left for any sign of danger as they trudged along the top of the shingle. It was only a quarter of a mile to the port, and as they approached, the debris that had been carried on the backwash of the wave increased in intensity.

Then they came across the first bodies. Twisted figures in sodden clothing mingled with the remains of houses, boats and goods from the warehouses. The wave had struck its victims down indiscriminately and the three Romans stepped over the corpses of old and young alike. Cato felt a stab of pity as he saw a young woman on her side, an infant still strapped to her chest by a sling, both of them quite dead. He stopped a moment to stare down at the bodies.

Macro paused at his side. 'Poor devils. Didn't stand a chance.'

Cato nodded silently.

His companion looked up and surveyed the beach and the ruins of the port.' By tomorrow this place is going to start smelling a bit ripe. The bodies will have to be dealt with.'