I am but dimly conscious of what followed, for sword-strokes were showered upon me, and all grew black before my eyes.

I only know what I thought then, face to face with death." "Well-- ?" asked Stephanus.
"I thought," said Paulus reddening, "of my fighting-quails at Alexandria, and whether they had had any water.

Then my dull heavy unconsciousness increased; for weeks I lay in that state, for I was hacked like sausage-meat; I had twelve wounds, not counting the slighter ones, and any one else would have died of any one of them.

You have often wondered at my scars." "And whom did the Lord choose then to be the means of your salvation ?" "When I recovered my senses," continued Paulus, "I was lying in a large, clean room behind a curtain of light material; I could not raise myself, but just as if I had been sleeping so many minutes instead of days, I thought again directly of my quails.

In their last fight my best cock had severely handled handsome Nikander's, and yet he wanted to dispute the stakes with me, but I would assert my rights! At least the quails should fight again, and if Nikander should refuse I would force him to fight me with his fists in the Palaestra, and give him a blue reminder of his debt on the eye.